SaaS
Rope
Networking Reinvented: The Rope Card Experience.
Category
Client
Platform
iOS, Android, Web
Year
Transforming networking using digitization, QR and NFC technology.
Project overview
Rope is a digital networking solution that modernizes how individuals and businesses exchange and manage contact information. The product evolved in two phases:
Rope Cards – A personal networking tool for individuals.
Rope Teams – A lead-generation and contact management tool for businesses.
My Role:
I was the sole product designer on a four-person team, working alongside:
A Product Manager
A Frontend Engineer
A Backend Engineer
The project originated from the founder of our startup/creative agency, who envisioned a digital revolution in networking. His goal was to bring Nigeria and Africa a more efficient alternative to traditional business cards, inspired by global solutions that had yet to gain widespread adoption in this region.
The Problem
Sharing contacts is a hassle. Typing numbers, spelling handles, and managing business cards is outdated.
Identified Challenges
For Individuals:
Manually typing or calling out phone numbers leads to errors.
No way to selectively share contact details (e.g., business vs. personal).
Crowded environments make verbal exchanges difficult.
For Businesses & Teams:
No centralized way to track networking activities and leads generated by employees.
Lack of customized branding and team-wide networking strategies.
No geolocation tracking to verify networking events and monitor outreach efforts.
Opportunity
Create a two-in-one digital solution that:
Empowers individuals with a seamless, customizable way to share contact information.
Equips businesses with lead tracking, team networking, and analytics tools.
Research and Discovery
"Digital networking powered by NFC slashes contact exchange times while offering a secure, customizable solution—unlocking new opportunities in untapped markets."
White Paper Research
Research shows that NFC digital business cards can reduce contact exchange time, eliminate manual entry and physical cards' hassle, and cut paper waste and printing costs by over 80%. Cloud-based updates keep data secure and current. This approach enables a faster, smarter networking experience. One key excerpt states:
"Frictionless NFC sharing reduces contact exchange time by up to 75%."
Competitive Analysis
An examination of platforms like Popl, Linq, and V1ce reveals that while these competitors deliver efficient, user-friendly experiences, they tend to offer only basic sharing capabilities. A notable observation from the analysis is:
"Competitors provide strong blueprints for fast data exchange, yet they lack the level of customization needed to cater to diverse networking needs."
Some of Rope Cards competitors including Popl, LinkedIn and Tap
Synthesis
Integrating these insights shows that NFC technology enhances speed and security while delivering significant environmental and cost benefits. However, current market offerings lack sufficient customization, limiting users' ability to tailor shared information for personal versus professional contexts. This gap, especially in emerging markets like Nigeria, presents a unique opportunity for a secure, eco-friendly solution with robust, customizable features.
Rope Cards: The Individual Networking Solution
Design & Development
For Rope Cards, I focused on designing an MVP with these core screens:
Signup & Onboarding – A seamless registration process.
Profile Page – Users could create and manage multiple profiles.
Share Interface – A quick and efficient way to exchange contact details.
Settings Page – Allowing personalization and control over shared information.
Key Feature: Personas
During user testing, we identified a major challenge:
Users wanted to share different sets of information based on context.
Example: A fashion designer who is also a real estate agent might want to share separate professional profiles at different events.
Solution:
We introduced Personas, allowing users to:
✔ Create multiple profiles (e.g., "Fashion Designer," "Real Estate Agent").
✔ Instantly switch between them for targeted networking.
This feature was a game-changer, adding more personalization and flexibility to the networking process.
Launch & Impact
Successfully launched Rope Cards with an active user base.
Introduced customizable sharing, making networking seamless.
Set the foundation for Rope Teams, expanding into the B2B space.
Rope Teams: The Business Networking Solution
With Rope Cards successfully launched, we moved on to Rope Teams, which extended the concept to companies and organizations.
Business Use Case & Features
Team-Wide Contact Sharing: Employees could share company-approved details with leads at networking events.
Lead Capture & Tracking: Each contact exchange required the recipient to fill out a form, generating a lead in the company’s database.
Admin & Role-Based Access:
Admins could manage team members, assign roles, and control shareable information.
Employees could customize their profiles while adhering to company branding.
Department Customization: Companies could customize digital cards by department (e.g., finance team cards could have a unique theme).
Geolocation Tracking:
Companies could track where leads were generated.
Ensured sales teams attended designated networking events and recorded interactions.
Challenges & Solutions
One key challenge was designing levels of access for admins and team members.
Solution: A structured role-based system allowing admins to set permissions while giving employees customization flexibility.
Launch & Business Impact
Launched Rope Teams within two months of Rope Cards.
Enabled companies to centralize networking efforts and track leads efficiently.
Offered businesses high-level customization options to maintain brand consistency.
Learnings and Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Personalization matters. The Persona feature in Rope Cards sets us apart from competitors.
Business needs differ from individual needs. Rope Teams required more structured permissions, tracking, and data management.
Scalability is crucial. Designing Rope Cards first allowed us to expand seamlessly into B2B solutions.
Next Steps
Gather more user insights to refine features and enhance usability.
Improve customer support integration for better issue resolution.
Expand analytics & reporting features for businesses to track networking ROI.
Live Prototype of Product
Conclusion
Rope successfully transformed traditional networking by providing:
✔ A seamless personal networking tool (Rope Cards) for individuals.
✔ A powerful lead generation & tracking platform (Rope Teams) for businesses.
This project challenged me to design for two different audiences—individual users and corporate teams—while ensuring a cohesive user experience across both. The journey from Rope Cards to Rope Teams was a testament to the power of iterative design and user-driven innovation.
