Driving Discovery of Apps, Insights, and Features

Background and Context

Datasite is a leading platform for M&A professionals. Before launch, users landed directly on the Projects page, which only showed active deals. Tools and insights existed across the platform but were hidden unless users already knew where to look. Stakeholders saw an opportunity to raise visibility and drive adoption across the broader ecosystem.

Problem Framing

Most users had one or two active projects and rarely explored beyond them. Pendo data showed low engagement with the Apps tab. As a result, tools like Watermarking, PDF to Excel, and MergerLinks went unnoticed. Without a homepage, the platform lacked a centralized entry point to surface apps, insights, and new features.

Design Approach

Research and internal feedback guided the homepage layout. The design balanced familiar access with discovery.

Key decisions:

• Surface projects and apps up front to maintain user flow.

• Add personalization through Recommended for You as a first step toward relevance at scale.

• Introduce rotating MergerLinks content to highlight industry insights.

• Create space to promote new features in-product, reducing reliance on email campaigns.

I finalized designs in two weeks using Material UI for consistency and reduced engineering lift. Partnered with product and engineering to define MVP scope and align on delivery.

Final Designs

The homepage introduced five modules:

Your Recent Projects & Apps
Direct access to active work.

Recommended for You
Personalized suggestions based on usage patterns, designed as a foundation for a personalization strategy.

FY24 Dealmakers League
Visibility into deal rankings.

M&A News
Curated industry insights.

Explore New Features
Promoted new releases directly in-product, improving go-to-market visibility for stakeholders.

Among these, Recommended for You was a key focus. It demonstrated how personalization could drive discovery and laid the groundwork for future relevance across the platform.

Outcome and Impact

• 7,400+ feature engagements

• 18,900+ homepage visitors post-launch

• Stakeholder alignment on the homepage as a scalable entry point

• Foundation set for personalization and app discovery strategies

Reflection

If I had more time, I would:

• Run usability testing with external users to validate content priorities.

• Refine personalization rules to improve recommendations.

• Add onboarding cues to guide new users toward underused tools.

This project showed how a strategic entry point drives adoption. Even small shifts in how content is surfaced improved visibility and engagement across the product ecosystem.