Neev J. 2026 | BASIS Independent Fremont
- Project Title: Translating User Feedback into Product Features in Early-Stage Startups
- BASIS Independent Advisor: Mr. Ong
- Internship Location: SideShift, 85 Broad St, New York, New York, 10004
- Onsite Mentor: Mr. Drew Levin
The creator economy has grown explosively, yet many creators remain burdened by administrative complexities that stifle their creative output. While established companies rely on extensive product management teams to solve such issues, early-stage startups often lack the resources to systematically translate user needs into scalable features. My project addresses this gap at SideShift, a User-Generated Content (UGC) marketplace connecting brands with creators, under the mentorship of Mr. Drew Levin, co-founder and CTO at the startup. Through a dual-track approach of academic research and software engineering, I am investigating how resource-constrained startups can effectively operationalize user feedback. My methods include conducting in-depth user interviews and surveys with SideShift’s creator base to identify workflow pain points, followed by a rigorous competitive analysis. Using Agile development cycles and the RICE prioritization framework, I am designing and implementing a fully functional Creator Management System—featuring campaign dashboards, performance analytics, and in-built payment processing—directly into the live SideShift platform. Concurrently, I am producing a comprehensive case study documenting this entire lifecycle from raw feedback to final code. This project moves beyond theoretical models to test product development frameworks in a real-world, high-velocity environment. By measuring user adoption and task efficiency post-launch, I expect to demonstrate that structured, feedback-driven development significantly improves user satisfaction and platform retention. Ultimately, this research provides a replicable roadmap for startups to balance agility with user-centric design, ensuring technology serves the people who use it.
