Abstract

A vibrant ecosystem for technology start-ups can accelerate economic growth, create new jobs, and expand skill sets to meet future needs. This research explores the awareness and significance of user interface and user experience design as success factors for start-ups, as well as some key gaps in the implementation of good design practices that may be holding back the success of technopreneurs in Bahrain. Good UI and UX designs could lead to a successful start-up. The research hypothesizes, however, that some entrepreneurs may not place enough emphasis on design-driven entrepreneurship. The research argues that by implementing an attractive interface design, effective interaction features, and usability guidelines, start-ups are more likely to have a sustainable advantage. Therefore, the research qualitatively surveys representatives from ten support organizations and investigates eleven case studies of innovative digital applications in an attempt to explore how critical design is influencing the sustenance and growth of technology-based start-ups. The results revealed that most start-up founders in Bahrain are aware of the value of design, especially UX design, in the success of start-ups. They attempt to follow a user-centered design process. However, their awareness is not yet sufficient to drive them to employ systematic user-testing and usability methods.