Validating a bootstrapped startup idea in a crowded market
I worked with a bootstrapped startup to create a brand, design system, and user interface that communicated a clear USP and captured market share. Through validation campaigns, we achieved a 13% conversion rate with cold traffic.
Company
Early stage startup
Server hosting
Tech
Services
UI/UX Design
Brand Design
Creative Direction
Marketing
The opportunity
Online gaming is a fast-growing market, projected to reach over $300 billion in the next decade. With the success of games like Minecraft or Palworld, Hostral’s founders noticed that gamers wanted easy ways to set up private multiplayer servers for these titles that would allow them to play with friends. While server hosting is already an established and competitive industry, the recurring demand and market growth left room for newcomers who could differentiate themselves.
The challenge
Breaking into this market wasn’t easy. Server hosting requires deep technical expertise, and major players already dominated with capital, infrastructure, and brand awareness. We were just four bootstrapped founders with limited resources. My role as the sole designer was to find a way to stand out, taking cues from disruptors like Figma and Canva. The strategy I adopted was simple, but effective: understand the audience, spot competitor weaknesses, and turn those gaps into our USP.
A plan to stand out
Competitor research shaped our design and brand strategy, revealing four key opportunities
Simplified onboarding by making server setup as easy as a one-click action and removing the need for technical skills
Cohesive, friendly UI that avoids the clutter and dated design style of competitors with a clean interface and vibrant branding
Sustainability through green energy and carbon offsetting as a differentiator in an energy-intensive industry
Streamlined pricing that reduces cognitive overload by replacing fragmented packages with simpler, clearer options
Together, these pillars positioned us as a fresher and more intuitive alternative.
Designing to outcompete
These challenges shaped how we approached the product. We streamlined the onboarding flow to cut down on cognitive overload, while still giving experienced users the flexibility to customize. From the very beginning, we aimed for a brand that felt sleek and approachable. The logo, a cat with green leaf-shaped ears, hinted at our sustainability mission, while bold typography and vibrant green and magenta illustrations brought the mascot to life in playful scenarios. In a crowded market, this gave us a memorable edge, but branding was always in service of our core mission, which was to provide a seamless experience designed for the everyday gamer, not just the tech-savvy. The same philosophy was translated to our dashboard, which we designed around modern UX principles with a focus on accessibility and clear context, guiding users along their tasks with clarity.
Landing page
Validation: putting our philosophy to the test
With a clear plan in place, the next step was validation. We ran “fake door” campaigns, directing users to landing pages that presented our solution but didn’t yet allow sign-ups. Two Google Ads campaigns to cold traffic brought in thousands of impressions and hundreds of visitors over less than a week.
The results were encouraging. Conversion rates were strong, and many users came from searches for competitors, which was evidence that our USP was compelling enough to win over other competitors’ customers. Even after introducing friction points that highlighted the monthly server fee, a significant number still converted onwards through the onboarding flow.
This confirmed that our idea had real potential. We had started small, spotted a gap, and validated our approach with real numbers.
With that confidence, we began building an MVP for a first batch of test users.
The results
14% CR with cold traffic
5x estimated ROAS
4-6% est. acquisition rate
$2-4 estimated CAC
Get in touch with me or look at my other work
Get in touch with me
info@vasilicarafizi.com
Or use the form below : )