SiFive

SiFive is a revolutionary new company changing the way semiconductors are made and used, with broad potential implications for the future of computing and wearable devices. As lead strategist and copywriter on this Ueno website design project, I needed to quickly gain an understanding of SiFive’s core technology— programmable custom silicon chips — and develop a content strategy that would communicate the important aspects of the offering in a way that would be understood and appreciated by all key customer personas, from highly technical users to C-suite decision-makers.

Better and faster

A major component of the SiFive platform is the company’s silicon chip design toolkit, which will allow device makers to create their own custom chips at a relatively affordable price point—which has the potential to massively accelerate innovation in the hardware startup space. Our design challenge was to pare down SiFive’s massive existing website into a digestible amount of content, and turn the traditionally mundane idea of a semiconductor company into something special and exciting.

From hackers to CTOs

A strategic challenge arose when we delved into the question of SiFive’s key website audience. They knew that their near-future audience would be corporate customers and startup founders, but they didn’t want to alienate their current audience of academics, open-source enthusiasts and hardware hackathons. So our content strategy had to strike a balance that spoke to both groups, suggesting a high-quality, professional offering but inviting participation from all interested parties.