Case
From Idea to Launch: Building Buoy's MVP from Scratch
Product Design
Design System
Website
Prototyping
Product Strategy
We partnered with Buoy from day one to bring their vision to life, fast. As a founder-friendly design partner, we worked closely with the team to shape their brand, prototype their product, and build both a powerful B2B platform and a seamless consumer app. In just a few months, Buoy went from idea to live product.
Industry
Duration
Screens Designed
Time to Launch
Challenge
From Idea to Product, Fast
Buoy started with a simple but powerful goal: replace the outdated, paper-heavy process of boat rentals with something fully digital. Most renters were still filling out waivers on the dock. It was stressful for customers, inefficient for staff, and a poor first impression. We helped define a better model. One where renters completes everything before their trip, straight from their phones.
Working closely with the founders, we sketched out core flows and quickly moved into high-fidelity prototyping. This included digital check-ins, insurance add-ons, document uploads, SMS reminders, and mobile tickets.
Each prototype was tested with real customers and rental partners. Feedback was immediate and shaped the product direction with clarity. Within the first month, Buoy had a validated core experience and a working product ready for development.
David Bentzon
CPO, Buoy
Process
Design That Spanned Brand, Product, and Web
Buoy’s brand identity was created by Good Habit, who laid a strong visual and strategic foundation. We built on that work by adapting, extending, and implementing the brand across the full product experience, ensuring it came to life consistently and clearly in every digital touchpoint.
Our focus was on clarity, consistency, and usability. We translated the brand into a mobile-first app experience that felt modern, trustworthy, and effortless, supporting everything from pre-trip check-ins and digital tickets to onboard documents and insurance flows.
On the operational side, we designed a B2B dashboard that allowed rental partners to manage bookings, collect signatures, and stay ahead of daily logistics. The interface was streamlined and functional, but still aligned with the brand’s tone and visual system.
For the marketing site, we crafted a structure that communicated Buoy’s value clearly and confidently, helping onboard both renters and business partners with ease. Behind it all, we developed a component system that kept the design consistent and scalable across use cases, from dockhand check-ins to SMS alerts and crew invites.
By shaping the brand through product and web execution, we helped turn it into a living system that felt intuitive, polished, and ready to scale.
Results
A Founder-Friendly Partner That Ships
We embedded with the Buoy team and worked shoulder to shoulder. No waiting. Just fast, focused collaboration that turned product ideas into tangible results.
We worked closely with the founders through weekly reviews, async check-ins, and shared docs, staying aligned and keeping momentum high.
With New Arc, Buoy got more than design support. They got a partner who could think strategically, move quickly, and get them to launch without getting stuck in process.
Respected product leaders count on us to design, deliver, and drive impact.
