DNA | ONECheck, Business.govt

Business.govt had launched the original tool ONECheck in 2012 for start-up businesses in New Zealand. Establishing a brand is often one of the first big decisions to make for a business owner so getting the name right is essential. The tool allows the user to search if there’s another business with a similar name or brand.

The problem we began with was a non-responsive website with a poor user-experience and limited search results. I took a mobile-first approach, user testing prototypes to refine the interaction design and the developers expanded the search results to include social-media and further business information databases.

We added the following features:

• Improved results when searching for potential names for a business
• The ability to check registered company names, web domains and social media usernames in one simple search
• A measure of the originality of a trade mark (word mark) on a sliding scale
• A description of the difference between a company name and a trade mark, which addresses a common misconception for people starting their first business

ONECheck searches the Companies Register, the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand and the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) Register. Searching the NZBN Register means your name is checked against all business types – not just companies – so you will know if another business (like a sole trader, registered charity or partnership) is already using the name.

Because reserving or registering business names or web domains doesn’t automatically give new businesses trade mark rights, the new ONECheck lets users check if their proposed trade mark or trading name appears to be unique and original. It also provides additional guidance around what to do next.