LaPS is a project aimed at redefining customer experience for a Telecommunication Company’s users. It is meant to depict a sustainable and replicable ecosystem where partners can join and leverage existing strengths, to provide value to the final user. In this particular case we explored the possibility of using mobile payment and digital couponing mobile app to innovate retailing.
My Role
The team was very diverse, multinational and cross-functional. Also stakeholder executive figures were involved and regularly participated to the group meetings and workshops. I followed all the phases of the project, from the initial analysis to the creation of the final customer journey prototype. Among my teammates, I was the one with the most solid tech background.
Project execution
Think
We used group brainstorming at the beginning of each iteration, after a recap of what we learned from the previous one. We used each session to explore the different ways we could improve the current state of the app. Every brainstorming session had a first timed part where we generated the ideas and a second part where we went through them to trim and decide what would have been the next steps in the project.
A brainstorming session
Another tool we used to synthesise our finds were personas. By creating them, we could better identify the target users and what were their needs and goals.
We Performed a competitive analysis to investigate what was the state of the art and what were the players involved. Being the scenario this big and complex we gathered the information from a quite wide set of sources: academic publications, case studies, white papers, reports, etc.
Although, the context we were exploring was still quite new and unknown, data and boundaries were very blurry and constantly changing. As soon as we started involving stakeholders in the process, the context soon started to look more sharp and defined. We engaged them in workshops and creative activities, gaining much more valuable information than through formal meetings.
After the analysis phase, we reframed our thinkings by synthesising the collected information in a Business Model Canvas. This helped us fostering and framing the discussion around product’s value proposition and the role of the players involved.
Make
Using a sequence of pictures with short captions we developed a storyboard describing the customer journey. we used it to analyze, improve and finally communicate the user experience we were envisioning.
Knowing what functionalities our app needed to include, we could start to analyse and describe its user interface more in detail. To do so and keep the communication simple and clear among the team and the stakeholders, we produced a number of wireframes, representing the different screens and the interaction with the user.
Wireframe extract
At the end of the design process, we needed to create a deliverable though for a tech-savvy audience, so that a potential team of developer could implement the results of the project. Since we could not follow the development process, we needed to produce something more specific than wireframes. We decided to follow a standard and deliver a set of UML diagrams.
Test
The first way we had to test our ideas was through user interviews. We used them both to verify that our design was pointing to the right direction, and t oexplore the current context with its challenges and opportunities.
I created a mobile prototype using PhoneGap to simulate part of the interaction. It was quite a complete prototype, already implementing advanced features such as NFC tag reading and geolocalization. We used it to perform user testing and illustrate the entire journey.
We made a small-scale 3-D model of a service environment to better visualize the journey and identify weak points. The last version of the desktop walkthrough was filmed and used to communicate the journey.
Desktop walkthrough describing the User Journey
Conclusions
This was my first UX and Service design project. I was surprised by how many points UX Design and Service Design have in common.
I also learned not to try to do everything right at the first attempt.
In the beginning that was the team’s approach. It was hard to accept critics from users, but they’re extremely valuable and have huge impact on the final result.
We Tried. We Failed. We Iterated.
I really enjoyed the part where we experimented different ways to communicate the project. I learned that the best way is not to be specific, but remarkable.
Current State: The project was delivered and appreciated. Details about its implementation haven’t been disclosed with the team.