building bridges: co-creating x-channel experiences
DESCRIPTION
First draft and presented once to date. I welcome feedback.Seamless. Holistic. Personalized. Brands large and small are placing increased importance on presenting a consistent and integrated cross-channel customer experience. Unfortunately, the larger the corporation, the thicker the walls between silos. In this presentation, I'll discuss my methods (and hard lessons learned) for building cross-functional relationships and trust in service of innovative cross-channel experiences.TRANSCRIPT
Building BridgesCo-creating X-channel Experiences
Seamless. Holistic. Personalized. Brands large and small are placing increased importance on presenting a consistent and integrated cross-channel customer experience. Unfortunately, the larger the corporation, the thicker the walls between silos. In this presentation, I'll discuss my methods (and hard lessons learned) for building cross-functional relationships and trust in service of innovative cross-channel experiences.
#uxba
Patrick Quattlebaum
Patrick QuattlebaumCXO @Macquarium
I’m currently the Chief Experience Officer of Macquarium, a user experience firm with offices in Atlanta and Charlotte. For the last 10 years, I have consulted with primarily Fortune 500 companies on taking a more holistic approach to experience strategy and design both inside and outside of the enterprise. I’m happy to share some thoughts on cross-channel experience design tonight. This is the first time I’ve given this presentation, so I am also looking forward to getting your feedback so I can continue to refine this talk.
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@ptquattlebaum
#buildingbridges
For those of you tweeting tonight, my handle is “@ptquattlebaum” and you can use the hashtag “building bridges”.
a safari
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Let’s start things off with a safari, which is simply recording one’s experience as they interact with a product or service. I’ve been doing some loyalty card experience design work of late, so this I’d like to show my experience interacting with a small but growing brand and their loyalty program.
i’m in the store to get yogurt
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I recently got a corporate apartment in town and down the street from my place is Menchie’s, one of the dozens of new yogurt chains “sweeping the nation”. So I go to check it out.
and check in on foursquareWhile browsing the flavors I decide to check in on foursquare and the first tip urges me to get a reward card. Jess and I go way back so I decide to get one at checkout. If you’ve been to Menchie’s you know its one of those self-serve deals where you put your product on a scale. The cashier asks me if I have rewards card. No. She asks if I would like one. Sure. She scans it and hands it to me and tells me to register it online so I can track my points and earn rewards.
so i get a card with instructions to register online
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After eating I stick it in my wallet. I go a back a few times that month and scan it each time, but I never bother to register it. I’m not dreaming about redeeming those points. But, like I said, I have been doing some loyalty card work, so a few weeks later I decide to register it.
trips later, i go to menchies.com
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There’s a URL on the back of the card, so I type it into Chrome and see this delightfully branded page. I pretty easily spot the callout on the left to register my card, so I click it.
and end up on some other site
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And a new tab opens in my browser and I’m on another site. I’m not too surprised about this (it is a small chain and is outsourcing this program). I start filling in the fast and easy form.
i look at the card & enter my number
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I look on the back of the card again and there’s my card number to enter into the form. I finish filling it in and press submit.
(at least i think i do)
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After over a minute I get this lovely error. “Please enter the following to complete the registration: Thanks! mySmileage card number not valid (optional).” Ummm....
number looks right to me
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That’s not clear, to say the least. I look at the back of the card and look at the screen. The numbers match. I try submitting again. No dice. So I look around the page for help... and notice a link to check my card balance. What the hell, I’ll try there.
i find a link to check my balance
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And I get this form
i look at my card again (again)
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And I look at my card again. And I type the number in very carefully.
guess what: the number is valid
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Another tab opens and get this list of transactions... guess the card is valid. And I have 16 smiles and 25 more if I register. What’s that worth? No idea but I’d like to find out.
back on menchies.com
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So I look around some more and find a link to contact us. Another tab opens (that’s four for those of you counting at home). I see a form for questions about the card.
but i don’t have an account
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No, wait. It is about questions for your card account. Which I could not create. So this is not going to help.
i call a (non-toll free) number
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So, I call the number at corporate office. Note the non-toll free number. And it’s Saturday...
they’re not there (voicemail)
source: http://www.zendesk.com/blog/guide-to-tricking-voicemail-prompts
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...So I’m not completely shocked to find my way to an answering machine. I leave a message. (no word back from them yet).
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That’s a lot of bouncing around to simply register a card. In cross-channel design we have a term for this type of experience
WTF
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which is short for
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There are dozens of other yogurt chains, including pinkberry whom they all have ripped off. So, I might as well go join their club and be a Groupie....
Revenge is a dish best served cold
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and see how little Menchie likes that.
cross-channel #FAIL
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So, I dramatized it a bit, but that was not a great experience, and it got progressively worse the further I got away from the bright decor and sugary treats of the store. And this is unfortunately one of many bumpy or just plain bad cross-channel experiences that I’m sure all of use have experienced. And in many cases, these experiences were simply not designed as one experience...
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Which is why there’s increasing focus, especially in the UX community, on applying our dark arts beyond single digital touchpoint, such as a web site,
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to multiple touch points that are intended to support customers as they interact with a product or service. And we are looking at not these touch points in isolation
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but as a system of touch points designed to provide a seamless experience.
this is (really) difficult
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Designing seamless cross-channel experiences is really difficult work, especially for larger organizations with millions of customers, hundreds of thousands of employees, thousands of physical locations, and dozens of digital touch points.
web mobile
customer service
kiosk
digital signage
marketing
print collateral
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in-store in-home
And there’s no shortage of channels and touch points to get in sync. And they keep expanding more digital options, like mobile and tablets, mature and physical touch points become increasing augmented with digital capabilities.
source: http://www.conairgroup.com/silverstripe/index.php/products/material-storage/#buildingbridges
Making things more challenging are the siloed nature of medium to large sized organizations. Each new touch point created typically means a new team, group, or department is being born.
source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYkFdryP-Co/Tj7-0q3DyPI/AAAAAAAABJU/6tETrv8zyb4/s1600/OpsSilo.jpg#buildingbridges
Departments put together their plans, timelines, budgets, and designs within their silos and then try to get buy in from other parts of the org who they think need to merely execute a part of the plan. Like rolling out a new loyalty program... we need to get IT to put up a site where customers can register. Can you do that while we figure out all the marketing?
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Earlier in my career, I often made the mistake of thinking me and my client could craft the perfect vision and reach out to different parts of the org to bask in the glory of our strategy and beautiful diagrams... certainly they would fall in behind the pure brilliance of our work and make it happen.
it’s not enough to have
your vision
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But I’ve learned the hard way...
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There are always competing visions, initiatives, programs, etc for the customer experience. Marketing, call centers, store operations, mobile, web... they all have strategies, plans, initiatives, projects... and all are dreaming up the “perfect” customer experiences through their own lenses.
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It’s hard enough to manage your own program... you get people in a room, requirements, etc... not everything makes it to the finish line and harmonizes in the way you dreamed at the beginning.
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And then another group is creating something kind of similar, but not really, and working on their own vision of the serving the customer. And what you end up with is a fragmented experience as everyone gets their project done, checks some boxes off on their professional development plan (PDP), and moves on to the next thing.
you need across-functional
vision
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I’ve seen this over and over, and the longer I am in this business the more passionate I get about working even harder to help organizations create true cross-functional visions. To create passionate cross-functional teams focusing on creating great customer experiences.
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If you want to do something innovative or at the very least good, you have to go out in the enterprise and work harder to synthesize visions, work tirelessly on rock solid integrated plans to deliver the goods on each channel, and a lot of training and change management to get an entire organization to take on and keep out of sight the complexity of the system.
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Why is this important? If you want to remove the seams in cross channel experiences...
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you have to first get people within the org to play with one another as a team.
knocking down walls &
building bridges
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And that means breaking down walls between silos and building bridges person by person, team by team, function by function.
identify plans &internal drivers
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A first step is to get out of your bubble and start identifying other parts of the organization that are working on strategies and plans for their area of responsibility. If you are in a war room creating cross-channel scenarios where a user is crossing over to mobile and you aren’t the mobile team, they are likely doing the same thing from the other direction.
Roadmap Detective
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I like to think of this step as a being a roadmap detective... searching through sharepoint sites, asking teams to share their plans, sitting in on cross-functional meetings... piecing together all the visions for each channel and looking for synergies, gaps, conflicts....
relationships & trust
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... and the building relationships with key players in those teams. Good cross-channel work depends on building trust among collaborators who are passionate about their channel, their initiative, their team, and their job.
Results
Accountability
Commitment
Conflict
Trust
Inattention to
Avoidance of
Lack of
Fear of
Absence of
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Trust is a foundational element to any team, and I’ve seen large cross-channel initiatives struggle as partners assert ownership of their channel at the expense of creating a seamless experience. At best this is driven by not yet seeing the cross-channel problem and how to solve it; at worst, politics and empire building are the actions that push the words “customer-centric” to the sidelines.
empathy
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To build trust among internal partners, you need to be able to see the organization, their role, and their goals from their perspective and acknowledge through action their importance.
source: http://lsilverwoodwaltona2media.blogspot.com/2011/05/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html#buildingbridges
Always remember that a key driver for someone in a large organization is safety of employment. As you work to get buy in and collaboration on building a cross-channel vision, they may think that this is beyond scope of their role (“this is not on my PDP. i can’t spend time on this.”) or they may see this as giving up control (“i need to own mobile and show that i own it.”) Cross-channel work challenges organizational boundaries and the how may companies are set up to reward performance.
out of boxvs
out of left field
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A couple more thoughts on building relationships and trust... remember there is a fine line between appearing to be thinking out of the box versus out of left field. I constantly have to remind myself that passionately advocating for innovative ways of working to get to innovative results can come across as irrational or impractical. I’ve learned the hard way to take a more nuanced approach to winning people over to looking at experience strategy and design in new ways.
challengebusiness as usual
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But... you MUST challenge business as usual to get an organization to move towards creating great and seamless cross-channel experiences.
source: http://www.global-integration.com/blog/breaking-down-silos.html#buildingbridges
Because, sadly, in many organizations are designed to inhibit cross-functional collaboration.
socialize your vision &identify “playmates”
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So you must tirelessly socialize your vision and find playmates who want to also challenge business as usual, merge their best thinking and plans into your vision, and create cross-functional vision that your partners are as passionate as you are in bringing to life.
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And my last advice... informal talks over coffee are one of my best weapons to build bridges. Get to know someone, talk shop, share stories, find common ground, and passionately lobby for close collaboration.
co-creation
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But even better than coffee, is co-creation. Co-creation is an approach where you actively bring stakeholders (and users) deep into the process of creating strategies, plans, and designs for customer experiences. It is a core technique of service design and invaluable in cross-channel work. I’d like to spend the rest of the time walking you though several methods for co-creating cross-channel experiences that I have used as well as some new ones I am playing with. These are used throughout the lifecycle of crafting these experiences and are designed to get cross-functional team members’ hands, heads, and hearts all over each stage so that they are professionally and emotionally invested in one outcome: a great customer experience. The designer in co-creation is facilitator to create forums for collaborative strategy and design and then to find the best ideas and synthesize them into a holistic vision.
customer journey mapping
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The first method is customer journey mapping, which has become a very popular method in the industry.
source: http://bellthompson.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sdc13082.jpg#buildingbridges
Customer journey maps are created collaboratively with a cross-functional group. Ideally they are backed by research and observations of customers actual experiences with a product, service, or brand, or with a specific context in which a new product or service can help them accomplish a goal. This technique can also be used to create maps of target experiences for products and services under consideration.
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intentionally blurry :)
They key is focus on the actions and emotions of customer and explore how different channels are engaged and could be better engaged or bridged. All you need is a scenario starter, subject matter experts from different functions, a large canvas and sticky notes. Each row is a channel and each sticky note is step in the customers journey. Ideas for improving the experience, connecting channels, and supporting the customer are layered on top. The spreadsheet to the right is the digital version that can be edited and socialized after the session.
expectations
gaps
emotions
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During a customer journey session, key things to discuss, capture, and reflect upon are how to meet customer expectations, fill gaps between channels, and solve for the customer’s emotional journey.
source: This is Service Design#buildingbridges
Does the current experience or the target experience you are creating delight the customer or frustrate/disappoint them?
blueprinting
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Customer journey mapping is a great tool start identifying opportunities to close gaps or to get a cross-functional team to work towards a common vision of future customer experiences. Another technique I use is blueprinting, which begins to get deeper into complexities of pulling off these experiences and moving them through the planning process towards execution by multiple teams across multiple channels.
life is a stage
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I call this experience blueprinting, but the technique comes out of service design where it is called service blueprinting. It is a framework built off the concept that you can think about a customer experiences the way you would stage a play.
source: http://ingridsnotes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/stage-play.jpg#buildingbridges
You have front stage where all the visible props and interactions take place...
source: http://www.walrusmagazine.com/images/articleImages/EdwardLRG2.jpg#buildingbridges
...and backstage where things the audience never see are critical to work flawlessly to avoid any issues front stage.
source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelshadoan/4171746951#buildingbridges
Here’s an example of a blueprint for a grocery delivery service. There are rows that describe the customers actions, the physical/digital artifacts they interact with, the actions of front line staff, the actions of support staff behind the scenes, and support systems and processes integral to the delivery of the service. Each column is a step in the customer service experience.
DRAFT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Physical3Evidence Signage at POS Passport package mySmileage Card Passport package Menchies.com mySmileage Callout Registration Form
mySmileage CardRegistration PagemySmileage Card mySmileage Card Confirmation email
Customer3Actions Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Consider programand agree to join
Commit and signup for MyLowe’s
CardDepart Navigate to
Menchies.com
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand find 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
On3Stage3(Visible3Human3Actions3or3Digital3Interactions) Ask customer ifthey have a card
Explain benefitsof the program
Scan card andremind customer
to register
Greet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
Back3Stage3(Invisible3Human3Actions) Passportsin/stock
Support3Processes Replenishment system Card activation system Registration system Card activation system
New3/3Impacted3Business3Processes Checkout Process Call center script Call center workflow
Scenario3Description:Bacon/ipsum/dolor/sit/amet/bresaola/tongue/chuck/tri;tip/turducken./Swine/bacon/jerky/turkey/frankfurter/strip/steak,/t;bone/drumstick/meatloaf/spare/ribs/beef/flank./Ribeye/ham/hock/short/loin/biltong,/ground/round/pork/belly/bresaola/meatball/chicken/cow/turducken./Spare/ribs/turducken/beef/tongue/capicola/meatball./Pastrami/boudin/tenderloin/tri;tip/pork/loin/beef.
Experience3Blue3Print:3mySmileage3Card3Customer3Help333
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Here’s another example, which is a simple template I use to create and iterate on experience blueprints. Typically, I run one or multiple customer journey sessions to gather all the best ideas on a specific customer experience and then I synthesize them into this template. There are then multiple iterations to improve it and flesh out with all the channel partners.
DRAFT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Physical3Evidence Signage at POS Passport package mySmileage Card Passport package Menchies.com mySmileage Callout Registration Form
mySmileage CardRegistration PagemySmileage Card mySmileage Card Confirmation email
Customer3Actions Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Consider programand agree to join
Commit and signup for MyLowe’s
CardDepart Navigate to
Menchies.com
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand find 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
On3Stage3(Visible3Human3Actions3or3Digital3Interactions) Ask customer ifthey have a card
Explain benefitsof the program
Scan card andremind customer
to register
Greet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
Back3Stage3(Invisible3Human3Actions) Passportsin/stock
Support3Processes Replenishment system Card activation system Registration system Card activation system
New3/3Impacted3Business3Processes Checkout Process Call center script Call center workflow
Scenario3Description:Bacon/ipsum/dolor/sit/amet/bresaola/tongue/chuck/tri;tip/turducken./Swine/bacon/jerky/turkey/frankfurter/strip/steak,/t;bone/drumstick/meatloaf/spare/ribs/beef/flank./Ribeye/ham/hock/short/loin/biltong,/ground/round/pork/belly/bresaola/meatball/chicken/cow/turducken./Spare/ribs/turducken/beef/tongue/capicola/meatball./Pastrami/boudin/tenderloin/tri;tip/pork/loin/beef.
Experience3Blue3Print:3mySmileage3Card3Customer3Help333
Here’s what my Menchie experience would look like in this template. You can see I’ve added another row to capture business process impacts or gaps... I find this is really useful in working towards identifying all the internal changes that would need to be made in the business. I also often have another row with ideas for improving each step as I iterate between analysis and synthesis of the blueprint inputs and outcomes. Each cell in this spreadsheet is a design problem to solve and it puts in one place all the work that needs to happen by multiple teams.
Diagram style adapted from This is Service Design Thinking & Brandon Schauer, Adaptive Path#buildingbridges
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OF VISIBILITY
INTERNAL INTERACTION
CUSTOMER ACTION
FRONT STAGE
BACKSTAGE
EVIDENCE
Action Action
Experience Blueprint mySmileage Card Customer Help v1 10.17.2011
This blueprint speci!es the Menchie’s customer experience for handling customer service issues related to registering a mySmileage Card online. This mySmileage Card allows a Menchie’s customer to earn smiles (points) towards rewards by presenting the card each time she makes a purchase.
Passportsin stock
Signage at POS
Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Passport package
Consider programand agree to join
Ask customer ifthey have a card
Scan card andremind customerto register
Commit and signup for mySmileageCard
mySmileage Callout Registration FormmySmileage Card
Navigate to Menchies.com
Complete form, accept payment, and package tool and paperwork
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand !nd 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Card activation system
Ask customer ifthey have a card.Explain bene!tsof the program
mySmileage Card
Depart
Replenishment system
Passport package Menchies.com
Registration PagemySmileage Card
ActionGreet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
mySmileage Card
Registration system Card activation system
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
Con!rmation email
Once the iterations are done and commitments to go forward are made, I then document the blueprint more formally. I hate reinventing the wheel, so I’m currently using the visual vocabulary and style from This is Service Design Thinking that the authors adapted from Brandon Schauer’s work at Adaptive Path.
#buildingbridges
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OF VISIBILITY
INTERNAL INTERACTION
CUSTOMER ACTION
FRONT STAGE
BACKSTAGE
EVIDENCE
Action Action
Passportsin stock
Signage at POS
Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Passport package
Consider programand agree to join
Ask customer ifthey have a card
Scan card andremind customerto register
Commit and signup for mySmileageCard
mySmileage Callout Registration FormmySmileage Card
Navigate to Menchies.com
Complete form, accept payment, and package tool and paperwork
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand !nd 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Card activation system
Ask customer ifthey have a card.Explain bene!tsof the program
mySmileage Card
Depart
Replenishment system
Passport package Menchies.com
Registration PagemySmileage Card
ActionGreet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
mySmileage Card
Registration system Card activation system
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
Con!rmation email
As you can see, we have the same rows. Some of the details of the spreadsheet have been rolled up to the primary actions and artifacts. This document becomes a touch stone to back to as plans go into execution. It is puts each teams work in the context of the customer’s journey.
#buildingbridges
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OF VISIBILITY
INTERNAL INTERACTION
CUSTOMER ACTION
FRONT STAGE
BACKSTAGE
EVIDENCE
Action Action
Passportsin stock
Signage at POS
Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Passport package
Consider programand agree to join
Ask customer ifthey have a card
Scan card andremind customerto register
Commit and signup for mySmileageCard
mySmileage Callout Registration FormmySmileage Card
Navigate to Menchies.com
Complete form, accept payment, and package tool and paperwork
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand !nd 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Card activation system
Ask customer ifthey have a card.Explain bene!tsof the program
mySmileage Card
Depart
Replenishment system
Passport package Menchies.com
Registration PagemySmileage Card
ActionGreet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
mySmileage Card
Registration system Card activation system
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
Con!rmation email
As you can see, we have the same rows. Some of the details of the spreadsheet have been rolled up to the primary actions and artifacts. This document becomes a touch stone to back to as plans go into execution. It is puts each teams work in the context of the customer’s journey.
#buildingbridges
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OF VISIBILITY
INTERNAL INTERACTION
CUSTOMER ACTION
FRONT STAGE
BACKSTAGE
EVIDENCE
Action Action
Passportsin stock
Signage at POS
Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Passport package
Consider programand agree to join
Ask customer ifthey have a card
Scan card andremind customerto register
Commit and signup for mySmileageCard
mySmileage Callout Registration FormmySmileage Card
Navigate to Menchies.com
Complete form, accept payment, and package tool and paperwork
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand !nd 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Card activation system
Ask customer ifthey have a card.Explain bene!tsof the program
mySmileage Card
Depart
Replenishment system
Passport package Menchies.com
Registration PagemySmileage Card
ActionGreet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
mySmileage Card
Registration system Card activation system
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
Con!rmation email
As you can see, we have the same rows. Some of the details of the spreadsheet have been rolled up to the primary actions and artifacts. This document becomes a touch stone to back to as plans go into execution. It is puts each teams work in the context of the customer’s journey.
we’ve only just begun
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Now, this is where the real work comes in.
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These workshops, maps, and blueprints are designed to get a cross-functional team to see the holistic experience through the eyes of the customer.
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But as each functional area - marketing, mobile, web, call center, etc - start to work on their piece of the puzzle.
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It is easy for them to become myopic on their channel. The leads of these teams may be bought into the vision, but their teams are likely just getting introduced to what they need to produce. And this is where the best laid plans and holistic visions can fall apart as each team sees their work as their sole focus and an opportunity to apply their creativity.
orchestrate against
atomism
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This is where facilitation turns into orchestration. This is where cross-channel designers need to continue to help other channel partners keep perspective of the holistic customer experience and mitigate against atomistic, myopic focus.
source: http://oliveyuba.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-not-about-olives.html#buildingbridges
Which means I find myself often in the role of herding cats... keeping everyone on the same script and working towards the vision.
#buildingbridges#buildingbridges
And to focus on the bridges between channels as channel partners create their cards, websites, brochures, commercials, call center scripts, and so on.
integrated planning&
design guidelines
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To do this, I tap into the more left-brained, project manager part of me and work hard with others on integrated planning and providing clear design guidelines.
Element Description Bridge1From1(Originating1Channel(s)) Bridge1To1(Channel(s)) Scenario(s) Cross1Channel1Design1Guidelines
1 mySmileage Brochure (in store) This brochure is provided to the consumer both as awareness/consideration collateral and provides instructions to complete registration online.
Store > POS Menchies.com (direct)Store > POS (indirect)
• Acquiring a mySmileage Card in Store Menchies.com• URL to form to complete process• Consistent imagery and copy• Educate customer on mySmileage Card benefits
Store > POS:• Remind customer on in-store process ("scan every time you check out")• Ideally, imagery/copy related to how to use would be consistent with POS signage
#buildingbridges
Here’s a integrated plan template I create. This is used to list out each touch point, its purpose, and how it fits with other touch points. For example, the Menchie loyalty card, the marketing web site, the registration form, the call center, etc would all be listed.
Say there was a brochure at Menchie’s that came with the card. As you can see here, it described as a bridge to the web site (and as a good place to let the customer know about its purpose and value each time they come back in the store.)
The design guidelines column provides requirements for how the brochure needs to hand off to the web site and how the web site needs tie in with the brochure. This is to provide context but also be used to go into creative briefs and to use in status meetings.
Element Description Bridge1From1(Originating1Channel(s)) Bridge1To1(Channel(s)) Scenario(s) Cross1Channel1Design1Guidelines
1 mySmileage Brochure (in store) This brochure is provided to the consumer both as awareness/consideration collateral and provides instructions to complete registration online.
Store > POS Menchies.com (direct)Store > POS (indirect)
• Acquiring a mySmileage Card in Store Menchies.com• URL to form to complete process• Consistent imagery and copy• Educate customer on mySmileage Card benefits
Store > POS:• Remind customer on in-store process ("scan every time you check out")• Ideally, imagery/copy related to how to use would be consistent with POS signage
#buildingbridges
Here’s a integrated plan template I create. This is used to list out each touch point, its purpose, and how it fits with other touch points. For example, the Menchie loyalty card, the marketing web site, the registration form, the call center, etc would all be listed.
Say there was a brochure at Menchie’s that came with the card. As you can see here, it described as a bridge to the web site (and as a good place to let the customer know about its purpose and value each time they come back in the store.)
The design guidelines column provides requirements for how the brochure needs to hand off to the web site and how the web site needs tie in with the brochure. This is to provide context but also be used to go into creative briefs and to use in status meetings.
roughcutting
#buildingbridges
A new technique I am rolling out is roughcutting.
source: http://www.animationjam.nl/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/StoryboardWall.jpg#buildingbridges
This is inspired by animation storyboards and rough cut viewings of works in progress.
source: http://vimeo.com/9339739#buildingbridges
If you have ever seen an animated film in progress, you know that each scene is presented at its fidelity at that point in time, but the film can be viewed from end to end. Some frames may be words describing what the animation may be, others may be animatics, and others may be complete production quality.
Your Smileage card # XXXX XXXX XXXX
Prosciutto chuck meatloaf ball tip rump. Tongue capicola strip steak ball tip brisket spare
ribs t-bone salami, pastrami kielbasa filet mignon tenderloin andouille ham frankfurter.
Drumstick tongue tenderloin ground round shoulder sirloin swine, hamburger jerky salami
kielbasa. Bresaola kielbasa ball tip shank rump. Cow t-bone ball tip pig, bresaola short loin
turducken fatback tenderloin ribeye.
LOGO copyright
XXXXXX
Your Smileage card # XXXX XXXX XXXX
Prosciutto chuck meatloaf ball tip rump. Tongue capicola strip steak ball tip brisket spare
ribs t-bone salami, pastrami kielbasa filet mignon tenderloin andouille ham frankfurter.
Drumstick tongue tenderloin ground round shoulder sirloin swine, hamburger jerky salami
kielbasa. Bresaola kielbasa ball tip shank rump. Cow t-bone ball tip pig, bresaola short loin
turducken fatback tenderloin ribeye.
LOGO copyright
XXXXXX
HERO HERE
Register Here!
Submit
navigation
#buildingbridges
On my current initiative, we will be building out a room showing the blueprints for key parts of the cross-channel experience. Each step in the blueprint will be whatever state it is at that moment in time: a requirements document, a sketch, a concept, a storyboard, etc.
Your Smileage card # XXXX XXXX XXXX
Prosciutto chuck meatloaf ball tip rump. Tongue capicola strip steak ball tip brisket spare
ribs t-bone salami, pastrami kielbasa filet mignon tenderloin andouille ham frankfurter.
Drumstick tongue tenderloin ground round shoulder sirloin swine, hamburger jerky salami
kielbasa. Bresaola kielbasa ball tip shank rump. Cow t-bone ball tip pig, bresaola short loin
turducken fatback tenderloin ribeye.
LOGO copyright
XXXXXX
Your Smileage card # XXXX XXXX XXXX
Prosciutto chuck meatloaf ball tip rump. Tongue capicola strip steak ball tip brisket spare
ribs t-bone salami, pastrami kielbasa filet mignon tenderloin andouille ham frankfurter.
Drumstick tongue tenderloin ground round shoulder sirloin swine, hamburger jerky salami
kielbasa. Bresaola kielbasa ball tip shank rump. Cow t-bone ball tip pig, bresaola short loin
turducken fatback tenderloin ribeye.
LOGO copyright
XXXXXX
HERO HERE
Register Here!
Submit
navigation
Feedback
Feedback
#buildingbridges
Cross-functional teams can then walk the wall and talk through how things are coming together. They can see the draft of a brochure next to the comp of the web page it sends the user to. And they can provide feedback.
I can also imagine doing videos of these as well.
walking the blueprint
Once execution is complete, I also like to then walk the blueprints and see if things are working or not.
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OF VISIBILITY
INTERNAL INTERACTION
CUSTOMER ACTION
FRONT STAGE
BACKSTAGE
EVIDENCE
Action Action
Experience Blueprint mySmileage Card Customer Help v1 10.17.2011
This blueprint speci!es the Menchie’s customer experience for handling customer service issues related to registering a mySmileage Card online. This mySmileage Card allows a Menchie’s customer to earn smiles (points) towards rewards by presenting the card each time she makes a purchase.
Passportsin stock
Signage at POS
Approach registerto make purchase
Place yogurt cupon scale
Passport package
Consider programand agree to join
Ask customer ifthey have a card
Scan card andremind customerto register
Commit and signup for MyLowe’sCard
mySmileage Callout Registration FormmySmileage Card
Navigate to Menchies.com
Complete form, accept payment, and package tool and paperwork
Look for registrationand navigate toregistration site
Enter requiredinformation
Look for assistanceand !nd 1-800 #
Call customerservice
Card activation system
Ask customer ifthey have a card.Explain bene!tsof the program
mySmileage Card
Depart
Replenishment system
Passport package Menchies.com
Registration PagemySmileage Card
ActionGreet customerand discuss issue
Complete registrationfor customer
mySmileage Card
Registration system Card activation system
Receive emailand click on linkto view balance
Con!rmation email
#buildingbridges
Along with analytics, customer feedback, call center feedback, and other feedback loops, you need to continue to refine and iterate to find gaps and work towards a seamless experience.
in summary
#buildingbridges
find plansbuild trustco-create
smooth gapsiterate
#buildingbridges
source: http://www.djp3d.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/bridge.jpg#buildingbridges
Build Bridges
Most importantly build bridges internally and help the organization build them - not just plan them - between channels.
resources
#buildingbridges
thisisservicedesignthinking.com/
rosenfeldmedia.com/books/storytelling/
www.slideshare.net/samanthastarmer
#buildingbridges
www.gogamestorm.com
This is Service Design Thinking is a great resource and many of the symbols I used in this presentation come from their stencil set.Samantha Starmer has been doing some great work at REI and I recommend reviewing her presentation. She also has a book coming out on cross-channel design.I touched on storytelling a bunch It’s a powerful tool in this type of work. Check out Storytelling for User Experience for the fundamentals on doing better storytelling.And Gamestorming... great exercises for running co-creation workshops.
blog.macquarium.com/author/patrick-quattlebaum/Twitter: @ptquattlebaum
THANKS!