ux strat usa 2017: sara conklin, "the role of ux in pitney bowes’ business...

How UX is Driving Business Transformation at Pitney Bowes

9/25/17

Sara Conklin, Principal UX Architect

96-year-old global

technology company

power billions of physical and digital

transactions

90% of the Fortune 500

1.5 million small & medium business

clients

We are the craftsmen of commerce

For over 90 years, business boomed

Model M Postage Meter, 1920 DM100i Postage Meter, 2016

Then the world changed

Reinvent Mail

Retain Clients

We needed a new strategy

UX Strategy for Reinventing Mail

Collaborative DiscoveryRedefine engagement from tactical to strategic

Collaborative DesignWiden aperture from optimizing usability to supporting business outcomes

Cross-Functional AlignmentShift focus from stand-alone product to integrated ecosystem

Collaboration was key

What we learned

Sending stuff is complicatedIt’s not just about mail. It’s about sending something from A to B.

Small offices couldn’t manage the complexity They had painful, fragmented, disorganized sending processes.

Nobody had solved this problemThere were many “sending” products in market, but none solved the complexity holistically.

Hypothesis

We believe we’ll achieve greater client retention if small business Office Senders experience significantly easier sending decision-making with a streamlined and unified sending process.

We now knew how to reinvent mail

Easy decision-making

Streamlined

Unified

We believe we’ll achieve greater client retention if small business Office Senders experience significantly easier sending decision-making with a streamlined and unified sending process.

Reinvent Mail

Retain Clients

Simplified

Streamlined

Unified

But what does this mean?

Design Discovery

TeamDefined roles:

PdM, PdO, UX, Dev

OutcomeFeasible, client-

validated workflow

PlanLet’s do this in 4 weeks

Here’s where we are today…

Pitney Bowes | 16September 25, 2017

Pick a carrier

Tell us where it’s going

Choose your packaging

Choose your service

Return to home page with contextual options

This is good

Easier decision-makingEasy to get started and make the first decision; services can be easily compared but don’t have to be

Streamlined workflowSingle linear flow, not overwhelming; progressive disclosure; unnecessary features removed; anticipates your next move

Unified experienceSame flow for all carriers; single address repository

We started way over here…

23

Early conceptual explorations

Key things we had to get right to deliver client and business value

Entry Point & Workflow

Design of home screen & order of steps to simplify, streamline, and unify

1 2MVP Definition

Which features are essential?

Entry PointPackage chosen first

WorkflowCarrier chosen last

MVP DefinitionSimplified carrier selection

So how did the Collaborative Design Sprints work out?

Success!

We had a streamlined, unified sending workflow that provided easier decision-making.

We had a design that was validated for both UX and business outcome.

We had business, UX, and technical confidence in the design, at all levels.

Multicarrier Sending App

Physical DevicesMobile Apps

Sending Accessories

3rd-Party IntegrationsYour Account

Workflows & UI ApproachAddresses

Item TrackingConsumablesHelp/support

Invoicing & Bills

Common

Cross-Functional AlignmentShift focus from product to ecosystem

What will the ecosystem look like?(Hint: Not this.)

+Hardware

Account Page, 2014

Everyone had to evolve their thinking

Replacing opinions with facts

“View cross-product reports”

“Supports Product Admins and PB Account Owners but not End-Users…”



Cross-Functional AlignmentShift focus from stand-alone product to integrated ecosystem

So, is the UX strategy working?

“To be honest, it's going to be very difficult if we have to go back to our old machine.”

— Sending device field trial client

Q2 2017 Mailing Revenue

FLAT ↘7%

…continued equipment sales growth driven by… initial SendPro products.- Pitney Bowes earnings report, Q2, 2017

😀

“Putting design at the forefront meant honoring designers. User experience teams… have a role to play in an organization. Depending on the value you place on that, you get a different appreciation for their importance. We’ve made it critically important.”

— SVP, Technology & Ecommerce

@[email protected]

ux strat usa 2017: sara conklin, "the role of ux in pitney bowes’ business...

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