Project Time: Aug 2018 - Dec 2018
Team: Ariel Yujia He, Jared Helton, Marianeth Crockett, Maya Lawrence, Pooja Vijay Kumar
Responsibilities: Store Observation Research and Analysis, Storyboard Development, VR Prototyping, Service Design Lead, Building the Retail Micro-Pilot, Running Micro-Pilot Tests, Insight Analysis from Test, Provided Recommendations and Next Steps
Objective:
How might we provide a fun and engaging experience that empowers our customers to make informed, confident decisions around purchasing, preparing, and consuming high-quality, tasty tea?
What problem are people trying to solve?
Many casual tea drinkers understand tea provides varying health benefits; however, they are unsure which leaves produce desired outcomes.
Challenge Statement:
Casual consumers of tea find it challenging to understand the various tea leaf options and the different effects of the leaves; and the results from tea leaf combinations.
Value Proposition:
For "Global Citizens" in an urban environment who want a high-quality, delicious cup of tea. Unlike other tea shops, our experience is clear and uncomplicated to instill confidence in your choice.
Phase 1: Research
Methodologies:
Street Intercepts: 32
Brick-n-Mortar Store Visits: 21
Cups of Tea Consumed: 140
Five-E Framework: Entice [Attract], Enter [Direction], Engage [Use], Exit, Extend [Retain]
Key Challenges:
Deciding what to test/where to begin;
Finding people to talk to;
Creating a storyboard that was “good enough” to gather insights.
Lessons Learned:
The first is to spread insight gathering (1:1 interviews, street intercepts, etc.) over a few days. It keeps you from becoming frustrated with no engagement and keeps your mind from overloading with conversations.
Second, contrary to the first lesson – try to visit multiple site locations in one day. It allows for a more direct comparison between each physical experience.
Lastly, when in doubt – revisit your insights and what the customer desires.
Phase 2: Digital / VR Prototyping
Methodologies:
Wireframe Sketches: 7 Concepts
Low-Fidelity Mock-Ups: 3 Concepts Built Out
Conversational Walk-throughs: As many as we needed to have it make sense.
Key Challenges & Accomplishments:
We faced a crucial challenge in figuring out how to incorporate a digital component that provided value without entirely removing the visitor from the physical space. While our solution was satisfactory, utilizing a digital checkout and survey sign-up – had we known our concept sooner, we could have threaded digital components throughout the pop-up.
Lessons Learned:
One lesson learned is that when incorporating a digital component, it’s essential to consider both the digital piece’s purpose and how it will be designed into the physical structure without taking away from the entire experience.
Phase 3: Physical Prototyping
Methodologies:
Mood/Material Boards
Storyboard Concept Tests
Scale Model Builds
Taped Area Walkthroughs
Testing 360° vs. 180° Interactions
Key Challenges:
Key challenging aspects encountered were finalizing a design structure, developing smooth enough transitions between phases – people were unsure how to transition from “entered” to “engaged.”
Accomplishments & Lessons Learned:
Even though we experienced difficulty early on, one main accomplishment was achieving a realistic brand concept. Additional achievements included our construction of the flip board and our ability to pivot ideas while still delivering our main people problem statement.
Top 3 Takeaways:
Takeaway One
Movement breeds engagement. Engagement breeds education.
People loved knowing that tea had the capability of flipping their mood.
The idea of beginning the sensorial tea journey through the pop-up by flipping the mood board was fascinating to people.
Quote: ““Can tea really help me feel bold?”” exclaimed Andrew, who went on to taste a serving of the black tea.
The visual, olfactory, and gustatory distinctions of the three tea varieties in the pop-up helped people learn about tea’s unique properties and, in turn, understand their own tastes.
The action of flipping the mood board at the entry zone of the patron flow evoked a sense of anticipation and prepared patrons to indulge in the sensory experience coming ahead of them. Patrons were enticed, curious, and willing to explore or be guided on how tea mapped with their feelings and tastes.
Takeaway Two
People were in no hurry to accelerate their movement through the pop-up to gain a “taste” of the tea (exit phase).
Isolating the tea experience’s sensory elements helped people pay undivided attention to their personal preferences for tea.
Seeing how distinct the needle-like leaves of the Rooibos red tea were from the tightly-rolled pellets of the gunpowder green tea helped people visualize the teas’ unique blending properties.
Discovering the tea origins of the different teas varieties in the pop-up triggered new motivations for the patron to learn about the teas’ quality, fermentation, and steeping requirements.
Meredith, one of our pop-up visitors, even suggested her plans of embarking on a trip to the western cape of Africa looking for the Rooibos tea bush!
We wondered if imparting knowledge might be a less appealing idea to patrons who visit our pop-up store. Given that the shared mental model people carry is usually around tea being a beverage, we were pleasantly surprised when people seemed unusually patient about learning about tea. We were also surprised to see many patrons expressing intrigue and some interest in the range of tea products (mask, tea soap, etc.) that we placed on the tray at the transaction counter.
Takeaway Three
People gravitate toward guided experiences.
People loved being guided and hand-held through the journey but also being spared for some self-exploration.
The brand associate’s role in inviting, guiding, explaining, and encouraging a free trial of the sample were critical patron touch-points in our pop-up.
With all the Brand Associates being actively involved in the tea preparation, sensorial walkthrough, and transaction experiences, we realized that people sought information in a guided-manner. Somewhere the brand associates in the pop-up appeared to the patrons as tea connoisseurs.
Our idea of testing the tea lab concept was mainly to understand how patrons would fulfill the need for knowledge.
One of the ways we wanted to test that was by including a hands-on interactive counter that encouraged people to pick things (tactile: magnifying glasses or Petri dishes), inhale scents, and end with sample tastings.
By curating the experience to three teas, we were able to verify that people do yearn for a guided tea experience and may not all that rely on free educational material available on the web to make a choice on a tea variety in a retail experience.
Lessons Learned
Speed of Movement
We were happy to see visitors follow a queue by regarding the glued visual cues on the floor. But people spent a considerable amount of time engaging with the components on the counter. By having an additional brand associate at the counter, we could expedite the flow.
‘Enter to Engagement’ Transition
Patrons took a slight pause at the mood board, unsure whether they were supposed to flip the board. This step required a little walkthrough. By limiting the amount of text on the mood board, we could invite patrons to experience the engagement without causing them to feel overwhelmed.
Eliminate Scorecards
Very few patrons were prompted to pick a scorecard to record their thoughts about their sensory experience. The scorecards were deemed unnecessary in facilitating or recording the patron engagement since the transaction form did the job of documenting the footfall (of 51 people).