24” Touchscreen customer education and gaming platform

SITUATION

AT&T asked for us to create a way to deliver information about new products to customers in the store.

We knew that traditionally customers were made aware of new products and services through media ads outside the store, on TV, etc., and while the store, either through printed brochures, or more often, by the store reps during a service conversation.

We took the task on and created a digital experience where customers were able to learn about new products and services, plus be a hub for retail.

As you will see below, the project evolved over several years and helped create a strategy for the future of AT&T retail.


1.0

An informative platform for customers to learn about laptops. Customers would be able to learn about specific specs, compare features, and/or, take a decision tree quiz to help them know which was the best laptop for them based on their needs.

The touchscreen was deployed with these three experiences in a few hundred stores around the country in year one.

My role in the project was to work with the designer and development team to advise on UX and UI prior and during the build (as questions came up).

After the deployment, I conducted field research, and analyzed quantitative metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of the touchscreen.

I found that the screen was fairly popular in the retail setting and the users found it helpful in learning about the laptops that AT&T carried. But, there were some glaring problems...

Strike 1: People in general do not shop for laptops at AT&T.

Strike 2: The form factor of the screen and the shopping-relevant content made people assume that they would be able to use it like a computer, browsing a website, like Amazon, or search for features like they would on Google. They wanted to be able to use all of the functions of an ipad or computer, for general shopping, to see peer reviews (very important to them, read: trust), and to see more options at different retailers to find the best deal. Lastly, they wanted to see the information they wanted to find in clear human language connecting the device to their needs relative to their everyday lives, in language they could understand, not tech esoteric specs.

Strike 3, Death blow: People who shop for laptops have probably done at least some research on them. They come into the store to handle them physically. They tended to know the laptops they were interested in already and were in the store (AT&T or Best Buy, or any other retailer) to physically handle the devices and “see how they feel.” This is one of the more important facets of device shopping, and retail in general. **Most people buy based on feel, but then they rationalize their decision based on logic.** They lead with emotion or connection to a brand or idea, then they back that up with data and specs.

These points rendered a touch screen like this nearly somewhat wilting as an educational tool.



2.0
The next year saw very few changes to the platform except to create a new landing page designed to incorporate an entertainment experience and highlight the favored experiences within the platform, e.g., compare laptops.

The second version was updated for Holiday season shopping. The entertainment experiences included a holiday themed game: sledding downhill (similar to Tomb Run) against a clock, avoiding obstacles and collecting points, and a gift helper for holiday gift ideas. These were generally seen as being irrelevant to the customer’s mission in stores. They weren’t there to play games. Though, when the customers did use the gift recommendation guide, they found it helpful in directing their shopping efforts.

The other experiences from 1.0 remained unchanged.

We found that

Focus re-centered and added products and services.
Experiences that humanize products and experientially answer the question, "Why do I need this?", "What will it contribute to my life?", and others like, "Will this be difficult to use?


3.0
The first two iterations were not somewhat successful. But they weren’t exactly satisfying.

Customers were asking to be more empowered in their shopping experience. They wanted to be in control. That included a few things: signing up for service, buying a device, or paying a bill. They wanted to bypass the interpersonal interaction all together and opt to self-checkout. This finding is contributing to an overhaul of the retail experience.

The research led to an initiative to create screens in stores that customers can operate to learn more about products and work towards a checkout or sign up. On top of that, the screens would be a tool with back-of-house access that store reps could use to do things like: explain products using internal tools, interface with POS systems for sales, build quotes, etc.