Platform Development
Challenge: Our client had noticed that their retail stores were sending customer emails conflicting with the marketing team's promotions. Our client wanted a solution that would allow their stores to send branded, customer-facing communications.
Bringing together teams from all over our company, we realized we could build a web-based tool to solve their problem. The new tool would grant limited access to store managers, using a supplied URL and password, to a preselected set of quality newsletter content. Each store could then select the most relevant content and build a newsletter for their store which would then launch on the predetermined date.
Action:
To build the newsletter tool, I sketched the process and analyzed it from each user's perspective. The whiteboarding session results were transformed into charts that showed how we considered the solution from all angles. A valuable visualization showed how each team was involved. I developed personas for each stakeholder, ensuring that all needs and challenges were addressed.
After creating a series of user-flow maps in the form of wireframes, a prototype was built using Invision. The prototype was used for testing and client approval. The UI design considered the client's brand guidelines and ease of use for new users. To make the tool simple to use, gray boxes prompt users through the process, while red arrow boxes on the right display warning states if something is missed. Although intended for desktop use, the interface also considers touch-based design and will function on a tablet.
Roll-out:
To assist the client’s corporate email team in communicating and training store managers, I developed a comprehensive usage guide, accompanied by an FAQ sheet.
Results
The client was extremely pleased with the success of the small test run. Out of 16 stores, 13 chose to participate in the initial send and the open and click rates were good. Additionally, the number of unsubscribe requests was extremely low. Consequently, the following month, the rollout was extended to the complete network of stores.