The process to send a simple text message to users can be a complicated and bureaucratic process at a large corporation. In this case, the process was undefined and inconsistent. No one really knew the end to end steps.
I worked as a service designer with a member of an external design agency to identify process improvements. I reviewed tools and messaging templates used throughout the process and dug into available messaging data and metrics. I also went through months of member survey responses and complaints.
We interviewed dozens of process participants around the business created an end-to-end map of the current system. To send a new text message it took 6 months, collaboration of 78 people across 11 team and $250,000 in time and contracts.
In addition to the system map, we created insights from the employee interviews and member survey data. We used those insights to fuel idea vignettes and improvements we then pitched to the business. Two of the several vignettes I created are below.
Sample insight: We use communications to solve problems that should be solved in other ways.
"Every several days, I get an URGENT notification. ... If it keeps up, it will be like the boy who cried wolf. I will start ignoring it and all other messages. This tool is extremely poor," wrote a member.
In order to be successful, we must be highly restrained in what we send to our members so that we do not cross the line of over communication.
Sample insight: We prioritized increased acquisition, increased feature usage, and decreased cost over quality experiences.
"I don't think there is a way to measure happiness, and I lack data to see if the member is taking action or not, so I measure complaints. If I make a notification and see a decrease in complaints, I attribute it to that," said an experience owner.
In order to be successful, we must measure the member's ability to achieve their goals and prioritize this metric when making decisions.
