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Retail Research
Generative research on store associates who sell and support mobile phone purchases.
Project summary
Background
Our company, WDS, provided products across the full customer journey of purchasing and owning a mobile phone. For this project, we were specifically looking at store associates' experience in this journey, for RadioShack as well as our other similar customers like national and international mobile carriers.
My role
I led and conducted the user research for this project.
Target users
RadioShack store associates
Problem to be solved
We were looking to better understand retail store associates who are tasked with selling mobile phones, setting customers up with those phones and providing support for any issues with the phone. This research was to identify major problem areas, and help inform which problems to tackle in our retail product roadmap.
Outcome
I visited 3 regional markets across the U.S., interviewed and observed 26 store associates in 17 different RadioShack stores. I worked alongside the product manager, who was doing her own research with RadioShack corporate stakeholders, and together we compiled the findings into a list of 8 major pain-points that this retail sector faces.
I was also able to put together 3 new personas that represent the store associates within our retail product offerings. And from the observations and interviews, I also created an experience map detailing a store associate's view of things. These artifacts were useful for the team as we moved forward with product development on our roadmap.
Breakdown of my process
Research plan
I put together a research plan document that covered the goals and objectives, methodology, participants, schedule, interview questions, and observation guidelines for the research.
User research
I led the effort of researching our users, and with the help of the product manager, visited the retail stores for observation and interviews. We were able to gather much enlightening and valuable information about store associates.
Research report
While we work in an Agile environment and try to keep documentation on the light side, the product manager and I did put together a fairly formal research report on our findings to be shared with some of our clients. The report combined user and stakeholder research, covering the findings, and pulling together the recommendations.
The 48-page report summarized everything into 8 high-level findings & recommendations for quick review, and went on to detail out the method, findings, and recommendations individually and in much more detail for both the associate research as well as the stakeholder research.
Personas
Based on the in-store research, I created three personas detailing the different types of retail associates. Each included a narrative and sections detailing their goals, influencers, and biggest problems.
Experience map
I created an experience map to help better understand and communicate the many touch points and the experience for store associates. The map was meant to highlight the sales flow between associate and customer, the many different tools that associates must move in and out of, and the physical movement within the store as they move between the customer and the sales desk. The map was also meant to identify areas that we still didn't have enough information on.
Product kickoff
While this research was still just in the beginning of its usefulness, this project wrapped up with a kickoff meeting for our retail product. The product development team met for three days to review the research, really understand the problem space, and start to discuss ways to solve these problems. This research was the basis for what we discussed in the meetings. The personas and journey map were key tools used throughout to reference and understand the users as we discussed possible solutions.
Reflections
I loved this project because it not only allowed us to get to know our users better, but we ensured that we were working on problems that were actually worth solving for. From our research, we went on to build a product to recommend devices and plans. This product aimed to solve for the research findings that associates aren't always knowledgeable on devices and plans, they don't know what tools are available to them as a store associate, there is no consistency in the sales flow process, they are likely to push a specific product based on their own knowledge or preference not really matching the right device and plan with the needs of the customer, and to reduce no fault found returns of devices.