- CLIENT: Microsoft
- Demo Experience Windows 10
- Conceptual Design
- User Research
- Personas & User Flows
- Information Architecture
- Heuristic Assessment
- Wireframing
- Rapid Prototyping
- User Testing
- Style Guide & Hi-Fi Comps
- Rapid Prototyping
- Front End Development
- Delivery and Integration Support
Overview
This is a brand new product to complement the existing Retail Demo Experience Platform (RDX), which showcases Windows at retailers worldwide. One of the most requested features of RDX was to know the pricing and specs of a given machine. Both retailers and end customer wanted something to make it easy to know specs, pricing and comparisons to different machines. In earlier versions of the software, a specs page was sometimes built out, but this was an option that was unable to scale, and with over 750,000 devices, wasn't feasible.
Enter the Digital Fact Tag. It's now possible to show the specs & pricing of device, direct from the computer's registry, or handled remotely via Microsoft's Customer Management System, to be fully up to date at any time and with the flexibility for regular updates, events and sales promotions.
Problems
& Opportunities
Many questions surrounded this project and it was very rewarding to solve for questions like: How do we make it easy for consumers to understand how this computer will help make their lives easier? How would making a product to replace plastic/paper placards save time and money for retailers or OEMs, thus ensuring additional contracts with those parties? How could this new product be leveraged for advertising within retail environment for Microsoft? How does Microsoft solve for situations where the retailer would like remote pricing, specs and feature management?
Roles & Responsibilities
As the sole designer on the project, it was my pleasure to work with management, stakeholders and the dev team to bring this to light. Because the digital fact tag was designed as modular addition to the existing RDX technology stack, it was easy to integrate into the next build of RDX while still supporting the current framework. On the technology side, this was one of my major goals - to design this product in such a way that makes integration easy and straightforward. Providing solutions for developers, and stakeholders ensures we're all on the same side as we give these solutions to customers, whether retail giants or everyday people upgrading their machines.
Research
Device Type & Category
So why build this out? Increasingly, updating the paper placards takes too much time and effort even in the case of a few stores. It takes hours to update, print and place new cards. With a digital product, the information is handled remotely and is fully up to date. Changing pricing, or other information is instantaneous.
Conceptualization
Device Type & Category
With several options such as the original price with an optional strikethrough & sales price that is visually prominent. The DFT shows the Make, Model, category, pricing and sales information, and all the specs of the machine. The DFT also has the option to show a carousel of imagery. These can be used for branding, sales events, linking to add on items, launching media such as new pages within RDX, video, websites, etc.
Analysis
Responsive Workflows
Finding the ideal balance of information vs overwhelming options was a challenge. Based on the Foundational research performed, users were keen to know a few bits of information such as the price, model and what specs it had. I work together with various departments, marketing, engineering and so on, and one design battle that was lost was that I pushed for showing as little information as possible, so as to not overwhelm the user. I proposed only showing sales information, pricing, make and model with links to showing specs in an alternate page. While disagreeing with showing the specs and significantly enlarging the DFT, I styled it in such a way as to keep it easy for the end user, while still working closely with internal teams.
High Fidelity
Designs
Based on the various feedback, several options were developed for the DFT. A mini fact tag that showed the least information vs a full accordion that would show all the specs. Ultimately I landed on designing to meet dual needs of being simple and easy to understand for the end user and also for the retailer to reskin the DFT to make it on brand in an easy manner. The final product, after may a/b tests, is capable of both.
bringing
the results
I knew it was complete when both customers and retailers weren't asking "What does this do?" and instead were letting me know that having the information displayed that would inform decisions was the right approach and made it easy to both purchase and sell the pc.
Over 18 prototypes were built, 600+ participants in detailed user testing, with over 185 interview hours. All the work was worth it to see the monthly reports coming in from Best Buy and other retailers; by making it easy for the shoppers, the retailers saw the digital fact tag affect their bottom line and keep it in the black.
Launch
The Digital Fact Tag shows off the make, model, price, specs and other information about the machine using a CMS system for instant updates and advertising campaigns directly from the cloud. Launched world-wide starting in Beijing China for Lenovo with rollouts in US, CAN, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC regions world-wide.
I have had the privilege of ideating, researching, designing, user testing, forecasting and finally shipping the Digital Fact Tag and many other campaigns. This new product will radically change the retail environment, not only for retailers like Best Buy, FNAC, John Lewis & Elkjop worldwide, but provide fast service cloud based solutions for OEM partners like AMD, Dell, Lenovo and HP.
Chad Rawlinson
Product Designer
Microsoft RDX Platform
FINAL THOUGHTS
"I designed and developed project KPIs and goals & all the project prototypes, working with the Microsoft marketing &RDX teams and Userzoom & Sparkler to coordinate in person and online user testing and results. Developed with Pen & Paper, Photoshop, XD & Axure. It was a fantastic project, and I love learning new skills, like producing video :)"