building & evangelizing holistic experience

designSamantha Starmer sstarme@rei.com

@samanthastarmer http://www.flickr.com/photos/29023275@N04/2753536862

melots of web stuff: Amazon, MicrosoftREI – Recreational Equipment, Inc.

lead design & experience teamsteach at University of Washington

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirpics/464458290/

experiences are across

touchpoints, channels,

mediums & devices

if we want our teams to make a difference…

if we want to be involved in strategy…

if we want to be part of the decision

process…

we must design for a holistic experience

http://www.flickr.com/photos/raftwetjewell/3121396468

our lives aren’t just digital

digital and physical are

colliding

don’t design for just website

…app

http://www.flickr.com/photos/differentview/5506159327

…product

…or physical environment

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24218656@N03/4589621372/

we must design across all

touchpoints and channels

70% of US online consumers

research products online

and purchase them offline

Forrester, Profiling The Multichannel Consumer, July 2009

but

‘integrated experience

s are few and

far between’

Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino http://www.slideshare.net/designswarm/creating-the-internet-of-things

a (common

) example

no Encore…

“there will be an all-out war to own

the customer experience

management space”

Forrester, 2011 Customer Experience Predictions

build our teams to design for

the holistic experience

how?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cinnamonsnow/1444667535

1. expand your mind

2. create the vision3. build the path4. just do it

1. expand your mind

expand your mind

1.make new friends2. get outside your box3. find comfort in discomfort

http://averagecats.com/page/7

make new friends

http://averagecats.com/page/7

make new friends• get out of your cube!

leave your desk! get out on the street!

• hang out with the people you don’t like

• spend time with the people who scare you

expand your mind

1.make new friends2. get outside your box3. find comfort in discomfort

get outside your box

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaboobie/4756495600

get outside your box

• digital to physical; physical to digital

• design with crayons, or matchsticks, or paper plates

• shadow in another department

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitorcastillo/2994723741

expand your mind

1.make new friends2. get outside your box3. find comfort in discomfort

comfort in discomfort

comfort in discomfort

“an interesting thing happened today – we were

invited to help Visual Merch decide what shelf labels

and categories to use in the retail stores for

backpacks.”

http://www.twobackpackers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/REI-Backpacks.jpg

eek – I don’t know anything about store

design!

you don’t have to be an expert

2. create the vision

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/3998273279

create the vision

1. know the big picture2. follow the north star3. tell a fairy tale

know the big picture

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aatemu/4784742636/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aatemu/4784742636/

• know your company strategic mission

• get beyond your own division or your own industry

• focus on how the parts play together

know the big picture

create the vision

1. know the big picture2. follow the north star3. tell a fairy tale

follow the north star

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brunmarde/4264215019/

follow the north star

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brunmarde/4264215019/

• focus on the customer (user, citizen, visitor)

• be ‘Swiss’ - lead the way through the battles between form and function, growth and savings

• stay grounded

Trying on tent

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollabackpack/184849492

create the vision

1. know the big picture2. follow the north star3. tell a fairy tale

tell a fairy tale

tell a fairy tale

• design your storytelling• get people excited about

the possibilities• build on existing

strategic direction• consider your audience

Meet AaronMeet Aaron

Outdoor Loyal31, Chicago

Weekend warrior involved in many sports, knows a lot about gear, and loves to research

“I push myself in work and play and need my gear to keep up with me”

Outdoor Loyal31, Chicago

Weekend warrior involved in many sports, knows a lot about gear, and loves to research

“I push myself in work and play and need my gear to keep up with me”

I’ll visit REI for gear suggestions for my upcoming race…

Here is my bike research list…

3. build the path

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23072179@N00/514528095

build the path1. listen holistically2. get political3. remove road blocks

listen holistically

listen holistically• listen in different ways

than you might be used to: market research, email, calls, customer service, facebook, twitter, blogs

• pay attention to the gaps in the experience

build the path1. listen holistically2. get political3. remove road blocks

get political

get political• manage up, down and

sideways• pay attention – learn

what incentivizes your executives

• talk the talk, walk the walk

• get comfortable at the strategy table

http://media.nara.gov/media/images/29/4/29-0378a.gif

build the path1. listen holistically2. get political3. remove road blocks

remove road blocks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/3556721606

remove road blocks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/3556721606

• make it easy for your team

• have the hard conversations for them

• focus on clearing brush before they encounter it

you may not get to design in the same way

any more

you have to be okay with that

solution & process design is still design

4. just do it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tutuwon/2745902664

just do it1.tear it up a little2. use metrics3. start with small wins

tear it up a little

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18161462@N00/73573681

tear it up a little

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18161462@N00/73573681

• invite others in to play with you

• don’t be grabby; no one can ‘own’ the design or experience

• the journey can be more valuable than the results

• go way outside your brand – then pull back

UX Mag

just do it1.tear it up a little2. use metrics3. start with small wins

use metrics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iliahi/2606645766/

use metrics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iliahi/2606645766/

• get comfortable with quantitative

• learn synergies between attitudes and behavior

• where does your team add measureable value?

just do it1.tear it up a little2. use metrics3. start with small wins

start with small wins

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/hoarding-buried-alive/slideshows/before-and-after-episodes-1-4-02.html

start with small wins

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/hoarding-buried-alive/slideshows/before-and-after-episodes-1-4-02.html

• pick one interaction• choose one channel pair• partner with one

department• fully complete some tiny

things before starting any big things

expand your mind

1. make new friends2. get outside your box3. find comfort in

discomfort

create the vision

1. know the big picture2. follow the north star3. tell a fairy tale

build the path

1. listen holistically2. get political3. remove road blocks

just do it1. tear it up a little2. use metrics3. start with small wins

build our teams to design for

the holistic experience

MAKE IT HAPPEN

http://www.flickr.com/photos/baking_in_pearls/3960662314

thank you!!

Samantha Starmer sstarme@rei.com @samanthastarmer