Before diving deep into the details, I will explain some key terms and the foundation of the project. I won't be going in to too much detail due to the NDA I signed while working at Albert Heijn. In (almost) all Albert Heijn supermarkets, you will find a service area. This is a section with all the self-checkout stations where an employee is present to assist with the checkout process and perform several legally required checks. This employee is referred to as the service employee. Currently, the service employee is supported by a hardware device from Zebra Technologies. This is an Android phone with a handheld scanner and software that automatically assigns tasks to the various service employees. In the future the service area will be changed, which we call service area 2.0.
The question driving this project arose from the fact that the software was never designed by a UX Designer. As a result, there are vulnerabilities in the software that create difficulties during the workflow. The main research question was as follows:
"How can the role of the service employee be better supported at Service Area 2.0?"
I used the double diamond method to tackle this project.
This project had a very large scope, so it was important to prioritize the topics I wanted to investigate. Using the model below, I determined which three topics are crucial for creating value with the final solution. I focused on the overlap between the user, the company, and the enabler. For each subtopic, I formulated specific sub-questions to concretely determine which research methods were relevant.
To thoroughly investigate the various topics, I applied several research methods: interviews, observations, fly on the wall, thinking aloud, visiting a retail technology fair (EuroCIS), and extensive desk research. During the research, I noticed that the service employees had to perform many different tasks. To focus on the most important tasks, I conducted multiple observations at different times, taking into account varying levels of busyness, and recorded which task was performed the most frequently. This led to a focus on two tasks, for which I detailed the entire process in a Service Design Blueprint. Below is an example of the Service Design Blueprint.
By creating the Service Design Blueprint that mapped out how the tasks were actually performed in reality, I was able to sit down with stakeholders to understand how they thought the tasks should be executed or how they wanted them to be carried out. I could then compare both Blueprints side by side and identify key touchpoints, decision moments, or areas for improvement. This, along with the other findings, resulted in about 20 significant issues that I could address to better support the role of the service employee. However, 20 improvements are far too many to implement within a five-month timeframe, so I decided to cluster the findings using post-its.
I then advised the stakeholders in a presentation on which topics would likely create the most value for supporting the role of the service employee. They agreed with these recommendations, which led to the formulation of a design challenge:
"How can I create an overview for the service employee through a digital solution during their tasks at Service Area 2.0 to improve the work experience?"
To effectively brainstorm various solutions, I conducted both individual brainstorming sessions on sub-questions of the design challenge and organized a Crazy 8 workshop with employees. During the Crazy 8 session, participants had one minute to come up with a solution for a small problem, repeating this process for eight minutes. In some rounds, they had to think with constraints to improve accessibility, while in other rounds, there were no limitations, as if we were living in the year 3024 and anything was possible.
This resulted in three concepts that I presented to the stakeholders. I also conducted a risk analysis, outlining the pros and cons, to provide a clear understanding of the different concepts. Ultimately, in consultation with the stakeholders, we decided to further develop Concept 2. This concept involved a digital map, chosen because it better aligned with the mental mappings of the service employees.
Before sketching the concept, I wanted to first translate the remaining needs, desires, and findings from the research into guiding principles. This allowed me to later evaluate my design against these principles, ensuring it would truly meet the users' needs. In addition to the guiding principles, I also used Albert Heijn’s EX Design principles and established ethical guidelines based on a moral deliberation about automatic task allocation software.
While designing I went through multiple iterations from sketching to low-fidelity and eventually mid-fidelity. I kept constantly checking the design challenge and the guiding principles / ethical guidelines. I used the Albert Heijn Design System, but also kept looking critically if the components fit the purpose I was looking for.
Then I went back to my users to validate the design I created with a scenario. This resulted in feedback on the design regarding the details the map should show. For example the amount of products scanned and the colours used in the application. This resulted in a better validated and more useful High-fidelity design. In the end I also added a grid in the map so it would seems more calm for the user and is modular built.
The user-centric perspective resulted in some very interesting findings that Albert Heijn might use to improve the experience of the service employee in the near future. They were also very happy with both the guiding principles and the ethical guidelines, because not many people think about ethics while working at a big corporate. My advice for the design is to further validate it in a realistic environment. The scenario's were all tested in a calm room, while the space where they normaly work is way more hectic.
I really enjoyed working on such a big project with multiple stakeholders and different users. The complex challenge to create / improve a service from business perspective and also improve the experience of the user is something I defenitely see myself doing in the future. This project really shows my enthusiasm for Service Design, especially in some parts I am not able to show online. I have not gone into full detail here due to the NDA. I was rewarded with an 8.5 (out of 10) on my graduation project.
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