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A selection of some of my recent professional and academic work as a designer.
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1
PORTFOLIO Rebecca Horton
Hello!My name is Rebecca and i’m a service designer. I sit at the inter-section between growth strategy, customer advocacy, and experience design. I have spent the last five plus years working with individuals and organizations of all stripes and shapes-from large educational institutions with massive staffs and entire buildings full of data to up-and-coming musicians who have never written a business plan but know how to sell out a theater. Service design is an emerging discipline centered around designing and reimagining user experiences for the businesses that now make up about 75% of the US economy.
Ironically, designers spent much of the last century working in the other 25%, helping companies create game-changing products, tools, and technologies. I believe that the future of the US economyincreasingly lies in the services domain and have the education and expertise to help brands become top-tier innovators by turningdiscovered opportunities into measured outcomes, designing across organizations, customer segments, and distribution channels to drive long-lasting impact.
growth
hacker
experience
designer
customer
advocate
That’s me!
TABLE OF Contents
RE-IMAGINEOUR COMMUNICATIONSYSTEM WORKSHOP
pages 26-29
AMPED-UPEXPERIENCE MAP
page 10-13
ARISTIDESLOUNGE
pages 14-25
TRAINTHE TRAINER
pages 6-9
6
Challenge: Teach a service innovation firm new methods
During summer 2012, I consulted with Washington, DC-based Motiv Strategies, a service innovation firm, to orga-nize and enhance the company’s service design toolbox. I began the summer by cataloguing the company’s exist-ing tools and frameworks and then spent a few weeks documenting new tools that I thought the company might consider using. Afterwards, I began applying new tools and methods in project-based work, training my business-oriented colleagues in how to develop service blueprints, create affiinity maps, and generate user insight statements. Documented to the right is a service blueprint that my colleagues developed during one two-hour training session about service blueprinting. The following pages document my key contributions through a non-linear visualization.
TRAIN THE Trainer
7
8
Developed service
blueprint andjourney map
for client
Built catalogueof in-housetools and
frameworks
Cultivated a Pinterest boardfull of design
tools
Researchedcompetitors byreviewing web,literature, etc.
Research and LearnExplored competitor tools and
compared against existingcapabilities and firm’s
work to-date
designDeveloped and prototyped newtools, frameworks and methods
Built and field-tested journey
mappingtemplates
Created a deck of ‘experiencecards’ to be
used as culturalprobes
9
Conducted research
on-site withcustomers
trainEnhanced internal capabilities byteaching colleagues service design
methods through workshopsand informal coaching
plan and deployPlanned and led a customerresearch study for a majorphilanthropic foundation
Ran a how-tosession on user
personadevelopment
Ran an insights and affinity
diagrammingworkshop
Taught a serviceblueprinting
workshop
Informal coaching on emergent
design and story-telling
Created discussionguides
Built customerresearch plan and
timeline
Presentationof findings to
client
Designedresearchscreeners
10
MAPPING TOUCHPOINTS VISUALIZING THEAVEDA SPA JOURNEY
AMPED-UP Experience Map
11
Challenge: Build a better journey map.
Throughout my time at SCAD, I took a handful of courses and workshops in service design, an emerging field centered around creating engaging customer experiences. One of the service design techniques that I learned at SCAD is customer journey mapping. Documented below is the process used to create a customer journey map for one such course. Developing this map involved visiting a local spa and documenting my experience through a large-scale wall poster, which went through several iterations before I came to a final version. Offered below are sev-eral sketches I made throughout my design process, and then offered on the following page is a glimpse of the final deliverable.
VISUALIZING THEAVEDA SPA JOURNEY
DOCUMENTING MOOD CHANGES ALONG THE JOURNEY
12
MASSAGE FACIAL
Touchpoints
EXPLORATION WAITING
“It was a little ambiguous”
“There were lots
of little
touches-
branches,
flowers” “That was a little bit awkward”
“ow”
“You don’tusually want
someone that’stouching yourbody doing thatkind of deepbreathing”
“For a little whilethere was somekneading along myneck that wasalmost like achoking...it was alittle offputting”
CHECK OUT AFTERMATH
“I didn’t really
want to know
what products
she had used
to be quite
honest.”
When ‘Good Enough’ Just Isn’t...Visit to the Aveda Spa Gone Awry
Customer e
nters
Lordis
Loft concept s
alon
Customer e
nters
restr
oom
Customer u
ses t
oilet a
nd sink
Customer w
alks back to
the fr
ont of t
he salon
Greete
r gives c
ustomer a
glass of w
ater
Customer s
its on couch in
front o
f salon
Emily, m
asseuse
, gre
ets custo
mer
Customer is
alone in ro
om, a lit
tle unsu
re of w
hat to do
Emily knocks o
n door and begins t
o enter r
oom.
Customer is
surp
rised
Customer e
xperiences d
iscomfo
rt durin
g
neck massa
ge. Masse
use fa
ils to
warn custo
mer befo
re th
is inte
nse pro
cedure.
Brianne applie
s exfo
liant t
o the custo
mer’s
face, g
ently sc
rubbing it.
Yet anoth
er hot r
ag is applie
d, brin
ging customer
back to so
me level o
f comfo
rt
Brianne so
ftly paints
a masq
ue onto th
e customer’s
face
While
the m
ask drie
s, Bria
nne massa
ges custo
mer’s hands a
nd arms
A final hot r
ag is applie
d to w
ash off th
e masq
ue
Brianne ru
bs lotio
n onto th
e customer’s
face
Brianne te
lls custo
mer to m
eet her a
t fro
nt, leaves r
oomBria
nne begins push
ing products
on customer
Customer e
xpresse
s disi
ntere
st in pro
ducts
Customer a
pproaches f
ront d
esk to
pay
Two women at f
ront d
esk chat w
ith custo
mer,
one rings u
p the sa
le
Customer t
hanks employees a
nd exits sa
lon
Bright li
ght shined on custo
mer’s fa
ce for “
extractio
ns”
“The hot rag...
that felt really
nice”
“I was really
uncomfortable
while that was
happening...
there was very
little notice.”
A Customer Journey by Rebecca Horton
Customer s
earches for A
veda store
online
Customer e
xplores s
ervices and pric
es onlin
e
Customer p
hones sto
re to
set a
ppointment
Aveda employee sets
appointment f
or 2pm
Girl at f
ront d
esk gre
ets custo
mer
Greete
r checks c
ustomer in
for a
ppointment
Greete
r offers
customer a
drink
Customer a
sks g
reete
r for d
irectio
ns to th
e restr
oom
Customer w
alks thro
ugh salon to
the re
stroom
Emily ta
kes custo
mer into
a darkly lit ro
om
Emily in
structs
customer t
o take off cloth
es and lie
under the sh
eet
After b
eing instr
ucted by custo
mer, Emily
re-e
nters
room
Massage begins w
ith sp
iralin
g motio
ns on lo
wer back (c
omfort)
Smoothing m
otions o
n middle back elic
it comfo
rt
Back and forth
motio
ns on sh
oulders elic
it comfo
rt
Chopping motio
ns on upper b
ack elicit d
iscomfo
rt
Masseuse
sniffl
es (pro
bably sick) e
licits
fear in
customer
Up and down and back and forth
motio
ns sooth
e customer
back into
a comforta
ble state
Emily exits
, tells
customer t
o leave th
e room
Employee giving facial, B
rianne, e
nters
room and apologies f
or confu
sion
Hot, ste
aming rag elic
its im
mediate comfo
rt as f
acial begins
Brianne gently
wash
es the custo
mer’s fa
ce
Another h
ot rag is
applied, e
licitin
g furth
er comfo
rt.
Smell of p
eppermint is
prevalent.
Customer is
in sp
a room, s
lightly
confuse
d.
Puts cloth
es back on.
Customer w
alks to fr
ont of s
tore
Customer e
xperiences b
ack discomfo
rt afte
r massa
ge
Customer c
atches cold, b
lames Emily
, the
masseuse
“I go to the spa to be pampered,not to put up with thetreatments. Far from stress-freea few days after my visit, I havea sore back and a bad cold.I know they tried,but it just wasn’t enough...
I’ll probably never return.”
Hands Image: Jon Haynes via flickr
Opportunity Space:
Due to the hands-on nature of treatments, Aveda should consider asking employees with colds or other illnesses to stay home from work.health and hygiene
Enhanced verbal priming for several aspects of the service and a clearer set of instructions would dramatically improve the customer experience and make the service feel more individualized.communication
Image Credits| Icons: The Noun Project; Massage Photo: Jon Haynes Photography
MASSAGE FACIAL
Touchpoints
EXPLORATION WAITING
“It was a little ambiguous”
“There were lots
of little
touches-
branches,
flowers” “That was a little bit awkward”
“ow”
“You don’tusually want
someone that’stouching yourbody doing thatkind of deepbreathing”
“For a little whilethere was somekneading along myneck that wasalmost like achoking...it was alittle offputting”
CHECK OUT AFTERMATH
“I didn’t really
want to know
what products
she had used
to be quite
honest.”
When ‘Good Enough’ Just Isn’t...Visit to the Aveda Spa Gone Awry
Custom
er ente
rs Lord
is Loft
concept salon
Custom
er ente
rs re
stroom
Custom
er use
s toile
t and si
nk
Custom
er walks b
ack to th
e front o
f the sa
lon
Greete
r gives c
ustom
er a glass
of wate
r
Custom
er sits
on couch in fr
ont of s
alon
Emily
, masse
use, g
reets
custom
er
Custom
er is alone in
room
, a lit
tle unsu
re of w
hat to do
Emily
knocks on door a
nd begins to ente
r room
.
Custom
er is su
rpris
ed
Custom
er experie
nces disc
omfo
rt durin
g
neck massa
ge. Masse
use fa
ils to
warn custo
mer b
efore
this
intense
procedure
.
Brianne applie
s exfo
liant t
o the custo
mer’s
face, g
ently sc
rubbing it.
Yet anoth
er hot r
ag is applie
d, brin
ging custom
er
back to so
me le
vel of c
omfo
rt
Brianne so
ftly paints
a masq
ue onto th
e custom
er’s fa
ce
While
the m
ask drie
s, Bria
nne massa
ges custo
mer’s
hands and arm
s
A final hot r
ag is applie
d to w
ash off th
e masq
ue
Brianne ru
bs lotio
n onto th
e custom
er’s fa
ce
Brianne te
lls custo
mer t
o meet h
er at f
ront, l
eaves room
Brianne begins p
ushing pro
ducts on custo
mer
Custom
er expre
sses d
isinte
rest
in products
Custom
er appro
aches fro
nt desk
to pay
Two wom
en at fro
nt desk
chat with
custom
er,
one rings u
p the sa
le
Custom
er thanks e
mployees a
nd exits sa
lon
Bright li
ght shined on custo
mer’s
face fo
r “extra
ctions”
“The hot rag...
that felt really
nice”
“I was really
uncomfortable
while that was
happening...
there was very
little notice.”
A Customer Journey by Rebecca Horton
Custom
er searches f
or Aveda st
ore onlin
e
Custom
er explore
s services a
nd prices o
nline
Custom
er phones s
tore
to se
t appointm
ent
Aveda employee se
ts appointm
ent for 2
pm
Girl at f
ront d
esk gre
ets custo
mer
Greete
r checks c
ustom
er in fo
r appointm
ent
Greete
r offers
custom
er a drin
k
Custom
er ask
s gre
eter f
or dire
ctions t
o the re
stroom
Custom
er walks t
hrough sa
lon to th
e restr
oom
Emily
takes c
ustom
er into
a darkly lit ro
om
Emily
instr
ucts custo
mer t
o take off cloth
es and lie
under the sh
eet
After b
eing instr
ucted by custo
mer, E
mily
re-e
nters
room
Massage begins w
ith sp
iralin
g motio
ns on lo
wer back (c
omfo
rt)
Smooth
ing motio
ns on m
iddle back elicit c
omfo
rt
Back and forth
motio
ns on sh
oulders elic
it com
fort
Chopping motio
ns on upper b
ack elicit d
iscom
fort
Masseuse
sniffl
es (pro
bably sick) e
licits
fear in
custom
er
Up and down and back and forth
motio
ns sooth
e custom
er
back into
a comfo
rtable st
ate
Emily
exits, te
lls custo
mer t
o leave th
e room
Employee giving fa
cial, Bria
nne, ente
rs ro
om and apologies f
or confu
sion
Hot, ste
aming ra
g elicits
imm
ediate com
fort
as facial b
egins
Brianne gently
wash
es the custo
mer’s
face
Another h
ot rag is
applied, e
licitin
g furth
er com
fort.
Smell o
f pepperm
int is prevalent.
Custom
er is in
spa ro
om, s
lightly
confuse
d.
Puts cloth
es back on.
Custom
er walks t
o front o
f sto
re
Custom
er experie
nces back disc
omfo
rt afte
r massa
ge
Custom
er catches c
old, blam
es Em
ily, th
e
masse
use
“I go to the spa to be pampered,not to put up with thetreatments. Far from stress-freea few days after my visit, I havea sore back and a bad cold.I know they tried,but it just wasn’t enough...
I’ll probably never return.”
Hands Image: Jon Haynes via flickr
Opportunity Space:
Due to the hands-on nature of treatments, Aveda should consider asking employees with colds or other illnesses to stay home from work.health and hygiene
Enhanced verbal priming for several aspects of the service and a clearer set of instructions would dramatically improve the customer experience and make the service feel more individualized.communication
Image Credits| Icons: The Noun Project; Massage Photo: Jon Haynes Photography
The wall-sized journey map that I developed for this project documented every touch-point in the user journey, but focused in on the key negative and positive moments to help the service identify spaces for improvement. Given the large format of the journey map and its significant number of touchpoints, I have provided zooms of various elements of the map to the immediate left and right to give a clearer sense of its contents.
13
MASSAGE FACIAL
Touchpoints
EXPLORATION WAITING
“It was a little ambiguous”
“There were lots
of little
touches-
branches,
flowers” “That was a little bit awkward”
“ow”
“You don’tusually want
someone that’stouching yourbody doing thatkind of deepbreathing”
“For a little whilethere was somekneading along myneck that wasalmost like achoking...it was alittle offputting”
CHECK OUT AFTERMATH
“I didn’t really
want to know
what products
she had used
to be quite
honest.”
When ‘Good Enough’ Just Isn’t...Visit to the Aveda Spa Gone Awry
Customer e
nters
Lordis
Loft concept s
alon
Customer e
nters
restr
oom
Customer u
ses t
oilet a
nd sink
Customer w
alks back to
the fr
ont of t
he salon
Greete
r gives c
ustomer a
glass of w
ater
Customer s
its on couch in
front o
f salon
Emily, m
asseuse
, gre
ets custo
mer
Customer is
alone in ro
om, a lit
tle unsu
re of w
hat to do
Emily knocks o
n door and begins t
o enter r
oom.
Customer is
surp
rised
Customer e
xperiences d
iscomfo
rt durin
g
neck massa
ge. Masse
use fa
ils to
warn custo
mer befo
re th
is inte
nse pro
cedure.
Brianne applie
s exfo
liant t
o the custo
mer’s
face, g
ently sc
rubbing it.
Yet anoth
er hot r
ag is applie
d, brin
ging customer
back to so
me level o
f comfo
rt
Brianne so
ftly paints
a masq
ue onto th
e customer’s
face
While
the m
ask drie
s, Bria
nne massa
ges custo
mer’s hands a
nd arms
A final hot r
ag is applie
d to w
ash off th
e masq
ue
Brianne ru
bs lotio
n onto th
e customer’s
face
Brianne te
lls custo
mer to m
eet her a
t fro
nt, leaves r
oomBria
nne begins push
ing products
on customer
Customer e
xpresse
s disi
ntere
st in pro
ducts
Customer a
pproaches f
ront d
esk to
pay
Two women at f
ront d
esk chat w
ith custo
mer,
one rings u
p the sa
le
Customer t
hanks employees a
nd exits sa
lon
Bright li
ght shined on custo
mer’s fa
ce for “
extractio
ns”
“The hot rag...
that felt really
nice”
“I was really
uncomfortable
while that was
happening...
there was very
little notice.”
A Customer Journey by Rebecca Horton
Customer s
earches for A
veda store
online
Customer e
xplores s
ervices and pric
es onlin
e
Customer p
hones sto
re to
set a
ppointment
Aveda employee sets
appointment f
or 2pm
Girl at f
ront d
esk gre
ets custo
mer
Greete
r checks c
ustomer in
for a
ppointment
Greete
r offers
customer a
drink
Customer a
sks g
reete
r for d
irectio
ns to th
e restr
oom
Customer w
alks thro
ugh salon to
the re
stroom
Emily ta
kes custo
mer into
a darkly lit ro
om
Emily in
structs
customer t
o take off cloth
es and lie
under the sh
eet
After b
eing instr
ucted by custo
mer, Emily
re-e
nters
room
Massage begins w
ith sp
iralin
g motio
ns on lo
wer back (c
omfort)
Smoothing m
otions o
n middle back elic
it comfo
rt
Back and forth
motio
ns on sh
oulders elic
it comfo
rt
Chopping motio
ns on upper b
ack elicit d
iscomfo
rt
Masseuse
sniffl
es (pro
bably sick) e
licits
fear in
customer
Up and down and back and forth
motio
ns sooth
e customer
back into
a comforta
ble state
Emily exits
, tells
customer t
o leave th
e room
Employee giving facial, B
rianne, e
nters
room and apologies f
or confu
sion
Hot, ste
aming rag elic
its im
mediate comfo
rt as f
acial begins
Brianne gently
wash
es the custo
mer’s fa
ce
Another h
ot rag is
applied, e
licitin
g furth
er comfo
rt.
Smell of p
eppermint is
prevalent.
Customer is
in sp
a room, s
lightly
confuse
d.
Puts cloth
es back on.
Customer w
alks to fr
ont of s
tore
Customer e
xperiences b
ack discomfo
rt afte
r massa
ge
Customer c
atches cold, b
lames Emily
, the
masseuse
“I go to the spa to be pampered,not to put up with thetreatments. Far from stress-freea few days after my visit, I havea sore back and a bad cold.I know they tried,but it just wasn’t enough...
I’ll probably never return.”
Hands Image: Jon Haynes via flickr
Opportunity Space:
Due to the hands-on nature of treatments, Aveda should consider asking employees with colds or other illnesses to stay home from work.health and hygiene
Enhanced verbal priming for several aspects of the service and a clearer set of instructions would dramatically improve the customer experience and make the service feel more individualized.communication
Image Credits| Icons: The Noun Project; Massage Photo: Jon Haynes Photography
MASSAGE FACIAL
Touchpoints
EXPLORATION WAITING
“It was a little ambiguous”
“There were lots
of little
touches-
branches,
flowers” “That was a little bit awkward”
“ow”
“You don’tusually want
someone that’stouching yourbody doing thatkind of deepbreathing”
“For a little whilethere was somekneading along myneck that wasalmost like achoking...it was alittle offputting”
CHECK OUT AFTERMATH
“I didn’t really
want to know
what products
she had used
to be quite
honest.”
When ‘Good Enough’ Just Isn’t...Visit to the Aveda Spa Gone Awry
Custom
er ente
rs Lord
is Loft
conce
pt salon
Custom
er ente
rs re
stroom
Custom
er use
s toile
t and si
nk
Custom
er walks b
ack to
the fr
ont of t
he salon
Greete
r gives c
ustom
er a glass
of wate
r
Custom
er sits
on couch
in fr
ont of s
alon
Emily
, mass
euse, g
reets
custo
mer
Custom
er is alone in
room
, a lit
tle unsu
re of w
hat to do
Emily
knocks o
n door and begins t
o enter r
oom.
Custom
er is su
rpris
ed
Custom
er experie
nces d
iscom
fort
during
neck m
assage. M
asseuse
fails
to
warn cu
stom
er befo
re th
is inte
nse pro
cedure
.
Brianne applie
s exfo
liant t
o the cu
stom
er’s
face
, gently
scru
bbing it.
Yet anoth
er hot r
ag is applie
d, brin
ging custo
mer
back to
som
e level o
f com
fort
Brianne so
ftly paints
a masq
ue onto th
e custo
mer’s
face
While
the m
ask drie
s, Bria
nne mass
ages custo
mer’s
hands and arm
s
A final hot r
ag is applie
d to w
ash off th
e masq
ue
Brianne ru
bs lotio
n onto th
e custo
mer’s
face
Brianne te
lls cu
stom
er to m
eet her a
t fro
nt, leaves r
oom
Brianne begins p
ushing pro
ducts on cu
stom
er
Custom
er expre
sses d
isinte
rest
in products
Custom
er appro
aches f
ront d
esk to
pay
Two wom
en at fro
nt desk
chat w
ith cu
stom
er,
one rings u
p the sa
le
Custom
er thanks e
mployees a
nd exits sa
lon
Bright li
ght shined on cu
stom
er’s fa
ce fo
r “extra
ctions”
“The hot rag...
that felt really
nice”
“I was really
uncomfortable
while that was
happening...
there was very
little notice.”
A Customer Journey by Rebecca Horton
Custom
er search
es for A
veda store
online
Custom
er explore
s service
s and pric
es onlin
e
Custom
er phones s
tore
to se
t appointm
ent
Aveda employee se
ts appointm
ent for 2
pm
Girl at f
ront d
esk gre
ets cu
stom
er
Greete
r check
s custo
mer in
for a
ppointment
Greete
r offers
custo
mer a
drink
Custom
er ask
s gre
eter f
or dire
ctions t
o the re
stroom
Custom
er walks t
hrough sa
lon to th
e restr
oom
Emily
takes c
ustom
er into
a darkly lit
room
Emily
instr
ucts cu
stom
er to ta
ke off cloth
es and lie
under the sh
eet
After b
eing instr
ucted by cu
stom
er, Em
ily re
-ente
rs ro
om
Mass
age begins with
spira
ling m
otions o
n lower b
ack (c
omfo
rt)
Smooth
ing motio
ns on m
iddle back elic
it com
fort
Back and fo
rth m
otions o
n shoulders
elicit c
omfo
rt
Chopping motio
ns on upper b
ack elic
it disc
omfo
rt
Mass
euse sn
iffles (
probably si
ck) e
licits
fear in
custo
mer
Up and down and back and fo
rth m
otions s
oothe cu
stom
er
back in
to a co
mfo
rtable st
ate
Emily
exits, t
ells cu
stom
er to le
ave the ro
om
Employee giving fa
cial, B
rianne, e
nters
room
and apologies for c
onfusio
n
Hot, ste
aming ra
g elicits
imm
ediate co
mfo
rt as f
acial b
egins
Brianne gently
wash
es the cu
stom
er’s fa
ce
Another h
ot rag is
applied, e
liciti
ng furth
er com
fort.
Smell o
f pepperm
int is pre
valent.
Custom
er is in
spa ro
om, s
lightly
confu
sed.
Puts clo
thes b
ack on.
Custom
er walks t
o front o
f sto
re
Custom
er experie
nces b
ack disc
omfo
rt afte
r mass
age
Custom
er catch
es cold, b
lames E
mily
, the
mass
euse
“I go to the spa to be pampered,not to put up with thetreatments. Far from stress-freea few days after my visit, I havea sore back and a bad cold.I know they tried,but it just wasn’t enough...
I’ll probably never return.”
Hands Image: Jon Haynes via flickr
Opportunity Space:
Due to the hands-on nature of treatments, Aveda should consider asking employees with colds or other illnesses to stay home from work.health and hygiene
Enhanced verbal priming for several aspects of the service and a clearer set of instructions would dramatically improve the customer experience and make the service feel more individualized.communication
Image Credits| Icons: The Noun Project; Massage Photo: Jon Haynes Photography
MASSAGE
FACIAL
Touchpoints
EXPLORATION
WAITING
“It was a little
ambiguous”
“There were lotsof little touches-branches, flowers”
“That was a little
bit awkward”
“ow”
“You don’tusually want
someone that’s
touching your
body doing that
kind of deepbreathing”
“For a little while
there was some
kneading along my
neck that was
almost like a
choking...it was a
little offputting”
CHECK OUT
AFTERMATH
“I didn’t reallywant to knowwhat productsshe had usedto be quitehonest.”
When ‘Good Enough’ Just Isn’t...
Visit to the Aveda Spa Gone Awry
Customer enters Lordis Loft concept salon
Customer enters restroom
Customer uses toilet and sink
Customer walks back to the front of the salon
Greeter gives customer a glass of water
Customer sits on couch in front of salon
Emily, masseuse, greets customer
Customer is alone in room, a little unsure of what to do
Emily knocks on door and begins to enter room.
Customer is surprised
Customer experiences discomfort during
neck massage. Masseuse fails to
warn customer before this intense procedure.
Brianne applies exfoliant to the customer’s
face, gently scrubbing it.
Yet another hot rag is applied, bringing customer
back to some level of comfort
Brianne softly paints a masque onto the customer’s face
While the mask dries, Brianne massages customer’s hands and arms
A final hot rag is applied to wash off the masque
Brianne rubs lotion onto the customer’s face
Brianne tells customer to meet her at front, leaves room
Brianne begins pushing products on customer
Customer expresses disinterest in products
Customer approaches front desk to pay
Two women at front desk chat with customer,
one rings up the sale
Customer thanks employees and exits salon
Bright light shined on customer’s face for “extractions”
“The hot rag...that felt reallynice”
“I was reallyuncomfortablewhile that washappening...there was verylittle notice.”
A Customer Journey by Rebecca Horton
Customer searches for Aveda store online
Customer explores services and prices online
Customer phones store to set appointment
Aveda employee sets appointment for 2pm
Girl at front desk greets customer
Greeter checks customer in for appointment
Greeter offers customer a drink
Customer asks greeter for directions to the restroom
Customer walks through salon to the restroom
Emily takes customer into a darkly lit room
Emily instructs customer to take off clothes and lie under the sheet
After being instructed by customer, Emily re-enters room
Massage begins with spiraling motions on lower back (comfort)
Smoothing motions on middle back elicit comfort
Back and forth motions on shoulders elicit comfort
Chopping motions on upper back elicit discomfort
Masseuse sniffles (probably sick) elicits fear in customer
Up and down and back and forth motions soothe customer
back into a comfortable state
Emily exits, tells customer to leave the room
Employee giving facial, Brianne, enters room and apologies for confusion
Hot, steaming rag elicits immediate comfort as facial begins
Brianne gently washes the customer’s face
Another hot rag is applied, eliciting further comfort.
Smell of peppermint is prevalent.
Customer is in spa room, slightly confused.
Puts clothes back on.
Customer walks to front of store
Customer experiences back discomfort after massage
Customer catches cold, blames Emily, the
masseuse
“I go to the spa to be pampered,
not to put up with the
treatments. Far from stress-free
a few days after my visit, I have
a sore back and a bad cold.
I know they tried,
but it just wasn’t enough...
I’ll probably never return.”
Hands Image: Jon Haynes via flickr
Opportunity Space:
Due to the hands-on nature of treatments, Aveda should consider asking employees with colds or other illnesses
to stay home from work.
health and hygiene
Enhanced verbal priming for several aspects of the service and a clearer set of instructions would dramatically
improve the customer experience and make the service feel more individualized.
communication
Image Credits| Icons: The Noun Project; Massage Photo: Jon Haynes Photography
14
ARISTIDES “What if there were a place that celebrated what it meant to be a strong, thoroughbred, classic man...what if there were a salon with premiere perks designed exclusively for men?”
15
SWOT
industryresearch
competitor scan
businessmodel canvas
four actionframework
customerresearch
personas &user journeys
‘What If’statements
workshopdesign
workshopexecution
scoringideas
storyboarding
goal-drivendesign framework
lateralthinking
trend-driven
jobs to bedone
Blue Ocean
early-stageserviceblueprinting
establishingcriteria
affinitymapping
journeymapping
wireframes
experienceprototyping
lightbrand work
emergentdesignmethods
mock-ups
sensoryexperience
serviceblueprints
moodboards
touchpointsamplesuse
cases
mock investor pitch
Challenge: “Design a radically new service offering that is desirable, viable and feasible using a winning combination of innovation approaches”
Aristides Lounge is the outpouring of a ten-week course in brand-driven innovation whereby I designed a radically new service offering by pairing design concepts generated through industry research with an existing brand. The project had five basic stages: a research and insights generation stage, a brainstorming stage, a concept exploration stage, a prototyping stage, and a validation stage that involved a mock investor pitch. Each of these project stages are outlined in the diagram below. Meanwhile, the pages that follow show each of the project phases in greater detail, offering photos of process and glimpses of deliverables along the way.
16
UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET
17
During the research phase of this project, I uncovered several key insights that drove the development of concepts for the beauty salons industry. Among them, I discovered that beauty salons represent a roughly $20 billion dollar industry. By contrast, barber shops bring in a meager $600M per year.
I also discovered that market-leading salons spend significant monies on inventory and maintenance for their retail establishments, which could be avoided through a mobile, place-less salon or a stylist-at-hand type service that offered styling advice using customer’s own products.
Surprisingly, there has been little innovation in the salon industry over the last 10-15 years, with the services today remaining markedly similar to those offered in the 1990s. As shown in the four action diagram below, there are many opportunities to place stylists in unique settings like teen fashion stores, gyms or offices to attractnew customer segments and drive repeat traffic. Additionally, there are manypossibilities to utilize technology and expand the existing services of brick and mortar salons in a way that blends the digital and face-to-face.
Market trends such as the growth of DIY/maker communities, the prevalence of bloggers in shaping the fashion and beauty industry, and even the growth of co-working and work from home professions suggests that there is lots of room to create niche or lifestyle-oriented “customer as co-producer” offerings that could drastically expand the market for salon services.
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BRAINSTORMING SERVICE CONCEPTS
The second phase of the Aristides project involved coming up with a list of 60-100 service concepts for the beauty salons industry. To elicit a variety of disruptive and ‘quick-win’ type ideas, I designed a one-hour creative session that utilized four different activities with a small group of potential customers. In the brainstorming session, we came up with several ideas that were directly based on recent trends such as “high status stress” and “the end of nature.” We also explored several jobs-based ideas deriving from the salon journey, e.g. “relax and remove self from daily cares and routine” that might transcend a salon-based experi-ence. Additionally, we developed dozens of blue-ocean concepts using ‘What If’ state-ments that drew upon my previous market research (see examples below) and explored some extreme design ideas by apply-ing lateral thinking approaches to specific customer segments. The resulting ideas ranged from opportunities to increase the distribution channels for salon services (e.g. in-office hair care and beauty consultations) to out-of-the-box ways to relieve stress (e.g. a Willy Wonka style playcenter and resort where stressed-out moms can drop off their kids while they get pampered and relax in a pool). The next section documents the ways in which I evaluated these ideas once-developed.
I created a workshop that utilized a variety of brainstorming approaches to elicit both disruptive and quick-win type design ideas in a one-hour session.
19
20
EXPLORING SERVICE CONCEPTS
Sample Design Concepts Evaluated Against Chosen Criteria
Criteria Weights
Service Concepts Developed Using Storyboards, Simple Imagery, And Value Propositions. At This Point, Aristides Was One Of Five Top Ideas.
21
22
PROTOTYPING SELECT CONCEPTS
During the prototyping stage, I whittleddown my list of service concepts to two and explored ways to partner these concepts with two brands re-searched by members of our class.
The first service that I designed was an ‘immersive mobile salon’ called Favula that drew upon the Starbucks brand. The second service was the Aristides Lounge, which is a Woodford Reserve-inspired gentleman’s lounge serving up custom drinks and Derby-inspired style in a sophisticated, speakeasy-style atmosphere. To the left and bottom right you can see evidence of my Aristides prototyping. Meanwhile, at the top right you can see an early-stage blueprint and another SCAD student exploring a digital moodboard that I developed for the Favula concept.
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WOODFORD RESERVE PEACH TEA10
TROPICAL MINT JULEP COCKTAIL11
CLASSIC WOODFORD RESERVE MANHAT-TAN9
BOURBON-BRINED TENDERLOIN BITES16
COUNTRY HAM BISCUITS WITH SHRIMP14
MINI CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN PIE6
CHEESY CORNBREAD MUFFINS8
SERVICE CONCEPT
FACILITATING SERVICES
CORESERVICE
ENHANCING SERVICES
drinks and grooming
dinner party planning
close-razor shaves
shampooing
Derby-style fare
stress therapy
clothing press
dating tips
monthly excursions
cocktail lounge
beard and hair trims
sporting-eventstreams
VALUE PROPOSITION
POSITIONING THE BRAND
CUTS30 and up
TRIMS20-50
SHAVES25-40
SHAMPOOING8
WAXING20 and up
STRESS-RELEASEMASSAGE
60 (30m) or 90 (60m)
RE-HYDRATION MASQUE65
CLOTHING STEAM25
Menu of ServicesGrooming Food and Drink
FOR Those with a focused, mature taste for refinement and quality
WHO are looking to refresh their look and unwind
OUR SERVICE IS a men’s grooming lounge
THAT lightens the mood while giving you a polished, timeless appearance.
Unlike your average barbershop, Aristides blends craftmade sophistication with of-the-moment style, because while we’ve only been around for a short time our legacy is built upon cultural traditions that date back
over 100 years.
ORIGINAL
SOPHISTICATED
ACCESSIBLE
UNORIGINAL
MUNDANE
INACCESSIBLE
SOPHISTICATED
ACCESSIBLE
INACCESSIBLE
MUNDANE
AristidesAveragebarber
Mid-rangesalons
GreatClips
24
REFINING THE FINAL CONCEPT: ARISTIDES LOUNGE
These images document some of the final deliv-erables: service evidenc-ing tools (left) the Aris-tides value proposition, the Aristides logo, an overview of one of the Aristides personas and a glimpse of one of two blueprints used inpresentation materials.
25
SPECIALIZED STEVE
Steve knows what he wants, and he’s willing to pay a premium
for it. Because he wasn’t raised with money, Steve values high-quality
products and services that actually live up to their hype. Almost nothing
frustrates him more than a service provider that overcharges because of
its bells and whistles but lacks the know-how and attention to detail
to meet his basic demands.
An investment banker who paid his way through college by
waiting tables at a high-end
restaurant, Steve likes to spend
his money wisely. After landing
a job on Wall Street thanks to
his high academic marks, Steve
slowly worked his way
up as a portfolio manager.
Eventually, Steve left Wall Street to take a position with a boutique
investment firm, which enables him to hit a high bar at work while
leaving room for him to have a life.
When it comes to grooming, Steve maintains a detailed regimen
and when he goes to the barber, he prefers to schedule in advance.
For the last several years, Steve has been purchasing products online
while going to a neighborhood barber for his trims and shaves. He
likes the personal touch of the neighborhood barber but craves the
quality of an apothecary-style product line.
Steve’s sense of style is European-inspired even though he grew
up in the midwest. He spends his free time dining out with friends,
visiting jazz clubs and traveling to Italy whenever he gets the chance.
Additionally, Steve enjoys getting dressed up to watch vintage car
races and the big horse races with friends over heavy drinks and hors
d’oeuvres.
Quality-focused
Investment Banker
Age: 47|Income:
$250,000
VALUES:• Quality over
perks
• Personalization and atte
ntion to
detail
SEEKING:• Expert, know
ledgeable staff
• A quick in-and-out turna
round
• Variety and quality in p
roduct
line• Atmosphere t
hat feels high-end
Likes to schedule in adv
ance
Service Blueprint: Steve
PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE
USER ACTION
FRONTSTAGE
BACKSTAGE
LINE OF INTERACTION
LINE OFVISIBILITY
INTERNAL
INTERACTION
Key Touchpoints
Steve explores Aristides’
services online and books an
appointment.
Steve is greeted warmly at
check-in and is told that he won’t
have to wait to get started.
Steve checks out his new look in the mirror a few days later, feeling
polished and confident.
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27
RE- our communicationsystemChallenge: Help Ashoka staff brainstorm ways toimprove the organization’s communication while demonstrating the value of design thinking skills as a way to promote cross-unit collaboration and organizational change.
28
In fall of 2012 the leader of one of Ashoka’s internal teams approached me to run a creativesession, optimizing productivity and group flow, that focused on the topic of organizational communication. The primary goal of this workshop was to bring together staff from multiple business units to dream about how to design a communication system that was open, learning, and continually evolving. The secondary goal of the work-shop was to equip staff with design thinking tools that they could apply in their day-to-day work.
To facilitate this group interac-tion, I designed a workshop that involved three key phases and lasted for approximately two hours. The session began with a forty-minute exercise exploring the ‘antiproblem,’ designed to take participants out of their comfort zones and stimulate new thinking. After a quick break, the session coninued through a game that explored ways to take the solutions to the antiproblem and put them in the context of the real problem in ways that balanced opposite aims like consistency and flexibility. For this portion of the session, participants were divid-ed into two teams, each with a facilitator and each containing interns and long-term Ashoka staff. After 30 minutes of play, we invited the teams to share their favorite ideas and post them on the wall for dot voting.
The event was deemed a roaring success and participants were highly engaged. Participants noted that the activity was “really thought-provoking.” The staff member who brought me on for the workshop said that she was thrilled with the outcomes and excited for the ways in which design thinking methods might add new value to these employees’ work and also empower them with new skills to run their own creative sessions. In fact, shortly after host-ing the workshop, the staff member who brought me on to run it duplicated my approach at a well-known conference on the West Coast called SOCAP with similarly fantastic results.
Problem Statement: How Might We Design A System Of Communication At Ashoka That Is Open, Learning And Continually Evolving?
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