Overview:
As an intern, I was tasked with streamlining the self-install experience by combining 2 pieces of existing collateral. I collaborated with a product design mentor and a senior visual designer to deliver the final design.
Duration:
1 Week
Team:
Elisa Krebs, Content Design Intern
Ken Burke, Senior Visual Designer
Melissa Komadina, Product Designer
Contributions:
Secondary Research, Content Strategy and Content Design
The Problem
When Spectrum customers received their Spectrum TV® on Apple TV Self-Install Kit, they found 2 pieces of print collateral in the kit: one from the Product Team focused on how to install the hardware and one from the Marketing Team focused on how to use the Apple TV once it was installed.
Over the past year, there has been a strong effort between the marketing and product business units to consolidate messaging and offer a more streamlined experience.
How might we combine two existing print collateral pieces for a more streamlined customer install experience?
UX and Content Goals:
Help customers successfully self-install their Apple TV.
Teach customers how to navigate the Spectrum TV app through their Apple TV.
Revise content in a more confident tone. If our tone isn’t confident, our customers won’t be confident.
Assumptions
A few assumptions that were made by both the Marketing Team and the Product Team before I was tasked with the content strategy. These served as guidelines and constraints for my work.
Customers want a streamlined and simplified unboxing experience. Moving to one print piece is a better customer experience.
A physical installation guide is a better medium for our target customer in this use case.
Some customers are less comfortable with technology. The content needs to avoid technical jargon as much as possible.
Customers will not have prior experience with an Apple TV and need appropriate support for this introduction of new technology.
Research
My research did not look like a typical UX project and relied heavily on external resources.
Additionally, the project timeline didn’t allow for traditional user research and testing.
To make sure I was writing informed and accurate copy, I:
Utilized the 2 existing artifacts available to me as a starting place.
Relied on my colleagues’ expertise for self-install guides and Apple TV usage.
Verified hardware specs with the Industrial Design team for accuracy.
Read through online materials about the Apple TV for consistency.
Conducted quick and dirty validation and testing with current Apple TV owners around the office to validate their mental model of the remote.
I constantly reminded myself to think strategically about what a user needed to see, when they needed to see it and what wasn't necessary at all.
Designing
I began by sketching out what the experience would be to open the brochure, so I could plan the order in which the information should be revealed.
I then analyzed all of the copy in the 2 existing documents and started a copy deck.
From there, I revised and re-wrote each of the segments.
I worked iteratively and collaboratively with my graphic designer to update the copy and illustrations.
After we finished with the final mock-up, it was sent to all stakeholders from Product and Marketing for approval.
The Final Design
My internship ended before I saw the final version go to print, but this piece is now sent to every Spectrum TV customer that orders an Apple TV.
For better viewing, view the full print piece as a PDF.
Looking Back
Experience is More Than Digital
This project pushed me to think about customer experience beyond just digital products and taught me to consider the entire experience of using a product. It was exciting to work for a company that values this level of attention to detail throughout the entire customer journey and through every touchpoint and channel.
A Lack of Research is Uncomfortable
Honestly, the lack of research in this project made me uncomfortable. Selfishly, I often look to research to justify my design decisions in times of uncertainty. In this discomfort, I was forced to trust my UX knowledge and my own expertise on user needs.
An Intersection of Strategy, User Experience, and Content
This kind of strategic project centered around what users need to see, when they need to see it and what isn’t necessary. I struggle with deciding where in the world of UX I fit in best, but projects that mesh content, experience, and strategy are what I love the most.
