Walmart is the Fortune 1 company with a dominant share of the U.S. grocery market. Its immense operational scale means any incremental changes can be monumental for the bottom line. The newest frontier of retail: online groceries, was set for rapid growth in the next five years, projected to double in size. COVID-19 altered that trajectory, transforming online grocery shopping and pickup into a normal everyday routine adopted by the masses.

Amid this explosive growth, how does the largest retailer in the world continue to be the category leader? Needing to establish new internal processes and shape customer behaviors, they looked to us for ways to transform their business via present and future state concepts.

I was one of three CX designers on this project. Included on our team were: a service designer, content strategist, and data/analytics. My primary roles were: UX, wire-framing, design concept generation, prototype creation, illustration, and visual design.

We analyzed valuable consumer insights, thousands of data points, on-field observations and mapped out customer journeys, all to uncover opportunities of improvement.

Rapid design sprints netted multiple solutions, allowing us to hone our focus and create prototypes to find out what really matters to customers.

The most effective and relatable way to present our solutions and user’s journey was within the context of a story. In our narrative, we follow Emilia, a first-time “Time Sensitive Busy Family” (TSBF) user and outline key moments in the pickup and delivery experience from her perspective. We follow Emilia through her first online pickup experience with Walmart.

Emilia’s story touches upon each step of her journey, offering opportunities both big and small to circumvent pain points and communicate the attributes and ease of the new experience.

We kick off each step of the journey with key customer concerns captured via interviews and social posts.

As a future state concept, we introduce Quinn, a virtual assistant with a consistent voice that lives within the messaging. Quinn is an honest and helpful single point of communication between Walmart and the customer.

This single voice is present everywhere: in the moments that matter and the decisions that need to be made quickly and with confidence. It serves the right amount of contextual and actionable information at opportune moments.

In the short term, even without Quinn, we establish a consistent tone of voice throughout all points of communication and simple interactions that encourage purposeful engagement.

Customers are willing to forgive delays or out-of-stock items when they are informed with honesty and humility. A compassionate tone of voice adopted by Walmart combined with the timing of communications can mean the difference between a satisfied customer and one who never returns.

We spoke with customers who doubted the freshness of particular groceries ordered online for pickup. Were their orders sitting out for hours on end? Offering smart informational UI at the right moment helps dispel negative preconceptions and instills confidence.

Always provide clear next steps and do not overload them with unnecessary copy. Be brief, be sincere.

When customers are not provided with status updates at any point of their journey, they can feel mounting frustration. Providing tools and tips throughout the delivery and pickup experiences can quell uncertainties.

Being able to easily view whom their delivery person is, their place in the queue, and simple tips, can give customers a sense of transparency that clarifies unknowns and build confidence.