Optimizing the experience for the Verizon customer
Verizon, one of the largest telecom companies in the world, partnered with AKQA New York to transform the signed-in experience for both their mobile app and their dotcom experience. The cornerstone of this transformation was based on the introduction of new Unlimited plans, switching from the model of legacy, account-based plans to the new line level plans.
MY ROLE SENIOR UX DESIGNER
Project Details
Our team was tasked with auditing the “add a line” flow experience for the new Unlimited plans with the primary objective to improve the overall ease and experience for the customer. The secondary objective was to empower the customer to be able to resolve through self-service, reducing their need to rely on customer support.
Approach
The first step was to collaborate with the Strategy and Analytic teams to gain insight from previous user testing and data findings to be able to concretely identify what was the problem that needed to be solved. Through these collaborations, we were able to identify key pain points where significant drop-offs were occurring within the then current legacy plan to the new Unlimited plans.
74% of users were dropping after the first plan was selected, while those who made it through the flow had a 95% drop off rate before conversion.
Additionally, we were able to gain relevant key takeaways from user testing which revealed users were confused about the “mix and match” value proposition that had been presented to them. Users felt that there was a lack of transparency in understanding the difference between premium and standard 4G LTE, mistrusting the word “unlimited,” and preferred an easier way to research and compare plans by having access to all the information in one place.
Concepting
With this information, we were able to move into the concept phase. Still collaborating with the Strategy team, we identified three concept definitions to present to the Verizon key stakeholders as possible solutions. With each concept, we presented a definition as well as Best in Class examples that highlighted key features that could be leveraged within a new experience for Verizon. The three concepts were:
>> COMPARE
Knowing that customers like to see as much information as possible up front for easy comparison, how can we use this to promote understanding of differences between plans and the new plan structure?
>> GUIDED
Since the new Unlimited plan structures require some additional explanation, how can we use a guided approach to maximize comprehension of the new structure, plans, and their distinct value propositions?
>> eCOMMERCE
In the current CPC flow, the customer doesn’t get a sense of how much the new plans are until the “Review Changes” screen which may create a certain “sticker-shock” feeling. By utilizing best practices within an e-Commerce approach, is there a way to optimize the experience for customers to compel them to commit?
Process
After presenting and aligning with Verizon key stakeholders, we combined the three separate concepts into two more robust directions, where we proposed focusing on key main screens within the flow to revitalize and transform the user flow.
>> COMPARE & eCOMMERCE HYBRID
Comparison & eCommerce - key screen mobile sketches
>> GUIDED & SMART USAGE DATA HYBRID
Guided & Smart Usage Data Hybrid - key mobile screen sketches
Outcome
The product owners on the Verizon side were very interested in the findings and ultimately gave feedback that the Compare & eCommerce exploration felt more aligned with overall business goals. We began to continue to push out the concept more into high fidelity wireframes.
Strategy Brian Fanelli, Senior Strategist
Analytics Juan Pacheco, Associate Director, Analytics
Creative Team Copywriter; Clare Anderson, Senior Copywriter; Mahdis Mousavi, Designer
Project Manager Olivia Gericke, Project Manager
