Mapping and Pruning — An Innovation Strategy — Part 2

This is part two of two in a series about the mapping and pruning process for innovation strategy. If you haven’t read part one where we outline the basics of the the Mapping and Pruning process head over there now to take a look.

Step 1 — Collect Data

First things first we collect our data. In this case we have a small bit of demographic information and for the sake of a short article our own experience of shopping as the basis.

So lets start by defining some start and end points.

Sometimes these may be fixed and unmoving. In our case it is because we aren’t looking at an ecommerce experience. In some systems it might be that your product has to end with certain data being sent to certain systems. These can help us define some anchors.

Moving forward from our endpoints we can begin to fill in the tasks and decisions in between. Walk through what it is that this user is doing, what are they thinking through, what decisions are they making that lead them through this experience?

From our initial anchors we added more detail about what our customer does when he walks in as well what he needs to accomplish or decide before he makes a purchase. In this example we’ll keep it simple and not get into the larger context of how the customer got here or the nitty gritty of the check out process.

Author’s Note #1 :This example uses some notation from the BPMN standard to illustrate these steps. For more information on how to use the BPMN framework take a look at this tutorial by Cawemo

Author’s Note #2: In your own projects, if you find that you are having a difficult time pulling together this first map take a look at my other article 5 Tips for a Successful Mapping Project to help you get started

Step 2 — Locate Main Branches

In step 2 we identify the structure of our map. We are looking for the major areas or jobs that the customer needs done. In this case I see four major areas. Finding the item, pricing the item, fitting the item and purchasing the item. So lets break these down and look at how we might understand the needs of our customer in a more general and abstract way.

The first area is the Finding process. According to our “research” the customer takes approximately 10 minutes to find what they need. How much money are we losing by not speeding this up. If a customer can’t find what they need they will leave and go to our competitor

The second section is Pricing. The customer sees an item they want but isn’t quite sure if they like it enough to pay our price. So they whip out their phone and check online. If they find a better price they leave. We will lose this customer right here without some incentive.

The third area is Fitting. The customer finds a dressing room, tries on the garment and begins to think through a list of mental questions. Once again we have some research insights about this step that states a majority of men use external opinions to guide their decisions. Interesting…

The last step is check out. A major problem here is that the longer it takes a customer to go from the fitting room to payment the more likely they are to abandon their item. We need to figure out a way around this.

Step 3 — Pruning and Shaping

In step 3 we are going to start finding ways around our problems and removing in-efficient areas of our map to help us deliver all the value we can.

For the Finding process…

1. Maybe when he walks in we can ensure there is someone to help guide them.
2. We could take a look at our layout and signage strategy and make sure that our customers know exactly where they need to go to find what they need. (At Disney theme-parks these are called Weenies).
3. Maybe we could have a mobile application that helps guide our user to their destination.
4. Maybe he could call up a style consultant on a mobile app and get their opinion. They could even make suggestions.

Once they find an item how do we make sure we are competitively pricing it?

1. This could take some larger strategic work but our larger pricing strategy may need to be adjusted
2. In the short term, we could talk about having a price match guarantee.
3. We could have an incentive or discount for finding a lower price and then use that data to drive our own strategy
4. What if on this mobile app from step 1 we showed the price differences from our competitors and showed our own options that may also work.

Then on to the dreaded fitting room. Nobody likes going into a stall, getting into an uncomfortable state of undress and trying on garments. What else could we do here?How are we going to remove blockers and change this into a best-in-retail experience?

1. We could speed up the fitting process with a barcode that fits a scale 3d model onto the customer via Augmented Reality.
2. We could show images of diverse models in the garment in his size.
3. Knowing that he makes decisions based on what other people think we could post targeted reviews of the item based on a profile.
4. Maybe he can buzz a style consultant for a 2nd opinion via our app and we charge a few bucks for a 1 minute consult.

Lastly the checkout. He likes what he saw in the dressing room and is ready to purchase. How are we going to reduce that check out process? If he has to wait in line he is going elsewhere.

1. We could look at our store layout and make sure he has a clear shot to the POS systems.
2. We could also look at out hiring strategy to make sure we have enough cashiers to keep lines down.
3. What if we had a basket that read an RFID on the garment and began to build a cart from it then when he needed to check out all he had to do was scan the cart or basket and pay.
4. What if we built a simple card based check-out with his phone. Just scan the item and it charges it to your card.

At this point we can work with our engineering partners to figure what sort of work is feasible. We can and should also be talking with our strategic leadership about what value they want to see. All of the above solutions could be prioritized for viability and expected return on investment in a workshop or meeting and then added to a backlog for the product team. This is a great opportunity to show where we can remove items from our mess and add value with a few new ideas. If we do that, we can prune our map down and see how our new experience might look.

Conclusion

Quite a difference isn’t it? No so different as to scare away leadership but not so similar as to lack value.

…and that’s all folks. This way of working has had a tremendous impact on the way that I have designed experiences and I hope that you have equal success with it as well. It is amazing to see what teams can do when they are all communicating and working on the same vision.

I hope that it helps you kick off innovation in your work as well. If you want to give this process a try check out 20 More Ideas to Kickstart Your UX Portfolio — Mapping for some ideas to map.