Design Thinking for Innovation Assignment

Challenge  I am a member of a supermarket chain’s marketing department who has been tasked with designing a unique in-store experience that will absolutely delight customers and build lasting loyalty. The project includes IT personnel together with he marketing team and is expected to run for 2 months.   Selection We interviewed and observed shoppers over a considerable period of time, observed the customer journey,  also observing our competitors, we found that customers wanted to feel more connected to the suppliers of their produce and an in-store experience the couldn’t find elsewhere. One winning idea was an in-store milk dispenser with clear glass milk bottles, customers fill the bottles with single origin high quality milk, with details of the farms and cows that produced it and assurance they received a fair price. We decided to use the learning launch as a tool to test our concept with real customers in-store. A learning launch is (1)‘a small experiment that tests your new idea in the real marketplace.’ (2)‘The purpose is to learn then improve.’

Application  Our first launch focused on creating a section in the supermarket and placing a milk dispenser in-store with clear glass milk bottles where shoppers would fill the bottles with single origin high quality milk with details of the farms and cows that produced it and assurance they received a fair price. We observed how shoppers interacted in the section, This process helped us  better  understand our  market, shopper  liked the idea  and the feeling they got as they shopped.  We realised that we had a unique edge by connecting with customers hearts and minds, so in our second launch we added a meat section and observed shoppers to see if there were any gaps, perhaps issues we had not been able to pick up on our first launch. We then conducted interviews with the shoppers to understand their experiences and to find out if there were different views or concerns  second time around. We needed to ensure that the shoppers had a unique, easy and delightful experience which would keep them coming back.

Insight

By applying the learning tool, we designed and tested our solutions. Through the learning process we got to improve our in-store design and meet shoppers expectations. It is through this process we realized that shoppers were more comfortable with the new in-store design as it gave them a sense of security in what they bought. Their experience was what we set out to achieve right from the start. Moving forward our organisation will focus on human centered design to improve our product and service provision. By making it human centered, we have seen the positive impact it has had on shoppers, suppliers and our staff.

Approach  We have realised that the learning launch tool is appropriate for our business. The impact of our  first  and  second  launches  have  shown  us  the  importance  of  connecting  with  our customers hearts and minds rather than just focusing on their needs.  As a team, we will review the insight gained from our first two launches and incorporate this insight into a full roll out to our stores.

References 1.https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-design-thinking-innovation/lecture/F04r6/ learning-launch-tool

2.https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-design-thinking-innovation/lecture/iq0kE/the- ibm-story


Design Thinking for Innovation Assignment Challenge I am a member of a supermarket chain ’s marketing department who has been tasked with designing a unique in - store experience that will absolutely delight customers and build lasting loyalty . The project includes IT personnel together with he marketing team and is expected to run for 2 months . Selection We interviewed and observed shoppers over a considerable period of time , observed the customer journey , also observing our competitors , we found that customers wanted to feel more connected to the suppliers of their produce and an in - store experience the could n’t find elsewhere . One winning idea was an in - store milk dispenser with clear glass milk bottles , customers fill the bottles with single origin high quality milk , with details of the farms and cows that produced it and assurance they received a fair price . We decided to use the learning launch as a tool to test our concept with real customers in - store . A learning launch is ( 1)‘a small experiment that tests your new idea in the real marketplace . ’ ( 2)‘The purpose is to learn then improve . ’ Application Our first launch focused on creating a section in the supermarket and placing a milk dispenser in - store with clear glass milk bottles where shoppers would fill the bottles with single origin high quality milk with details of the farms and cows that produced it and assurance they received a fair price . We observed how shoppers interacted in the section , This process helped us better understand our market , shopper liked the idea and the feeling they got as they shopped . We realised that we had a unique edge by connecting with customers hearts and minds , so in our second launch we added a meat section and observed shoppers to see if there were any gaps , perhaps issues we had not been able to pick up on our first launch . We then conducted interviews with the shoppers to understand their experiences and to find out if there were different views or concerns second time around . We needed to ensure that the shoppers had a unique , easy and delightful experience which would keep them coming back . Insight By applying the learning tool , we designed and tested our solutions . Through the learning process we got to improve our in - store design and meet shoppers expectations . It is through this process we realized that shoppers were more comfortable with the new in - store design as it gave them a sense of security in what they bought . Their experience was what we set out to achieve right from the start . Moving forward our organisation will focus on human centered design to improve our product and service provision . By making it human centered , we have seen the positive impact it has had on shoppers , suppliers and our staff . Approach We have realised that the learning launch tool is appropriate for our business . The impact of our first and second launches have shown us the importance of connecting with our customers hearts and minds rather than just focusing on their needs . As a team , we will review the insight gained from our first two launches and incorporate this insight into a full roll out to our stores . References 1.https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-design-thinking-innovation/lecture/F04r6/ learning - launch - tool 2.https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-design-thinking-innovation/lecture/iq0kE/the- ibm - story