Disclaimer: This case study is based on a hypothetical scenario and was created as part of a job interview. I'm no associated with Vodafone in any way, nor have they contributed with the development of this project. Furthermore, the statements and conclusions assumed for the creation of this case study do not reflect the reality of the products or brands it talks about, and they must be considered only for the purposes of analysing and understanding my design process and how I tackle design problems such as the one presented in this case study.
Introduction
V by Vodafone is a range of smart devices that connect to WiFi, GPS and Vodafoneâs cellular network. Online sales of these devices have been disappointing, so in this case study I will analyse the current situation and propose solutions to the problems that will arise from this analysis. I will focus my research and solutions to one product: The V-Multi Tracker. However, the proposed solutions can be applied to the entire range of products as well as the main V by Vodafone homepage.
The Process
To fully understand what is going wrong with online sales of the V-Multi Tracker, I needed to first understand how people are using the current landing page and how the product is being marketed outside the website. So I conducted a usability test and interviews on a small group of potential customers to see for myself how they navigate their way through the website, and investigate why the website and the marketing strategy as a whole are not meeting targets.
The usability test was task based and allowed me to understand users' behaviours and how they use the website.
After that, I asked the same people some questions about their purchasing habits, social media and how they normally discover products they end up buying.
Current V-Multi Tracker landing page.
Evaluation
The Product
V-Multi Tracker is a smart GPS, WiFi and Cellular tracker that connects to the Vodafone network for constant online tracking. The small device can be put inside bags, suitcases, on dogs, on bicycles, scooters, and many more, and users are able to track their belongings from the app. The product is manufactured by a company called TrackiSafe and to use the device, besides having a Vodafone V-SIM subscription, it is required for users to download TrackiSafeâs app as well as V by Vodafoneâs app.
Marketing
V by Vodafone online presence consists of a dedicated landing page within vodafone.co.uk. It also has pages in most of the popular social media channels and a blog. However, these look seemingly abandoned as no engagement has been done with customers since February 2020.
Distribution
The product is marketed in Vodafoneâs own stores, online at vodafone.co.uk, Amazon, Argos, amongst other smaller third party websites.
Competitor Analysis
Tile
Tile is a Bluetooth tracking device that relies on a smartphone to gather location data. The devices work within a shorter range than GPS trackers and are dependant on the connection to a bluetooth-enabled device. However, with 20 million devices sold worldwide and a community spanning over 230 countries, users are able to locate their belongings as the devices connect to other usersâ phones to show current location.
A premium subscription plan offers the ability to receive notifications on usersâ phones whenever items are left behind and see where the devices have been in the past 30 days, among other perks.
Website assessment
The good
⢠Appropriate imagery which shows the product in context
⢠Video tutorial
⢠Catalogue of products clearly defined
⢠Comparison charts
⢠Customer reviews on product page
⢠Video tutorial
⢠Catalogue of products clearly defined
⢠Comparison charts
⢠Customer reviews on product page
The bad
⢠On mobile, hamburger menu and cart icon hide main CTA
⢠Help is buried in the âcontact usâ section
⢠Help is buried in the âcontact usâ section
Tile website.
Invoxia
Invoxiaâs GPS tracker is a small GPS device that users can attach to their personal belongings, children, pets or vehicles in order to keep track of their movements. The devices alert users when the objects the device is attached to leaves or enters a certain zone, specified in the accompanying app.
These GPS trackers donât require a separate SIM card, however they do come with an embedded low-consumption network which doesnât require a subscription for the first year. After that, it costs £9.99 per year.
Invoxia is a French company with coverage in most European countries and some other parts of the world. They partner with a company called Sigfox for network connectivity, but it seems like the subscription to the service and payments after the first year comes through Invoxiaâs service.
Their app allows users to connect to the devices and see a real-time map of where the objects are located. They can also subscribe to the yearly plan. The app also links users to the store where they can buy more devices.
Website assessment
The good:
⢠Easy-to-navigate menu
⢠Includes third party website reviews and customer reviews
⢠Explains third party collaboration
⢠Offers help prominently
⢠Shows the product in context
The bad:
⢠Having two layers of menus could confuse users
⢠Some copy hasnât been translated into English
⢠Main CTA disappears upon scrolling
⢠No explanatory video
Invoxia website.
Amy
To keep a human-centred approach to design, I created a user persona based on my research, which allowed me to cater solutions for the people I spoke with. The traits, needs and frustrations of my persona reflect the ones from the people I interviewed, after finding patterns in behaviour and personality.
Amy's basic details, traits and who she is.
Goals and Objectives
⢠Responsible for maintaining the household and keeping children safe.
â˘Â Keep track of her children while sheâs at work.
â˘Â Make sure to not leave important items at the office or at work.
Behaviours
â˘Â Understands technologies, such as her smartphone, well enough to drive her day-to-day.
â˘Â Has both her home broadband and mobile phone service with Vodafone.
â˘Â Avid multitasker and regularly switches between multiple devices.
â˘Â Uses apps such as âFind Myâ to locate her devices when she needs to.
â˘Â Likes to do research before making a purchase.
Problem Statement
Starting problem:Â Disappointing sales
The purpose of this task is to develop a solution for the problem stated above. However, upon research, I found out this starting problem is only the consequence of three underlying problems, and the disappointing sales will become our business goals. So letâs turn the point of view to the userâs side and see how these problems affect the experience:
⢠Lack of discoverability for a desired product
â˘Â Product page lacks clarity on key features
â˘Â [non UX] Negative product reviews
Lack of discoverability
This problem is twofold:
â˘Â Social media interaction with customers has stopped since February 2020.
â˘Â V by Vodafone is not visible on Vodafoneâs homepage.
Looking at V by Vodafoneâs social media channels, itâs evident that engagement has dropped since February. It has also been noticed that there is no mention about the range of products and their benefits on vodafone.co.uk (aside from a link buried in the main navigation) which doesnât enable existing Vodafone customers to discover the range of products.
Key facts gathered from research:
Data gathered from research to support the first problem statement.
Product page lacks clarity on key features
Many of the people who were part of the usability test had trouble understanding the main features of the product. They understood the product was some sort of tracking device, but they didnât know how portable it was or that itâs always online and can be tracked from anywhere.
Key facts gathered from research:
Data gathered from research to support the second problem statement.
[non UX] Bad product reviews
Looking at reviews on Amazonâs website and app reviews on Appleâs App Store and Google Play Store, it is understood customers are not entirely happy with the product âwhether physical tracker or app â giving it an average rating of 3 stars. In fact, I also experienced troubles using the app as it showed me an error message when trying to get past the login screen.
These issues must be addressed as part of a plan to overhaul sales and truly understand what customersâ pain points are while using the devices. However, for the purposes of this task, I will assume a solution for these issues is in the works, and so I will focus on proposing solutions for the main two problems.
The pain points customers are complaining about:
⢠Customers canât connect the app to their devices
â˘Â V-SIM numbers are being sold second hand
â˘Â App doesnât show exact location/lack of cellular connectivity
The problem statementâŚ
Problem statement.
Possible Solutions
After analysing the data gathered from research, I will now brainstorm what is possible in order to tackle these problems. The process will be divided into two steps:
Step 1:Â Lack of discoverability (Propose solutions to address awareness)
Step 2:Â Product page lacks clarity on key features (Propose solutions to increase conversions)
Lack of discoverability
To address this problem, the following solutions are possible:
⢠Boost social media channels to engage more with existing and potential customers. In fact, this was already being done up until February with positive reception.
⢠Create a digital marketing campaign on social media channels to boost sales.
⢠Find a more prominent space on vodafone.co.uk for V by Vodafone, either on main navigation, secondary navigation or as a module.
⢠âMy Vodafoneâ app has an âOther Vodafone Appsâ section within the app, however, V by Vodafone is not part of this list. The V by Vodafone app could be added to this list and, as opposed to only being a device management app, it could become its own store too, where customers discover new devices. For this solution to work, it would be crucial to see what the DAU numbers are for âMy Vodafoneâ and see how many people tap on those links.
Solutions to focus on are in yellow.
Product page lacks clarity on key features
The following solutions are being proposed to solve the problem of educating new customers about the product. However, these solutions also create the likelihood of increasing conversions as customers find the products more appealing.
⢠Show product images in context
⢠Add explanatory video of how the devices work
⢠Make an emphasis on the cellular connectivity feature
⢠Add a live chat option to speak with a sales rep about how the product works
⢠Clarify the subscription process
⢠Add reviews to the site. I have already stated reviews are not favourable, however, this is a chance for Vodafone to talk to their customers and find a way to solve their frustrations with the product, as well as explaining to new customers what went wrong with a particular experience
Solutions to focus on are in yellow.
Customer Journeys
Current Journey
To put the customerâs pain points in context, I have created a customer journey on the experience today as to point out where the opportunities for improvement lie.
Current flow to understand what the opportunities lie to help Amy achieve her goals.
Proposed Journey
Now that Amyâs needs have been highlighted and we understand her pain points and where the product fits in that context, letâs have a look at the proposed journey and ideal scenario.
The proposed journey highlights the steps for my solution.
User Flow
What are the actions Amy will take to achieve her goals? In the following chart, I'm going layout the how Amy will behave as she goes through the steps of my solution.
Amy's user flow throughout the proposed solution.
Low fidelity prototypes showing Amy's user flow in more detail.
Prototype
To create the prototype, I continued to use Vodafone's design system and tried to stick to existing components. However, I designed some new elements from scratch to aid my solution.
Facebook ad
The experience starts with a social media ad. In this case I have chosen a sponsored post on Facebook since that platform is the most popular with the target audience.
The ad not only shows the product being used in real life, it points out the main features of the product giving Amy an indication of the things she will be able to do if she owned one.
Landing/product page
The product page immediately shows a carousel with images of the product being used in context.
The first item on the module is an explanatory video where Amy has the chance to learn more about the benefits of the product in a short period of time. The video excites her, but also makes her ask some questions which we will answer as she scrolls down.
Product description
A concise description allows Amy to get in more information quicker and the addition of icons enables a quick separation of information.
I also added a detailed description on the subscription method, which, according to my research, is not clearly understood currently.
Product features
Features are shown stacked up on top of each other to increase Amyâs time on the page. As she scrolls, she will find images that purposefully show the product being used, to give her an idea of what she can do with it.
The list of features also prioritises the statement about the V-SIM, which according to research, was the most liked feature.
Try the prototype for yourself here.