Telstra Expert Finder
Finding experts and Telstra associates via an easy to use tool.
Executive Summary
As the UX designer on this project, I undertook an additional discovery faze to determine how a better user experience could be incorporated. A number of issues were realised. The first was too many clicks and screens for the user, this made the journey long and unnecessarily complicated, especially due to the application having meaningless questions that needed to be answered to progress.
I also realised many of the clicks could be incorporated as light-boxes. Telstra at the stage of designing this product didn’t have any stylings for the majority of what was needed for this application, so I had free reign to tackle these issues, as both a UX and UI designer.
I implemented a light-box for both the professional portfolios and contact pages, as well as making the selection of solutions more manageable.
1. Discovery
Due to the product already existing there was a minimal discovery phase, however I began by researching competitors and other searching tools around the globe to find elements that could make the process of finding a expert easier.
2. Ideation
Over the next few sprints I experimented with a range of user flows to find the most direct and usable path. From a 12 step process I reduced it to 5 and took inspiration from drop down selections rather than the existing use of pills and filters.
We found asking the client a direct relevant question was a lot easier to filter what they were after.
3. Prototype
Following the ideation stage, my next plan of attack was to start another round of user testing, to justify my changes and see if there were any issues I’d missed. Telstra’s customer testing centre at this stage was being built so I undertook guerrilla testing in three separate locations around the city as the labs weren’t accessible and our budget didn’t have the capacity to pay for them. So I went and tested in Parliament Gardens, 242 Foyer and a friend’s café on Brunswick St.
I was able to get 35 users to walk through the existing site, followed by the prototype and then have a discussion after they were finished, as well as someone who Telstra had recommended. For me, this was a new and interesting way of testing as there was no defined demographic and whilst in the past I had used guerrilla tactics, there was never a notable brand attached to the product.
4. Test
New designs and functionality were added to the prototype for testing including a more personable appearance for the experts as well as showing the solutions users chose with the ability to turn on and off the pills. After a few iterations, an increase in customer interaction and a satisfied Product Owner, this project has gone on hold whilst I am working on others.
5. Release
Along with user testing, design, experience design and customer interviews, I was also asked to do marketing banners for Expert Finder on T.com as well as marketing ideation, which included ideas on direct linkage throughout the site and advertising placement. During the months after the majority of changes had been made the tool is now achieving leads every week.
After the latest release, there was an uptake of over 200%. The tool itself went from a 9 click process to a 4 and has enjoyed constant larger users base month to month.
