INTERACTIVE RETAIL ROBOT
CATEGORY
Service Design
CLIENT
Best Buy
MY ROLE & SCOPE
Design & Research Lead
Collaborated on cross-functional team
Impact across Best Buy NYC area
No prior or existing service
ACTIVITY OVERVIEW
– Persona Sketches
– Guiding Principles
– Experience Phases
– Journey Maps
– Concept Sketches
– Interactive Prototype
– Implementation
– Live Viewing
OPPORTUNITY
Best Buy leaders wanted to create something unique for their Chelsea, Manhattan location leveraging robotics, and my agency team was identified as those to who could drive the effort strategically and with intention. Service Design was something crucial to the success to this piece. Best Buy didn’t have anything like this in any of their other locations across the nation at the time, this would be the first prototype to get into the public. The work was well kept under wraps until launch due to rumors about competition building something similar.
APPROACH
We partnered closely with both the client and another group who was helping with implementation. Our group drove all design and research initiatives. I particularly co-lead Service Design activities with another designer. We owned key deliverables inclusive of personas, experience journeys, sketches, and an interactive prototype. In partnership with a visual designer we pitched all our work to the client for approval, and with approval we then worked with their delivery teams to implement. There were a couple rounds of iteration through each deliverable.
OUTCOME
“CHLOE” Best Buy’s happily helpful retail robot was launched successfully, available with 24/7 access and viewed by many in such a prominent location in Chelsea on 23rd and 6th. We were thrilled to get to interact with the work we created and watch her pull down various products from shelves to deliver to customers or spend her time organizing and restocking. CHLOE made the process of purchasing just as exciting as holding your new product in hand. CHLOE joined the set of eary day retail robots, It has been thrilling to watch what came after her.