Planning is something that is core to the IKEA experience. It can range from complex kitchen solutions to creating a better understanding of what goes well with your new sofa. When IKEA reached out to us its current approach was a bit clunky, not fully anchored in the needs of the customer and didn't leverage the evolving technology landscape.
Through a set of projects, we explored both what an ideal in-store experience would look like, as well as how to better support people at home. We prototyped and tested our way throughout the whole journey.
Below you will find some snippets from this journey that landed with us working closely with them to develop and deploy a new set of planning tools that has become the new standard on how to best approach this.
2014
MY ROLE
Project lead
Prototyping
UX design
Research
1. Using the PENNA makes it more fun to collect items in the store.
2. Easy collection increases the number of items on the shopping list.
3. Making it easy to visually review collected items is desirable
4. Reviewing collected items increases planning confidence.
To be able to test these hypotheses, among many, we needed to create tools that enable our users to experience them. Through quick iterative loops, we came up with a set of prototypes that allowed us to test these experiences in-store with real customers.
Bringing out the prototypes to get real feedback from customers going about their shopping journeys at IKEA.
IKEA is known for its playful approach but this is made real with the tools in store
Making practical decision-making (not just browsing) playful, simple and fun
An invitation to the full spectrum of shoppers
Oftentimes, the fun stops when decision-making starts during an IKEA trip
One shopper takes over (although wants to share responsibility)
Tools invite all companions to be involved and engaged through role-sharing
Tested and itterated together with customers and co-workers.
Empowering both customers and co-workers to create better solutions.
Putting IKEAs 70+ years of home furnishing expertise in the hands of the customer.
Deployed across all of IKEA as the new way to support customers find solutions they love.