IKEA PLANNER

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

How might we create a set of tools that creates a delightful and seamless planning experience? 

2022-09-26-22_57_18-DesktopMeadow

WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF…

IKEA planning tools gave every customer secret superpowers when it comes to home furnishing?

 

…so we approached this in a very
IDEO + IKEA way by…

DESIGNING WITH THE
MANY PEOPLE

 

MAKING PROTOTYPES FROM DAY ONE

 

DESIGNING ON THE 
SHOP FLOOR

 

Where we landed

An overview of all prototypes tested with customers and co-workers

Let's dig in to one of the prototypes

BLOCK-PENNAR-small-7880

BLOCKET & PENNA 

THE NEW WAY TO PLAN & SHOP AT IKEA

The Block and Penna experience
unnamed-3-1

HYPOTHESIS PENNA 

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.

unnamed-4-1

HYPOTHESIS BLOCK 

3. Making it easy to visually review collected items is desirable
4. Reviewing collected items increases planning confidence.

Build and Test

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. 

unnamed-5-1
unnamed-6-1
unnamed-7-1

Testing

Bringing out the prototypes to get real feedback from customers going about their shopping journeys at IKEA. 

2022-09-27-00_09_02-DesktopMeadow

FINDINGS

Making permission to play tangible

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

unnamed-10-1

Turning solo stress into collaboration

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

unnamed-17

Main outcomes

Mask-group-5
SIX HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPES

Tested and itterated together with customers and co-workers.

Mask-group-1-1
A NEW SET OF SERVICES

Empowering both customers and co-workers to create better solutions. 

Mask-group-2-1
NEW WAYS TO INTEGRATE AI

Putting IKEAs 70+ years of home furnishing expertise in the hands of the customer.

Mask-group-3-1
A NEW WAY TO PLAN

Deployed across all of IKEA as the new way to support customers find solutions they love.

David Sjunnesson


 || 2023 ||