Product Design Case Study

Me@Walmart

Me@Walmart is the foundation for the bond between associates and an ecosystem of digital experiences rooted in trust and connection – enabling our associate to thrive.

✓ Product Vision

✓ Communication Strategy

✓ Drive Efficiency

Problem

Design had a unique vantage point into the various tools our store associates used. I had the teams define what they felt were the biggest pain points.

Too Many Applications

Associates have access to ~92 apps to manage their time and tasks at Walmart stores.

Competing Org. Structures

Organizational pillars focus on solving their own problems rather than a holistic associate experience.

Differing Experiences

Experiences and data are inconsistent across desktop, mobile and tablet.

Empathize

I had the members of our team work in stores. In order for us to truly understand the experience of our users, I found it was necessary to be in the environment.

Research

I had the teams do an extensive audit and multiple research activities into existing usage. Revisiting the available data showed us that people-based apps represented only a small fraction of actual daily usage (high number of visits, but low amount of time) We decided to focus on the most-used apps to maximize associate value and ensure they stay within the All Spark ecosystem

Artifact

AllSpark is Born!

I concepted the idea of bringing together multiple orgs that each had an individual stake in creating tools for associates. These areas had siloed views to their apps, but not a wholistic view of the Associate’s day.

The strategy was to unify the teams behind a common experience for the user, and break down silos to create a 0-1 experience

Great, Now What?

Getting all of our partners on board was going to be difficult. Business, Product, Engineering and Design; what we refer to as the 4-In-The-Box needed to share our common vision.

The Plan

A phrase I like is “Design is our currency” and I felt the best way to get partners on board was with a north-star prototype. I was able to show the prototype to multiple decision makers who all were enthusiastic about its possibilities.

The Vision

All Spark is the foundation for the bond between associates and an ecosystem of digital experiences that is rooted in trust and connection and enables associate to thrive.

Define the Product

With everyone on board, I instituted a series of workshops and building the definition phase. This consisted of user stories, journey maps, ideas, ways of working, information architecture and of course continuous research to make sure we understood all the pieces that needed to be addressed.

Unique problems, unique solutions

As we continued building and refining, our users made it clear what frustrations they have on a day-to-day basis, and our design teams had first-hand experience.

Scheduling

Our initial scheduling app was called me@walmart and was available in app stores. Because of the access this provided, we included the scheduling aspects in AllSpark and rebranded it to Me@Walmart to utilize the app store capabilities and approvals.

Communication

One of the most difficult things our hourly associates faced was the inability to contact other associates when needed. Only management has access to walkie-talkies. Because of this, we concepted and built a Push-to-talk feature that functions like a walkie-talkie and can also leave messages and texts for associates to catch up on later on.

Information

Item information as well as location was not readily available, even if the associate had a device. Most would pull out their personal phone and look for items on our customer App. We had piloted a basic data AI in an app for area managers, and decided to expand the functionality and capabilities in the Me@ app. The feature came to be known as Ask Sam and here is video of when we first hooked it up to a dummy data!

Collaboration

Being connected was a big deal. Walmart had been running on Zebra devices for decades at a ration of 1 for every 10 associates. We partnered with our device engineers and product suppliers and vetted a mobile phone that would be given to every associate who elected for the device. We also enabled Me@walmart to function on a BYOD personal device, and of course, run on the legacy Zebra handhelds.

Outcomes

What were the results?

From satisfied associates, to usage data to awards, Me@Walmart has been one of the larger industry shifting internal retail innovations ever.

“The Beauty of Zoning”

“I just discovered the beauty of zoning shoes, using Ask Sam on the me app last night. Yeah, it’s lots faster than a TC. Plus, I always know where it is.”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Walkie Talkie”

“I don’t have a radio so it’s kind of useful when a spill happens, and I don’t have anyone else near me and I can’t leave the spill.”

“Love It”

“Love it, especially clocking out and in for meals. If a customer asks for an item, and you are not sure where it is, just look on your phone and Ask Sam. It will tell you how much is in stock and price and location. Just great, I like it.”

77

ASUS Score

Adjusted Criteria

1. I was successful in what I was trying to do.

2. This app is easy to use. —-scale of 1-5

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Me@ has spawned numerous apps that take the patterns and features and scope them for their unique audiences

And it just keeps getting better

Me@ is constantly evolving. While I am not longer leading the teams that work on this product, I keep a close eye on all the developments.