Identifying Client Needs:

Client Workshops

Our starting point was a series of workshops with key stakeholders including internal teams both at Hammerson and each of its centres. This helped us to identify the desired project outcomes, frustrations with existing sites and shape a vision for the final user experience.

How We Looked at the Problem:

Applying Lenses

Metrics:

Studying existing site metrics gave us a quantitative understanding of what kind of content users were engaging with, and what typical user journeys looked like. This revealed valuable insights into customer profiles and their behaviours.

Business Goals:

Beyond simple efficiency improvements, we defined an ambition for Hammerson’s centres to become world class examples of multi-channel retailing. This would also help to attract pure play online retailers in to centres.

Differentiation:

By examining the value propositions of competitor’s websites; both other retail centres and the stores within them, we identified multi-channel gaps and opportunities. We used this analysis to drive team dialogue, build initial sector-specific knowledge within the user experience team and understand our competitor’s overall direction.

Usability:

A site audit which probed key functionality also helped us to uncover poor usability elements, which prevented users from completing their tasks and journeys.

User Focus:

Understanding

Personas were created for each of our identified user groups. This ensured that the experiences of real people were placed at the centre of our approach. Understanding the needs, motivations and frustrations of these groups enabled us to focus on the kinds of useful functionality and content that could take the sites from being simply 'acceptable' to world class.

At the end of this process we were able to outline in detail how the content and functionality needs of the user aligned with the business goals of the site.

Keeping Customers Coming Back:

Content Strategy

We undertook a stage of content taxonomy to ensure that the sites would remain relevant to our users. This enabled us to better understand what content should take priority, how it should be arranged across the site, and how it should integrate with social networks.

Connected Shoppers:

Engaging Features

Functionality:

We mapped website functionality around the needs of the customer personas and user journeys we had developed, making sure that each feature we proposed would be genuinely engaging and useful.

Key Features:

As well as existing across three screen types, the multi-channel output integrated with many third party services. These included FourSquare, Cinema listings, e-ticketing, and interaction-based rewards.

Thinking First:

Designing Later

With functionality research and content planning formalised, we explained ideas to stakeholders in a series of wireframes and mood boards. Across a complex organisation, with several interested parties, this approach meant every stakeholder could get a clear understanding of what was being proposed.

Wireframes:

Wireframes bound information architects, designers, developers and client together in a common agreement about the final product.

Mood Boards:

Mood boards revealed our thinking to the client through examples, mock ups and collections of imagery. It allowed both parties to get a better understanding of content hierarchy, user interface and styling.

Getting it right:

User Testing

On approval of top-line specifications, we created and launched a flat prototype to put into user testing. This ensured that all of our research, ideas on functionality and content hierarchy matched the needs we had identified.

As a result, usability problems could be omitted from site structure diagrams and formal wireframe documents. Developers were able to begin work on new functionality before the visual design began, helping to minimise development costs and shorten timelines.

Refining a creative approach:

Design Concepting

How the designs evolved

Refining a creative approach:

Final Deliverables

The platform provides a consistent experience for visitors and centre managers across three screens. With a clear vision of the final user experience, we were able to build features and functionality which scaled across mobile, desktop and touchscreens.