Walmart App Clip Check-in
A corporate check-in system that is contactless, secure, and frictionless. It aims to maintain a healthy relationship between Walmart and its non-associate guests.
Case Studies
After figuring out the pain points I wish to tackle, I started to look at some existing products and investigate their value proposition so that I could potentially incorporate them into my design. In the end, I chose the app clip feature as my main focus. These are the case studies I've done:
Brainstorming
I started by researching my target audiences and possible existing problems. I contributed my research findings to a collective ideation canvas. After rounds of iteration and discussion, I settled on the ideas demonstrated:
For this project, my goal was to create a high-fidelity prototype for the Walmart check-in system through ideation, design research, and iterative design operations.
Validated Persona
By synthesizing my key insights, I developed three validated personas as my user archetypes. Some of their key pain points are feeling uncomfortable when using onsite check-in tablets, dealing with occasional technical issues, and having trouble locating available amenities open to the public.
As I progressed further into my product development, I made sure every design choice I made exactly aligned with their needs and frustration.
Locating Problem Scopes
I used a mind map to locate the problem scope I want to focus on. Designing a contactless visitor experience for our fellow non-associates who reside in Northwest Arkansas.
Key Takeaway:
Who: Non-associate
Where: Check-in Station
What: Contactless Visitor Experience
UI Sketches
With my main features settled, I started developing UI sketches for each feature. These concept sketches helped me figure out the low-fidelity wireframes for my product demo. Moreover, they gave me a sense of what my initial usage flow would look like.
Final UI Design
Taking what I learned from the wireframe usability testing session, I made some changes to the final design. Here’s a snapshot of the final UIs, I ran usability tests with other designers on my team to figure out potential improvements. The results were really rewarding because I gathered a lot of feedback regarding accessibility issues and improvement in cognitive flow.
Key Takeaway 1: Existing design systems are an asset
As this was one of my first Product design-focused internships, I saw a lot of improvement in my visual and interaction design skills. I was able to dive deep into Figma this summer, use Walmart Global Tech’s Design system to help inform my UX decisions and improve my own craft.
Key Takeaway 2: Reaching out to resources to make my design feasible
Working within a corporate setting required me to wear different hats at the same time. I had to be a user researcher, product designer, and interviewer at the same time. However, I could always count on authorities (my manager for example) to provide me with direction and point me to valuable resources. During my research phase, I talked with the corporate security manager, UX research manager, and even the program VP to make sure my design aligns with the company vision and the basic security policy. Eventually, I was able to present a concept that is practical and production ready.
Let's work on something exciting together!
User Interviews
With my provisional target audience in mind, I started conducting user research. Through user research, I wished to answer the following questions:
1. What are my primary users' behaviors when interacting with the current check-in system?
2. What is my users' satisfaction level with the current check-in system?
3. What are my guests' preferred check-in options?
I then interviewed 10 target audiences and categorized my interview findings and attempted to find patterns to generate a high-level concept (HMW statement) for my product:
A corporate check-in app clip that could ensure corporate security and enable non-associate guests to perform check-in-related tasks on their mobile devices.
02. User Research
04. Solution Ideation
05. Early Development
06. Final Design
08. Reflection
The Product
Project Overview
Problem Scope
During my user research phase, I found out that there are two main problems within our guest check-in and check-out system which are the lack of a contactless check-in method and the need to optimize the current check-in experience to minimize extra manual labor.
These are supported by the insights I found from my user research:
1. Users want to check in/out on their personal devices due to health concerns.
2. The company needs to optimize its check-out system to prevent security risks.
3. The company could avoid extra manual labor by making the process more intuitive and frictionless.
My Process
MY ROLE
SKILLS
TOOLS
TIMELINE
May - August 2022
4 Design Sprints
User Research
UI Design
UX Design
Prototyping
Iterative Design
Lead UX Designer
User Researcher
Prototype Developer
Jira
Walmart Design System
UserZoom
Figma
Microsoft Teams
User Storyboard
I developed a user storyboard to contextualize how users would interact with the check-in system in a real-life scenario. This storyboard depicted my users' key pain points and how my product could help them solve their pain points. It helped me envision what specific features I could implement into our product.
User Flows
I divided my features into four main user flows so I could design my UIs and interaction accordingly:
1. Guests' (especially first-time visitors) usage flow using app clip check-in.
2. Campus exploration usage flow (onboarding + search engine).
3. Filing complaints and redirecting user to support hotline.
4. Checking in through in-app experience.
01. Concept Ideation
Background Information
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Product Features
App Clip Check-in
Allows business guests to...
- Authenticate their identity with their hosts
- Check in without downloading extra content
- Enjoy optimized check-in usage flow
- Get introduced to Walmart Guide Service
In-app Experience
Allows frequent business guests to...
- Get updated with their meeting schedules
- Check in contactlessly and frictionlessly (one-step check-in)
- Have their guest credential securely stored in Walmart Guide
Campus Exploration
Allows Walmart Campus Visitors to...
- Understand Walmart's values and vision
- Search for amenities available to them
- Be informed of external events (i.e. Walmart Shareholders Week)
Filing Complaints
Allows general visitors to...
- Understand Walmart's intention to grow through feedback
- File different types of complaints
- Be informed about extra resources they could use to gain support
Credential Constrained by Time
Allows business guests to...
- Check out automatically even if they forget to do so
Allows corporate security to...
- Better estimate the number of guests inside the facility when an emergency happens
03. Synthesis
Main User Needs & Frustration
By investigating my interview findings, I summarized my primary users' needs into 4 pain points:
1. There is avoidable manual labor in the check-in process.
2. Both security and guests occasionally have trouble checking out.
3. Some guests have health concerns with using onsite check-in tablets.
4. Guests are unfamiliar with external events and facilities available to them.
HMW Statement
"How might we design a contactless visitor experience that could assist different types of Walmart visitors in completing their tasks more efficiently?"
Next Step - User Acceptance Research
As for my next step, to figure out the life span and the usability of my product. I anticipate developing an MVP based on my prototype and deploying these NFC tags in our lobbies. Later to conduct another round of user research on their performance and user satisfaction.
