Hey Spot
Assisting Target guests at home and at the store with a virtual intelligent assistant
Role
UX research, UX/UI Design, Motion Design
Team
Duration
6 Weeks
Challenge
The AI world continues to expand and offer problem-solving solutions for individuals and businesses. With its growing accessibility, how can enterprises embrace AI, seamlessly adopt these innovations, and integrate them into their existing software and services?
Outcome
Our team chose Target as a case study, a retail giant known for its adaptability and hospitality in its history. We set out to create a virtual intelligence assistant uniquely suited to serve the company and its wide consumer base. Our goal was to enhance the Target guest experience a step further, wherever the consumer was.
Exploratory Research & Concept Development
As avid Target shoppers ourselves, we started off with field research for on-site observations. Afterwards, we conducted interviews with shoppers with ages ranging from 18-45 to compare experience as well as an employee interview.
As we absorbed our notes and research, we identified the pain points and common habits Target users had and summarized it below:
Unique grocery lists but common shopping patterns: Target shoppers are people of habit. People visited the clothing section first, downloaded coupons the day before they went, and walked their usual routes.
Countless options and various distractions: Try as they did, Target shoppers would forget what they came for. With a variety of goods available, it was easy to get distracted. In addition, clearance and new merchandise was constantly rotating.
Target runs ran on a schedule: In our interviews, Target shoppers often went weekly or bi-monthly, but their shopping list changed depending on what was going on that month, such as a birthday party. The Target shopping list was always in flux.
With these key points, we identified the pain points and actions of a Target shopper. The question became the following:
How do improve the shopping experience of Target shoppers?
Who would the VUI be most ideal for?
Personas, Storyboards, and User Journeys
After research, we started considering our user group and Target's most frequent shoppers. We wrote the following persona to identify our user group and challenges. Lily is a parent who shops at Target to take care of her household. She likes to shop at Target because she can purchase a variety of items at one store.
Once we determined the persona, we identified scenarios that occurred at Target and the VUI's role in assisting the user at home and at the store. Scenarios included reminding the user to return an item, adding items to their shopping list, suggestions when forgetting items, searching for reviews, and more. Shortly afterwards, we divided the Target run into four parts: before shopping, at the store (exploring), at the store (rushing), and at checkout. The scenarios were then drawn into storyboards.
Simultaneously, we mapped out the interactions that happened during a typical Target run and when touchpoints would be necessary. While drafting our scenarios, we gained a better understanding of the shopper's needs and emotions. From here, we also could anticipate the user's action and how the VUI would respond.
Prototyping
After brainstorming the scenarios in which Spot could be helpful, we organized them as the following: Utility, Recommendation, or Map. There were the situations Spot would assist the user.
Afterwards, we integrated them into a user flow to identify when and where there were opportunities for Spot to be utilized. Each proposed utility mapped to a time frame and location and we then proceeded to make screens for each opportunity.
Screen Types
Target had an existing app that was flooded with features and we wanted to add Spot onto its interface without it taking too much space. We decided on three display types for Spot to appear, depending on the user's needs at that moment.
Hidden Status
Short Commands
Conversations
To activate Spot, the user states "Hey Spot" followed by a command. Once activated, Spot appears in a small box to answer the user and provide feedback. At the store, Spot would confirm the user's location and offer any ongoing and related promotions. If the user had commands that required more questions such as meal recommendations, Spot opens up a conversation mode to specify the user's questions/commands. When completed and no longer needed, Spot lowered itself into the bottom of the toolbar so that the user could continue to use the app freely.
Prototyping the Use Cases
With three screen types, each scenario fell into short command or a conversation. The scenarios were all prototyped through Figma and animated on After Effects.
Adding to your List
Say "Hey Spot" to add something to your shopping list. Spot can also personalize your shopping list for your usual items.
Scanning Items
Open the Scanner to quickly check items and their reviews. Out of stock at the store? You can also add to your online cart.
Finding items
At a different target or in a rush? Spot will let you know where your items are and promotional areas. Spot can also tell you the quickest way to get to your items!
Recommendations
Don't know what to cook? Ask Spot! Spot gives meal recommendations and tells you what is available at the store.
Voice checkout
At checkout, Spot can identify different types of produce so you don't have to scroll through items for the barcode. You can also ask Spot for guidance.
The VUI
Defining our Virtual Assistant
Spot's design was meant to be an assistant and a personal shopper for the user. Through our secondary research on Target, we had identified vital elements that represented Target such as the bold colors, logo, and their iconic mascot. We wanted to carry over these traits to maintain Target's brand identity. We played with various different shapes and forms take could take on a visual portrayal of Target's personality.
Form and Motion
To help execute this friendly personality, we incorporated a second circle in the VUI. This allowed motions to be more fluid with the secondary ball shifting into different shapes and forms such a star for success or vibrations for speech. Spot conveyed more emotion through this form and allowed more flexibility in its responses.
Mapping the Emotions
We landed on eight responses for Spot. We laid them out on this axis to decide how positive, negative, passive, or assertive these responses should look like. Majority of the reactions were on the passive side because they were neutral responses. These reactions had less movement in comparison to error or success, which were faster and involved more movement. Error or success were indicators if something clearly went wrong or right, but when the result was neutral, the reaction had to convey the same kind of implication and was on the more passive side.
Learnings and Reflection
Spot's design was based off understanding Target's identity, its shoppers and staying true to their reliable one-stop neighborhood store. As we ideated and refined, we had reflected on the following:
Designing for conversation: Our team learned the nuances of designing with voice and various aspects of conversational design by studying human and AI speech. The dialogue played a large part of how emotion and personality conveyed, it was not just through visuals and motions.
Bridging the gaps: Spot brought the Target experience to home and would bring the assistance to the store. Though the assistance was similar, the scenarios and needs were different and Spot connected these two experiences.
Cross-device experience: By incorporating a kiosk, we thought about our VUI would travel through both devices and what it would need to retain. We had multiple discussions on how the system worked as a whole versus how individual parts worked.