Senior Interaction Designer · Intuit
2012
Spark.
A product vision to help small-business owners find new customers online
User problem and why it mattered
How might we help small business owners get new customers online, so that they can grow their business and be successful?
Impact
- Led the shift to decision by experiment, with about 20 experiments in three months.
- Used the learning to inform Spark and the core products.
My contribution
- Product/UX design: interaction design and prototyping
- A/B testing and experimentation: experiment design and behavioral analysis
- Product strategy: product vision and roadmap development
- Design thinking: team facilitation
Timing
- Project period
- 2012
- Experimentation initiative
- April 2012
- Product launch
- July 2012
Focusing on experimentation
In April 2012, I led three teams exploring a $100M opportunity to help small-business owners attract customers online. We approached that opportunity through experimentation, rather than treating the product vision as a fixed plan.
I laid out a framework connecting different product phases with the kinds of experiments appropriate to each. I then led the teams through brainstorming and narrowing their visions, so each team had a clear focus for its work.
Experimentation
We started by testing ways to engage small-business customers, then shifted to helping owners create and share content on Facebook. Each experiment gave us a way to observe behavior and decide what to investigate next.
First experiment: helping businesses get customer feedback
Our first experiment aimed to help small businesses collect feedback from their customers. I designed a flyer inviting customers to scan a QR code, a mobile feedback flow, and a thank-you page.
Second experiment: helping owners create online content
We then focused on encouraging small-business owners to create online content. I designed experiments and emails that prompted owners to post on Facebook, analyzed their responses, and presented what we learned to leadership.
…and more experimentation
I brought the Spark team into Intuit’s internal Lean StartIN competition to put experimentation into practice together. I designed landing pages and experiments, involved developers in conversations with customers, and presented the results.
Afterward, I led a debrief to identify which practices we should adopt and how to use them in our ongoing work. I shared those findings with leadership.
Spark product
As Spark developed into a marketing product, I worked with product management and product development to identify and measure what success would look like. I laid out and presented the roadmap, while continuing to design the customer experience and its integration with the website editor.
Outcome
Over three months, I helped the teams move toward making decisions through experimentation, running about 20 experiments. What we learned informed both Spark and the core products, and I carried that learning into the product roadmap and customer experience.