Sam’s Club Tire and Battery Center
Sponsored Class Project
August-December (2023)
About the Project
Sam’s Club’s Tire and Battery Center is a service garage that offers a wide variety of tire and battery services for cars, trucks, SUVs, and RVs, including tire sales, installation, and rotation.
Within a 15 week time frame, our goal for the project was to research and enhance the member experience in the Tire and Battery Center.
Impact
My team’s work was provided to the Sam’s Club research team as a foundation to aid them in their process of improving the Tire and Battery Center.
Role
I worked in a team of five as a research and designer. I conducted various research methods, developed sketches, mockups, prototypes, and conducted usability testing.
The Process
Double Diamond Design Process
1
Discover
2
Define
3
Design
4
Deliver
Discover
Competitor Analysis
Field Observation
User Interview
Contextual Inquiry
Define
Affinity Mapping
Personas
User Journey Map
Design
Brainstorming
Sketched Concept
Wireframe
Concept Testing
Deliver
Hi-fidelity Prototyping
Heuristic Evaluation
Usability Testing
Problem Statement
How might we enhance member-associate interactions and communications within TBC to create a more efficient, informative, and enjoyable experience for members?
Target User Group
People who have a Sam’s Club Membership and own a vehicle. This includes members who have and have not used TBC before.
Stakeholders
Our identified stakeholders are the Corporate Management team, the Sam’s Club product team, the Sam’s Club operations team, TBC Associates, and Call Center.
Discover
Research Methods
Field Observation
Researcher, Note Taker, Analyst
Research Goal
Observe member-associates interactions on-site
Focus
Environment
Store layout
Service
Signage
Customer traffic and sentiment
Key Findings
Layout Differences: This was something to think about when considering physical solutions.
Offerings: We learned more about the products and services offered to members.
Interaction and Service: We got a better understanding of the vehicle service process and got to see member-associate interactions.
Competitor Analysis
Researcher and Analyst
Research Goal
Explore each competitor’s website to understand services offered, pricing, their appointment booking process, and to identify gaps and potential opportunities.
Focus
Membership
Exclusive promotions
Online booking
Education awareness
Online status check
Directional signage
Vehicle drop-off zoning
Waiting area
In-store displays
Key Findings
Competitors have...
a convenient online booking system
informative and detailed auto-education for customers in-store and online
a clear layout in-store as well as signage for check-in, drop-off, and waiting
Contextual Inquiry
Team Lead, Interviewer, and Analyst
Research Goal
Better understand the end-to-end process of associate-member interactions to help us identify the pain points.
Focus
We conducted one contextual inquiry with the lead associate at a TBC store and spent an hour walking through their processes and learning more about their experiences interacting with members.
Key Findings
Managing the front desk and servicing cars was difficult for associates and members.
Associates preferred using the older digital systems due to the new system’s learning curve.
Associates spend a lot of time dealing with customer scheduling issues and ensuring that members have correct vehicle information.
User and Stakeholder Interviews
Interviewer, Note Taker, and Analyst
Research Goal
Users: Gain context about pain points, problems, challenges and opportunities that members encounter at TBC.
Stakeholders: Better understand the identified issues associates encounter at TBC and from the business standpoint.
Key Findings (4 Users)
Long wait times at the service desk
Frustrating appointment scheduling system
Want to see real time updates of work order status
Want a better way to receive and keep track of service history
Key Findings (2 Stakeholders)
Difficulty adjusting to new systems leads to tension between members and associates
Hard time dealing with general feedback from associates and members as they are often overshadowed by more pressing issues
Members are unaware of all of the services offered to them and what differentiates the TBC from others
Define
Analysis, User Needs, Personas, and Journey Maps
Affinity Mapping
Interviewer, Moderator, Note Taker, and Analyst
Research Goal
To organize and interpret interview insights from associates, stakeholders, and members in order to visualize patterns and identify pain points, inform design implications, and inspire design ideas.
Key Findings
Members typically visit the TBC for emergencies or routine checks.
Members are unsure what sets the TBC apart from its competitors.
Members are unaware of the services and products offered by the TBC
There is tension between members and associates due to long wait times and inconsistent information.
There is miscommunication between members and associates due to the lack of record keeping.
Members struggle to find service information both in-store and online.
User Needs
User Need #1
We want to enhance communication efficiency between members and associates and reduce repetitive paperwork.
User Need #2
We want to give users a way to maintain an easily accessible record of their work order history.
User Need #3
We want to provide members with the ability to manage appointments.
User Need #4
We want to ensure that members are informed about their current work order status and pickup time. and associates and reduce repetitive paperwork.
Personas
Utilizing the user needs identified, we created personas to further understand our users’ wants and needs.
Member with Advanced Auto Knowledge
Member with Minimal Auto Knowledge
Associate
User Journey Maps
Member with Advanced Auto Knowledge
Member with Minimal Auto Knowledge
Design
Ideation and Wireframing
Things we wanted to keep in mind moving into the Design Phase:
Design Implication #1
Provide users with the ability to manage appointments on their own
Design Implication #2
Provide the users with a way to view status updates with estimated time of completion
Design Implication #3
Provide users with a to view, save, and update information
Sketched Concepts
Interactive Kiosk and Key Locker
An interactive kiosk and key drop-off locker system that members use to check in, review their appointment, and drop-off their car key. I sketched a general idea of the interface for the kiosk and its functionality paired with the lockers.
Kiosk Home Screen
Locker System Concept
Information Management App
An information management mobile app that allows members to view, modify, and add their vehicle information prior to a TBC visit aiming to reduce the repetition of confirming vehicle information.
Add Vehicle Information Screens
Vehicle Status Screen
Informational Guide Mobile App
An app feature that includes helpful tips and beginner-friendly related articles for members’ who would like a deeper understanding of their vehicle’s needs and parts.
Vehicle Guide and Tip Screens
Product Info Screens
Record Keeping Mobile App
A user-friendly mobile app where members can review service history, upcoming appointments, and receive maintenance reminders.
Service History and Reminders Screens
Wireframing
Version 1
Kiosk Flow
Kiosk Wireframes
Mobile App Flow
Mobile App Wireframes
Version 2
Mobile App Flow
Deliver
Final Prototypes and Testing
Home Screen and Add Vehicle Feature
We added a feature to allow users to add their vehicle information manually or through their VIN code.
Schedule an Appointment Feature
As users wanted to be able to schedule their own appointments, we added a feature allowing them to manage appointments through the app.
Check-in and Service Status Updates
We moved the physical kiosk into the app so users can check-in from the app and drop their keys into the locker located in the TBC.
Service History
Users wanted to be able to view and keep their service history in an easier way, so we added a section on the app to allow users to view information on all of their services.
Heuristic Evaluations and Usability Testing
Design Consistency
Differentiate links and headers by making them different colors (expert evaluator)
Be careful with colors like grey that may make some text seem disabled (expert evaluator)
Add visual elements to explain information to visual learners (user)
Usability
Progress bars should have more information and be interactive to allow users to move through the process at their own pace (expert evaluator)
Improve the clarity of the instructions as it was difficult to understand what to do (user)
