designing for cross channel user experience

DESIGNING FOR CROSS-CHANNEL USER EXPERIENCE

Chrissy Welsh Lead & Principal UX Consultant

DESIGNING FOR THE ENTIRE JOURNEY, NOT A SINGLE INTERACTION

“In the coming post-desktop era, we must reach across disciplines and think more holistically to produce not just a single, self-sufficient user

interface, but to deliver context-aware experiences across multiple channels.”

CROSS CHANNEL EXPERIENCE IS NOT RESPONSIVE DESIGN

* even if it’s pretty

OK, so what is it?

4 KEY ELEMENTS OF A USABLE CROSS-CHANNEL EXPERIENCE:

CONSISTENT

People should be able to move from channel to channel without having to relearn how to

complete activities.

SEAMLESS

It should be possible to complete a task across multiple channels, if desired.

AVAILABLE

Users should be able to complete their desired activities regardless of the channel.

CONTEXT SPECIFIC

The experience should be optimised for the channel.

Real life example time…

(Amazon Prime)

Now let’s look at how the experience of reading has changed…

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF CHOOSING A CHANNEL

“Seamless, cross-channel experiences are the way of the future, as technology fades into the background

and the personal, physical, and social context determine the methods we use to interact

with information.”

SUPPORT USERS AS THEY MOVE FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD TO THE PHYSICAL WORLD

• NEEDThe experience requires them to transition from the digital world to the physical world, or vice-versa. (e.g. movie tickets)

• CHOICEThey want to move from the digital world to the physical world, or vice versa. (e.g. shoe shopping)

EXPERIENCES THAT NEED USERS TO MOVE FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD TO

THE PHYSICAL WORLD

Real life example time…

(California Pizza Kitchen)

MOVING FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD TO THE PHYSICAL WORLD BY CHOICE

Real life example time…

(Home Depot)

We understand that experiences go beyond interfaces; we understand we move between devices

in context… but did you know experiences go beyond singular devices at the same time?

WELCOME TO MULTI-SCREENING

THERE ARE TWO MAIN MODES OF MULTI-SCREENING:

WE ALSO MULTI-SCREEN BY USING MORE THAN ONE DEVICE SIMULTANEOUSLY

CONSUMERS TAKE A MULTI-DEVICE PATH TO PURCHASE

So what now?

KNOW YOUR USERS’ JOURNEY - NOT JUST THE POINTS THEY USE A DEVICE

* in the example of taking a trip

EMBRACE THAT MAPPING THE EXPERIENCE MIGHT NOT RESULT IN A

STRAIGHT LINE

HELPING USERS RECOVER FROM INTERRUPTIONS

DOING IT RIGHT REQUIRES CROSS-DISCIPLINE COLLABORATION

“Effective cross-channel experiences demand strategic leadership and multidisciplinary

cooperation.”

DESIGN FOR THE EXPERIENCE, NOT THE CHANNEL

We are no longer just designing for the web.

“Your brand is as good as my last poor experience with you.”

Chrissy Welsh Lead & Principal UX Consultant

@chrissywelsh