Vodafone

Why stick with me?

I know you have a lot of portfolios to review—it’s time-consuming. So why is this one worth your time?

Bringing the in-store experience in the digital realm: Bandwidth? Fibre vires, signal extenders? Yes, not everyone is tech-savvy, and choosing the right fixed services can be overwhelming for 'average' customers. To make their lives easier, we wanted to design a digital experience that feels like a personal consultation, helping users find the best solution for their needs. Did we succeed? Let's go and find out!

Project Overview

This project is partially shipped, so this page does not reflect the whole design process. Furthermore, a part of the project’s content is confidential, therefore I am not in the position to share all details.

The current approach Vodafone uses to present its tariff cards and customize combined Internet+TV packages does not align with how customers typically think about these services or how they are promoted and sold in physical stores.

The project aims to reform the digital experience to better reflect the successfull practices of face-to-face needs evaluation and tailored sales proposals.

My Role

I worked as a part of a larger team that consisted several Service and UX Designers and which closely collaborated with representatives of other departments within the Digital Team.

competitor analysis

customer journey mapping

ideation workshops

ideation

sketching

ui design

prototyping

usability testing

Problem statement

People still prefer to buy fixed services in stores

Understanding combined (broadband+TV) packages is challenging for customers

Extra services are not well-placed within the customer journey

Fixed services? In stores, no question.

When compared to mobile services, people find it more difficult to determine which parameters (like the relationship between bandwidth and number of users) best satisfy their needs.

Package TV Family...does it come with SkySport+?

Many buy internet services in a package with TV (it’s also a business goal). The current logic of Vodafone tariff cards does not cover the logic of selection.

Wait, we need Netflix. I can’t see where can I add it.

Due to constraints with the development of the webshop, extra services can be purchased in a less fortunate position in the Basket.

Business goals

Drive more Internet & TV package sales online.

Create a more intuitive, user-friendly experience that helps people make informed decisions and confidently purchase services online.

Raising Awareness & Boosting Sales of Extra Services

Identify ways to better integrate extra services (e.g., Super WiFi, streaming) into the customer journey to unlock their full potential.

Research

The project began with a comprehensive research phase.

Competitor analysis (international and domestic best practices)

Stakeholder interviews to understand business objectives and technical limitations

As-is user tests to identify significant pain points

To-be journey was developed based on the insights, over a series of workshops.

Insights

We need to evoke the feeling of personalized recommendation digitally.

Customers are more likely to accept tailored proposals from sales representatives following a needs assessment (as they are viewed as experts). Digitally, comparison plays a more significant role.

Keep decision-making simple, let customers focus on one service a time.

Typically, customers look for internet offers first and then select TV options that go well with their internet. Their primary concerns are price and speed rather then details specifications.

The information they seek is available, but it's in the wrong place and poorly presented

Currently, the process of comparing TV packages and channel lineups is too complicated as it involves jumping between different sites.

Adding extras as an "extra step" before the basket?

In the sales strategy, the Broadband and TV basic package is established first to simplify the decision-making process for customers, after which extras and additional options are introduced.

During the ideation workshops we used to the ‘How might we...’ formula to choose the right problem we would like to focus on with our new solution.

“ How might we ensure that customers are able to choose or receive the most personalized offers possible for both internet and TV services? “

“How might we generate customer interest beyond the basic services and make extra services easily addable and integrated into the journey”

New Designs

Ideation

During the ideation workshops, two directions emerged as solutions, which we eventually decided to bring to usability tests. Our concept was that, at the first step of the process, users are offered two options to go through the flow:

Use a Step-by-step "Wizard"

A question-and-answer approach that resembles the feeling of an in-person needs assessment and recommendations. Once they have answered all questions, they receive a personalized offer

Choose and combine plans, putting together packages freely 

A more conservative approach, where users can overview all available packages at once, switch between them, and add or remove services to customize the offers to their needs manually.

First designs

The below mid-fidelity wireframes demonstrate the concept:

Validation

Usability tests - Round 1

We conducted usability tests with 10 participants, split evenly between desktop and mobile users (5 each), including both Vodafone and non-Vodafone customers. The primary objective of these tests was to validate and gather feedback on our "Wizard" solution.

Moreover, during the design review with the engineering team, it became clear that adding extras at this stage would require significant effort, as they are currently managed in the cart. Therefore, its priority level needs to be carefully evaluated. As always, testing proved invaluable, as the results revealed critical insights that made us rethink our initial concept...

Distrust in the 'expert'

Many users were sceptic regarding the personalized packages. They were uncertain whether these suggestions matched their needs or were designed as a marketing tactic to upsell them.

Being in control

There is a strong preference among users for having full control and flexibility when building and customizing their packages.

Lack of flexibility

Users would expect the possibility to adjust their selections dynamically with real-time feedback, without the need to return to the previous step.

Based on these insights, we decided to pivot from our concept and stick to the 'conservative' approach instead of investing time in further refining the 'wizard' solution. To address the concerns regarding transparency and the need for dynamic updates following adjustments would have required significant development efforts, too.

Iteration

Usability tests - Round 2

Fortunately, we had the opportunity to iterate on the designs and test them again in a second round, allowing us to address these issues effectively.The revised information structure proved effective, as test participants highlighted that the information was easy to find and understandable. This new structure offers better discoverability and aligns more naturally with user expectations.

Most test participants didn’t miss extra services, and those who did assumed they could add them later in the Basket. This confirmed that including them at this stage wouldn’t justify the effort.

Conclusions

Based on usability test results, our solutions should meet our main goals by making it easier to compare Internet and TV packages while simplifying decision-making. This puts us in a position to expect increased conversions and digital channel sales. Time will tell, but let’s look at what unfolded differently than we originally envisioned in certain parts of the process.

Personalized recommendations: back to square one?

It may seem like we took the long way around only to end up in the same place by ultimately pivoting from the wizard solution. However, it was the journey—not just the destination—that mattered. The insights we gathered deepened our understanding of customers’ decision-making mental models, which we then leveraged to refine the summary card and the service details information structure.

The priority is to help users focus on selecting their core services first

Leaving out extra services minimizes distractions, ensuring a smoother decision-making process. By keeping the interface clean and guiding users step by step, we improve clarity and reduce cognitive load. Therefore, we can keep the primary business goal, which is to sell more Internet & TV packages in focus.

Want to see more?

Check out my other case study about creating a digital concept for Nagybani Market.

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