CLIENT: starbucks x microsoft
ROLE: DESIGN DIRECTOR
DURATION: 3 MONTHSHow would you brew up a crafted point of sale experience?
An innovative partnership to utilize Microsoft technology inside select Starbucks stores, enabling smarter shopping.
More connected than ever. Each and every interaction in a Starbucks store is a touchpoint. Each time a customer walks in - looks at the shelves - orders - sits at the table, you name it. There’s data for it. At Starbucks, there is a determination to create a host experience of personalized interactions based on the tastes and preferences of each customer.
Working with the research team, we strategized how to leverage Microsoft technologies to create the next generation of interactions for Starbucks. Working closely with engineers, we prototyped our way to what we felt were significant leaps forward from the current system. Our solutions were presented and celebrated — the ideas generated in this project found themselves presented in national conferences, and eventually real stores.
We brought together data from equipment, in-store customer interactions, and traditional customer understanding to offer a more personalized experience and new insights. With these insights, we’ve enabled the barista to make better decisions throughout the day.
Business data that actually betters the customer experience
Having the right data from the back of the house and what operates smoothly means that baristas have just the right information at just the right time. If there’s an equipment problem, it’s taken care of faster. Filter change, just in time. If a customer who’s a regular walks in, there’s a different kind of interaction that happens there than a first time customer. The software makes that super easy.
When we enabled the baristas — they were in turn enabled to better serve customers. And when technology can be designed to serve customers - I believe it can be truly transformative for retail and beyond.
We shipped a piece of software that was designed to be effortless yet powerful enough to serve the complexities of a retail giant. The software from this work was rigorously tested with a core set of customers. The learnings from that work brought forward key interactions that can be seen and felt in Starbucks stores around the world.