At John Lewis, we identified seven appliance types generating significant installation failures and customer complaints, costing the business substantial sums. For example, 1,417 gas cooker installations failed in one year, with 55% failing due to insufficient clearance around burners and 20% due to sockets in the hot zone. 

Improve efficiency/reduction in failed deliveries through user-centred design thinking, measured by:

• A reduction in returns, as it will be easier to keep goods sold at the doorstep.

• A reduction in customer calls regarding deliveries.

• An improvement in the customer experience, driving ongoing loyalty and sales.

Analysed analytics, customer contact verbatims and notes from installation colleagues through needs analysis and journey mapping.

• Collaborated with subject matter experts to identify pain points in existing processes and competitor analysis, applying design thinking to redefine the complex problem.

• Facilitated cross-functional collaboration sessions with the product team to brainstorm and prioritise design approaches based on identified problem areas and what was technically feasible.

• Created process flows, sketches, wireframes and interactive prototypes at varying fidelities for user testing.

• Conducted user testing remotely so that participants could answer questions and complete tasks whilst talking through their thought processes in the context of their kitchen, collecting valuable metrics and user feedback.

• Iterated designs based on research findings while collaborating with subject matter experts to find ways to simplify complex explanations of concepts.

• Conducted A/B testing of the final design to validate our approach.

A short set of pre-purchase questions was launched for customers purchasing freestanding gas and electric cookers, which resulted in a 12% reduction in installation failures and improved feedback from customers and installation colleagues. Based on this success, we expanded the solution to include checks for eight additional appliance types, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction while reducing costly failed installations.