Full case study ~4 min read
Generative Research I B2B I Telecom
Switching mid-stream from product to experience transformation with a projected savings of $3.3 million
Identify opportunities to ease friction and enable advocates to better serve their customers.
Year
2022 - 2021
Duration
2 weeks
Full-Time
Team
1 Client, VP of Technology
1 Design Director
1 Program Manager
1 Account Manager
2 Co-Researchers (Brittany & I)
1 Solutions Architect
Methodologies
Process & Product Demos
Design Audit
Stakeholder Interviews
Contextual Interviews
In-Store Observations
Opportunity Generation
Prioritization & Alignment Workshops
Tools & Frameworks
Figma Jam
Miro
Jira
Microsoft Word
Keynote
...I would highly recommend Bridget for any Sr. Leadership role as she’s extremely talented, thoughtful, a true Professional and knows how to deliver value added results.
We were lucky to have her on our project and I sincerely hope our paths cross again as she was an absolute delight to work with.
Rick Allen
VP of Technology
Cricket Wireless
Outcomes
Problem
Cricket Wireless's POS system was built without user experience in mind, suffered from performance issues causing downtime, and was difficult to customize. These problems negatively impacted sales, created customer friction, and drove up maintenance costs.
Solution
The project aimed to transform the POS into a performant, secure, and well-documented system that could be easily customized to meet changing business needs. By making the system simple and intuitive, the solution would reduce process and tech friction for both advocates and customers.
KEY TAKEAWAY 1
Given the high advocate turnover, it's essential to keep all offerings and interfaces simple to support even the most inexperienced advocates
Key Responsibilities
Research & Discovery: I co-led the user research effort, conducting user interviews, stakeholder interviews, and in-store observations to assess how advocates interact with the POS system. I also facilitated alignment workshops to coordinate recommendations with a strong point of view across 8 identified focus areas.
Leadership & Team Management: I took on a lead role to bridge collaboration between P202 and Big Nerd Ranch, two companies with different processes and working styles. I coached team members on effective collaboration, conducted retrospectives to address challenges constructively, and remained a neutral mediator during inter-team tensions to keep the project moving forward.
Strategic Influence: Brittany and I persuaded senior management at Big Nerd Ranch to pivot from the initially requested product transformation to an experience transformation approach. This was a significant strategic shift that was new to the organization, so we provided regular touchpoints and reassurance to maintain stakeholder confidence. I helped insights shift the project scope from POS-only improvements to holistic customer experience enhancements.
Business Development: Following this successful discovery, I drove sales efforts by scoping new projects, developing case studies, and creating pitch decks for the sales process. The work on this project contributed to one of Big Nerd Ranch's most successful discoveries with the highest returns, strengthening relationships that led to additional projects.
RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Key Takeaways
$3.3 million projected savings from POS platform improvements alone
LEADERSHIP & TEAM MANAGEMENT
Facilitating Workshops
Early on, we realized that the POS system itself wasn’t the primary issue. While we addressed some POS-related opportunities, we shifted our focus to the overall in-store customer experience. In doing so, we uncovered several other areas for improvement that could enhance not only the customer experience but also Cricket’s ROI.
Alignment workshops were conducted to coordinate a recommendation with a strong point of view.
Resulting in 8 areas of focus:
Future of POS
Training and Communications
Future of Retail
Analytics
POS Scalability
Constrained Processes
Technology
Call Center
STRATEGIC INFLUENCE
Experience Transformation
One of BNR’s most successful discoveries with highest returns, leading to your expanded role in sales and business development
Strengthened a fractured client relationship through cross-functional collaboration—exceeding expectations
Strategic pivot from product to experience transformation, uncovering 8 opportunity areas beyond the original scope
We found that advocates provided positive feedback, and our observations revealed minimal friction when using the POS with customers. However, we identified areas for improvement both directly and indirectly related to the POS application.
Early on, we realized that the POS system itself wasn’t the primary issue. While we addressed some POS-related opportunities, we shifted our focus to the overall in-store customer experience. In doing so, we uncovered several other areas for improvement that could enhance not only the customer experience but also Cricket’s ROI.
KEY TAKEAWAY 2
Advocates, call center staff, and corporate employees did not distinguish between the front-end and back-end of the POS system. Most of the issues identified by corporate were related to the back-end technology
When there was tension on the team due to how P202 and BNR approached projects differently, Bridget was able to bridge that gap with open communication, as well as proactively setting up meetings to gain alignment together. Without her, the project would have been significantly more difficult to accomplish.
Brittany Herold
Lead Experience Researcher
Stellar Elements (formerly Projekt 202)
