Consumer Products – Somia Customer Experience

Photo of the respondent shows her make-up routines.

Client Beauty Retailer

Project Duration 7 Weeks

Project Location Indonesia

Building a cohesive brand experience as omni-channel retail from a traditional way is a complex and critical journey nowadays. One of the big retail companies in beauty and cosmetics approached Somia, to design the future Customer Experience (CX) vision that seamlessly integrates the client’s overall ecosystem.

The Impact

After having a chat with the whole stakeholders; from C level, manager, to front liners, we helped to flash-out the current state and the front liners were happy since their voice can be heard too. We created behavioral types of customers for the client to visualize the shifting performances and gaps.The customer archetypes become the blueprint for client’s internal ideation. This project has brought inspiration to the stakeholders on the importance of customer experience.

Our Approach

The main objective was to design the future customer experience (CX) vision that seamlessly integrates the client’s overall ecosystem. Our key initial challenges were to find out what motivates customers, their current relationship with the brand, and their shopping habits beyond their needs. We have also immersed ourselves in investigating the stakeholders, front liners, and high-level management in the form of service safari and workshops to align the vision together.

Getting to know customers’ beauty references

Artifacts of respondent’s beauty products

Our Journey and Process

Business Discovery

This step will help to build a solid knowledge basis about the key initiatives, scan the industry to see how competitors do, and also set up a communication strategy between client and us.

Internal Evaluation

For these occasions we did mystery shopping on three client’s channels, to help us to get an honest and real experience of each channel. We also dug deeper about what happens through several FGD sessions with front liners, then communicated the findings with service blueprint workshops.

Customer Research

We did research on our client’s customers as well as the competitors, like their experience using the products and also the problems that they faced.

Insight Synthesis

Using the data that has been collected before, we analyze it to derive insights about their customer needs, expectations, and pain points, alongside with clients core teams. Then we updated the service blueprint and came up with a draft for CX vision and key concepts.

CX Vision

Together with clients higher management we align the proposed CX vision and key concept to the organization’s high level strategy.

The Results

Based on the customer research, we have created archetypes that are represented customers’ shopping habits toward beauty products. In the roadmap towards omni-channel retail, we applied a customer-centric approach to map out the consistency of all retail channels, online and offline touch points. These omni-channel touch points were customized accordingly with each customer archetype based on their needs and pain points across the journey. As a result, we could map the phases of customer behavior from having basic into advanced beauty knowledge and lapsing into loyalty towards the beauty products. The principle of the future CX vision was collected from the overlapping points of customer needs, pain points, and opportunities. In the end, these detailed solutions correlate with each customer archetype in the form of implementation and a prioritized plan each year.

Consultant in-charge

Chin Chin Burkolter

Consultant

Anindya Fitriyanti

User Researcher

Michelle Susanto

Project Lead

Daniel Fandra

Research Ops

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Wudu All in one Station and Urinal for muslim istinja washing

Client Kohler

Project Duration 3 years

Project Location Indonesia

Kohler wanted to explore opportunity areas to cater Muslim specific needs in bathspace. We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts. We derived key opportunity areas for innovation and we then worked closely with the client to do iterative user testing with the developed concepts and working prototypes. The project won several international awards and has been developed and launched to the public in 2022.

The Impact

Kohler wanted to explore opportunity areas to cater Muslim specific needs in bathspace. We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts. We derived key opportunity areas for innovation and we then worked closely with the client to do iterative user testing with the developed concepts and working prototypes. The project won several international awards and has been developed and launched to the public in 2022.

Our Approach

As the Muslim market is growing, Kohler, one of the largest international sanitaryware companies, wanted to develop new innovative sanitary wares for Muslims. Throughout the 3 years project, we worked closely with Kohler to discover new opportunities for innovations, develop concepts and then test and iterate the design of the concept:

container mx-auto w-full — Our Journey and Process

Our Journey and Process

Phase 1: Exploratory Research & Concept Testing

We started the exploratory journey in 2017 with a series of user research, ethnographic research, observations, and interview with experts (architect, Prominent figures in Islam).

From this initial discovery, we synthesized several key opportunity areas, especially regarding Muslim cleaning rituals and beliefs, such as Wudu (washing all over the face, hand, and foot) and Istinja (cleaning of private parts with water after relieving oneself).
Such needs, however, are not catered well in today’s sanitary products. We found out that there are many workarounds done by the users to be able to do their rituals. From these discoveries, we developed concept ideas to be tested with the potential users in order to discover the design principles and prioritize concepts to be further developed.

Phase 2: Real-Size Prototype Usability Testing

The prioritized concepts were then developed into a real-size prototype, such as 1:1 printouts and cardboards. These prototypes were shown and tested to a number of homeowners and business users to gain their usability feedback. By creating a real-size prototype, we could observe how users interacted with the products.

From the usability testing, we discovered the physical requirements & essential features of the product, which later is used as a guideline for the client to develop the product further. These inputs were important to help us and our client to take decisions before developing a high-cost working prototype.

Phase 3: Working Prototype UT & Finalization

When we tested the non-working prototypes, some feedback may come only from the user’s imagination, which might be different than when they directly interact with the working prototypes. Therefore, it’s important to do usability testing using working prototypes to prevent wrong decisions before finalizing the concept for mass production.

Kohler team developed 8 working prototypes based on the input of the previous phase. Then, we test it to the potential users, developers, architects, technicians & Muslim experts and ask them to prioritize it. We did not only evaluate the usability of the products but also discussed the price they are willing to pay and how they would adopt the products for their home/construction projects. With the Muslim experts, we discussed how to appropriately design, communicate and implement the products.
From the input of the previous round of research, Kohler’s team iterated a new-refined prototype, and then, we tested it again. Finally, the design got approval from the respondents as it already covered most of their needs. From these learnings, Somia provides the Final Product Recommendations and suggested that we can finalize the product.

Wudu, Istinja, and the workaround Muslim does to cater their ritual

From the concept drawing, to mid-fidelity prototype, then high fidelity working prototype

Close collaboration! During the project, Kohler team worked closely with Somians during all phases of the project

The Results

The product concept of this project, the Kohler Rivlet, has been launched to the market in 2022, while the Urinal Istina is still under development. The concept has attracted the interest of both Indonesian and international markets. The project has also received several international recognitions and awards.

Awards & Recognitions

We are very honored and humbled that the Istinja Urinal Concept won in:

IxDA Interaction Awards 2021

for Best in Disrupting Category

Singapore Good Design 2021

For both Istinja Urinal and Wudu All in One Station

2021 iF DESIGN Award

on Product Discipline: Bathroom Product Category (For both Istinja Urinal and Wudu All in One Station)

Fabulous! I love their curiosity, humbleness and willingness to go out of their comfort zone to make things happen. The positivity is great! Another thing I appreciate is how the team works well with me to get the results I need. Sulis also understood that I needed to sell up to top leaders and the type of information/ communication needed to make things work. During the testing, I see the level of passion, involvement, and flexibility to make things work. It’s really good and inspiring!

Taiwoon Woon

Kohler, Design manager and Global Commerial Lead