Intuitive platform for custom packaging
UX Researcher and Strategist
Project Duration
3 months
Project Ask
Create a unique Front Door Experience for customers to design with Sealed Air. Ultimately, this will be where their customers engage, to design a custom package. This can include but is not limited to, graphic design, structural design and material design or testing.
The Team
12 students from interdisciplinary backgrounds.
My Role
CX Researcher | Storyteller | Design Strategist | Persona Development | User Experience
Project Impact
This designed solution will position Sealed Air as a leader in the packing industry and increase its business by entering an untapped market. In addition, they will be able to craft long-lasting relationships with small to medium-size businesses benifitting them in the long run.
3 months
Project Ask
Create a unique Front Door Experience for customers to design with Sealed Air. Ultimately, this will be where their customers engage, to design a custom package. This can include but is not limited to, graphic design, structural design and material design or testing.
The Team
12 students from interdisciplinary backgrounds.
My Role
CX Researcher | Storyteller | Design Strategist | Persona Development | User Experience
Project Impact
This designed solution will position Sealed Air as a leader in the packing industry and increase its business by entering an untapped market. In addition, they will be able to craft long-lasting relationships with small to medium-size businesses benifitting them in the long run.
Problem
Sealed Air Corporation is a packaging company known for its brands: Cryovac food packaging and Bubble Wrap cushioning packaging. It often engages with larger and enterprise customers very well.However, faced challenges in tackling the growing market of small to medium-sized businesses and customers with their demand for custom packaging.
Solution
A holistic customizable sustainable packaging platform that helps, guides and educates users to design authentic experiences for their customers. The service includes sustainability rating, a process guided support, AR visualization through NFC tag and blockchain integration to increase the recycling of the packaging material.The solution covers the three areas of the triple bottom line people, planet and profit, satisfying both the client's and user's needs.
Project timeline
Secondary Research
To have a better understanding of Sealed Air positioning and the packaging industry I delved into secondary research- understanding the key market players and users' journey, and Sealed Air's brand positioning with its existing services.
I researched Sealed Airs’ existing products, service needs, competitors and trends, unboxing experience, sustainable material research, existing UX/UI, and existing graphic identity.
I mapped several solutions and initiatives by various companies and understood the consumption habits related to packaging. This, helped the team to gain insights into the existing
products, services, research from leading packaging companies and market trends to map pain points and consumer needs.
Existing User Journey
I evaluated various user flows of existing virtual customization services (including custom packaging, promotional print, and custom products) and developed a generic user journey to inspire and guide the team to create a user flow for our front door experience.
I evaluated various user flows of existing virtual customization services (including custom packaging, promotional print, and custom products) and developed a generic user journey to inspire and guide the team to create a user flow for our front door experience.
Based on the clients' brief we defined our target audience to be Micro, Small, and Medium-sized businesses and deleved into the validation phase.
Primary Research
I conducted in- depth interviews to understand the current and the ideal packaging preferences of small-medium size business in regards to customized packaging experience, designing and delivery practices.
Synthesized 1200+ data points to define 6 key insights and defined our teams HMW(how might we statement) to further guide our design thinking process.
I also conducted two surveys to gather quantitative data from small to medium size businesses and end user gathering data on what is
currently expected, enjoyed, disliked and preferred.
Key Insights
Defining
How might we craft a better interface for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, to craft custom packaging that engages and empowers them to represent their personalized brand expression?
User Persona
Based on the research findings and insights, I developed user personas keeping in mind the user's goals, frustrations and pain points.
Based on the research findings and insights, I developed user personas keeping in mind the user's goals, frustrations and pain points.
Value proposition
Based on the persona’s I created a value proposition canvas consisting of a value map and customer profile. This map gave us a better picture of what the customer needed,
and how do we solve for the pinpoints. In conjunction
with our customer relationships, we were
able to pinpoint exactly what each segment
needed for value to be delivered to the
customer.
Ideation
We conducted activity of Crazy 8s, to ideate on features, attributes and sustainability aspects leading to defining our core service offerings. During this phase of the project, we also conducted expert user testing of the mid-fi prototypes and a Sensory Cue workshop to bring in the emotional aspect.
User Flow and Service Blueprint
We began by revisiting our "Generic User Flow" diagram from our Existing UX and Competitive Analysis. After pinpointing the main stages of the customization experience—like the homepage, account creation, initial selection, customization, augmented reality features, upgrades, and the review/purchase process—we seamlessly integrated the features users need at each step.
We also developed a Service Blueprint Map to inform the client about their part in the service, as well as knowing what supporting services need to be implemented for the system to be effective and successful.
We began by revisiting our "Generic User Flow" diagram from our Existing UX and Competitive Analysis. After pinpointing the main stages of the customization experience—like the homepage, account creation, initial selection, customization, augmented reality features, upgrades, and the review/purchase process—we seamlessly integrated the features users need at each step.
We also developed a Service Blueprint Map to inform the client about their part in the service, as well as knowing what supporting services need to be implemented for the system to be effective and successful.
Service Ecosystem
In collaboration with the service design team, I gained insight into the current services that Sealed Air provides its customers, and how they all interchange with each other.
The map defined the boundaries for us to conceptualize within and provided us with guidelines alongside which we could base the Front Door flow around. Based on this we developed a to-be map showing the interactions between each major actor and how the flow of transactions in the system works around the central actor, which is Sealed Air.
In collaboration with the service design team, I gained insight into the current services that Sealed Air provides its customers, and how they all interchange with each other.
The map defined the boundaries for us to conceptualize within and provided us with guidelines alongside which we could base the Front Door flow around. Based on this we developed a to-be map showing the interactions between each major actor and how the flow of transactions in the system works around the central actor, which is Sealed Air.
Prototyping
In collaboration with the design team I designed our initial wireframes and lo-fi wireframes. Lo-fidelity wireframes were designed to give us a starting point for testing the flow of information as well as the hierarchy and scale of all items. We designed two lo-fi wireframe static and interactive to see which experience works best for the user.
User Testing
I along with the UX/UI team conducted three rounds of user testing, each targeting a different phase within our process. Each round gave us a different breadth and depth of information. This was done to validate our assumptions and test the forms that we created to create the best experience possible for our users.
User testing Insights
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Sensory Cue Workshop
I conducted and designed the Sensory Cue workshop to generate findings based on multi-sensorial stimuli, putting the user in the ideal space and creating the best experiences possible for our users. This workshop happened after our mid -fi user testing, to incorporate the aspects that stimulate the users’ senses and made our platform more engaging and exciting.
I conducted and designed the Sensory Cue workshop to generate findings based on multi-sensorial stimuli, putting the user in the ideal space and creating the best experiences possible for our users. This workshop happened after our mid -fi user testing, to incorporate the aspects that stimulate the users’ senses and made our platform more engaging and exciting.
We wanted to make this space as intuitive and innovative as possible.
Final Output
The most intuitive, engaging and exciting experience for our users that helps them to design, create and visualize their customized packaging for their customers. This solution not just helps our users design or visualize but also educates them on sustainable factors and other techniques that make their packaging experience more appealing.
Made by Ojas Gupta, 2024