Service Design for the UK's first online interior design service
Brief
We all want to create that perfect look for our home, but for most it’s just not that easy. It’s complicated, stressful and can be expensive.
Interior design has a serious image problem and as a market is ripe for disruption; there is an unmet desire for professional, accessible & affordable design advice.
The brief was to develop a brand new proposition for the existing but relatively unknown Dulux Design Service, opening up the market through new channels to play a pivotal role in Dulux’s brand transformation from a paint manufacturing business to a product and service business providing decorative solutions.
Involvement
Establishing and maintaining the strategic direction of the project and overseeing all UX, user testing and Interaction Design activities.
Approach
The idea was to move the Dulux brand to focus more on creating beautiful living spaces, rather than specifically paint, via the online interior design service, resulting in a halo effect on the brand.
The first phase of the project was focused on validating the business case by demonstrating consumer attitudes and propensity to use an online interior design service, and to explore what that proposition and associated experience should be.
Using extensive market research and insight reports as a starting point, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, strategists, UX, developers, copywriters and designers adopted a user-centred, agile approach, creating an innovative concept that served the needs and expectations of homeowners as well as the work processes and habits of the Dulux designers.
Through sketching and rapid prototyping, several rounds of guerilla and formal user testing were carried out, using the feedback to improve the approach.
Working with the Dulux design team, several online tools were reviewed. The ‘traditional’ tools used by the designers varied from Photoshop and SketchUp to Word and Powerpoint. The need to translate existing design processes into an online environment was particularly important.
“Amazing Space is a simple and enjoyable way for customers to revamp their rooms stylishly with affordable expert help. We’re fully invested in Amazing Space as a major new business model for Dulux, and we have have had the support to deliver a powerful, consumer insight-led new service, on-time and on-budget.
Working with one partner from end-to-end and for ongoing service has been refreshing. We’re so excited for people to use Amazing Space.”
Dinny Court, Head of Color and Design at Dulux
Detailed functionality was added to the prototype and the designer interface, enabling a ‘live’ round of testing with four hundred participants.
The results of this validation work were so positive that the second part of the project was immediately commissioned – service proposition development, web design and build.
Using the extensive testing insights, attention turned to the overall service experience. The name, proposition, principles and tone of voice that would inform the design and build were explored, tested and developed.
Detailed experience maps for consumers and designers were produced, illustrating the key moments, content and desired functionality along the end-to-end journeys. Features and functional requirements were prioritised, and a roadmap produced for post-launch inclusion.
Working closely with the design team, the identity, screen designs, interactions and copy were produced.
The development team then started a series of sprints to build the site, seamlessly bringing together a multitude of 3rd party tools and catalogue feeds from partner brands such as John Lewis and Made.com.
Once built, the site went into a period of live beta. Live user journeys were tracked during this time using analytics and behavioural monitoring tools, allowing all mouse movements, scrolls, clicks and pauses to be viewed and analysed.
We completed another development sprint prior to full launch in order to fine-tune any details.
4110
projects created
90%
4 or 5 star customer rating
Grand Prix
Best Website – Winner
Best Engagement – Winner