Research, Collaboration, and Design to Transform the Customer Experience

The Challenge

A newly formed joint venture introduced confusion and complexity into the customer journey. Fragmented messaging, inconsistent touchpoints, and misaligned brand communication created a disjointed digital experience. To unify the experience and improve customer satisfaction, leadership engaged me to lead the research and design effort alongside a strategist and a part-time college intern.

My Role

I led the end-to-end experience strategy. I facilitated cross-company workshops, conducting customer research, and translating insights into actionable design concepts. I directed the creation of a storyboard. My role was pivotal in aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared vision and developing a clear, user-centered roadmap for change.

The Process

• Discovery Workshops: I orchestrated collaborative workshops with stakeholders from both organizations to surface internal friction points and build consensus. Together, we co-created a current-state customer journey map, identifying communication breakdowns and service gaps.

• Generative Research: To bring the customer voice into the process, I led interactive focus groups that explored expectations, frustrations, and moments of delight. These insights informed a refined journey vision rooted in empathy and clarity.

• Opportunity Mapping: By synthesizing findings across internal and external research, we identified six high-impact opportunity areas that addressed the most critical pain points in the journey.

• Concept Design: We developed detailed concepts, each illustrated through storyboards and supported by diverse personas. These visual artifacts became powerful storytelling tools—helping stakeholders understand the value of each solution from a customer perspective and align on implementation priorities.

The Results

Our collaborative, research-driven approach led to a $1M investment in IT improvements to streamline communication systems and reduce friction across channels. The strategic roadmap we delivered aligned cross-functional teams and set the foundation for a co-branded, seamless customer experience. This project exemplified how design thinking and user-centered storytelling can drive enterprise transformation.