The Problem
After the rush to release the MVP of the new Checkout Platform and mayhem had settled, I realized that there was
it was clear that we had a shinny new checkout but the experience after that was shit.
create user journey chart
Transactional Emails
07/2014
My Role
did it all
The Team
- 1 UX Designer & Front-end Dev (Me!)
- 1 Project Owner
Goals
Make the company look legit because who the fuck sends out text reciept in 2014.
The product owner of transactional emails came to the UX team in need of our help to design and code the responsive emails. The two main emails of focus were order confirmation and subscription renewal. These emails were being sent out from hundreds of websites and were plain text and lacked any branding or styling. They were difficult to read and lacked the professional finish we expect from our work.
Competitive Research
Due to a tight deadline and no prior resources upon which to build, I had to get creative. I started by doing a competitive analysis of e-commerce transactional emails. I looked at direct competitors and created a quick spreadsheet to see what had become standard in the ticketing industry. I also looked at leaders in general e-commerce to see if there were any features that might not be related to our field but could be adapted for ours. Even if this wouldn’t be able to get done at this point it would create a resource for future comparison.
Content & Copy
At the time there was no official copywriter working at TicketNetwork, making it essential that I spend extra time going through the content to ensure it was as user-friendly as possible. This was a rather unique opportunity for me. It allowed me to make immediate changes to the content while keeping the design layout in mind. I based my process upon the proven paradigm that less is often more. I also relied on the product owner to help with feedback on the edits due to their familiarity with the product and end user base.
Front-End Coding
After finalizing the copy with the product owner, I began work on the design itself. I used a responsive email boilerplate recommended by my UX manager. This helped to springboard the editing process, allowing faster integration of the most important key features from my research.
While coding, I would also send screenshots to the UX team to get periodic critiques and suggestions. Although not a necessity, it ensured my development would be “on brand” with the current TicketNetwork standards and practices.
I tested the new product on different devices and email clients by using Litmus to find any bugs. I created a branding document that listed the proper variables that could be used for branding.
Results
This was a great learning experience in coding emails. Since there was no measurement in place for tracking the success, knowing the exact impact it had on the company is unknown. But it has helped move the company forward in reducing our technical debt.
To the right are two different types of transactional emails I coded and branded.
User Account Improvements
With the help of the product owner, I was able to push for making much needed improvements to the account pages/order status screens so the user could easily find the status of the order and what next steps are.
when do i get my tickets?
Mobile Tickets
sruvey that never got sent? is it even worth all this