Every day, millions of people install browser extensions, making it an interesting business market. We saw this as an opportunity where businesses can have a new channel to engage with their customers.
The Chirp vision was to transform how brands build loyalty and engage with their customers by using a browser extension as an additional channel.
This project aimed to design and test an MVP for Chirp that would allow brands to create and manage campaigns using browser extensions, and measure their impact on customer loyalty and engagement.
Mapping the Loyalty and Engagement Landscape
To better understand challenges and opportunities in the loyalty and engagement landscape, I conducted a competitive analysis of the market where I analyzed several competitors and documented their straights and weaknesses.
Chirp's unique value proposition was its use of browser extensions to engage customers in a more personalized and interactive way. This allowed Chirp to offer features that its competitors could not, such as real-time analytics and reporting.
Crafting an Intuitive Customer Experience
Using the insights gained from the competitive analysis, I began creating wireframes for the Chirp platform. I focused on designing a simple and intuitive user flow that would allow brands to create campaigns and track their performance effortlessly. The wireframes incorporated key features such as campaign creation, customer segmentation, real-time analytics, and reporting.
Refining Engagement Solutions
To validate the effectiveness of the wireframes and ensure a seamless user experience, I conducted usability testing sessions with 10 potential customers (5 brands and 5 users) who matched the user personas. I asked them to complete a series of tasks using the prototypes, such as creating a campaign and creatives. I observed their behavior, reactions, comments, and emotions, and recorded their success rate, completion time, satisfaction score, and pain points.
Based on the user feedback, I made several updates to the prototype and improved the overall experience of the Chirp. These changes consisted of:
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Simplifying the campaign creation process by reducing the number of steps and fields
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Adding more options for customer segmentation based on browsing behavior and preferences
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Enhancing the browser extension design by adding more visual cues and animations
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Improving the reporting dashboard by adding more filters and charts
Designing a Cohesive Chirp Experience
Based on the finalized wireframes, I proceeded with creating the UI design for Chirp. Keeping the brand's identity in mind, I developed a clean and visually appealing interface that aligned with the platform's objectives.
Testing the Initial MVP
After the development of the initial MVP for Chirp, we conducted a testing period with clients. While the testing period showed promising results, we also encountered challenges that ultimately led us to pivot and stop the development of the platform.
Positives 👍
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During the testing period, Chirp demonstrated a high level of user engagement, which was positively received by clients.
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The platform's functionality and user experience garnered positive feedback from the client.
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The initial engagement rates were promising, showcasing the potential of Chirp to enhance brand loyalty and customer engagement.
Negatives 👎
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However, over the long term, we faced difficulties in sustaining competitiveness with other communication channels.
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Despite the positive initial engagement rates, it was challenging to maintain consistent customer interest and adoption compared to more established communication channels.
Conclusion
After testing the platform with real users, it was clear that browser extensions were not a viable channel for this type of solution. As a result, the development of Chirp was pivoted and eventually stopped.
Despite the failure of Chirp, the project was a valuable learning experience for me. I have learned how to engage with customers and the importance of verifying assumptions and hypotheses early in the process.