Problem solving app design

Problem solving app design for large telecommunications brand

App design and rich media content

The project

Smart Assistant is a way for EE’s customers to diagnose and fix problems with their products online, rather than calling into EE’s call centres and diagnosing their problems over the phone. It was a complex project with roughly 100 possible diagnostic outcomes.

With up to 100 possible outcomes, Smart Assistant is much better at resolving specific problems. No longer relying on ‘turn it off and on’. Self-serve gives EE’s customers more control and autonomy and saves time and money.

Key problems Smart Assistant solves:

Ensures that customers can resolve their broadband issues within the app, reducing calls into EE’s call centre.
Provides EE customers with a quick and easy way to fix their broadband problems.
Helps EE’s customers understand what they’re doing and why; offering an opportunity to educate to avoid future problems.
Reduce frustration by allowing customers to self serve and diagnose their broadband issues themselves online.

Design exploration

Two prototype designs were created to see what would work best for this journey.

Option one

The first option uses a timeline approach, where users navigate between different screens to resolve their broadband issue.

Option two

The second option features a chat-based flow approach, where customers can diagnose and resolve their broadband issues on a single screen.

Rich media and moments of delight

We worked with EE’s animation team to create some animations for the project. Broadband issues involve technical concepts (like router placement, slow speed or device congestion) that can be confusing when explained with text alone. From the competitor research I undertook, I could see this is where the competitor designs fell short. The use of animations helped: