The Coach Experience Platform (CXP) is a coach-centered, self-service application designed to enhance workshop efficiency while enabling flexible coaching experiences and services in the future.
Led the end-to-end design and launch of the Coach Experience Platform (CXP), delivering a seamless web experience
Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, service design, instructional design, and the coaching experience team, to bring CXP to market in North America
Conducted semi-structured interviews with WW coaches, gaining deep understanding of their needs, pain points, and future vision for CXP
Launched July 2023 in North America on desktop and tablet.
My role
Putting our coaches at the forefront
WW has a unique advantage with our network of knowledgeable coaches who play a crucial role in supporting members on their weight loss journey. However, our current tools have limitations, preventing us from fully exploring how coaches can positively influence member behavior. To maximize the potential of our coaches and deliver personalized coaching, they need the right tools and capabilities in place.
This is where the Coach Experience Platform (CXP) comes in.
Introducing the Coach Experience Platform (CXP)
CXP is a coach-centered, self-service application that improves current workshop efficiency while also enabling flexible coaching experiences and services in the future.
The North Star of the CXP is to enhance the foundation of our coaching experience while providing value for both members and coaches.
Envisioning the north star experience
In this new space, I began by envisioning the ideal experience through blue sky sketches. Conducting a competitive assessment allowed me to identify the front stage and backstage elements that would enable WW coaches to support our members' weight loss journey effectively. I then translated these insights into several sketches, seeking feedback from Product leadership and our Service Design team to ensure alignment with the broader vision for WW. I also shared the sketches with our Engineering team to visually communicate our team's goals and aspirations for CXP.
Co-designing with coaches
WW coaches have historically been overlooked, which created a layer of complexity and uncertainty in our team's understanding of their needs and pain points. To address this, I updated the sketches based on feedback and facilitated user research sessions with coaches. The objective was to understand the current experience with coaches and gather their feedback on possible features for CXP.
I recruited 8 coaches from across the United States and conducted hour-and-a-half-long semi-structured interviews. We split the interviews into three different activities. This approach enabled the team to deeply explore the current experience and collect valuable feedback on our concepts.
Mapping the current experience
To better understand a coach’s current workflow, pain points, and needs
Reacting to future concepts and feature
To understand the perceived value of potential concepts and features we’re exploring and how coaches envision using it or not using it
Ideating the homepage of CXP
To brainstorm with coaches on what the homepage of CXP could look like
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New CXP concepts
Coaches expressed excitement about the chat concept, but had mixed reactions to other concepts due to concerns about complexity, authenticity, and competition among coaches.
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Relationship building
Coaches rely on their memory and attentiveness to establish meaningful connections with members, but restrictions on external communication limit their ability to build upon these relationships.
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Current workflows
Coaches value and utilize WW's workshop materials, while also personalizing them to their own style and the needs of their members.
Designing the MVP CXP experience
Based on our interviews with coaches, I started designing core user flows for CXP.
Serving as a centralized hub, this page enables coaches to view events, review RSVP and member details, and check-in participants.
The member profile summary page equips coaches with comprehensive member information, including basic details and weight loss progress.
Designing within constraints
While designing the CXP experience, I collaborated closely with Engineering in weekly reviews, addressing technical constraints posed by legacy technology at WW and making necessary revisions to the MVP designs.
In parallel to finalizing MVP designs, we also needed to ensure a successful launch by testing CXP in actual workshop settings.
Launching a pilot
Recognizing the potential impact of CXP on members' workshop experience, it was crucial to gather real-world insights before the nationwide launch. To achieve this, a cross-functional team, including Product, Engineering, User Research, and myself, embarked on a trip to Detroit, MI, and Windsor, Canada. During this visit, we attended workshops and closely observed coaches as they interacted with CXP. This hands-on approach allowed us to address any major issues and make necessary improvements before the full-scale launch.
Quick iterations
Based on coaches' feedback and careful observation, I swiftly implemented three key design updates within the initial two days. Collaborating closely with Engineering and QA, we identified a total of 15 enhancements, prioritizing five of them for immediate development and release within the same week.
Getting first hand feedback and ideas
Additionally, during our time in Detroit, I collaborated closely with my UX Research partner as we co-led a coach focus group with five participants. Our objective was to gather valuable feedback on CXP, including their overall impressions after using it for a few days, their thoughts on the blue sky concepts, and any future ideas they had for enhancing the experience.
Getting to know your members
Aims to deepen the coach-member relationship, enabling coaches to gain insights into a member's in-app and in-real-life behavior.
Personalized events
Empowers coaches to create customized event experiences for members, using past event statistics and recommendations.
Coach community
Brings coaches together in a collaborative space where they can share resources and learn from one another.
Next steps
In July 2023, we successfully launched CXP. As we eagerly await data and insights from its initial implementation, my focus is on making quick improvements to enhance the overall experience. Additionally, I aim to revisit and reconsider certain aspects of the experience that were previously deprioritized due to time or technical constraints.
I am also actively working towards aligning CXP with the north star vision, collaborating closely with the Product's strategy to continuously improve the Member experience.
Reflections
Importance of seeing designs in the wild
The pilot made me realize the importance of observing designs in real-life scenarios. While we can envision various use cases, the situational and contextual factors can rapidly alter the design landscape. This realization emphasized the need for early observation, co-design, and testing with the intended audience to ensure optimal outcomes.
Good intentions ≠ good impact
During the design process for the Member search experience, close collaboration with engineering led us to implement a solution where search was limited to email addresses on the homepage. This decision aimed to provide coaches with quick and accurate results, given our existing database constraints. However, our time in Detroit revealed a different story. We discovered that this approach negatively impacted the workshop experience by causing delays during check-ins. Members often struggled to recall their email addresses, and when they did, they would hastily spell them out, surpassing the coach's typing speed on the tablet. As a result, coaches relied on the secondary search option based on a member's full name and zip code. Due to this, the team decided to add the secondary search to the homepage for easier access.
