When OUI.sncf is looking for the traveller behind the customer data

Client
OUI.sncf
Year
2019

The challenge

OUI.sncf wants to deepen the knowledge of its user behaviours in order to tackle a major effort on breaks in the experience across the different touchpoints. To do this, the in-house teams want to surface user profiles and their associated journeys, building on a qualitative approach that complements their customer databases.

When OUI.sncf is looking for the traveller behind the customer data

Project flow

01. Framing and acculturation
02. User interviews
03. In-station observation
04. Multi-target focus groups
05. Co-design workshops
06. Persona modelling
07. Art direction and presentation

Study detail

Meeting the users

Train travellers are met in and beyond stations, individually or in groups, to surface all their needs and individual characteristics.

We combine methods to gather a wide variety of real-user feedback. First in stations for observations of interactions and quick interviews. Then through individual conversations to explore actual usage in more depth. Finally in groups, in focus groups, to debate the different behaviours surfaced.

A team member running a user test at Pessac station
Discussion between workshop participants
A team member running a user test at Pessac station
A team member running a user test at Pessac station
Two people in a workshop placing sticky notes on the wall
A team member running a user test at Pessac station
Participant in the OUI.sncf workshop
A participant voting for the design ideas they prefer
Presentation of a benchmark in the workshop to inspire participants
A woman reading her ideas on the sticky notes

Crossing perspectives with the different roles

Following the fieldwork, a collaborative workshop with the teams lets us compare usage data with their stakeholder perspectives.

This collaborative work rounds out the field feedback and allows the different business views to align. The teams involved are marketing, product, design studio, customer satisfaction and innovation.

Business workshop, persona co-design
Business workshop, experience-map co-design

Modelling profiles and journeys

Following the analysis phase, we identify the traveller types, represented as personas. Then we map the whole experience journey (Experience Map) step by step. A debrief of these deliverables in plenary makes them easier to take up.

For internal sharing, these materials are produced in the OUI.sncf visual identity. They serve as steering tools for the design teams in efforts centred on users’ real needs.

The OUI.sncf personas
The OUI.sncf experience map
The OUI.sncf experience map embedding the persona-specific elements

A team that addresses customer needs in a highly tailored way. A genuine, strong level of listening throughout the project. A high-quality engagement with internal staff.

Romain Lagrafeuille, Marketing Research Manager at OUI.sncf

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