~ An Overview

Context

The CVS website and mobile app serve over 44,000,000 customers across various pharmacy, retail, and digital store services. However, notifications — such as in-app messages, emails, push notifications, and other messaging formats — lacked personalization and context, reducing customer engagement.

Customers who signed up for any CVS service received every type of message regardless of relevance to them or the line of business they signed up for. Without personalized messaging, many users ignored or dismissed communications, leading to lessened customer engagement and lower conversion rates across multiple CVS services.

As the lead designer on the Digital Store team, I defined design strategy using the "Next Best Actions" framework, focused on delivering tailored communications via push notifications, built-in cards, slide-up messages, and modals to enhance customer engagement.

The Problem

The CVS website and mobile app deliver informational messages to over 44,000,000 customers across various lines of business, including digital store, pharmacy and retail. For the most part, customers who sign up for any CVS service receive all types of messages and communications, regardless of their relevance to them or specific lines of business they sign up to.

As customers sign up for more CVS services, they receive an increasing number of generalized communications, leading to a higher likelihood that they will completely ignore them, uninstall the app, or even leave CVS altogether.

The Challenge

The Digital Reach team was tasked with developing the best approach for delivering contextual, personalized messages to customers through "Next Best Actions" on the CVS mobile app and website.

My team and I decided to target customers based on their account status, the lines of business they were enrolled in, and their position within a user journey, using the following problem statement:

How might we use "Next Best Actions" to deliver contextual, personalized messaging based on a customer’s account status and user journey, ensuring an optimal digital experience with CVS?

Pausing for Clarity: "Next Best Actions" are personalized recommendations tailored to each user's journey, delivered via notifications, in-app messages, modals, or cards driving engagement based on relevance.

The Result – This is a spoiler! Click or tap here to show the result.

My team and I created personalized, contextual "Next Best Actions" through notifications, in-app messages, modals, and built-in cards tailored to different account states and user journeys.

By delivering personalized and contextual "Next Best Actions" via messaging tailored to different account states and user journeys, we:

• Increased ExtraCare cards linked to user accounts by 76,000+ through targeted modals, highlighting the benefits of linking cards, fostering stronger customer loyalty, and repeat engagement across CVS services.

• Increased customer conversion rates by over 50,000+, utilizing built-in messages and push notifications that guided users with clear, contextual, and relevant next steps.

• Enhanced user engagement and increased click-through rates by 15.75%, (200,000 users) highlighting the effectiveness of personalized and actionable Next Best Actions.

      ➤ Take a look at the final prototype

1.   Researching the Problem

Primary Research

I began the project with primary research, focusing on mobile apps and websites that used various types of notifications such as in-app messages, toast messages, modals, and built-in cards to deliver personalized, contextual information. This helped me understand how other organizations successfully tailored messages to customers based on the various user journeys their users followed.

I discovered that each company I researched employed specific messaging components to deliver contextual and personalized information to users, tailored to the journeys and flows they engaged with. Some of these messaging components included:

• Modals: Used when disrupting a customer’s journey is necessary to convey important or contextual information.
• Built-in Messages: Used to deliver supporting or contextual information that enhances a customer’s journey.
• Toast Messages: Utilized for supporting or contextual information that is considered helpful but not crucial to a customer’s journey.

A Competitive Analysis

Building on this discovery, I sought to understand how alert modals, built-in messages, and toast messages could provide important and contextual information to users. I conducted a competitive analysis between the CVS mobile and web platforms and those of major competitors, focusing on similar messaging elements.

This competitive analysis helped me understand how various types of messaging could effectively communicate important and contextual information to customers across different user journeys.

2.   Ideation

Defining the Direction

After working with my team to determine the approach we would take, I utilized the CVS Health user persona to finalize research and define design direction. Then, with the team, I determined the different strategies we could use to incorporate these personalized and contextual messages into different user journeys as Next Best Actions.

Our initial ideas involved building and testing different messaging styles such as slide-up messages, built-in cards and alert modals via Braze campaigns, or creating design system components to add contextual messages to high-traffic user journeys.

After further research and ideation, I collaborated with the product team to determine the best approach for designs. We decided to leverage Braze campaigns alongside design system components to implement a range of messaging types — including in-app messages, slide-up (toast) messages, modals, and built-in cards. This strategy allowed for flexibility and overlap, ensuring we could deliver the most accurate messages via the most effective components.

Analyzing the User Journey

I analyzed multiple user journeys where we aimed to incorporate important, contextual messaging through Next Best Actions. This helped me identify the optimal locations for implementing each messaging style across web and mobile app experiences.

As shown below, there were several routes within a journey where we could effectively position Next Best Actions, each delivering a unique impact.

Sketches

After further discussion with my team, the product team, and stakeholders, I sketched potential placements for "Next Best Actions" within the analyzed user journeys. This process helped me clarify design direction and visualize key decisions before moving into wireframing, prototyping, and testing.

Wireframing

After identifying ideal placements for Next Best Actions, I created mid-fidelity wireframes to define the look and feel of the messaging types within each customer journey. These wireframes served as visual references to align with my team and supporting teams before building the prototype for testing.

3.   Prototyping & Testing

Designing the Prototype

Using my sketches and mid-fidelity wireframes, I designed the initial prototype. I used Miro to design the prototype, then translated my designs into Figma, enabling easy sharing with the product team, stakeholders, developers, and other teams.

Figma also allowed for quick and efficient updates throughout testing.

Piloting the Designs with Customers

After creating in-app messages, slide-up messages, modals, and built-in cards for Next Best Actions, I collaborated with the product team to conduct Monetate A/B tests. These tests aimed to refine user interaction and determine message clarity and the effectiveness of "Next Best Actions" by targeting smaller customer cohorts directly on the CVS website.

The Monetate A/B tests allowed my team and I to evaluate how customers responded to each message type and the effectiveness of our implemented Next Best Actions. We learned these key insights from our tests:

1. The slide-up message was unclear and unintentionally disruptive. Customers often opened it by mistake while attempting to swipe it off their screen.

2. The pencil banner was too small and narrow, blending into the page resembling an ad rather than a Next Best Action, making it easy for users to overlook.

3. Messaging copy needed to be more specific and actionable. Broad language failed to clearly convey the intended "Next Best Action" to users.

4.   Modifying the Design

Redesigning from Feedback

Based on the feedback and insights we gathered from the Monetate A/B tests, it was clear that adjustments to the designs were necessary. I shared this feedback with stakeholders, the product team, and my team, ensuring everyone understood what worked and what hindered users from having the ideal customer experience.

The design changes I made from feedback follow:

• I removed the slide-up messages within the Braze campaigns to avoid disrupting customers journeys.

• I redesigned the pencil banner to make it more visible in the user journeys where it was implemented.

• I worked closely with the copywriter on my team to ensure the messaging was clear and concise within the Next Best Actions.

These changes aimed to provide customers with more prominently placed and visually distinct "Next Best Actions" throughout their journey, ensuring they saw them as clear and actionable messages.

Testing the Final Design

I shared the updated designs with the product team to launch a new Monetate A/B test, ensuring the engineering team was informed of the messaging style changes and ready for future discussions.

The second Monetate test revealed that the redesigned "Next Best Actions" were more visible and effective, helping customers proactively take the next steps based on the contextual and relevant information provided. We learned:

• Removing the slide-up message eliminated disruptions, creating a smoother experience while ensuring messages didn’t interfere with users.

• The more prominent pencil banner design stood out within user journeys, effectively capturing attention as a Next Best Action, rather than blending in like an ad.

• Refining the copy to be specific and actionable ensured users could easily understand and take the intended Next Best Action, driving more effective engagement.

Preserving Designs in Discussion with Stakeholders

After working with the product team to gather and synthesize data from the Monetate test, I presented the updated designs to stakeholders. Some expressed skepticism about the visibility and effectiveness of the contextual, personalized messages for Next Best Actions.

By sharing the A/B test results and highlighting the significant benefits observed, I successfully addressed stakeholder concerns and gained alignment on the design decisions made.

5.   Handing off the Finalized Design

Conversations with Engineering

After sharing the Monetate A/B test results with stakeholders, my team aligned with the engineering team on placement, functionality, and requirements of our designs. This ensured a seamless handoff and accurate implementation of the "Next Best Action" designs. Through this, I understood:

Dependency discussions are incredibly important. To launch our "Next Best Action" designs, we needed to align on requirements for Braze, the platform CVS uses to send alert messages.

• Rather than assuming developers were familiar with Braze's suite, I created test campaigns for our designs within Braze, providing tangible assets to support handoff discussions.

Building rapport as a design lead with the larger team was critical. Starting as a new designer on the team, I eventually took over leadership of the "Next Best Actions" project.

• Rather than pushing for immediate changes when stepping into the role, I focused on understanding the team’s dynamics and discussing how I could best support them.

Handing off Finalized Designs

I shared the high-fidelity designs and Braze test campaigns for "Next Best Actions" with the development team for a seamless implementation. When handing off the files, I worked alongside my team and the developers to ensure there was alignment with the design changes we made throughout the process.

Once the "Next Best Actions" were live in the development environment, I brought my team together for QA testing. In doing so, we verified that all designs were implemented accurately, including copy and accessibility guidelines.

      ➤ Take a look at the final prototype

6.   Launch

Statistics from Going Live

After the engineering team implemented our designs to production, I spoke with the product team to gather metrics on the "Next Best Actions" implemented to share with my team.

By delivering personalized and contextual "Next Best Actions" via messaging tailored to different account states and user journeys, I learned that our designs:

• Increased ExtraCare cards linked to user accounts by 76,000+ through targeted modals, highlighting the benefits of linking cards, fostering stronger customer loyalty, and repeat engagement across CVS services.

• Increased customer conversion rates by over 50,000+, utilizing built-in messages and push notifications that guided users with clear, contextual, and relevant next steps.

• Enhanced user engagement and increased click-through rates by 15.75%, (200,000 users) highlighting the effectiveness of personalized and actionable Next Best Actions.

7.   Reflecting

Looking Back

Leading a team and defining design direction on a high-impact project at the forefront of the CVS website and app was an incredible learning experience. Although there were challenges throughout the project, I further understood the importance of keeping team morale high and ensuring all team members felt heard and supported.

While the team successfully carried the project from inception to end, some unanticipated challenges remained.

What I Learned

Consistency matters. While working through challenges, I gained deeper insights into delivery guidelines and the importance of maintaining consistency.

• Even with established guidelines in place, clear and concise communication around delivery is essential to keep momentum.

Communication is vital for team alignment. Not everyone on your team can attend every meeting. This taught me the importance of sharing key takeaways after meeting with all team members, alongside the product and development teams, and stakeholders.

• My team and I stayed aligned by keeping communication open, providing detailed notes, quickly adapting to changes, and moving forward with clarity.

What I Would Do Differently

When I started working on this project, I didn’t anticipate stepping into the role of design lead. When that transition happened, I faced challenges learning the full scope of the team’s previous work. In meetings, I often led design discussions and answered detailed questions about the project, but there were times when neither my team or I had the answers to specific aspects of the work.

While this didn’t hinder progress, it taught me the importance of being both transparent and proactive. I made sure to inform the larger team that I would find find the right answers and follow up, connecting with domain experts and stakeholders for clarity.

Since this project, I’ve made it a priority to thoroughly understand previous work when taking over a project. This approach allows me to speak confidently about project details, lead effectively, and ensure that both the team and I remain aligned in critical conversations. If I don’t know an answer, I am upfront about it and ask the necessary questions to find the right solution.

Thanks for Reading!

I deeply appreciate the time you’ve taken to read through my case study and get an understanding of my process. Please reach out with any questions about my "Next Best Actions" project for CVS! I’d love to discuss it with you.

Feel free to take a look at another project by clicking one of the links below.