Amarah Subscription Box
Leading service design to revive local businesses while preserving tradition amid financial crisis.
ROLE
Product Manager,
Service Designer
TEAM
1 Project Manager
2 Designers (incl. me)
2 Researchers
DURATION
Oct - Dec 2023
00 ABSTRACT
I've always wanted to explore design beyond digital experiences. So, I enrolled in Service Design my first semester at CMU. This case study details a 6-week client project in the class where I focused on creating comprehensive experiences by considering various touchpoints. Meanwhile, I was selected as the project manager for our team of 4 due to my proactive approach in the initial meetings. Throughout the project, I emphasized broader design strategies and developed frameworks to evaluate effectiveness.
TOOLS & METHOD
Customer Research
Impact-Effort Matrix
Service Blueprint
Figma Prototype
Videography & Editing
01 THE PROBLEM
Torning between heart and wallet.
Currently, Amarah provides two services: wellness boutiques and fitness classes, with the latter significantly outperforming in profitability. Despite this, the CEO of Amarah expresses that her heart lies with the boutique, the birthplace of Amarah's journey.
02 THE SOLUTION
Seasonal subscription box with products that are relevant to a specific wellness goal.
This service could integrate into the existing Amarah membership plan or be acquired independently as a standalone offering.
This is a video that I planned, directed, and edited to reflect the service concept.
03 THE PROCESS
Designing based on evidence while keeping constraints in mind.
Our team adopted an evidence-based design approach. Meanwhile, while boldly ideating, we were particularly mindful of Amarah's financial constraints.
04 THE IMPACT
Pilot program in progress!
“I’m so impressed by the professionalism this team has put together. I cannot express my excitement for starting to implement this service soon!”
Amarah implemented the Teacher’s Holiday Gift a week after our final presentation. It's akin to a subscription box, offering curated wellness products for direct purchase.
LET'S REWIND TO THE BEGINNING...
05 PANEL INTERVIEW
Initial understanding of Amarah’s business model.
The CEO of Amarah came to our class for a panel interview. Our team focused on Amarah’s current service flow and growth strategy to identify the gap between its offerings and goals.
06 CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY
Why is the boutique not drawing as much profit?
More hidden pain points?
To discover the rationale behind the poor boutique profitability and more hidden pain points, we visited the Amarah studio, toured the space, and did another round of semi-structured interviews with the CEO.
The physical space is absolutely amazing – carefully curated boutiques, seasonal decorations, spacious and heart-warming fitness studio.
But somehow, this to me feels like a disjoint excellence. It’s like having all the ingredients but missing the recipe.
07 INSIGHTS SYNTHESIS
From insights to design requirements.
Through in-depth customer research, we were able draw out crucial pain points facing by Amarah and the corresponding service design requirements to guide our next steps.
Inconsistent Boutique Profit
Service Disconnection
Customer Acquisition Problem
08 PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might we optimize boutique and fitness service integration for consistent profitability and increased customer acquisition?
STRATEGY
EXPECTED OUTCOME
09 BRAINSTORMING
12 Distinct Ideas through modified Crazy 8s.
Value flow diagram is a key framework in service design to convey the significance behind a service idea. Therefore, we modified the conventional crazy 8s framework into a crazy 3s + value flow diagram and brainstormed a total of 12 potential ideas.
10 EVALUATION METRICS
Two rounds of concept funneling:
design principles adherence & effort-impact matrix
In the team, we assessed design principle adherence for each service concept through a vote, eliminating 5 concepts that met only one principle. Then, we used an effort-impact matrix to evaluate the remaining 7 ideas and determine the final concept.
11 SERVICE CONCEPT
1. Seasonal Subscription Box
For each quarter, Amarah can have an overarching seasonal theme with relevant wellness goals. The theme can be implemented with a subscription box service, where customers receive a curated bundle of products relevant to it.
The fact that it is a subscription service rather than a single product will make the revenue stream more consistent.
2. Service Integration
The subscription box can be an add-on service to the existing 2 tiers of membership plans so that it will increase the likelihood for new customers to subscribe to Amarah’s membership due to interest in this new service.
3. Store-wide Initiative
Other than the subscription box, wellness themes can be a store-wide initiative: the boutique could offer discounts on relevant products, there could be promotions for certain classes, going along with challenges or incentivized posts on social media.
More active engagement on social media will undoubtedly increase Amarah’s brand exposure, enhancing the efficiency of customer acquisition.
12 INITIAL PITCH
Presented initial service proposition to client.
Positive overall feedback but received 2 key questions:
13 SERVICE DESIGN ITERATION
Iterate to improve flexibility
To enhance flexibility, we introduced a standalone subscription for those outside existing Amarah membership programs. This will be the baseline pricing for each tier. However, existing members enjoy discounts, with higher-tier memberships offering greater savings when purchasing either tier of the subscription box service.
Before
Bundled service tied to existing memberships
After
Standalone with varying discounts​
Iterate to improve feasibility
PRODUCT CURATION & PRICING GUIDELINE
We created a product curation guideline along with the recommended retail price. Meanwhile, we also filled with example products for an example theme: Winter Reflection for better clarity.
SERVICE BLUEPRINT
We outlined a service blueprint of the subscription box service. This is to assist Amarah in comprehending the multifaceted steps required for immediate service delivery.
14 DESIGN BEYOND THE SERVICE
15 LEARNINGS
As a service designer
As a product manager
In contrast to product design, service design extends beyond the digital realm, focusing on touchpoints that involve interaction between various stakeholders. As a result, crafting an effective service design solution needs thorough consideration. For instance, apart from coming up with logistics for product curation and physical packaging, we also designed 3 potential ways customers would discover about the service since this stage is crucial for the project's potential success.
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As a PM, I was mindful about the metrics to make grounded design decisions. Specifically, I devised two funneling methodologies to pinpoint the most promising service design concept.
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Additionally, I've learned that frameworks serve as references, not constraints. For example, recognizing the significance of value exchange in service design, I adapted the ideation framework from "crazy 8s" to "crazy 3s with value exchange sketches." This adjustment enhances clarity and persuasiveness in conveying initial ideas, facilitating smoother funneling processes later on.
Special thanks to my amazing team!