Tresa Gowland, LEVEL Account Director
This has happened to many of us…we purchase a “connected” device, remove it from its elegant packaging, plug it in and – are forced to meander through giving up personal information and preferences that paralyze us from getting to the point. Even after successful data entry during set-up there can still be gating questions. That cord goes where? There’s an attachment that comes separately? Every step of the Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE) can make or break the product, the brand and over time, the company. The initial product experience is a massive opportunity to start off on the right (or terribly wrong) foot with customers.
Increasing device interactivity and growing access to a variety of content via the cloud makes the product setup process crucial in ensuring users are getting the most from a product. Aside from proper product usage, the benefits of a well-designed experience for manufacturers are clear: shorter set up time, fewer support calls, increased registrations, more partner offer opt-ins and ultimately customer loyalty. Quality experiences span the entire product, from the marketing touchpoints, through product setup, usage, integration with other products and even support. The brands that hit the nail on the head across all of these touchpoints, win.
So how well are manufacturers doing?
According to a recent report from Forrester Research, 14% of connected TV owners haven’t even connected their TV yet and 26% don’t really use their connected TV much. Why should consumers pay a premium for a feature or service they aren’t even using? They might ask the same question next time they buy.
VIZIO labors over its OOBE across their connected devices ecosystem to ensure they host an uncomplicated, branded experience during set-up that is seamlessly integrated with partners. The result is they have a substantially higher rate of consumers connecting their internet-enabled televisions during initial setup, opening the door for them to realize the value of apps, streaming content services and the like. Of course, it also enables VIZIO to find new monetization opportunities.
Here’s a listing of some of the top OOBE considerations that product manufacturers and service providers should consider when embarking on designing the optimal experience:
- Anticipate what the user needs and cut out what they don’t.
Think through what’s critical to ensure the best experience, without being invasive. Consider what gets in the way of full set-up and connection abandonment and get rid of it (which I’ll cover in a follow-up post). - Appoint a single owner to protect OOBE and be the voice of the customer.
The setup process should be streamlined, something that is difficult to accomplish when the OOBE is designed by committee and everyone has their own interests in mind. - Operationalize and prioritize the method used for data capture and reporting.
It’s important that information gained about the user is maintained to inform future experiences. However, don’t ask the users something in set up that you should already know and/or are better off learning via their natural product usage. - Tie together internal and external partners for single and seamless registration.
Be judicious and clear about what’s needed to connect users with the most important services and content up-front. - Think about “what’s next?”
After the user shares preferences or how they intend to use your product, consider showing a relevant partner offer or tutorial.
Understanding customer needs and expectations are not new demands we see in our consumer technology practice. But the interaction points between product and user are expanding, converging and are connected. The OOBE can be a crucial differentiator for products amongst the increasing competition. Brands like VIZIO and RIM are striving to make impressive first impressions and as a result, are building stronger relationships between their products and consumers.
Let me know your thoughts, experiences and questions on the topic. I’m putting together my next OOBE post around ‘how to reduce the failure to connect connected devices’ and would look forward to including some of your experiences.
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Register for the free webcast “Creating Product Differentiation for Connected Consumer Electronics” co-hosted by Parks Associates and LEVEL Studios on July 28th 11:00 AM PST.
