Balancing Human and Automated Interactions
What other services have achieved a high level of automation, and what can we learn from them? Synthesising the answers gathered from observations for the USPS allows the team to show the value in the existing human interaction of the USPS and develop strategies that add additional value with improved and new automated services.
What external or contextual factors will impact the future value?.
What parts of the postal system should remain unaltered?
What parts of the postal system should be repurposed?
What new public and/or private sector partners should be engaged to bring that value to life?
United States
March - Aprο»Ώil '23
James J.
Lashaun P.
Lucy B.
Converging on Automation right away.
This made their next step challenging because of access issues. Without the ability to observe the backstage mechanics and digital systems of the clients business, how might the group proceed?
The answer is in a tried and true design method: analogies
Avoiding pitfalls and learning through comparison.
Going to the micro level of services analogous to USPS, the team efficiently leveraged their previous observations and compared the Walmart checkout experience to the automated services at USPS.
Identifying the value of dedicated customer support for self-checkout while recognising the business impact of automated checkout is a crucial insight that can heavily impact the customer experience at USPS without cannibalising automation efforts.
Synthesis - balancing the human and the automation.
Gathering, reflecting, analysing, and ultimately synthesising their collected evidence, the team made the important decision to synthesise action points and formulate guardrails that move and guide their project forward faster.
Automation exist in our world in different ways.
Automation can be convenient.
Some people might prefer in-person interaction.
Self-service machines will need in-person guidance when a problem occurs.
We need to choose what technologies to take or leave in urban or rural areas.
Howeverβ¦
Proposing ways forward that balance human and automated interaction.
By asking the right questions, the team extrapolates its research into opportunities for the USPS to transform the user experience of its stores.
Proposing the right balance between automation and human interaction trough different modes of interactions this team reveals a massive opportunity for impact at USPS.
Automation is available to assist those with simple needs or for those who can navigate the system on their own. Some situations involve going back and forth between areas
βI needed to go inside the full-service area to find the correct envelope then came back to the lobby to purchase itβ
Provide the public with more knowledge of how they can make the USPS fit their needs. Advertise what is available. Make it feel customizable.
Next: How can the USPS make the higher levels of the system more accessible to everyone?
Synthesis - balancing the human and the automation.
This team started with the assumption that automation is a crucial factor that will impact the future value of the USPS. They were able to prove this assumption through their research and are making recommendations to maintain the unique humanness of the USPS while at the same time building and communicating their automated services to enable a balanced yet future-ready experience.