Thinking beyond
the QR code

Amazon, the world’s largest seller, is in a unique position to pioneer how people shop on their televisions.

Over the last decade, televisions have continued to get smarter and smarter, but the advertisements we see on them have stayed pretty dumb. With most TVs now connected to the internet, and some even having digital assistants of their own, Amazon saw an opportunity to think bigger, and asked us to design a future vision to demonstrate the creative potential of interactive television ads.

Over several months, we designed a foundational framework and over 80 concepts for how that framework could extend to all kinds of products and services.

Role

Design Director

Project Length

3 months

Year

2020-2021

Research & strategy

During discovery, we saw that few ads were doing anything beyond QR codes, which require users have a mobile device ready in hand. We wanted to do something different, leaning in to the power of Alexa to build a seamless, lean-back experience. We discussed this, and other topics during a workshop with the team, solidifying our strategy before diving in to design exploration.

Mosaic of current ad experiences
Mosaic of current ad experiences
Mosaic of current ad experiences

“I swear, if you pitch us QR codes
I’m going to lose my mind...”

Client stakeholder

“I swear, if you pitch us QR codes
I’m going to lose my mind...”

Client stakeholder

“I swear, if you pitch us QR codes
I’m going to lose my mind...”

Client stakeholder

Mosaic of a workshop recap
Mosaic of a workshop recap
Mosaic of a workshop recap
Mosaic of a workshop recap
Mosaic of a workshop recap
Mosaic of a workshop recap

Design exploration

We went broad when exploring concepts, and crafted storyboards to flesh out those we felt particularly exciting and novel. We also explored ways to elevate the visual design of the Alexa TV experience with moodboards and visual sketches.

Mosaic of concept cards
Mosaic of concept cards
Mosaic of concept cards
Example storyboards
Example storyboards
Example storyboards
Wireframe showing an interactive product tour
Wireframe showing an interactive product tour
Wireframe showing an interactive product tour
Example visual sketch
Example visual sketch
Example visual sketch
Example visual sketch
Example visual sketch
Example visual sketch

A scalable framework

Our system needed to work with everything from cheap consumables to expensive cars to tax services, as well as both existing and bespoke ad creative. For the most of these cases, we position Alexa on a layer above ads, signaling interactivity and suggesting actions based on the product.

Something cheap you’ve bought before? Add it straight to your cart. Expensive headphones already on your wishlist? Check out an interactive product tour.

Diagram showing how the experience moves between the content, advertising, and engagement layers.
Diagram showing how the experience moves between the content, advertising, and engagement layers.
Diagram showing how the experience moves between the content, advertising, and engagement layers.
Isometric view of an ad end card
Isometric view of an ad end card
Isometric view of an ad end card
Collection of CTAs for various ads.
Collection of CTAs for various ads.
Collection of CTAs for various ads.

“This is awesome for people who know what they want or don’t have time to research [alternatives].”

Concept testing participant

“This is awesome for people who know what they want or don’t have time to research [alternatives].”

Concept testing participant

“This is awesome for people who know what they want or don’t have time to research [alternatives].”

Concept testing participant

Close-up of headphone walkthrough
Close-up of headphone walkthrough
Close-up of headphone walkthrough
Close-up of headphone reviews
Close-up of headphone reviews
Close-up of headphone reviews

“It’s almost as if you’re picking them up in store and looking at them physically.”

Concept testing participant

“It’s almost as if you’re picking them up in store and looking at them physically.”

Concept testing participant

“It’s almost as if you’re picking them up in store and looking at them physically.”

Concept testing participant

Extended interactions

An immediate purchase doesn’t make sense for most products, so we crafted several unique, app-like experiences to use for brands that needed more, like trying meditation with Headspace or accessing special events with Prime Music.

We knew it was unlikely users would delay their watching experience for prolonged interactions, so users can save these experiences for later to explore on their own time, across any device.

Mosaic of TurboTax example
Mosaic of TurboTax example
Mosaic of TurboTax example
Prime Video example
Prime Video example
Prime Video example
Close up of a notification reminding the user of an upcoming experience they saved.
Close up of a notification reminding the user of an upcoming experience they saved.
Close up of a notification reminding the user of an upcoming experience they saved.

86

Unique concepts

16

Brand experiences

3

Form factors

Mockup on a mobile phone
Mockup on a mobile phone
Mockup on a mobile phone
Mockup on an Echo show
Mockup on an Echo show
Mockup on an Echo show

“The amount of detail, thoughtful interactions, and vision for how Alexa plays a part in this really shines through.”

Client stakeholder

“The amount of detail, thoughtful interactions, and vision for how Alexa plays a part in this really shines through.”

Client stakeholder

“The amount of detail, thoughtful interactions, and vision for how Alexa plays a part in this really shines through.”

Client stakeholder

There’s much more to share, so let’s connect.

There’s much more to share, so let’s connect.

There’s much more to share, so let’s connect.