Telstra Discovery Store

Redesigning Telstra’s flagship store from the ground up, integrating cutting-edge technology to create a seamless, customer-focused retail experience.

Client:

Telstra

My Role:

Associate Creative Director
Design Lead
UX/UI Lead

Our challenge

Telstra wanted to redesign its flagship store to create a frictionless user journey that seamlessly connected in-store and online experiences

With an ambitious vision and an equally ambitious deadline, they needed a team to bring it to life. I had the privilege of leading this large-scale project alongside my Creative Director, David Clarke.

Key goals

Create a cohesive, immersive user experience that blends the physical and digital worlds of retail.
Enable personalised customer interactions.
Ensure accessibility and inclusivity across all touchpoints.
Bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences.
Design and implement nine key digital experiences throughout the store.

My role

As Associate Creative Director and Design Lead, I helped shape the vision and execution of the retail experience, driving the design process from concept to delivery while ensuring alignment with business goals.This involved:

Conducting research & strategy.
Leading creative direction and design strategy.
Leading cross-functional teams of UX specialists, UI designers, engineers, motion designers, and animators.
Actively contributing to concept ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and producing high-fidelity designs.
Overseeing implementation and iteration.
Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity across all touchpoints.
Managed senior stakeholders, presenting at each stage to ensure alignment.

Results

Mobile handset sales doubled year on year.
International Design Award - The International Retail Design Institute (New York).
Service Design Award Gold - Sydney Design Awards (Sydney).
Created new customer engagement models leading to improved product exploration and faster purchase decision-making.
Increase in customer satisfaction and retail efficiency.

“It’s more than a store… It’s everything my imagination ever wanted”

Luke Hopewell, GIZMODO

“Telstra’s new secret weapon…Unveiled…”

Colin Kruger, THE AGE

Discovery (Research & Insights)

We kicked off the project with stakeholder alignment workshops to define ambitions, expectations, and key metrics. From there, we explored customer behaviour and pain points through high-level service blueprints, experience mapping, and user research, including interviews.

After synthesising our insights, we developed a clear strategy and action plan to achieve our goals within an ambitious timeline, while navigating the complexities of working with multiple partners.

Ideation

With a clear vision in place, we moved into brainstorming and concept development. I played a hands-on role in leading and contributing to key areas, including:

Running sprints with cross-functional teams.
Creating interactive and motion prototypes.
Conducting testing on user interactions, content delivery, and hardware performance.
Developing a cohesive approach to design language and user interaction.

Design System

Early on, we realized the existing design system wasn’t equipped to support the demands of the large-format, highly interactive experiences we were creating.

To bridge this gap, we evolved and expanded it—establishing new standards for large-format digital interactions that the business could use moving forward. As part of this, we:

Developed accessibility guidelines specifically for experiential design.
Created a flexible UI colour system with four distinct colour schemes.
Designed guidelines and systems for each of the nine key experiences.
Thoroughly documented the framework to ensure consistency, scalability, and alignment across all teams and partners.

Tap & Take

Visitors receive RFID cards that can be tapped on beacons throughout the store, saving details about products or services. Store assistants can access this information via NFC-enabled tablets, streamlining assistance and purchases.

The experience extends beyond the store visit, as customers can access their saved information through an online portal. This includes a summary of their visit and details about the staff they interacted with, allowing them to pick up the conversation right where they left off.

Device Lab

Device lab is a multi-user touch table where visitors can learn about the latest handsets simply by placing the device on the table. This immediately brings up an interface surrounding the device with information such as features, specs and pricing plans.

When multiple devices are placed on the table, a comparison mode activates, allowing users to evaluate specific features side by side—such as which handset offers longer battery life.

Digital Tickets

Product display areas feature tablet apps that let users explore products in detail. The app is easily updated via a CMS, offering up-to-date product information, reviews, accessories, and plans.

The experience is enhanced with 'Tap & Take' functionality, allowing customers to save products and accessories to their RFID card and complete purchases with any store assistant, streamlining the process for both customers and staff.

Media Fountains

These interactive pillars formed part of the store’s interior and display real-time content from entertainment, music, sports, current affairs, and tech.

The design supports a variety of content, including top-ten charts, Telstra events, movie trailers with live session times, and live news and sports updates.

Tech Bar

The tech support station required a solution to showcase appointments, real-time queues, available services, and upcoming workshops. As one of the store’s few non-interactive installations, it relied on thoughtful design and motion to afford meaning and clarity.