Motorola - Mods Out of Box Experience Study
Background
Motorola developed a modular phone platform (Moto Mods) in which secondary devices, like a battery, speaker, and projector could be physically attached to the phone and enhance the phone’s functionality.
Study Goals
Understand users’ initial impressions of Moto Z (thinner, mods-compatible phone design), Moto Z Force (thicker, mods-compatible phone design), and Moto Mods post-purchase, as well as understand how these devices are being used over time.
Research Methods
1:1 Qualitative Interviews, in-person and over video chat
Remote Longitudinal Journaling Activity
Task 1 | Unboxing of Moto Z, Z Force and Mods
Task 2 | Participants journaled about their experiences with Moto Z and Mods over a 2-week period
Tasks 3+4 | Video check-ins at week 1 and week 2 to dig deeper into journal entries
Work Partners
Software engineers
Marketing partners
Product managers
Product and design leadership
UX research partners
UX designers
Industrial designers
Hardware engineers
My Role
Selected method
Worked with UX research teammates to identify and carry out recruiting methods (the UX research group was conducting 2 simultaneous studies with these same participants)
Drafted screener
Worked with team to identify research questions
Drafted discussion guide
Managed scheduling and logistics for all sessions completed
Moderated in-person unboxing and remote check-in sessions
Managed journal entries and reminded customers to participate
Synthesized and wrote findings report
Participants
Recruited people who had recently purchased Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and/or Moto Mods.
Before their purchase, my UX research colleagues and I sent a survey to current Motorola phone owners asking how likely they would be to purchase a mods-compatible device.
We followed up with customers who were very likely to buy into this platform and asked them to contact us before they made this purchase so they could participate in this study.
Goal of 4-6 participants with each Moto Mod.
Key Research Questions
Initial Impressions
How do the device and mods compare with users’ expectations?
How is the experience of setting up and using the mods platform for the first time?
Experience Over Time
How, where, and when are people using their mods?
What are the pain points for each mod?
Satisfaction
How well do Moto Z and Moto Mods deliver on the expectations users had for the platform?
Key Findings
Mods are often the tipping point in purchasing Moto Z and Z Force, but consumers need to see them in action.
Several consumers decided to buy additional mods after trying or seeing someone else’s device in action, in person or online.
For those who have experienced mods in-person, attaching, detaching, and setting up mods was more seamless and easier than expected
Poor in-store experiences are preventing users from discovering and trying mods.
Users need to see how mods work in order to trust the validity and ease of use of the platform.
Mods in buckets, not on display
Security tags not physically allowing mods to be used as designed
Verizon employees not briefed on how mods work
Verizon employees handing customers phone cases when they inquired about Mods
Verizon employee bringing out his personal phone and mod to show customers how Mods work
Projector Summary
Why did people buy it?
People were intrigued about the idea of having a projector on their phone due to the novelty of the design.
What were their initial reactions?
Initially, people were wowed that their phone screen was projected on a wall, and impressed that the technology worked. Users were displeased to see incoming texts and messages appearing on the projection.
How did they use it over time?
Use over time dropped as the novelty of the device wore off. People found less instances to use the projector between 1 and 2 weeks.
Most users kept their projector plugged in while in use.
Projector Mod gets people excited about the mods platform, but the high price point and lack of perceived usefulness are blockers.
The projector is a great example of what the platform is capable of, and it is the only current example of a mod that gives your phone functionality that it didn’t previously have.
Most people are drawn to the mods platform because of the amazement and interest generated by the idea of the projector.
Even though the idea of the projector gets people interested in mods, use of the projector declines after 1-2 weeks as novelty wears off.
People found ways to use the projector immediately after they bought it, but most people mentioned that they actually have few uses for it, and those times don’t happen very often.
People blow through tutorial for Projector and are unaware of how to use the device.
Upon first time attach of the Projector Mod, people are so excited to see the projector in action that they ignore our directions about how to use it.
After seeing their phone’s screen projected, they quickly wonder how to operate the device. For example, people have a hard time finding the projector’s power button and they look in the Mods Manager for projector settings.
Kickstand is not immediately evident unless the projector is demonstrated, people have researched the device online, or people read the GSG (Getting Started Guide).
[Additional study findings can be provided upon request.]
Impact
Worked with marketing to change our TV commercial strategy from showing an artful demonstration of this new technology, to showing how to attach and use these new devices in a practical way.
Worked with our security design group to redesign the fixtures at stores like Verizon to allow customers to try out the devices before purchasing, while still maintaining anti-theft priorities.
Sales team contacted stores to re-train associates on how to sell and display these devices for an optimal purchasing experience.
