The topic of Omni-channel product experiences is one that has remained consistently engaging for a variety of reasons. For starters, when it comes to e-commerce universe, one only has to witness the geometric growth that it has experienced due to the pandemic. The future of e-commerce according to studies that have been performed and trends that have been observed, includes integration of AI, Customization and Personalization of those experiences, Measurement across all devices, Decline of Monolithic Platforms and Hyperscale Computing. All of the aspects previously mentioned, reinforce the fact that users want to be able to access information and interact with solutions in whatever platform is more readily available to them (or that aligns with their habits). The ability to seamlessly move between platforms and still retain similar product experiences is of the utmost importance. I have written on this topic in the past, which you can read here, but this article will shift its attention to research I performed since and also how omni-channel experiences also play a substantial role in creating more inclusive (and accessible) product experiences.

What does Omni-Channel mean these days. Wikipedia’s definition of Omni-channel includes the following paragraph: “Omnis” is Latin for “every/all” and here suggests the integration of all physical channels (offline) and digital channels (online) to offer a unified customer experience.” As I mentioned in the previous article I wrote on this topic, Omni-channel experiences should be characterized by the following factors/qualities: consistent, optimized, seamless, orchestrated and collaborative. If my first experiences in Designing software already surfaced and highlighted the need for those aspects to be effectively applied, the more recent ones have only reinforced that stance. Having recently worked in industries as diverse as Healthcare, Fintech, SaaS, Legal Services, Supply Chain & Inventory Management and Real Estate, has further cemented that users procure and desire product experiences that are consistent independently of what environment they find themselves in. Leveraging multiple research endeavors, including Customer Interviews, Moderated and Unmoderated Usability Testing, Voice of the Customer Engagements, Surveys, Questionnaires, I have been able to witness patterns and consistent behaviors, but also and just as importantly, I’ve been able to document how expectations from users have evolved. Now more than ever, consumers/users, expect applications to exist and perform in more than one single platform, and they expect to be able to finish tasks seamlessly in any of them. Equally as important, they expect to be able to pick up a task from whatever level of completion they left it at, and just continue performing it to success (or have the option to abandon it altogether), maneuvering between different form factors without any gaps in performance.

In 2013 when working in Telecommunication and Virtual Conferencing apps, users were rightfully expecting to be able to join virtual conferences from any device they used (as one does, just witness the product experiences stemming from Zoom or Whereby for instance), however these days, this expectation of parity of experiences has only become more pronounced, as most users want to use whatever device they have in their grasp to perform the tasks they need to accomplish. Even if each industry has its own working habits, security demands, different levels of access to content, to name but a few specificities, the commonality that unifies most individuals these days is how they all use smart phones. Most users expect to be able to perform their tasks on their smartphones (and that’s something multiple users from different demographics, locations, industries and education levels have expressed), and even though there are more sensitive and specific tasks which may include sharing of information they deem more confidential, the matter of the fact, they still expect to be able to transition without issues from one platform to the next without losing grasp or quality of what they’re doing. For Designers and their teams on Product Design journeys, this typically means thinking about solutions holistically, and also, having a mentality which privileges solving problems first, while simultaneously contemplating how that solution crosses multiple platforms. The focus is no longer Mobile First: it’s Solution Multi-Channel first.

Omni-Channel and the impact on Accessibility and Inclusivity. Another very important aspect tied to omni-channel product experiences is how that plays into the inclusivity and accessibility factors that digital applications and solutions should always account for. Please read the World Wide Web Consortium, W3C for more information on this topic, but the ultimate statement is that building inclusive and accessible products is fundamental to assure quality of utilization to all users (and quality assurance for web products in particular includes paying attention to factors such as visibility, perception, technical, content and services). Accessibility is usually tied to aspects such as writing descriptive code, proper tagging, contrasting colors, keyboard accessibility/compatibility, clear forms, supportive text, white space considerations, orientation cues, but also responsiveness and multi-platform existence of product solutions. Allowing people to experience a product solution across diverse formats (including very diverse resolutions and devices), only reinforces an ethical stance that Design endeavors should always practice.

Analytics, Measurement across all Platforms. As mentioned previously, the future of e-commerce (or I should rephrase, the current status of e-commerce), includes measuring engagement across all platforms and devices. As consumers habits evolve, one of the best ways to learn from their changing habits is through analytics, coupled of course with research that can and should be conducted (using different methods already mentioned) to better grasp what is prompting these changes. Throughout the years and multiple research endeavors, it’s been interesting for me to personally witness how different generations of users have come to interact with diverse product solutions, and how their overall expectations of what software tools should be able to do has also evolved. All this to say, understanding users (which aligns with Human Centered Design and Design Thinking of course) is a first step to truly get insight into their relationship to technology, and what their expectations in general typically are, expectations that aren’t solely product driven, but also emotionally driven (what and how do products make them feel, and do they become partners in their lives or sporadic occurrences). As users continue to explore and interact with different tools, the more their behaviors change, and that of course has its own impact on what they expect products to behave, look like and perform (Jakob’s Law from the Laws of UX).

Reality Check. Every product endeavor operates within constraints tied to budget/timelines/resources/. It’s an inescapable trifecta, and one that Product/Design/Development teams can and should try to balance collectively. No product (or at least most products) is crafted in a vacuum or in a perfect situation where all resources are readily available. There’s always requirements in flux, new constraints appearing, unforeseen occurrences, all of these ebbs and flows being part of the gestation/incubation phases products/master features/features go through. However, when it comes to omni-channel or multi-channel product experiences, that previous realization should exist from the genesis of the process itself, and shouldn’t deflect from the fact that multi-channel experiences should be a fundamental requirement of and for success (an essential KPI to be measured). Teams should accept the volatility that comes with the process itself (that’s why everyone works or aims to work in Agile formats), and embrace it if possible. Understanding volatility, while also adopting multi-channel product experiences reflects a deeper strategy and wiser understanding of the market, while also reflecting a more ethical and inclusive stance on product deliverability.

I’ll conclude with a quote from Carl Jungon the topic of integration:

“Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by integration of the contraries.”