Harry Perrin
Product / UX / Strategy Design Consultant
Portfolio
Portfolio
Jan 22 - Dec 22
Hybrid, London UK
Client-side ContractStepping into the vast world of BP, you’ll uncover a story of transformation. Operating a rich oil production legacy, BP’s aspirations weren’t confined to past glories. They aimed to redefine themselves, not just as an oil producer, but as a forward-thinking energy provider with a keen eye on sustainability. A significant step in this direction was the ‘Superfleet’ Programme, an ambitious initiative aiming to streamline fleet management and promote greener solutions. But how did they make this transition? How did strategic UX designers like me play a pivotal role in marrying customer-centric design with BP’s vision? Dive into this case study, and I’ll take you through a journey of innovation, challenges, and success.
BP, established in 1908, is a global energy company with a vast infrastructure encompassing 62 locations, 20,650 retail sites, and 22,000 EV charge points. With a workforce of 67,600, they balance a rich heritage in oil production, extracting 2.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, while also evolving to meet modern energy demands. In the first quarter of 2023, they reported impressive earnings of $8.2 billion.
BP aimed to move beyond just being an oil company, wanting to be a holistic energy provider that’s kinder to our planet. They made big changes in the fleet industry by introducing the ‘bp fuel and charge’ card, making it easier for customers to pay for both fuel and electricity. Plus, with their ‘BPme’ app, drivers could pay without leaving their car. They also launched ‘Target Neutral’ to help reduce vehicle carbon footprints. BP’s goal? To bring all these ideas together and help Fleet Managers work smarter for a greener future.
The ‘Superfleet’ Programme was our key project to bring the vision to life, evolving through several versions before we got it just right. As a strategic UX designer, I believe it’s key to note that ‘Superfleet’ was all about putting people first. This focus meant that our customers didn’t just get a great experience, but one that truly met their needs.
Our programme was among the first to use the Tri-track agile methodology. Think of it as a better way to deliver the right thing, where the discovery and the delivery are kept separate, giving us lots of benefits. It meant the strategy was visible, and things moved quickly. This method also helped us work better together, spot good opportunities faster, keep our focus, and drive collaboration, which helped make big decisions easier. We aimed to get real results, improving how customers felt and adding value at every turn.
As a strategic UX designer, I was lucky to work alongside a talented team filled with top-notch designers and amazing consultants from around the world. Within just a year, I saw my design skills grow rapidly. I played a key role in the adoption of the first track the Tri-Track agile methodology. I worked on 11 different domains, ensuring that we captured every step of the customer’s journey and integrated it seamlessly with our business processes. My tasks included customer interviews, primary and secondary research, moderating workshops, and creating artefacts for our product squads. At BP my confidence and presentation skills grew, I learned how to XXX and presented bi-weekly updates to the programme.
We quickly realised that to truly focus on our customers, we needed their direct input, which is often harder than you’d think in large organisations. To make this happen, our team defined a framework for how we’d carry out our customer research, aiming to set standard, keeping customers front and centre. It helped us continuously check and validate our ideas, and ensured accountability by doing research sprints. This regular check-in meant we were always in touch with our customers, helping us learn faster. I worked closely with the core research team, especially in planning and synthesis of findings, which helped shape our foundational customer journey.
I created a toybox of workshop templates, such as the ‘Picture This’ and ‘Obstacle Race’, which quickly became favourites across the organisation. I’m a firm believer in making workshops fun and engaging because it leads to positive outcomes – something I’m always eager to share.
I moderated workshops face-to-face, something new for me because of the pandemic. This experience ignited even more passion in me. While most sessions were virtual, I invested a lot of effort into planning and conducting each one. I often employed empathy mapping, a technique that’s great for pinpointing customer challenges, needs, and tasks.
Ideation sessions are always an exciting blend of fun and productivity. These gatherings often spark out-of-the-box solutions to challenges. Through these, I’ve gained insights into managing stakeholders, addressing biases, and making decisions based on evidence.
Validation workshops are truly special. They’re about coming together – from subject matter experts to product teams – to review and refine our ideas. In these sessions, I gathered feedback and pinpointed areas requiring deeper exploration.
I co-created 11 unique customer journeys, across 11 domains.
These journeys identified:
Together these maps formed part of a service blueprint for the end-to-end journey.
Working on notifications was a true highlight for me. I played a pivotal role in shaping a framework that pinpointed key moments in the customer journey, known as “moments of truth”. These moments provided insight into what drives our efforts to enhance the customer experience. We also identified “jobs to be done”, specific tasks that Fleet Managers undertake which activate a notification. I’d categorise each trigger by its nature – whether it’s actionable or just informational, proactive or reactive, its intended recipient, and its level of urgency. This approach was rolled out across five major areas. Plus, it was awesome to see the nudge theory come to life through this process.
I think its important to highlight how Agile can often make or break a product, depending on how it is implemented in Large Organisations who run large transformational programmes. Discovery went as intended, at a great pace and in great fidelity. The organisation went through multiple delivery cycles with some challenges. The discovery has since been used for a future delivery. BP was an incredible experience where I learned a lot, met some of the most talented and crazy individuals, and delivered amazing value.