Telstra Discovery Store

Telstra’s flagship store redefines the retail experience by blending the physical and digital worlds to offer highly personalised experiences.

Partnering with Creative Director David Clarke, we led a cross-functional team to craft nine key experiences, featuring touch tables, NFC cards, and two-story interactive screens.

The project received multiple awards for user experience, including Gold at the Sydney Design Awards, and an International Design Award by the Retail Design Institute in New York.

My Role:

Associate Creative Director
Design Lead
UX/UI Lead

Our challenge

Telstra wanted to transform its flagship retail experience into a seamless, user-centered journey, where customers could easily explore, compare, and engage with devices.

The goal was to integrate digital touchpoints with physical spaces and connect the in-store and online experiences to create a frictionless customer journey.

Key goals

Create a cohesive, immersive 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

My responsibilities

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

Discovery research & strategy
Leading creative direction and design strategy
Collaborating with UX specialists, engineers, and senior stakeholder engagement
Concept ideation, wireframes, prototypes, high-fidelity design
Overseeing implementation and iteration
Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity across all touchpoints

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 color 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-enabled cards that can be tapped on beacons throughout the store to save details about specific products or services. Store assistants can access this information by tapping the card on NFC-enabled tablets, enabling them to address queries or assist with purchases seamlessly.

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 in the store have accompanying tablet applications that allow users to explore in more detail. The application can be updated quickly as new products arrive through a CMS, so users can now get the most up to date information regarding products, such as reviews, new accessories and even plans.

The experience is enhanced with Tap & Take functionality, allowing customers to select products and accessories, save them to their RFID-enabled card, and complete their purchase with any store assistant. This streamlines the process, making it faster and more convenient for both customers and staff.

Media Fountains

These eye-catching interactive pillars form part of the store’s interior and serve up real-time dynamic content based on the latest news from entertainment, music, sport, current affairs and tech.

The design accommodates a diverse range of content, including top-ten music and movie charts, Telstra-promoted events, movie trailers with live session times, and up-to-the-minute 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.