QVC (UK)
Senior Interactive Designer, 1998-2002
My first job out of college, I started at QVC in London as a part-time freelancer, and left (for QVC in Phildelphia) 4 years later as the Senior Interactive Designer, having scaled the creative team to 8 designers, and grown the digital business to 50% of QVC’s total revenue.
I built and ran the day-to-day operations, post-launch cycle and creative production for QVCUK.com, helping to scale, measure and innovate on the eCommerce business, and worked closely with the sales merchandising team to implement specific promotions, make products web-ready, and oversaw the creative, technical and analytics aspects of the site’s growth.
I also designed the first ever television impulse purchasing system, QVC Active, which allows viewers to order the product they’re watching directly with their remote. This scaled into a full network identity rebrand, wrapping the existing live broadcast around the new method of immediate purchase.
Problems worked on:
How might we take advantage of new broadcast interactive technology and build new channels of audience and revenue growth?
How might we scale the eCommerce business on the web through content, features, optimization and innovative experiences for our users?
How might we articulate a more consistent brand voice across our broadcast, digital and offline platforms in such a way that users have a seamless experience moving across our products throughout the day?
Achievements:
Redesigned and launched overall on-air network identity and cross-platform branding elements across print, digital, interactive television and live broadcast
Designed and launched the first interactive television impulse purchasing platform, QVC Active, and pioneered ‘Red Button’ user experience
Designed and managed QVCUK.com, scaled a creative team from 2 to 12, and created hundreds of product promotions in collaboration with the sales merchandising team
Created strong cross-functional process and workflow between QVC UK and QVC USA, including implementing analytics around digital performance
QVC Active: Design, Build & Launch with Redesigned Network Identity
Redesigned the on-air network viewer experience and typography system for displaying product information during the live QVC broadcast, which needed to be flexible enough to handle everything from costume jewelry to cuckoo clocks. Worked closely with the on-air production team to integrate the QVC Active overlay function, which was assembled directly on the user’s set top box and displayed on their television at home.
QVC Active: First-Ever Television Impulse Purchasing System
Designed the first ever interactive television impulse purchasing system, allowing viewers to directly buy the live product with their remote. Working closely with the on-air broadcast engineering team, we went through an 18 month period of test and learn with users, iterating the overall flow down to 4 experiences - product selection, payment, confirmation and recirculation. Also known as the ‘Buy Button’, this pioneered ‘Red Button’ user experience, now pervasive across digital television in the UK. Integrated into a searchable interactive television platform (QVC Directory) to allow viewers to browse products not currently on-air from their televisions.
Daily Telegraph, Tuesday November 9, 1999
QVC Directory: Interactive Home Shopping Catalogue
Designed the first browsable interactive television eCommerce platform, QVC Directory (part of QVC Active) for both Sky and Cable platforms in the UK. Allowed viewers to continue to watch the live broadcast, while searching for previously aired products, and ultimately purchasing them with their remotes.
QVCUK.com User Experience, Content Production & Identity
QVC Network Identity Color Schemes and Broadcast Elements
Designed a wide range of show identities and built the overall network style system to support thematic changes throughout the day’s live broadcast. These included the on-air ‘L’ system for displaying product information, ‘Coming Up’ menus, idents, cross-platform promotions, lower thirds and other supporting material.
QVC Show Idents and Overall Broadcast Creative Direction
Designed hundreds of show and promotion typographic identities for the wide range of products at QVC. Primarily falling into the 6 buckets of jewelry, fashion, health and beauty, home and garden, electrical and collectables and gifts, I oversaw the production and development of a strong cross-platform typographic approach combined with a clearly defined supporting color palette.
Sky Television Interactive Information Hub (aka Browser Central)
Prototypes and individual interactive channel demos for a comprehensive interactive television portal for Sky Interactive, encompassing news, weather, sports, finance, travel, kids, lifestyle, food and eCommerce. The demos socialized with stakeholders as proof-of-concepts were all built in the much-missed Apple Media Tool.
Share The Passion (Campaign Art Direction)
QVC Insider Magazine (Art Direction, Typography & Identity)
“Matt's part in the development of QVC in the digital media age cannot be overstated. He was a leading force in the development of the company's activities on the web and brought a studied and educated eye to the design of QVC's groundbreaking interactive TV services. This work, with the cross branding work between web and TV channel, set the standard for the future and was a huge contribution.”
Richard Burrell
Director of Engineering & Operations, QVC
”Through Matthew's exceptional standard of creativity and design, his passion to create a compelling and relevant selling experience, and his deadline-oriented disposition he was a key contributer to the success of QVCUK.com and QVC Interactive. He always rose to new challenges and helped pioneer a new media shopping experience.”
Lynne Bilenkey
eCommerce Merchandising Manager, QVC
