Debbie walker retaildesign_wireless_small

Fits everywhere, works anywhere™
Retail Design | Walmart Wireless Case Study

Bio
Debbie Walker Senior Creative | https://www.igo2create.com
Debbie Walker is an American artist with a diverse career in design.  
Her passion for art and creativity comes naturally and is an important
part of who she is.
Impressively, Debbie has been continuously employed for over twenty
years – anywhere from a three-person startup company, to a franchise,
to a small design firm, to large international advertising agencies and
then to the top fortune 100 company in the world. Debbie understands
the creative process and pipeline of all kinds of business models and
has no trouble adapting.
Upon graduating with a graphic design degree 1987, Debbie started her
career illustrating, developing private label packaging, signing, brand
identity and collateral. With that experience she was promoted to senior
art director and eventually associate creative director responsible for
integrated promotions, websites, exhibits, strategy and new business.
This led her to a twelve-month contract to develop a startup virtual
advertising and design firm where she was able to input business
decisions, platforms and work through the structure and operations  
of a virtual creative world.
In 2006, Debbie had two more critical opportunities that expanded her
into a powerhouse designer.
The first was an opportunity to become a Senior Textile Design Manager
with three direct reports. This gave her four years of on the job training
and education as a manager and textile designer. She traveled
domestically every quarterly for comp shopping, supplier meetings and
trend development, and globally twice a year for international
production meetings. She also attended regular management training
and vendor ethics/compliance meetings in order to achieve government
standards and customer satisfaction.
The second opportunity was a Senior Integration Design Manager
designing for a new in-store customer experience division of Walmart.
This opportunity gave Debbie the chance to start putting all of her
knowledge and experience together in a larger creative platform. Over
four years, she worked to learn new software, build internal and external
networks, develop processes, manage contractors, mentor teammates,
learned how to read CAD drawings, the ins and out of ADA and other
legal compliances all while creating one of a kind prototype fixtures and
new innovative ways to sell merchandise to customers.
With the foresight to see where all the possibilities of where 3D design
is headed, Debbie left Walmart in 2014 to peruse a BS in Computer
Animation for environment modeling, shading and lighting. This life-
long learner graduated at the end of 2017 and is currently seeking
opportunities to take her skills to a new level that will create unique
customer experiences that drive sales and brand loyalty.
Now you can have the experience of a senior creative with all the
excitement and education of a recent college graduate. Debbie would be
thrilled to speak with you and can be reached, at your convenience:
DebbieWalker@igo2create.com
The experience of a senior creative with all the excitement and education of a recent college graduate.

Overall Experience
Debbie Walker Senior Retail Designer and Visual Integration Manager | https://www.igo2create.com
• Collaborated strategies, concepts, ideas and tactics with all cross-
functional teams in order to align with corporate goals
• Designed 3D fixtures, structural signs and environments to integrate with
marketing signage, store layout, operations, replenishment and specific
department/category initiatives
• Designs were used for critical business decisions, such as; 
1. Sourcing costing tool for estimates and negotiations 
2. Visual guides for operations and logistics 
3. Visual presentation so that senior leadership can understand  
the concepts before approving costs  
4. Visual communication reports for internal and external weekly  
status meetings 
5. Concepts for architects and engineers to reference
• Project manage corporate signing packages
• Led signing and fixture guide team
• Created process documents for the team and department
• Responsible for hiring and managing freelancers and contractors
• Worked with outside resources to manage costs and expectations
• Complied with legal, regulations, laws, compliancies, policies, codes and
other mandated requirements for design considerations
• Worked across all store formats of Walmart Stores Incorporated 
1. Walmart Super Centers 
2. Walmart Neighborhood Grocery 
3. Sam’s Club 
4. Walmart Small Format Prototypes 
a. Marketside 
b. Walmart Express 
c. Walmart on Campus 
d. Pop up stores 
e. Urban stores
• Designed prototype testing for store within a store  
(SWAS) concepts 
a. Grocery 
b. Wireless 
c. Fabric/Crafts 
d. Celebrations 
e. Electronics 
f. Home 
g. Apparel 
h. Vision Center 
i. Money Center 
j. Service Desk
• Designed fixture solutions for 
a. Floral 
b. Calendars 
c. Apple  
d. Sheets 
e. Security
Leveraging over twenty years of turning insights and financial data into creative solutions, I am able to influence brand loyalty with customers by
creating experiences that connect and compel.

Testimonials
“Debbie and I worked together on a store with in a store project, called Walmart Wireless. It miraculously that took a small
army of team members approximately six months from concept to completion.
Our departments were fully engaged due to tight timelines and the fact that the project was a new major initiative for the
company. The outcome has been remarkable and will be continuing forward with many stores adopting the Wireless stand
alone store this year.
Debbie was the key to the design process and also coordinated many of the other efforts relating to cross-functioning
departments. She was always professional, thorough, attentive to detail, and friendly though the entire project length.
It was a joy working on the same team with her and I would value and recommend her input on others projects that I will
become involved with in the future.
Good job, Debbie, and hope to be working with you again real soon!”
George Doran
Prototype Implementation Manager
George and Debbie worked in different groups at Walmart
“What I can tell you about Debbie is that she knows how to eat the elephant while herding cats. Debbie has a way of taking
extremely complex problems, identifying the key objectives, and developing a multifaceted game plan which is both
measurable and achievable. Then, she goes on to motivate internal and external resources to deliver on those objectives.
What’s more, she has foresight to identify potential obstacles in advance and develops contingency plans to deal with these
hurdles before they become show-stoppers. Beyond this, Debbie is also very personable and employs both the skills and
diplomacy required to motivate others to deliver the goods every time. If your opportunity requires someone who can juggle
lots of balls with a smile and a plan, Debbie is certainly up to the task.”
Larry Cole
Owner/President ColeComm
Larry and Debbie worked in the same group at Walmart

Testimonials
“Debbie is one of the most impactful people that I have come across in the design industry. Her understanding of the design
process is top in her class. She also has a great eye and passion for state of the art design. This combination has allowed
her to influence her piers, managers and design community. I look forward to working with her on future projects.”
Tony Rogers
Owner at Rogers Design and Development Services LLC
Tony and Debbie worked in the same group at Walmart
“Debbie has a combination of talents which are desirable in the design profession but rarely found in one individual: creative
talent plus the ability to manage and produce a project successfully. She has a relentless focus on finding the right solutions
for each and every challenge, whether creative or managerial. This makes her easy to work with in a team situation because
she is refreshingly honest, direct and appreciative of best practices in others.”
Robert Rutledge
Global Store Development Strategist & Retail Designer
Robert and Debbie worked in the same group at Walmart
“Debbie is a very talented, passionate and hardworking individual. She gives her all to every project she's involved with and
always produces quality results. On top of being crazy talented, she is a lover of people and strives to be an asset and friend
to every team she is a part of. I have learned much from her over the time we have worked together; valuable information
that has grown me as both a designer and business minded person. She is an exceptional woman that I feel privileged to
know and work alongside.”
Ashley Brettin
Retail Designer and Visual Integration Manager
Ashley and Debbie worked in the same group at Walmart

Case Study
Walmart Wireless | Case Study

Responsibilities
Debbie Walker Senior Retail Designer and Visual Integration Manager | Walmart Wireless
My role was key to the success of this project. I was able keep the project on
time and under budget. The five store test was budgeted for $800,000 - but
came in under budget by $234,407 for a grand total of $565,593.
The areas that I was able to help save costs were labor/timing and fixture
prototyping.
Store design
I was able to work with my cross-functional teams to create the most efficient
designs for the spaces. The floor plans ranged from 700 feet to 1200 feet and
no two were exactly alike. Creating a design that could easily and efficiently
transform spaces was part of my strategy.
• Used energy saving light plan
• Replaced damaged ceiling tiles (which normally were only a few), and then
painted the rest to keep cost/labor down
• Cleverly used full sized sheets of substrate as wall guard and design
element to keep labor down and esthetics to the design up
• The color scheme for the store was blue with a honey oak trim - using this
complementary pallet, allowed for the brand to stand out along with the
supplier’s fixtures, the heroes of the story
Signage
Using my past knowledge of signing and promotions, I was able to anticipate
wireless advertising needs and incorporate them into both the architecture
design as well as the fixture design.
Fixtures
I also sourced and found the least expensive ways to design the stores keeping
in mind recycled materials and electricity costs. Even after the five store test I
was able to take an additional $30,000 out of the design budget without
substantially effecting the integrity of the design.
I repurposed several fixtures from the main store.
1. This saved time since we only had 6 months to complete the whole
wireless store from concept.
2. This kept an element of continuity throughout the entire store (which was
good, because later, some of the fixture designs and planograms were
adopted into the electronics department - which saved even more time
and money.
Timing
Immediately after the kickoff meeting, I was able to create several concepts that
the team could choose from. Once a design was chosen, the visual design was
used to secure budget approvals, costs estimates, material sourcing, labor
costs, floor plans, construction estimates, etc. It was also updated weekly and
distributed at our weekly status meeting, which visually kept all of us on the
same page.
• I created the guidelines for Walmart’s Wireless architecture, interior
designs and fixtures
• As the single retail designer on this project, I was able to make fast
design decisions, keeping the process moving along
• I attended all weekly status meetings - even though this was not my only
job on my plate
Walmart Wireless was a five store prototype test. It had a cross-functional team of 52 individuals working on this project for six months through
three major holidays, and winter weather conditions.

Responsibilities
Customers
I took my first digital concepts to several stores and conducted impromptu
shopper interviews with all gender and ages asking “If you could have a mobile
store inside of Walmart, what would you like to see in it? What services would
you like to have? What mood should the store have? Would you prefer exciting
bright lights or soothing low light?” I asked several other questions as well and
just listened to any ideas or questions they had to offer.
• Most customers gravitated to the low-light concept for several reasons:
• “it draws your eye to the store because everything else in the store is so
bright”
• “seems like it will be a quiet place to sit down and write up a contract”
• Everyone was excited, most likely because they realized that their opinions
mattered and someone was listening
Store Associates
Sam Walton set a precedent by walking the stores, soliciting associate’s
opinions. Following his example, the associates were eager to share with me
what they needed from a fixture standpoint. It really made me wonder why
nobody ever asked them before. With their input, I was able to custom design
fixtures for their needs as well as modify existing fixtures that never properly
suited them in the first place.
1. Added storage cases behind the customer service desk to house products
so they would not have to leave to go to the back of the store to get on-hand
product.
2. One of the storage doors is just for their personal belongings, so that they
can securely lock up personal items.
3. A cork board was added to the inside back panel of the customer service
desk, to keep the area clean and to be able to post important documents
that the customers did not need to see.
4. A file cabinet was incorporated to hold contracts, so that the stores weren’t
purchasing non securable plastic file cabinets.
5. Comfortable, yet safety approved chairs where added to consultation desks
for both the customer and associate.
6. Low-lit atmosphere gives the space a more intimate feel for making such a
personal and expensive purchase.
7. Fixtures had promotional signing and collateral areas built in to make it
easier for associates to help and customers to make decisions.
8. Simple way-finding signage was incorporated into the fixtures, while
aspirational mood signage was added to walls.
9. Instead of wasting space under the suppliers fixture, I added a door and
shelving to store promotional materials.
10. A hidden security gate and retractible security phone devices where added
to keep theft down.
I don’t believe in designing in a vacuum, so I took it upon myself to seek input from customers and associates.

Case Study
Original concept. Chosen concept.

Case Study
Before | September 10, 2009 Concept
Work in progress Grand openings | February 1, 2010

Case Study
Challenge
Wireless is a WIN category, and was charged with attaining an 8% market share from 2010 - 2013 to increase category sales from $55B to $1.7B.
Customer insights
Walmart strengths
• The convenience, customers frequent these stores
• Aggressive pricing on handsets
Walmart weaknesses
• Difficulty finding staff to help
• Loud and busy environment to make “an expensive decision”
• Difficulty believing the quality of phones would be the same as those purchased in a carrier or electronics store
Key takeaways
• Walmart is leader in prepaid and weak in postpaid
• Information and assistance are important to consumers
• Smartphone business is poised for mass adoption
Key insights
• Price (strong)
• Product credibility (moderate)
• Experience credibility (weak)
Competitive landscape
Carrier Stores
• Own market share (75%+) of postpaid transactions
• Stand-alone locations are destinations for postpaid wireless Best Buy Mobile
• Aggressively pursuing wireless market
• BBY mobile section is available in all locations
• Trailing stand-alone Best Buy Mobile stores in malls (40+ locations)
Timing
• Six months from kickoff (September 10, 2009) to completion (February 2010) five stand alone prototype stores, functionally operating

Case Study
Strategy
To establish Walmart as a destination for wireless before the aggressive “one-stop shop strategy” that competitors like Best Buy, Target and Radio
Shack planned to dominate.
• Leverage trafﬁc to drive wireless sales
• One-stop wireless: postpaid, prepaid, hybrid, accessories
• Dedicated staff inside of store
• Drive credibility and build awareness
Idea
Generate credibility by creating a wireless destination.
• Approve $1.3M ($250K/per store) in capital to pilot in 5 stores. Cost includes new fixtures, installation, power, lighting, and ISD components 
Concept
Walmart Wireless a SWAS (store with in a store).
• Program would move existing connection center from Electronics department to an open tenant space at the front of store to create a more customer friendly
selling environment. Connection center would be able to gain benefits of increases traffic flow, awareness, and more private interaction between customer  
and associate
Tactics
Establish key findings via SWAS five store concept trial.
• Impact to D87/D58 wireless business
• Impact to D5 electronics business
• Feasibility of scale to additional locations
• Use ﬁndings in design of Project Impact 2.0 or 3.0
• Concept stores will provide separate tables for consulting with customers
• Average test store monthly activation is projected to increase from 90 to 190
• Accessories and prepaid phones/airtime are expected to receive approximately 10% lifts

Case Study
Five store test results
Store sales, despite winter weather storms, were up between 200 – 300% by the second day of the grand opening and continue to track over 300%
for the remainder of the month.
• Store 1969 sold an average of 30 contracts per month before the test, but only two days into the grand opening they had already sold 32 contracts
• All ﬁve test stores continued to track positively over the next three months giving the green light for an approved 250 store rollout
Rollout results as of March 5, 2011
250 stores successfully opened.
• Expected 24.9% IRR
• Achieving 24.4% IRR
• 3 yr payback period:
• 26% total cellular lift
• 45 activations/store/month lift
• 5.9% wireless accessories lift
• 3.9% prepaid lift
• 1% Electronics/Photo lift

Case Study
I was in charge of designing the whole store including interior design, signs and fixtures.

Case Study
36” diameter Non-Tapered
Cylinder 32” tall (Finished
With Red Laminate,
Exact Color TBD)
(2) 18” Wide x 24” Tall doors
((1) each side of Main Body)
(Each door to have cam lock with
Push to open latch not shown)
30” Diameter x 6” Tall
Black Laminate Base
(1) Adjustable shelf
To be included
(2) Each Side
Brochure holders same
As what is supplied in
Racetrack “Wedge with
Brochure Holders”
All interior is Unfinished
32” (Main Body)
4”
6”
(Upper Body)
(Base)
42”
2” McCue Silver
Bumper Molding
Typical (2) Places
I created custom fixture designs, and provided detailed communication specifications for manufacture(s) to create cut sheets from.

I inspected and approved all cut sheets from manufacture(s), before prototypes were created.
Case Study

Case Study
I worked through prototypes adjustments, and updated visual communication to share at status meetings with the whole team.

Case Study
I visually documented all changes for the entire team, both internally and externally to expedite the process.

Case Study
I designed fixture variances to give flexibility in store layouts. I provided detail prototype specifications for manufactures.
I signed off on all fixture prototypes for quality and functionality. I regularly communicated visually, written and orally to all parties.

My store design addressed credibility for customers by:
Case Study
Incorporating the brand promise into the design.
Providing a clean professional environment. Creating simple and easy to understand offerings.
Creating an intimate atmosphere for sensitive materials.

My fixtures address the needs of associates by:
Case Study
Providing enough storage to keep desk surfaces clutter free. Incorporating a dedicated professional area to write up contracts.
Including a personal storage locker. Addressing register counter operational needs.

My overall design gave the Wireless business category the tools to win by:
Case Study
Creating visual communication to internal and external teams. Creating modular fixtures that could fit multiple floor plans.
By incorporating fixtures components for promotional signing. Taking it upon myself to get input from associates and customers.

Overall design factors that worked successfully:
Case Study
Incorporating anti-theft security into fixtures and architecture.
Utilizing wasted fixture space to house literature.
Incorporating promotional advertising space into fixtures.
Creating secure merchandising storage for the front of the store.

I designed general guidelines for contractors to follow while rolling out the remaining 250 stores.
Case Study
Example of a corner floor plan design. Example of a horizontal floor plan design.
Example of a split door floor plan design. Example of an integrated electronics department floor plan design.

Teamwork

Debbie walker retaildesign_wireless_small

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