Microsoft · Product strategy

Shaping ad strategy and design for the Microsoft Store

The Microsoft Store was preparing to launch its first ads in search results. With the Search and Advertising teams divided on how those ads should look and behave, I led research to find where users would accept an ad, and where it would cost their trust.

The problem

The Store's first ad integration had stalled: Search and Advertising disagreed on strategy and design.

My role

Lead researcher; aligned Search and Advertising, and owned study design and synthesis.

What I did

Moderated evaluation with 8 Store users across 4 realistic search scenarios.

The impact

🔒 Shared with password

The Microsoft Store home page around the time of the study
The Microsoft Store around the time of the study.
  1. 01The question
  2. 02How I studied it
  3. 03What we learned🔒
  4. 04From insight to decision🔒
01 · The question

How many ads will people put up with before they stop trusting the Store?

The first ad would set the precedent for every ad after it. Both teams had strong views on how it should look and behave, but no user evidence. I framed the study around three questions both teams needed answered before launch.

  1. Question 1 · First impressionHow do people react when they first see an ad in their search results, and do they recognize it as one?
  2. Question 2 · Ad toleranceWhen is an ad acceptable, and how would one ad compare with two?
  3. Question 3 · Ad presentationHow do people read the layout: an ad in first place, shown twice, or shown bigger than other results?
02 · How I studied it

Realistic search scenarios, tested with Store users

I aligned Search and Advertising on the questions, defined realistic ad scenarios with Engineering, and built mockups from real Store results with Design. I recruited half frequent and half occasional Store users, so loyalty wouldn't soften the results, and matched each person's scenarios to the apps they actually look for.

AlignmentSessions with Search and Advertising to agree on the questions
ScenariosWith Engineering: 4 realistic searches showing when and how ads appear
MockupsReal search results, edited to include a sponsored item
Moderated test8 Store users, an hour each, scenario order counterbalanced

The four search scenarios

Each one put a sponsored item in first place, in a situation people really meet in the Store.

  1. 1Best matchThey type an app's full name. It's in the Store, and the ad is for that same app.
  2. 2Close matchThey type part of the name. The ad is a similar app, and theirs comes second.
  3. 3Not in the StoreThe app they want isn't available. The ad is a well-known competitor.
  4. 4Not in the Store, unknown adSame search, but the ad is a small app with few reviews.

Findings and impact are password protected

To respect client confidentiality, the rest of this case study is shared on request.

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