Designing
Connections.
STARBUCKS SSA PLAZA LE|25
Creating an interactive innovation experience.
Background
Leadership Experience 2025 (LE|25) was one of Starbucks’ largest leadership conferences, bringing together more than 14,000 Store Managers and District Managers from across North America. Designed to inspire, align, and accelerate company strategy, the event featured an Innovation Plaza where partners could explore new initiatives shaping the future of the business.
Within the Innovation Plaza, the Staffing, Scheduling & Analytics (SSA) team was tasked with creating an experience that not only showcased its work, but also invited retail leaders to actively participate in shaping future scheduling and roster management tools. I was responsible for designing the overall experience, including the spatial concept, environmental graphics, journey maps, illustrations, interactive touchpoints, and video production.
Problem Statement
Operational initiatives often struggle to engage large audiences when presented through static information alone. The challenge was to transform complex staffing and scheduling strategies into an interactive experience that encouraged curiosity, meaningful conversation, and collaborative feedback from thousands of retail leaders.
Process
Before sketching a single layout, I approached the project from the perspective of a participant rather than a designer. Having attended previous iterations of Starbucks leadership events, I mentally walked through the experience, asking myself what would naturally draw someone into the space, where they would pause, what would spark conversation, and how every interaction could contribute to a larger story.
That perspective became the foundation of the plaza design.
Rather than creating a traditional informational booth, I designed an experience that unfolded through a series of connected touchpoints. A three-panel journey map guided leaders through the evolution of Staffing, Scheduling & Analytics, highlighting store manager work, business milestones, and future innovations. The path itself became a storytelling device, eventually evolving into the letters LE25, with dashed lines inspired by the stitching of the Starbucks Green Apron to reinforce the company’s values of craft and connection.
Visual story telling extended beyond journey boards. Custom vector illustrations translated complex scheduling concepts into approachable, human-centered graphics that emphasized partners, customers, and everyday store experiences. Every icon was intentionally simplified to communicate ideas quickly while maintaining consistency with Starbucks’ visual language.
Interaction was equally important. The experience included live feedback stations, QR-driven surveys, a video booth where leaders could record ideas, and dynamic displays that encouraged participation rather than observation. These touchpoints transformed store managers from passive attendees into active collaborators, allowing the SSA team to gather valuable insights while strengthening connections with the people who rely on these tools every day.
I also led the creation of a five-minute feature video from concept through final edit. After coordinating filing across more than sixty participants, capturing in-store footage, interviewing partners, and incorporating senior leadership messaging, I produced a narrative that showcased how staffing and scheduling tools supported partners while introducing future innovations. The final video became another storytelling layer within the overall experience, reinforcing the human impact behind operational strategy.
Throughout the project, consistency became a guiding principle. Environmental graphics, illustrations, motion, signage, printed materials, and interactive elements were designed as one cohesive visual system, ensuring every touchpoint contributed to the same narrative.
Results
The completed Leadership Plaza successfully transformed operational communication into an immersive, collaborative experience. According to Touch Worldwide, the Staffing, Scheduling & Analytics space generated the highest level of Coffeehouse Leader engagement within the Innovation Plaza. More importantly, the experience created meaningful opportunities for store and district managers to share feedback, influence future scheduling initiatives, and better understand the strategic work supporting partners across Starbucks.