VML (WPP) + Ford

The Creative Intelligence Workflow

AI-Optimized UX Systems — Predictive Insights that Reduce Friction and Drive Engagement

— Summary

Mission

Equip design teams with objective visual intelligence — replacing assumption with predictive performance. 

The Win

Moved from reactive, late-stage testing to a proactive workflow that anticipates user needs at the ideation phase — and established a proof of concept that informed the development of WPP's creative analytics practice.

— Challenge

The Costs of Assumptions

Ford's design teams were making structural decisions without objective data. Late-stage user testing caught problems after significant resources had already been committed — creating expensive revision cycles that slowed time to market and left too much to assumption. The shift we needed wasn't a new tool. It was a new model for when and how insight entered the process.

— Execution

Seeing What Users See

I led a workflow where machine learning provided immediate, actionable feedback across three dimensions — while working in parallel with WPP's Analytics team, whose emerging creative analytics practice was being shaped in part by what we were proving on the ground at Ford.

Attention Mapping

Simulated the first five seconds of user gaze to ensure the primary CTA remained the undisputed hero of the frame — before a single line of code was written.

1

Clarity Scoring

Applied an objective 0–100 metric to identify visual clutter and systematically reduce cognitive load across interfaces at scale.

2

Perceptual Audits

Analyzed how human-centric elements — faces, typography, contrast — influence brand affinity and the path to purchase, turning aesthetic decisions into behavioral data.

3

The shift we needed wasn't a new tool. It was a new model.

— Impact

The Science of Certainty

Proactive Optimization

Resolved navigation hurdles in the prototype phase, eliminating late-stage revision cycles and accelerating time to launch.

Optimized Conversion Paths

Established a consistent clarity benchmark across Ford's digital ecosystem, ensuring user intent is always met with visual precision.

Designer Empowerment

Gave design teams the data to justify high-performance decisions and reduce subjective feedback loops.

Network-Level Influence

Operationalized creative analytics for the global network, embedding neuroscience into live workflows to validate a new standard of design intelligence.

  • Andrew McClellan
    | Experience Design Director & Group Creative Director

    Pam Majchrzak
    | Global Analytics Practice Lead

    Caleb Wills
    | Director Experience Design

    Jordan Sharp
    | Assoc. Director Experience Design

    Ben Callahan
    | Assoc. Director Experience Design

    Andrew Guisgand
    | Senior Experience Designer

    Rama Rayana
    | Senior Experience Designer

    Stina Fountain
    | Senior Experience Designer

Learnings & Insights

  • Clarity

    Clarity is determined by the level of visual clutter in an image.

  • Visual Clutter

    More detail increases cognitive load, pulling attention from the focal point (vehicle and accessories in the example shown).

  • Distractors

    Lines and edge density (distinct edges, or details in a visual) can camouflage the intended area of focus.

  • Directing Attention

    To direct attention, concentrate lines and edge density at the focal area and minimize visual clutter elsewhere.

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