50 Year Business Roadmap and Design Thinking

I was having lunch with a colleague – catching up on family and his new gig, when we got on a conversation about the difference in US and Japanese business cultures (he has spent the last 25 years working in both). One thing in particular that stood out to me was that Japanese companies have … Read more

SDL Innovate 2014 Keynote Session – The Customer Experience Revolution

Jeofrey and I shared our aggregate views of what makes the best customer experience companies better, different, more profitable and sustainable at the SDL Innovate 2014 in San Francisco. We shared that these “Experience Makers” dominate their industries and change customers’ lives. We shared insights about leadership, best practices and decision making, based on the interviews … Read more

Designing Experiences for E-Commerce Shoppers

online shopper

The Nielsen Norman Group has identified five types of e-commerce shoppers: Product-focused shoppers know exactly what they want. They only want to locate the product, confirm it’s the right one, and buy it. Some don’t even look at product descriptions at all – a quick look at the name and picture confirms that the product … Read more

The Customer Experience Revolution – The Trailer

It has been an exciting year for Jeof and I and The Customer Experience Revolution this month. We had a great time as Closing Keynotes at SDL Innovate 2014 in San Francisco, the book went into a third printing, and Brigantine Media just released this trailer.

Experience Innovation – Going beyond Product and Service and Re-Imagining the Customer Journey

In FastCo.Design’s Move over Product Design, UX is the Future, Rick Wise, CEO LIppicott, shares: “Today’s enlightened leaders are achieving success by crafting the entire customer experience – shaping, innovating, branding, and measuring it. They are mastering a new discipline we refer to as experience innovation by going beyond the discrete product or service to … Read more

Considering New Technologies in Designing the Mobile Experience

A phenomenal amount of innovation is happening at the forefront of mobile engagement. From wrist bands to smart pills, we are seeing the use of mobile technologies to collect new kinds of data, crunch it in the cloud, and then employ a mix of engagement tactics on mobile devices creating new interactions — new “mobile … Read more

Analytics to drive your Website’s Experience

In Nielsen Norman Group blog, Five Essential Analytics Reports for UX Strategists, Jennifer Cardello describes how analytics inform UX goals, strategies, and concepts. These are five examples that are essential: 1. How Fast Is Mobile Access Growing? This information is helpful when you are planning, pricing, and comparing approaches to making your site mobile friendly. … Read more

Design Thinking is the Key to Innovation

In a not-so-recent HBR article on Design Thinking, Tim Brown reminds us that “…innovation is powered by a thorough understanding, through direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives and what they like or dislike about the way particular products are made, packaged, marketed, sold, and supported.” That: “Design thinking is… a … Read more

Customers Control Our Brand

According to the Corporate Executive Board, (CEB) almost 60% of the customers’ journey is complete before they reach out to vendors. Our customers’ journey starts way before their first transaction. with us And in a Harvard Business Review, “Solution Selling is Dead” (that cites the CEB findings) because talking about our products and services is no longer good enough. It … Read more

Death to Features! Long Live Touchpoints – Interactions, Macro-Interactions and Micro-Interactions

memorable experiences

As a longtime advocate of Human-Centered Design, I belong to a group of people who have been desperately trying to get folks to stop thinking about features and instead, think about the human interactions, such as touchpoints, with our brand, products and services. Chris Risdon, in his article, Un-Sucking the Touchpoint, points out that a … Read more

Why there is so much Bad Design?

I am a firm believer in the Human-Centered Design Process. So, why are there so many bad designs? Here’s why: There was never a Designer involved The Designer was brought in on the project too late There wasn’t a person(s) to implement the design The implementer(s) of the design do not have the right skills … Read more

And One More Thing… Realizing a Vision of Innovation through Customer Experience

“And one more thing…” is a phrase Steve Jobs famously used in making announcements of products towards the end of his presentations. Steve Jobs also said “We’re gambling on our vision, and we would rather do that than make ‘me too’ products. Let some other companies do that. For us, it’s always the next dream.” … Read more