Are all digital experiences designed?
I am a designer of online experiences. That is what I call myself - at least to myself. That doesn’t mean much to anyone else but that’s ok. I am online world, at least up until the arrival of AI, everything you saw or did on the Internet was because someone “designed it”. They made it that way. Someone chose the color, the size of the button, the order in a list, and so on.
I go further than just these points when I talk about designing experiences. I mean across the entire range of interactions one has with a business. This includes all that is found on the company’s website but also includes what that company does on social media and of course on review sites like Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Co.
Is the company logo identical across these places?
Are the opening hours consistent?
Do all the links placed on the web point to consistent places?
When I experience a company online I see them as the sum of all the places they can be found. Not all can be completely controlled by the company, like Google or Yelp reviews. A company can interact with these reviews and appear to others to be truly interested in satisfied customers; even when the last review was poor and perhaps unfair.
Intention = /ɪnˈtenʃən/
Cambridge dictionary = something that you want and plan to do
I listened to a podcast a while back and this triggered the idea for this post. Debbie Millman is a writer, educator, and designer and was interviewed on the podcast.
Something you plan to do. Debbie Millman said on a Kara Swisher podcast “Design is about intention”. There is thought and a purpose put into the object produced. That object can be anything; a street sign, a building, a photograph, or an experience. Yes, experiences can be intentional like the meal you eat in a restaurant or a visit to Disney Land. However, all digital experiences are designed.
Debbie Millman on the Sway podcast February 2022
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w1nCoFFwxrURx964WFX7s?si=7364f82ac3184d71
Are all digital experiences designed?
So, I wrote to a few of my online experience gurus and asked them this question: “Are customer experiences designed?”. Here’s what they think.
Annette Franz - Founder + CEO - CX JOURNEY Inc.
For the most part, customer experiences are not designed. I think that they are in some organizations, but that’s not the norm. There’s a quote out there about culture that goes something like, “You get the culture you design or the one you allow.” Well, I think the same is true for customer experience, and since we’re still fighting the good fight to help executives “get it,” I think there’s more “allow” happening than “designing.” Yes, there are the usual suspects, those iconic brands are always cited for having great experiences, but even they aren’t perfect.
As customer experience professionals, we strive to design experiences. We take the time to understand customers. We create our customer experience intent statements. But if we can’t get the entire organization on board, it’s a challenge to fully design the experience.
Professor Cristin Tarr - University of Denver
I believe that the best customer experience (CX) programs are executed through a human-centered design approach. CX design involves a thoughtful process of curating and planning every touchpoint with a customer. The voice of the customer begins with product innovation and carries through to the operations. The design involves every member of an organization to uncover customer needs, wants, and pain points along the journey. Design enables customer-centric organizations to cultivate innovation and agility, allowing them to effectively address the constantly evolving needs of their customers.
https://daniels.du.edu/directory/cristin-tarr/
Daniel Ord - Founder & Director - OmniTouch International
First, we define what kind of experience we're going to deliver. Then we make choices about how we're going to apply resources to delivering that defined experience.
https://www.omnitouchinternational.com
What are your thoughts? Particularly when it comes to online experience. I will not ask you if all of those experiences are fantastic. There is much to improve on and that is where I find myself focussing my time.
