05.10.2009
Goodbye Process-Thinking. Hello Design-Thinking
By Graham Hill, Customers & More. If I was advising a client today on who are the best Customer Experiences (CEX) designers, I would be pointing them to design agencies like DesignThinkers in Amsterdam, live|work or Engine Service Design, not to the CEX consultancies that I might have used only a few years ago.
I have noticed a recent change in how Customer Experiences (CEX) are designed. A change for the better.
In the past CEX design was often the domain of the B-school trained consultant or manager. They used a logical, touchpoint-driven approach. Process design (using a variety of process mapping methods) was a big part of this approach. But the results of their work has been mixed at best. Despite a few well publicised successes, most of their CEX designs failed to deliver value to customers in the way they, customers, want it.
More recently, I have seen service design agencies get more and more involved in CEX design. These D-school trained people use a broad range of tools and techniques (including the servicescaping process-mapping method) to create superior CEX designs. Designs that pull the logical, emotional and aesthetic value levers that customers are looking for in a CEX. That create satisfaction, preference and maybe even loyalty.
