Some Key Terms in Digital Design

Customer Experience (CX)

Customer experience refers to the full range of emotions and impressions that clients have when interacting with a company. It encompasses the entire interaction cycle, from the moment a client first perceives a need to the time after that need is satisfied. The goal of CX is to enhance business profitability by delivering an exceptional customer experience.

It is important to study complete scenarios of client-company interactions.

The Customer Is Not Just a Buyer

The term "customer" doesn’t only refer to a buyer; it can also mean an employee or any other stakeholder involved. For instance, when the customer is a buyer, we study their experience to boost sales, reduce churn, and increase loyalty. On the other hand, when the customer is an employee, we focus on improving the convenience and efficiency of their work. For example, consider the process of implementing a new software product by an IT company:

• How the Client Sees It

  An employee from the vendor contacts me, schedules a meeting, asks me to fill out checklists, installs the software, and provides the necessary documentation. I’ll sign off if everything works as expected.

• How the Employee Sees It

  I need to contact clients, send checklists, wait for their responses, gather the necessary licenses and documents, visit the site, install and configure the software, answer any questions, provide instructions, and get the documents signed.

Studying scenarios from all perspectives is a good practice for identifying valuable solutions that benefit both the business and its people.

Touchpoint

A touchpoint is any moment when a customer interacts with a company, whether it’s seeing an advertisement, reading a brochure, or visiting a branch. To effectively analyze customer experience (CX), it’s essential to consider the complete scenarios that customers go through. Start by identifying key customer groups and mapping out their journey from start to finish. What does someone who hasn’t yet needed to interact with the company see or hear? What actions will they take when they do? How will they choose a company? How will they receive the product or service? How will they seek support? Will they easily find the address, understand where to go, or need to repeat any steps? All these factors should be carefully considered.

Human-Centered Design

Human-centered design is an approach to developing products and systems that prioritizes the user, focusing on their goals, needs, constraints, and work context.

Product-Oriented Approach

This concept involves creating a product based on the creators’ vision and preferences. A notable example is the Tesla Cybertruck prototype, which was revealed in November 2019. The vehicle features an unconventional design and is resistant to impacts from a sledgehammer and gunfire—qualities deemed important by its creators.

CJM (Customer Journey Map)

A customer journey map outlines how a customer interacts with a company, and it is used to enhance the customer experience. To create a CJM, begin by examining your customer base and categorizing them into groups based on behavioral differences. For each group, develop a persona and trace their journey with the company, meticulously noting every detail on the map that can help improve their experience.

A CJM can also highlight where to improve internal communications, as departments often lack insight into what customers experience before and after interacting with them. Additionally, journey maps are valuable when addressing specific issues, as they provide a holistic view that ensures your solutions integrate seamlessly into the overall customer experience.

CJM example from NNgroup.

The diagram doesn’t need to look exactly like the one shown above; it can take any form that helps you address the problem at hand. The key is to ensure that the client experiences a seamless transition between channels without encountering obstacles, inconveniences, or inconsistencies. The goal is for the client to see a unified and coherent experience.

Persona

A persona is an archetype representing a specific segment of the target audience. The target audience can be divided into groups, each with distinct characteristics such as gender, age, education, income, occupation, workplace, activities, interests, leisure habits, marital status, children, household role, and ownership of items like smartphones, laptops, cars, and real estate.

Personas simplify the process of understanding customers. When dealing with millions of users, it’s impossible to study every individual scenario, so customers are grouped based on shared characteristics. These personas are then used to guide further research.

UX, User Experience

User experience (UX) encompasses all the emotions and impressions a user has while interacting with a service or product. UX is a vital component of the broader customer experience.

UI, User Interface

The user interface (UI) is a design discipline focused on the aesthetics and usability of interfaces. A well-designed UI should evoke the right emotions, be easy to perceive, and be consistent and adaptive. It’s important to note that an interface isn’t limited to what appears on a monitor or smartphone screen; it can also refer to other interaction methods, such as voice or virtual interfaces.

User Story

A user story is a brief description of a user’s actions within a system, often highlighting the benefit of those actions. For example: "As a user, I want to see investment recommendations so that I can find profitable stocks to invest in." User stories are often used instead of detailed system requirements because they are simpler, easier to understand, and require minimal documentation. They also help quickly estimate labor costs and initiate work.

The standard format of a user story is: As a {person}, I want to {make action} so that I can {get benefit}.

Use Case

A use case is a short scenario that describes a specific user action. For example, a user receives an SMS notification that their package has been shipped. They copy the tracking number from the SMS, search for the logistics company mentioned in the message, and use the tracking number to check the shipment status on the company’s website. Analyzing use cases helps identify areas for improvement. In this example, the analysis led to automating the process by including a direct link to the shipment status in the SMS—a seemingly obvious solution that the designer initially overlooked.

Service Blueprint

A service blueprint is a diagram that maps out the entire process of delivering a service to a client, including all the roles involved. Unlike a customer journey map (CJM), a service blueprint also illustrates the behind-the-scenes processes that the client doesn’t see.

Service blueprint example from NNgroup.

The vertical axis represents all the participants involved in the process, while the horizontal axis outlines the steps required to deliver the service. The line of visibility separates the steps that are visible to the client from those that are not.

Agile

Agile is a team-based development methodology that emphasizes adaptability to constantly changing external and internal conditions throughout a project’s implementation. It involves working in short cycles called iterations, during which the team delivers a small but functional part of the project. At the end of each iteration, the team reviews the results and adjusts priorities as needed.

Scrum

Scrum is a project management framework that is a specific implementation of Agile. Work in Scrum is carried out in short iterations called sprints, typically lasting 1 to 4 weeks. Unlike a rigid "methodology," Scrum is flexible, so it is referred to as a framework.

Scrum includes the following key concepts, known as artifacts:

• Backlog: A list of tasks (functionality requirements) presented as user stories that need to be completed for the product to exist and evolve. The product owner manages the backlog, updating and prioritizing tasks in collaboration with the team.

• Sprint Backlog: A list of tasks selected from the backlog for a specific sprint. Each task is estimated by the team member responsible for its completion. The time required is usually estimated in story points during sprint planning.

• Sprint Goal: The objective that the sprint is designed to achieve.

• Kanban Board: A visual board that organizes task cards into categories based on their current status.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

An MVP is a product with the minimal functionality necessary to deliver value. Its purpose is to launch quickly, gather feedback, and validate or refine hypotheses for future product development. This approach is more cost-effective than building a fully-featured product from the outset.