Six Research Toolsets for Building a Better Customer Connection

by Paul Conder. Lenati. 2014.

BETTER RESEARCH MAKES BETTER BUSINESSFor any customer experience initiative to be successful, the project team needs to be very well informed about the customer’s preferences, opinions and behaviors - while the customer is surrounded by a complex network of channels, environments, touchpoints and media. at’s a lot of moving parts, and a lot of different interests to keep in check.

It never ceases to amaze us how much there is to discover when we embark on a new CX project. Many ideas that seemed to be “givens” dissolve the moment we get into the field and start talking to people. Over the years, we have developed a working set of tools that help us get a better understanding of the customer. It’s unlikely that you would ever use them all on a single project, so knowing how each tool can extend your capabilities to understand the customer is key to framing up a project.

Before getting into the toolbox, we need to start by asking what aspects of the customer’s experience we want to examine, and what the scope of the project will be.....

THE NEWCX TOOLBOX

Lenati LLCUnit 100 1300 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA1 800-848-1449 lenati.com

PERSONAL

PRACTICAL

CULTURAL

PROFITABLE

From what we’ve seen there are four conditions that need to be satisfied to foster a customer experience that is mutually beneficial to the customer and the company.

Personal. e customer will be giving their time and their money in exchange for a product, service and experience - they deserve and expect to be engaged in a way that is relevant and valuable to them.

Practical. e company needs to be able to effectively operationalize the approach in the real world.

Profitable. e balance between operations costs and sales needs to be positive and worthwhile.

Cultural. For the customer, the experience needs to be appropriate for their cultural framework and how they see themselves in it. From the company’s point of view, the aggregate of all these experiences makes up the building blocks of their brand and it’s place in the world.

FOUR CONDITIONS.

PERSONAL

PRACTICAL

CULTURALSO

CIAL

MED

IA

MOBI

LEINTERIOR SPACE

ARCH

ITECT

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PROD

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SERV

ICE

MESSAGING

WORD OF MOUTH

ADVERTISING

MERCHANDISING

WEB DESIGN

OPERATIONS COSTSBUSINESS GOALS

CAPITAL COSTS

R+D COSTS

SALES METRICS

OPS

FRAM

EWOR

K

DIST

RIBU

TION

LEAD

TIME

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MANUF

ACTU

RING

CONSTRUCTION

SERVICE FRAMEWORK

BRAND

SOCIETAL

DEMOGRAPHIC

ENVIRONMENTAL

LIFECYCLE

TECHNOGRAPHIC

PROFITABLE

ECONOMIC

When a customer interacts with a brand, each aspect of their experience is modified through different touchpoints, media and channels. Each of these can be extremely complex in themselves, can overlap each other, and are generally managed by large diverse groups within a company. ese groups are often siloed into isolated management structures, with a lack of communication between each other. When a single tactic aimed at fostering a positive customer experience requires a holistic approach to be successful, many management teams are unable to get a complete view of the terrain.

PERSONAL

PRACTICAL

CULTURAL

SOCI

AL M

EDIA

MOBI

LE

INTERIOR SPACE

ARCH

ITECT

URE

PROD

UCT

SERV

ICE

MESSAGING

WORD OF MOUTH

ADVERTISING

MERCHANDISING

WEB DESIGN

OPERATIONS COSTS

BUSINESS GOALS

CAPITAL COSTS

R+D COSTS

SALES METRICS

OPS

FRAM

EWOR

K

DIST

RIBU

TION

LEAD

TIME

S

MANUF

ACTU

RING

CONSTRUCTION

SERVICE FRAMEWORK

BRAND

SOCIETAL

DEMOGRAPHIC

ENVIRONMENTAL

LIFECYCLE

TECHNOGRAPHIC

PERFORMANCE DATA INTEGRATION

EXIS

TING

RES

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DESIGN PROVOCATION

CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING

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OPERATIONS OVERLAY

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LIFECYCLE MAPPING

LIFECYCLE MAPPING

FOCU

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OUP

PERSONAS AND SCENARIOS

PERSONAS AND SCENARIOS

OPERATIONS AND PROCESS ANALYSIS

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FIELD OBSERVATIO

N - APP ENABLED

PHOTO / VIDEO ETHNOGRAPHY

AUTOMATED ETHNOGRAPHY

CUSTOMER DIARY

SECRET CUSTOMER

SECRET CUSTOMER

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP

CULTURAL PROBES

BRAND ANALYSIS

TECHNOGRAPHIC SURVEY

PROFITABLE

ECONOMIC

e CX Toolbox - the components of which are shown here in the outer ring - is a set of processes and tools aimed at giving a company a better understanding of how it connects with their customers in the real world, the experiences that customers are having as a result, and how all of this relates to business goals and profit for the company.

EXISTING INTELLIGENCESTAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPLIVE DATA INTEGRATIONEXISTING RESEARCH INTEGRATIONBRAND AUDITSEGMENTS, PERSONAS AND SCENARIOS

CUSTOMER INPUTVOICE OF THE CUSTOMER VOICE OF THE OPERATORFOCUS GROUPWEB FORUMCUSTOMER DIARIES OR PROBES (MOBILE AND ANALOG)PARTICIPATORY EXPERIENCE DESIGN

FIELD RESEARCHETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCHPHOTO / VIDEO ETHNOGRAPHYFIELD SAFARISECRET CUSTOMER FIELD OBSERVATION - MOBILE ENABLED

ANALYTIC INPUTONLINE ANALYTICSSOCIAL ANALYTICSBEACON DATAAUTOMATED ETHNOGRAPHY AND ANALYTICSMOBILE ANALYTICS

VISUALIZATIONCUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPINGPERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OVERLAYTOUCHPOINT / AFFORDANCES OVERLAYOPERATIONS OVERLAY (STAKEHOLDER MAP)LIFECYCLE MAPPINGCUSTOM DATA VIZOPERATIONS AND PROCESS ANALYSIS

DESIGN RESEARCHLAB SIMULATIONROLEPLAYPROTOTYPE INTERVENTIONSOFT PROTOTYPINGPAPER PROTOTYPINGMECHANICAL TURK PROTOTYPINGFIELD PROTOTYPINGALPHA AND BETA TESTING

1.

2.

3.

4.

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6.

The CX Toolbox splits nicely into six toolsets -

each one with a different area of focus.

Photo: Mark O’Rourke

TOOLSTAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP

DATA INTEGRATION

EXISTING RESEARCH

INTEGRATION

BRAND AUDIT

SEGMENTATION AUDIT

PERSONAS AND SCENARIOS

THE EXISTING INTELLIGENCE TOOLSET helps integrate the knowledge that is already embedded in the company into the Discovery Phase of a CX research project. Every company has a set of prior learnings, colloquial knowledge, existing research and financial data that can provide context and key insights for understanding how the company currently connects with it’s customers. ese tools can also be used to bring stakeholders into the conversation who otherwise would not be heard. Additionally, these tools can be used to help the company understand any gaps in it’s understanding of their customer, to better grasp the company’s brand and corporate culture, and to help build consensus amongst the key stakeholders.

USES• To draw out existing knowledge from

leadership and key stakeholders.• To build dialogue and directional consensus

within the project team.

• To integrate current transactional data, purchasing patterns, loyalty program data and other available metrics into the research.

• To continuously update CX outcomes.

• To leverage work already done by the company around customer patterns and behaviors, service and operational systems.

• To understand past successes and challenges

• To understand how the company is perceived in-market, and how leadership sees it evolving.

• To understand gaps between brand vision and the actual perceptions in-market and in-house.

• To understand how the company views and groups it’s customers, their needs and drivers - providing insight on how to reach out to new customers, and better engage existing ones.

• To build iconic profiles that are representative of customer groups or segments - providing a set of criteria that define who the customer is, aligned with their wants, needs and motivators.

APPROACHDevelop and facilitate a set of workshop activities aimed at fostering a conversation between diverse stakeholder groups on key topic areas and project questions. Document and share results across the project team.

Review existing data availability at the start of the project, to ascertain reliability and depth of information to aid understanding of real-world patterns. Inventory and integrate useful data sources, translating as needed.

Inventory past research into customer patterns, segmentation, marketing and sales strategy. Critique and filter by current relevance and alignment with project direction. Integrate findings to guide new research.

Build a view of how the company is perceived inside and out - this can vary enormously with required scope. It could start with simple stakeholder input, but scale up to focus groups, social listening and secondary research.

Assess current customer segmentation, and how useful it is in building a model to acquire or engage customers. If needed, research customer base to offer insights on how to build a more accurate and useful model.

Using research about customer segments and behaviors gathered through ethnography, surveys and other means, compile representative profiles of typical customers that describe each group. Answer the question “who is this?”

LIMITATIONSCan be more useful for building a cultural understanding of the company than generating new findings or ideas.

Non-compatible and outdated data systems can require investment to translate or lead to limited results.

Existing research can be based on out-of-date customer needs, technographic or cultural criteria.

Relying on a company-centric view can lead to an idealized version of the brand, far removed from actual customer perceptions.

Existing segmentation models, if built for another purpose, might not provide a useful framework for improving customer engagement.

Many companies have built personas without deep research to support them, leading to highly idealized, erroneous profiles being put in use.

1.

TOOLVOICE OF THE CUSTOMER

VOICE OF THE OPERATOR

FOCUS GROUP

WEB FORUM

CUSTOMER DIARIES

OR PROBES

PARTICIPATORY

CX DESIGN

THE CUSTOMER INPUT TOOLSET incorporates the customer’s point of view into the Discovery Phase of a CX design project. For all tools shown below, it is critical to work with a sample of customers that is as representative as possible of your actual customer base. As with any survey design, the answers will only be as good as the questions - the quality of the data will be dependent on the sensitivity of the researcher not just to the experience of the customer generally, but also their experience of the survey.

USES• To draw out customer opinions and perceptions

about a company, it’s products and services.

• To build an understanding of the employee’s experience, with the pretext that a staff member can only deliver high-quality service if they are empowered and enabled to do so.

• To collect input from a group of either staff or customers to understand their perceptions of a product or service before it is launched.

• Similar in some ways to a focus group, but conducted in an online environment - constraints of time, cost and location can be greatly reduced.

• To build a detailed personal view of the customer’s experience and a document of a continuous customer’s journey.

• To bring the customer’s own insights into the creative process directly.

APPROACHrough a combination of surveys (either in person, via direct intercept or online) and / or facilitated group workshops - record, tabulate and analyze a sample group of customer’s answers to questions about the company.

Similar in approach to Voice of the Customer, above - except with a representative sample of staff instead of customers. Use the opportunity to draw out both insights about the customer’s experience and that of the staff itself.

Assemble a group of representative customers or potential target customers and work through a series of activities aimed at drawing out the group’s opinion around their experiences engaging with a product or service.

Bring a representative group of customers together in an online setting, either by video or simple chat, to engage in an open conversation about their experiences.

Distribute either paper or digital (app-based, including photo, video and sound) diary tools to a sample group - have them record their experiences in their own words as they engage with a product or service.

Bring a group of customers into the actual design process through the discovery and creative phases. Encourage their input, especially into new concepts. is usually works best with “expert customers” who are passionate about the end result.

2.

LIMITATIONSMany topics in CX are too subtle to be summed up consciously by a customer in an interview, and need to be discovered in other ways.

ere can be an implicit urge for staff to impress their superiors or please the researcher, resulting in some problems being downplayed.

Many customers have difficulty imagining a future state, and so will be better at giving feedback based on existing paradigms only.

Communication, cross-pollination of ideas and empathy between participants in an online environment is limited.

ere can be a tendency for inconsistent documentation from person to person - creating a data set that is skewed.

Choose your participants wisely! An example of a well constructed group was for the development of Lego Mindstorms - see the case study here: archive.wired.com/wired/archive/14.02/lego.html

TOOLETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

PHOTO/VIDEO

ETHNOGRAPHY

FIELD SAFARI

SECRET CUSTOMER

FIELD OBSERVATION

(TABLET ENABLED)

THE FIELD RESEARCH TOOLSET is used to build a rich set of observations about customer behavior for use in the Discovery Phase of a CX project. Most of these techniques are derived from the social sciences. e term “ethnography” comes from the late 19th century, when Western researchers interested in the cultures of indigenous peoples found that they could only understand their subjects if they made observations up close - observing behavior and interaction in the real world rather than basing their research on hearsay or conjecture. is thinking has been adopted into the field of Customer Experience - with teams of researchers being dispatched to watch customers in the field, hopefully without significantly altering the terrain as they make their observations. While these techniques were originally developed for the physical environment, they have been adapted to call centers, online and other service areas.

USES• To build a deep understanding of customer

behavior patterns in the real world.

• Similar to the above, but using photo and video to extend the reach of the study and document findings in real time.

• To draw out the insights from a group of customers, the first time they engage directly with a brand - recording both behaviors and personal input.

• To document the customer’s journey first hand, with the benefit of a researcher’s POV.

• To minimize the effect of the presence of the observer on the outcomes of the study itself.

• Similar to ethnography, above - but using the recording capacity and speed of a digital handheld or tablet device to record high volumes of observational data in real time.

APPROACHDeploy observers into a representative sample of field locations to observe customer behavior in the context of the service environment, without disrupting the customer or context. Record observations for later analysis.

Use photo and video techniques to create a more extensive document of customer behavior patterns at several locations at once. is can be augmented with automated systems to show density and velocity of customer traffic.

Bring a target group of customers into a service environment for the first time - record ethnographic observations during the engagement AND customer feedback afterwards to get a clear idea of first impressions.

Deploy a group of researchers into the service environment, disguised as real customers, and prepared with an observational framework and scenario to engage with the service. Record observations for later analysis.

Using a tablet, handheld or similar device, build a custom framework that records ethnographic data, allowing the researcher to record more data with less encumbrance in the field. Lenati has developed a proprietary tablet-based system that can be customized based on client needs.

3.

LIMITATIONSis approach can yield a very high quality view of the customer’s behavior - but can be expensive to implement across a broad sample.

e collection of video is the least expensive part of this process - reviewing and analyzing it involves significant time and resources.

Similar to customer voice techniques, customers can only give feedback on things they engage with on a conscious level.

e acting ability of the researcher can limit the test. Staff can react negatively to being observed if the test is discovered.

Cost of developing the recording app might not be justified by the potential benefits of having more data. (Lenati’s system gets around this challenge by being pre-built)

TOOLONLINE ANALYTICS

SOCIAL LISTENING

BEACON DATA

AUTOMATED

ETHNOGRAPHY

MOBILE ANALYTICS

APP ANALYTICS

THE ANALYTICS TOOLSET analyses information collected from digital sources and ethnographic research during the Discovery Phase of a project - identifying correlations in the data to help guide business initiatives. For example, links can be found between touchpoint design characteristics, customer behaviors and revenue. Or relationships between online and offline behaviors can be linked with spending across channels. e amount of data that can come from studies like this can be massive, so having the analytical chops to find real patterns in the data is key to a project’s success. For a deeper dive in this area, see our article “e Phygital Customer” available from lenati.com/cx.

USES• To build an understanding of your customer’s

behavior online, particularly in the context of e-commerce.

• To listen in on public channels of social media to learn what your customers say about you.

• To respond in real time in the customer’s medium of choice.

• To use low energy bluetooth signals from a mobile device to track the near-exact location of customers in a physical environment.

• To use surveillance systems, either through wifi positioning or video, coupled with real time image processing, to capture movements and dwell times of customers in a physical space.

• To understand patterns of customer interaction through mobile channels.

• To draw out purchase patterns, browsing behaviors, loyalty data and other behavioral metrics while using a proprietary app that a customer has installed on their mobile device.

APPROACHIntegrate search engine analytics, website data, click-through data from online advertising, cookie data and other online sources to understand patterns of interaction around your online brand.

Use readily available platforms to make real-time observations of public social media channels - searching for mentions of your company, services, promotions or products. Many companies (for example Burberry) are able to respond in a few seconds to comments/complaints.

Install a network of beacons into the environment, capable of tracking the position of opted-in smart phones. Use the data to understand customer patterns and to push relevant offers and messaging based on customer location.

ere are several services available (for example Nomi, Swarm, RetailNext and Euclid) that offer customer traffic analytics integrated with sales data. For more information, see our article “In-Store Analytics Solutions” at lenati.com/cx. Data from these systems can be integrated directly into CX research projects, or used to create live dashboards of customer patterns.

ere are three areas of study to integrate - anonymous mobile usage data purchased from telcos, mobile website analytics and wi-fi usage in the service environment.

Develop and promote the use of an app that provides a clear benefit to the customer (past purchases, assisted browsing, loyalty programs, special offers etc.) and collects key usage and purchasing data from those who opt in.

4.

LIMITATIONSBlocked cookies, ad filtering and privacy networks can block or misrepresent data for some users, resulting in some skewed results.

Not all social channels are able to be scanned, and each network skews to a different demographic and user profile. You probably aren’t listening to your entire customer base here.

Beacons can only track users that have opted in, and are on the network. Many customers are hesitant to be tracked.

While this technique can give a lot of useful data, it is not a replacement for field observation, which can capture a much deeper set of behavioral information - right the way down to emotional cues and social interactions.

Many customers feel that even anonymous tracking via mobile is an invasion of their privacy.

Tracking app usage patterns only works for those who have opted in, and this is typically a very limited and skewed sample.

TOOLCUSTOMER JOURNEY

MAPPING

PERCEPTIONS AND

EXPECTATIONS

OVERLAY

TOUCHPOINT +

AFFORDANCES

OVERLAY

OPERATIONS +

PROCESSES

OVERLAY

LIFECYCLE MAPPING

CUSTOM DATA VIZ

THE VISUALIZATION TOOLSET helps CX research teams during the Discovery and Ideation Phases find patterns in customer behavior by creating images from the research data - related to the physical, digital and service environment. For a deeper dive into customer journey mapping and related techniques, visit lenati.com/cx.

USES• To build a clear picture of how groups of

customers interact with your company and your brand, calling out moments of engagement, challenges and opportunities to make a better connection along the way.

• To visualize the customer’s journey from their point of view, layering customer voice data into the journey map to anticipate expectations and brand perceptions at each step.

• To tie the customer journey to the digital and physical touchpoints that customer encounter

• To correlate painpoints, softspots and opportunities with digital and physical space.

• To map the operational framework behind the customer journey, accounting for service interactions, the staff journey, operations and capital costs, workflow. Digital and physical.

• To extend the understanding of the customer journey to include the entire relationship with the brand - from first contact to maturity.

• To enhance the view of specific aspects of the customer’s journey - using data visualization techniques to find previously undiscovered patterns in customer behaviour.

APPROACHMap the experiences the customer engages in along their journey, as observed in the research. Base this on real-world findings, not on imaginary personas. Keep your focus on the customer’s POV and use language that emphasizes the subjective, the active and the personal.

Incorporate data from customer voice research around customer perceptions and expectations at each point. Answer the question “What are the customer’s needs and wants here? How are we meeting them?”

Map the digital and physical touchpoints - from large scale (e.g. architecture) to small and personal (e.g. mobile app) into the framework. How are these items helping to enable the customer experience? If they aren’t why are they in the customer’s space?

Repeat the above process to match the service and operational framework to customer journey. How can this be streamlined to improve service and provide a better customer connection?

Zoom out to show the framework of acquisition and engagement pathways for each segment. is is likely such a large scale that it shouldn’t be incorporated into the Journey framework discussed above.

is technique should only be used to solve for very specific problems or opportunities to seek out patterns in the data - and it is very dependent on data analysis tools that are available. Jump 3 pages ahead to see an example.

5.

LIMITATIONSis is a fairly abstract view of aggregate data which can confuse some viewers - for a more granular approach, consider storyboarding.

is layer (and others) will only be as good as the data from previous VoC research - but VoC can be very subjective and difficult to obtain.

Overemphasizing this part of the customer journey map can lead to an operational bias in how it is viewed, shifting focus away from actual customer patterns

Focus needs to be placed on the operator’s journey and associated support systems - not a complete view of every back of house system.

Capturing data for a map of this scale - often spanning years of engagement - can be a challenge.

ere can be a tendency to create beautiful visualization from all this data - that might not carry much relevant information.

Data Visualization Of Customer Patterns In A Physical Environment. Using Lenati’s Tablet-based ethnographic research tool, (T-BERT) an extensive dataset was collected, including customer browsing patterns, pathing, emotional cues, group pattern behavior, and service interactions. This was the mapped to sales data to create a performance-based model of the environment. Using a proprietary visualization system, the data was mapped into an image of the store to reveal density of customer activity and spending. The same technology can be applied to other industries that involve complex customer pathing - for example healthcare, banking, food & beverage and transportation.

SOCIAL SOCIAL SOCIAL

MOBILEMOBILE

IN STORE FOLLOW UPONLINE

ORIENTING

LOCATING

SEARCHING

DISCOVERING/SELECTING

TRYING

PURCHASING

SELECTING PURCHASING

CUSTOMER PATHING

PRODUCT ENGAGEMENT

ACTIVATION PRODUCT RETIREMENT

OPERATIONAL ZONES

PRODUCT and SERVICE OFFERINGS

TOUCHPOINTS AND AFFORDANCES

BRAND CUES AND MESSAGING

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

PHYSICAL

DIGITAL

Customer Journey Mapping A customer journey map is a visualization of customer experiences, aligned to a sequence or process chart. They can take many forms - the one pictured here is a simple sketch created by a leadership team of an omnichannel retailer. The map starts with the customer experiences laid out in the center - enabled through both physical (orange) and digital (blue) media. Connections are made along likely paths made by different customer groups. The product and service offerings, operational zones, service interactions, physical and digital touchpoints and messaging are layered into the map - bringing focus to bottlenecks, painpoints and softspots in the process. Similar to the data viz technique on the previous page, Customer Journey mapping has been adapted to several industries that deal with complex customer interactions and processes.

RICHARD JAMES

BACK COUNTRY SKIING

BACK COUNTRY SKIING

LOCAL ECOLOGY

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

DOWNHILL CYCLING

SHOPPING

SPORTS CLUBS

BIRDING

SWIMING LOCATIONS

RUNNING GROUPS

DOWNHILL SKIING

CROSSCOUNTRY SKIING

SENIORS ACTIVITIES

DEVELOPER CREDIBILITY

LOCAL GEOGRAPHY

BARS & NIGHTLIFETRANSPORT

NEARBY AMENITIES

SPA

ROAD BIKE

SCHOOLS

CAMPING

LOCAL MATERIALS

HIKING

GOLF

HUNTING

FISHING

FISHING

LOCAL VEGETARIAN ORGANIC

LOCAL VEGETARIAN ORGANIC LOCAL ECOLOGYCREATE ATTRACTIONENTRY FROM MAIN ST. VISIBLE BUT UNWELCOMINGCLOSED IN AND DARK

BASECAMP TO ROCKIES: ENTRYSTRONG EXTERIOR SIGNAGE PROGRAMREINVENT DARK EXTERIOR - OPEN UP TO OUTSIDEACTIVE CAFE / BAR ENVIRONMENTSTRONG DIRECTIONAL LIGHT FEATURE

FOSTER DIALOGUENOT SALES AGESTS IN CAFEGUIDE ACTS CONNECTS VISITORTO WHAT THE AREA HAS TO OFFERSTARTS CONVERSATIONS TOGENERATE PROFILEALTERNATE TOUCHSCREEN INTERFACEFOR DIRECT INPUT FROM VISITOR

WILDLIFE EXHIBIT OVER STEEL FIREPLACELONG BAR, CAGED ROCK, RECYCLED WOODINTIMATE, WARM, DISARMING

EAST WEST PARTNERSTHREE SISTERS MOUNTAIN VILLAGEDISCOVERY CENTERCANMORE ALBERTA

IPHONE INTERFACE CONTROLWIRELESS CONNECTIONS TO

MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM

08.174

1. ENTRY - CREATE ATTRACTION 2. CAFE - FOSTER DIALOGUE 3. PERSONALIZE - GENERATE GUEST PROFILE 4. EXHIBIT - ORIENTATION AND BIG PICTURE STORIES 5. MODEL SPACE - PERSONALIZED PRESENTATION 6. INTERACTIVE - PERSONALIZED PRESENTATION

DOWNHILL CYCLING

LOCAL ART

LOCAL MUSIC

RAIL LINE HISTORY

PLANT LIFE

FESTIVALS

LOCAL TRAILS ORIENTATION LOCAL HERBS, VEGIES SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY

LOCAL PRIORITIES

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

HORTICULTURE

FARMING

MICRO FARMING

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

GUIDE RESOURCES NAVIGATION ORGANIC FARMS

DIFFICULTY LEVELS TRAILS LOCAL SPECIALTIES

IMAGES SPECIES ABORIGINAL DISHES

LOCAL EQUIP. SOURCES HISTORY LOCAL RESTAURANTS

GUIDED TRIPS GUIDE RESOURCES RECIPES

LESSONS & CLINICS CHEF PROFILES

TOUR RESERVATIONS

TRIP RESERVATIONS

RESTAURANT GUIDE

RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS

GENERATE GUEST PROFILE FOR NAVIGATION OF EXHIBIT, TOUR, OUTPUT

INTRODUCE STORYBIG PICTURE - GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE, HISTORY

PERSONALIZED PRESENTATIONINTEGRATED MODEL & MULTIMEDIA

IPHONE SYNCHRONIZESWITH BASE STATION UPONVISITOR AND GUIDE’S RETURN TODISCOVERY CENTRE.

COFFEE, SNACKS, WINEOFFER OF SETTING UP RESERVATIONSFOR FURTHER ACTIVITIES - RESTAURANTSBARS, SPORTS CLINICS ETC.

PHONE DOWNLOADS DATA FOR PRINTEDOUTPUT - COMPUTER AUTOMATICALLYCREATES DOCUMENT OF JOURNEY

PHOTOS OF SITETOUR STORED IN IPHONE FOR DOWNLOAD UPON RETURN TO CENTRE

CUSTOM DOCUMENT:INFORMATION FROM PROFILEPDF VERSIONS OF DIGITAL PRESENTATION, KEY IMAGES FROM EXHIBITS, RESERVATIONS FOR RESTAURANT, TOURS ETC.MAP OF SITE TOUR, PHOTOS TAKEN ON TOUR, LOCALRELEVANT BUSINESS GUIDERELEVANT REAL ESTATE OFFERINGSSUITED TO VISITOR.

9. PRODUCT SPECIFIC INFORMATION7. EXIT TO GUIDED TOUR - COMMUNITY STORIES 8. PERSONALIZED GUIDED TOUR

SITE INFO

TOUR MAP

PERSONAL PROFILE

KEY AREAS OF INTEREST

GPS CO ORDINATES - SITES

VISIT RECORDER

8. RETURN TO CENTRE -

CLO

SE

CAFE EXHIBITFOUR MICRO-STORIES AROUND LOCAL DIFFERENTIATORS:FISHING, ART GALLERY, RESTAURANT, HORTICULTURE

TOUR SITES GUIDED BY GPS ENABLED IPHONE APP.CUSTOMIZED STORY LINE FROM GUEST PROFILE, TOUR GUIDE

PERSONAL PHOTOS OF SITE VISIT

This is another example of a Customer Journey Map. - In this case, the project involved a series of orientation, customer service and sales interactions at a mountain resort. Rather than focus on the touchpoints themselves, the framework focuses on how the customer’s experience is fostered by the physical, digital and mobile environment - all from the customer’s point of view. This was used later to develop the physical and digital infrastructure of the resort, and to ensure each touchpoint supported a positive customer experience.

TOOLSOFT AND PAPER

PROTOTYPING

LAB PROTOTYPING

MECHANICAL

TURK

WORKING PROTOTYPE

INTERVENTION

FIELD PROTOTYPING

THE DESIGN RESEARCH TOOLSET provides techniques for validating CX concepts during the Prototype / Testing phase of a CX project. In the process of creating a new CX strategy, this stage is often downplayed due to the high cost of crating a functional prototype - but many lower-cost options are available to get the bugs worked out and inform the research and design teams. e toolset below is arranged in order of cost, from the lowest to the highest. is is usually the same order in which these tools are employed - testing more ideas faster and cheaper at the beginning - and testing the more refined ideas using more accurate methods later in the process after the first ideas were weeded out. In fact, the first few tools are commonly used in the previous Ideation Phase of a project to inform the team about their ideas as they work.

USES• Using extremely simple and inexpensive means

to test basic concepts for customer interaction.

• Testing a concept in a controlled environment without affecting the perceptions of the general market.

• Testing an interactive system without having to go to the expense of building out the AI or database portions - replacing them with an operator who is out of sight of the subject.

• Testing a fully functional prototype in a real-world environment, intervening in a customer journey with a realistic model of a concept.

• More extensive testing in multiple locations, testing for variations by market, geography, etc.

APPROACHDevise the simplest and the least expensive ways to test an idea - for example model an app using a pad of paper and marker to represent the interface, or create cardboard and acrylic mockups for physical objects or environments. Modify the models quickly as the concepts are assessed. ese models should be seen as “sketches” of ideas - disposable, inexpensive and quick. Move on to more definitive prototypes when the best path is chosen.

In a studio or workshop environment, work through test scenarios like service interactions, mock-up environments, digital interfaces etc. Run subjects through the scenarios, using similar methods as described for the discovery phase of the project.

Build a mock-up of a digital interface on an appropriate hardware platform - but allow the role of the computer to be played by a member of the research team through the back-end of the interface, connected through a network. Collect data on test subject’s preferences and behavior for use in further developing the interface.

Build implement and test an accurate working model of the concept in the actual environment - this could be an environment, a physical touchpoint, digital interface, website or app. Use previous toolsets as applicable to gain insights on customer patterns and business impact.

Repeat the working prototype test, but at multiple locations, sampled to be representative of the company’s reach and future target markets.

6.

LIMITATIONSSoft models can be easily misinterpreted by those who aren’t accustomed to mock-ups produced by inexpensive means. is can lead to misunderstandings around the purpose of the test. Also, many features cannot be tested effectively using simple media.

e controlled environment can produce findings that do not replicate in the real world due to unforeseen environmental interactions.

Without clear guidelines, it is easy for the operator to overstep the abilities of an actual digital interface, giving a false sense of “do-ability” for a concept.

e cost of building fully-functioning prototypes can seem very high for many types of touchpoints. However, these last two tools represent the last opportunities to eliminate any potential mis-steps before they intersect with the customer. Plan for the cost and timing of a real-world test.

AFTERWORD:PEOPLE > TOOLSWhile these toolsets can be extremely powerful in the hands of an experienced research and design team, it’s important to remember that they are only a means to an end. eir value lies in how much they help build an understanding of the customer. ere has been a lot of attention paid to “big data” as customer insights have become more and more data-heavy. Our analytical capacity has exploded in the last few years. It has a lot of potential upside for business, and in turn that has had a lot of press. With all that attention, we need to guard against the allure and the power of the tools themselves overwhelming our industry and relegating something as broad-reaching as “Customer Experience” to some kind of digitally-enabled game of numbers.

But overall my concern is outweighed by my optimism, fueled by the potential I’ve seen in these tools to foster better design, better business practices, and stronger connections with people.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READINGe research methods discussed in this article are in use across the fields of CX, design, customer insights and marketing. However, the language used to describe these methods is often not consistent from firm to firm. Research for this article included:

is is Service Design inking.Stickdorn and Schneider. Wiley Press Design ResearchBrenda Laurel, Editor. MIT Press.

Visualizing Complexity.Manuel Lima, Princeton Architectural Press.

Massive Change.Bruce Mau & Institute Without Boundaries, Phaidon.

Why We Buy - e Science of Shopping.Paco Underhill, Simon and Schuster.

The New CX Toolbox by Paul Conder, Lenati LLC. (C) 2014

Images by Paul Conder, except as noted.

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