The document outlines the importance of understanding customer experiences and behaviors in service design, emphasizing the need for companies to empathize with customers and connect insights to business objectives. It includes an experience map related to rail travel, highlighting customer journey stages and the emotional factors influencing their decisions. The document advocates for generating and prioritizing multiple concepts to improve service design and customer satisfaction.

1. EXPERIENCE
AS STRATEGY
Jamin Hegeman
@jamin
March 31, 2012 |CSPA

2. What is an experience?
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3. 3

4. 4

5. e experience is more than
the design of the interface.
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6. Experience is the feelings people have
while interacting with a service.
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7. A lot of companies operate like this.
Idea! Make! &($*@?
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8. A lot of companies operate like this.
Idea! Make! &($*@?
Don’t have a clear vision of the experience.
Why? Don’t know customer needs and behavior.
Don’t know what the best options might be.
Don’t have a compelling interface.
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9. How can you avoid this?
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10. Empathize with customers.

11. Immerse yourself in their world.
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12. Learn their behaviors and motivations.
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13. Connect insights to business objectives.
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14. Generate lots of concepts.

15. Put every idea on the table.
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16. e first idea is often not the best.
Generate Analyze Prioritize
Use the research to drive Analyze and categorize Identify concepts that have
ideas. Go for quantity. initial concepts. the most value.

17. Create a tangible story.

18. Rail Europe Experience Map
Guiding Principles
People choose rail travel because it is Rail booking is only one part of people’s larger People build their travel plans over time. People value service that is respectful, effective
convenient, easy, and flexible. travel process. and personable.
Customer Journey
STAGES Research & Planning Shopping Booking Post-Booking, Pre-Travel Travel Post Travel
Enter trips Review fares Confirm Delivery Payment Review & Share experience
RAIL EUROPE Research destinations, routes and products Wait for paper tickets to arrive Activities, unexpected changes
Select pass(es) itinerary options options confirm Follow-up on refunds for booking changes
Destination Look up
pages Change Check ticket Share
time tables E-ticket Print
plans status photos
at Station
Get stamp
Live chat for for refund Web
raileurope.com
questions
Plan with Map itinerary
interactive map (finding pass) Share
experience
May call if Buy additional (reviews)
DOING tickets
difficulties
occur
Kayak, View
Blogs & web/
compare maps apps
Travel sites Print e-tickets
airfare at home Paper tickets Plan/
Web arrive in mail Look up
confirm
timetables Arrange Request Mail tickets
Talk with activities
Google Research refunds for refund
friends travel
searches hotels
• What is the easiest way to get around Europe? • I want to get the best price, but I’m willing to pay a • Do I have all the tickets, passes and reservations • Do I have everything I need? • I just figured we could grab a train but there are • Trying to return ticket I was not able to use. Not
• Where do I want to go? little more for first class. I need in this booking so I don’t pay more • Rail Europe website was easy and friendly, but not more trains. What can we do now? sure if I’ll get a refund or not.
THINKING • How much time should I/we spend in each • How much will my whole trip cost me? What are my shipping? when an issue came up, I couldn’t get help. • Am I on the right train? If not, what next? • People are going to love these photos!
place for site seeing and activities? trade-offs? • Rail Europe is not answering the phone. How • I want to make more travel plans. How do I • Next time, we will explore routes and availability
• Are there other activities I can add to my plan? • What will I do if my tickets don’t arrive in time?
else can I get my question answered? do that? more carefully.
• I’m excited to go to Europe! • It’s hard to trust Trip Advisor. Everyone is • Website experience is easy and friendly! • Stressed that I’m about to leave the country • I am feeling vulnerable to be in an unknown place in • Excited to share my vacation story with
• Will I be able to see everything I can? so negative. • Frustrated to not know sooner about which and Rail Europe won’t answer the phone. the middle of the night. my friends.
• What if I can’t afford this? • Keeping track of all the different products tickets are eTickets and which are paper tickets. • Stressed that the train won’t arrive on time for my
FEELING • Frustrated that Rail Europe won’t ship tickets connection.
• A bit annoyed to be dealing with ticket refund
• I don’t want to make the wrong choice. is confusing. Not sure my tickets will arrive in time. to Europe. • Meeting people who want to show us around is fun, issues when I just got home.
• Am I sure this is the trip I want to take?
• Happy to receive my tickets in the mail! serendipitous, and special.
Enjoyability Enjoyability Enjoyability Enjoyability Enjoyability Enjoyability
EXPERIENCE Relevance of Rail Europe Relevance of Rail Europe Relevance of Rail Europe Relevance of Rail Europe Relevance of Rail Europe Relevance of Rail Europe
Helpfulness of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Opportunities
GLOBAL PLANNING, SHOPPING, BOOKING POST-BOOK, TRAVEL, POST-TRAVEL
Communicate a clear value Help people get the help they Support people in creating their Enable people to plan over time. Visualize the trip for planning Arm customers with information Improve the paper ticket Accommodate planning and
proposition. need. own solutions. and booking. for making decisions. experience. booking in Europe too.
STAGE: Initial visit STAGES: Global STAGES: Global STAGES: Planning, Shopping STAGES: Planning, Shopping STAGES: Shopping, Booking STAGES: Post-Booking, Travel, Post-Travel STAGE: Traveling
Make your customers into better, Engage in social media with Connect planning, shopping and Aggregate shipping with a Proactively help people deal Communicate status clearly at
more savvy travelers. explicit purposes. booking on the web. reasonable timeline. with change. all times.
STAGES: Global STAGES: Global STAGES: Planning, Shopping, Booking STAGE: Booking STAGES: Post-Booking, Traveling STAGES: Post-Booking, Post Travel
Information Stakeholder interviews Customer Experience Survey Ongoing, Linear Non-linear, but
non-linear process time based
sources Cognitive walkthroughs Existing Rail Europe Documentation
Experience Map for Rail Europe | August 2011
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19. Prototype through storyboards.
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20. Validate with customers.
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21. Empathize with customers.
Uncover needs and understand context. What really makes sense in their lives?
Generate lots of concepts.
Your first idea is not your best. Prioritize and move forward with the best.
Create a tangible story.
Get the vision out of your head and into a form that you can share and test.
Design with confidence.
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22. Use design as a strategy to be successful.
Idea! Empathize! concept!
visualize! Make! success!
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23. anks!
CONTACT
Jamin Hegeman
jamin@adaptivepath.com | @jamin
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