This document discusses designing magical customer experiences. It begins by defining an experience as intentionally engaging customers in a memorable event using services and goods. Research shows that experiences make people happier than possessions. The purpose of customer experience design is to grow customers, increase sales, and reduce costs. It then outlines frog's approach to experience design, which includes in-context research, prototyping the experience, telling stories, beautiful design, and developing organizational capabilities. The overall message is that creating and delivering better experiences for customers is now imperative for companies.

1. D E S I G N
M A G I C A L
E X P E R I E N C E S
NOVEMBER 2016
Harry West
frog

2. “An experience occurs when a company
intentionally uses services as the stage, and
goods as props, to engage individual customers
in a way that creates a memorable event."
Pine and Gilmore
The Experience Economy

3. “Over the past decade, an abundance of psychology research has shown that
experiences bring people more happiness than do possessions. iPhones,
clothes, couches, et cetera, just become background. They deteriorate or
become obsolete. Experiential purchases are also more associated with
identity, connection, and social behavior. Looking back on purchases made,
experiences make people happier than do possessions.”
M A T E R I A L E X P E R I E N C E
MEANRATING
K U M A R , P S Y C H O L O G I C A L S C I E N C E
EXPERIENCE VS PRODUCTS

4. WHY EXPERIENCE
The purpose of
customer experience
design
• To grow customers
and increase sales
• To reduce costs
and reduce churn
When you have two coffee shops next to each other that sell the same
product at the same price, customer experience is what makes you enjoy
one so much more than the other that you become a regular customer and
recommend it to your friends and family.

5. frog leads companies through
transformations enabled by new
technology and changing
customer expectations

6. frog leads companies through
transformations enabled by new
technology and changing
customer expectations

7. SYSTEMICDISCRETE
TRANSACTION PARTNERSHIP
THEN
From designing discrete products
to creating systems of brand, product and
service, and now building client
capabilities to continue their development.
We have gone from transactions to close
working relationships with clients and their
delivery partners.
NOWSYSTEM DESIGN

8. WE ARE LIVING IN A
PERSISTENT WHITE NOISE OF
DISTRACTION

9. D E S I G N I N G T H E
E X P E R I E N C E O F
E X P E R I E N C E S

10. Experiences that accumulate memories.
Tools that make everyday tasks easier.
M E M O R A B L E
MAGICAL
PERSONAL
FUNCTIONAL
T R A N S A C T I O N A L
MAGICAL EXPERIENCES
ARE MEMORABLE
COMMUNAL

11. DESIGN
OF EXPERIENCES

13. IN-CONTEXT
RESEARCH
Gain inspiration and empathy by exploring
users’ real-life experiences, behaviors and
values.
Search for solutions as if anthropologists
visiting an unknown tribe. Prepare to be
surprised by simple new ideas.
Keep an eye on the larger business context
and move toward actionable and market
relevant outcomes.

14. PROTOTYPE THE
EXPERIENCE
Explore the design of new touch points and
user experience elements to create a new or
distinctly better experience.
Prototype and evaluate a range of ideas.
Learn, iterate and refine until it is right.
Great ideas with small flaws fail. Details
matter.
And use the prototypes to bring more
people into the innovation process.

15. TELL THE STORY
Bring stories to life through rich and evocative
media - digital prototypes, films, roll playing - that
communicate the emotional impact of the new
experience.
Communicate with stories throughout the process
to evolve the thinking and bring the entire
organization along on the journey.
By bringing more people into the process ideas are
refined.

16. BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
Designing the specific touchpoints: the
props and stage set that enables the story
to be brought to life and experienced by the
customer, consumer, citizen or employee.

17. CAPABILITY AND
ORGANIZATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Collaborative workshops at key moments
in the process inspire stakeholders and
ensure alignment across the entire
organization.
The broader the organizational support the
quicker ideas can get to market.
Outline clear actions and implementation
roadmaps.

18. We judge based on experience.
Today, brand communication
matters less, delivery of brand
promise matters more.
Creating and delivering a better
experience is today’ imperative.
WHY EXPERIENCE

19. “Customers don’t buy products; they buy value
in the form of entertainment, experience and
self-identity.”
Hartmut Esslinger