We are all customers of someone right? What was your last customer experience
like? Was it so good that it completely
changed how you thought about the product or the organization you were
receiving services from? On the other hand was the service you received so poor
that you vowed never to use their products or services ever again. We have all been in those situations. You may
not have realized it, but how that interaction was designed can have a huge
impact on the perception you, the customer, walk away with. I recently read a series of articles in the
September issue of Harvard Business Review magazine. The entire series was titled “The Evolution
of Design Thinking” - It’s no longer just for products. It speaks to how executives
are using this approach to devise strategy and manage change. I can’t tell you what an absolute must read
this is for all. It will make you take a
second look at how you design, deliver and support the services to your
customers. For me personally the article “Design Thinking Comes of Age” by Jon
KolKo was incredibly inspiring.
“It speaks to the reasons for this new approach of applying
design principles to the way people work, which is because our technology and
modern business process have become so complex”. (1) In
general Jon states “people need their interactions with technologies and other
complex systems to be simple, intuitive and pleasurable”. (2) Pleasurable? I have been in the ITSM industry for over 20
years, ok I’m lying it’s more like over 30 and I have never once heard anyone
talk about making the customer experience pleasurable. “A set of principles collectively known as design thinking, it’s main
characteristics being empathy with users
and understanding their dynamic requirements where design teams discuss the
emotional resonance of a value proposition as much as they discuss utility and
product requirements”. (3)
However Mr. Kolko does go on to state that “design does not
conform easily to estimates” and “it can be difficult if not impossible to
understand how much value will be delivered through a better experience or to
calculate the return on an investment in creativity”. (4) He also adds that “many view design thinking
as a solution to all their woes, and does help people and organizations cut
through complexity, but may not be the right set of tools for optimizing,
streamlining or otherwise operating a stable business”.(5)
1 Jon Kolko, Design
Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 66
2 Jon Kolko,
Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard
Business Review, September 2015, Page 67
3 Jon
Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard
Business Review, September 2015, Page 68
4 Jon
Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard
Business Review, September 2015, Page 70
5 Jon
Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard
Business Review, September 2015, Page 71
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