What would make user experiences strategic? For many, simply getting a good understand of how to create better usability or good user experiences is a challenge in itself. However, I argue that we should not only strive to improve user experiences, but to embed user experience design as a strategic, competitive advantage.
Now, what is the difference between designing a good user experience and incorporating user experience design as part of your strategy. Well, with the risk of sounding stereotypical, Apple is one of those few companies that work not only with product design, but with experience design as a strategic tool.
That Apple is design driven company may seem apparent to everyone. However, more interesting than the simplicity and elegance of their products, is the fact that the product is only part of the designed experience that Apple provides its customers. The iPod is just a nice music player, but in the context of its ecosystem, with equal attention to detail in every component, it offers people a unique experience. This is the source to why no competitor after several years have been able to break Apple’s market share in portable music.
The iPhone is a similar phenomena. I have had the privilege of knowing many people in the mobile phone industry. As much as many people give do credit to Apple for their success, it is remarkable to see how most people miss the key strategic advantage point of Apple, which is the complete, seamless user experience they offer their customers. Many companies can make a beautifully designed touch screen phone, but few have the ability to capture that integrated, total user experience the way that Apple does.
Over time, perhaps we will see a different trend, but still today, many companies are missing the key value point of the products they sell. A few years ago, we would get endless feature enhanced products, which were poorly designed and difficult to use. Now, companies have a certain recognition of design and usability as strategic sales points. However, still many companies expect to create a big sales success by going to a famous designer and creating a beautiful product shell, without giving much consideration to the total user experience they offer. (To their defense, every once in a while, it succeeds, because the product functionality becomes secondary to its iconicity) Still, very few companies understand the ecosystem in which their products co-exist and how to offer not just compatibilty and connectivity, but seamless user experiences, which provide them unique strategic value.
By coming to a better recognition of this ecosystem and understanding the total user experience of their customers, there is much potential in building strategic value. This is the starting point of value creation through Strategic experience design.
