How do you design a customer experience that includes everyone?

1 Understand your customers

The first step to designing a customer experience that includes everyone is to understand who your customers are, what they want, and how they interact with your product or service. You can use various research methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or user testing, to collect qualitative and quantitative data about your customers. You should also segment your customers into different personas, based on their demographics, behaviors, goals, and pain points. Personas can help you empathize with your customers and tailor your experience to their needs.

2 Evaluate your current experience

The next step is to evaluate how your current experience meets or fails to meet the needs of your customers. You can use tools such as customer journey maps, service blueprints, or touchpoint analysis, to map out the different stages, actions, emotions, and interactions that your customers go through when using your product or service. You should also identify any gaps, barriers, or pain points that prevent your customers from achieving their goals or having a positive experience. You should pay special attention to how your experience affects different groups of customers, especially those who may face discrimination, exclusion, or accessibility issues.

3 Define your desired experience

The third step is to define what kind of experience you want to create for your customers, and how it aligns with your brand values and vision. You can use tools such as value proposition canvas, customer value map, or empathy map, to articulate the value that you offer to your customers, and how it solves their problems or satisfies their desires. You should also define the key attributes and emotions that you want your customers to associate with your experience, and how they reflect your brand personality and identity.

4 Generate and test ideas

The fourth step is to generate and test ideas for improving or innovating your customer experience. You can use tools such as brainstorming, ideation, or prototyping, to come up with creative and feasible solutions that address the gaps, barriers, or pain points that you identified in the previous step. You should also involve your customers in the process, by asking for their feedback, opinions, or suggestions, and by testing your ideas with them in real or simulated scenarios. You should aim to create a customer experience that is not only functional and usable, but also enjoyable and memorable.

5 Implement and measure

The final step is to implement and measure the impact of your customer experience design. You can use tools such as project management, change management, or quality assurance, to plan, execute, and monitor the implementation of your design. You should also use tools such as analytics, feedback, or net promoter score, to measure the outcomes and effects of your design on your customers' satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. You should also continuously evaluate and improve your customer experience design, by collecting and analyzing data, and by making adjustments or enhancements as needed.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?