The total customer experience of a product, system or solution is the collective experiences of various parts or components that users interact with.  The word 'interaction' here involves how we process the information received through our senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste as well as the physical actions we perform on those parts or components.

For example, a user sees an attractive digital camera in a shop (good visual experience).  He picks it up and finds it comfortable to hold with all the controls at the right places (good ergonomic experience).  He turns it on and finds the menus easy to understand and navigate, and he is able to explore all the functions and features easily (good usability experience).  He discovers it is fast to start up with very little lag between shots (good operational experience).  Then he discovers an innovative feature that simulates various lens filters to give effects like starburst, polarizing, soft focus and colored gradients (impressive!).  The positive experience in each area all add up to a very favourable overall impression of the camera.

Our user-centred design process seeks to improve the overall customer experience by focusing on 5 key areas which we call the 'AEIOUs of user-centred design', namely Aesthetics, Ergonomics, Innovation, Operation and Usability.  We believe this approach improves customer experience because it focuses on delivering the same values that customers desire.  The diagram below shows the typical 'voice of the customer' and how they map to our five key areas.

Think about great products you have come across - you will agree that many of the 'voices' above appropriately describe those products.  Improving the customer experience is a key differentiator in today's increasingly competitive market.  The better the customer experience you are able to deliver, the higher your chance of success.  Adopting a user-centred design approach will enable you to move closer towards that goal.

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