Let’s Park The Semantics Of ‘Customer Experience’ Or ‘User Experience’
Is it “customer experience” or “user experience”? What’s the difference? In this opinion piece Michelle Gilmore, Design Director and Founder at Neoteny examines the distinction between the two.
I’ve been asked a seemingly simple question one too many times of late, it comes in a few varieties:
- ‘What’s the difference between user and customer experience?’
- ‘Should we call our team user of customer experience?’
- ‘Should I be a user and customer experience designer?’
- ‘Do I need a user or customer experience designer for this project/in my team?’
My answer is varied also, it has short and long form versions, some direct and others resembling late night rants, depending on my frame of mind at the time. Here’s my position on this trending and therefore concerning topic of discussion…
At an academic level, the distinction is clear:
- Customer experience – refers to the response that a direct consumer of a product or service has during or after an interaction
- User experience – refers to the response that any user (internal or external) of a product or service has during or after an interaction
The difference is customer experience refers to only customers. User experience is inclusive of all users, be they customers, internal staff members and/or third parties.
The difference is not one to be made at a job title level – if you’re (a designer or product manager) only advocating for the customer, you’re forgetting about the people who will actually development, maintain and evolve the product or service. Dangerous at best.
The difference is not to be made at a business unit level – a customer experience unit creates the same problems that any internal facing vertical silo does, customers don’t live alone, without interaction with brands, their assets and staff. Customers live out in the world, just like you and I and they interact with you and your staff. Thinking about them in isolation to the internal operations of the business is just naive and inefficient.
We used customer experience because we needed to get organisations to think about the customer and make their experiences a priority. They have not only done that, they’ve over corrected and now think that a customer experience department or philosophy will save them or give them a competitive advantage. It won’t.
- How about we park the semantics and get on with created and improving on great products and services for those who own, work within and use them?
- How about we use an evidence and objective approach to make decisions and include all user types throughout product and service development stages?
- How about we start to be taken seriously by the business world because we can show results, rather than get caught up in label debates?
Latest News
Dettol Helps Kids Wave Goodbye To Germs With New Program For Global Handwashing Day
Dettol today announced it has developed a play-based program, ‘Catch a Habit’, to teach Australian children to adopt good hand hyg
Tis’ The Season To Turn Shoppers Into Buyers
Hayley Fisher [pictured] is the AUNZ Country Manager at Adyen. In this op-ed, she discusses the upcoming holidays sales season and explains marketers can help drive sales. Over the 18-months the pace of ecommerce has accelerated to new heights. According to latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a record $44.2 billion was […]
Vodafone Australia To Pitch Creative
TPG Telecom has announced it will hold a creative pitch to further develop the Vodafone brand here in Australia. Last year’s merger between Vodafone and TPG brought together a family of brands under the TPG Telecom group, with the creative shift to position Vodafone for the future. While Vodafone’s long-standing relationship with WPP will continue, […]
Entries Now Open For Spikes Asia Awards 2022, With A Big Integration & New Categories!
Time to get your entries in for Spikes Asia Awards 2022. Alternatively, Liquid Paper over your B&T 2021 Awards entries.
IBM CMO Jodie Sangster Departs
IBM CMO Jodie Sangster announces departure. Has promised not to do a podcast, take up painting or open a yoga retreat.
Jaimee Wiggins Appointed To Lead New Zealand Brand Partnerships For Pedestrian Group
Jaimee Wiggins not only boasts a double-lettered first & surname, she's also Pedestrian's new brand partnership person.
Westfield Launches Home Delivery Service
Following 18 months of intermittent lockdowns across Australia, shopping centre giant Westfield is launching a new service that will tap into the ecommerce boom. The new service, named Westfield Direct, will take on the likes of Australia Post by providing shipping directly to customers. Shoppers will also be able to select items from an online […]
SBS Named By AFR As One Of Australia’s Most Innovative Companies For Digital Language Services
SBS has been recognised as one of Australia and New Zealand’s Most Innovative Companies, in the prestigious annual list published by the Australian Financial Review and Boss Magazine, from over 700 nominated organisations. Ranked third on the Media and Marketing list, SBS was the only media company to make the list, recognised for its growing and evolving multilingual digital services, exemplifying SBS’s innovative culture and strategy. SBS provides multiplatform services in more than […]
StoreConnect Wins International Salesforce Partner Innovation Award For Work With Playbill
StoreConnect eyeing the 8X10" matte premium finish wooden frame after winning Salesforce innovation award.
BWS Celebrates Lockdown Freedoms With “Can’t Wait Mate” Campaign Via M&C Saatchi Sydney
BWS celebrates end of lockdown in new work. Little do they know we've all been pissed for the past three months anyway.
Dentsu’s Merkle Appoints Michael Komasinski As Global CEO
Michael Komasinski named Merkel's global CEO. Sadly, interview doesn't include recipe tips or favourite karaoke song.
Twitter Plays With In-Conversation Ads
Twitter has confirmed it is experimenting with a new ad format which will see ads placed within conversation threads for the first time. The company’s Revenue Product Lead Bruce Falck made the announcement on Thursday. “Starting today, we’re trying something different and testing a new ad format in Tweet conversations,” he posted on Twitter. “If […]
Tourism NT Wins International Gold Award For Its “Seek Different” Campaign
Tourism NT wins international gold award for its marketing. Studiously avoids any mention of being eaten by a crocodile.
Martha Stewart Collabs With Rapper Yung Gravy To Turn His Song ‘Martha Stewart’ Into An Ad
It's everyone's favourite homely homemaker-come-jailbird, Martha Stewart, starring in a it's-that-awful-it's-good ad.
Tug Expands Work With Budget Direct Insurance And EasyCompare Thailand
Idle hands are indeed the Devil's work. So the Tug team spared a routine exorcism on the back of new client wins.
ABC Relaunches Aussie Music Show The Sound For Season Three
In exciting news today, Mushroom Group is thrilled to announce much lauded Aussie music program The Sound will return to the ABC this November! Celebrating some of our best musical talents since its launch in 2020, The Sound Season 3 will debut on Sunday 7 November at 5.30pm (local time). Viewers can watch The Sound on ABC TV each Sunday afternoon or catch up with the latest episodes via ABC iview. Across Season […]
Facebook Adds New Features To Marketplace On Its 5th Birthday
In top news for dieters everywhere, Facebook's Marketplace has dispensed with the cake for its 5th birthday & done this.
Thursday TV Wrap: Gogglebox And Home And Away Face-Off For Entertainment Crown
They may sport the worst acting on Australian TV, but it was no impediment for Gogglebox or Home and Away last night.
Athena Home Loans Dubbed Australia’s Most Innovative Company By AFR
AFR labels home loans firm Australia's most innovative company. Oddly, the Gaytime Cornetto not getting a look in.
“Ugly, Sexist, Misogynistic Rubbish!” John Lewis’s New Ad Features A Boy In A Dress & People Are Livid!
Often there's a very fine line between ugly, sexist, misogynistic rubbish & playful, joyful fun. And here is exhibit A.
Indie Agency Next&Co Named One Of The Top Ten Media Companies By AFR
Independent digital agency Next&Co has been named as one of the top 10 media and marketing companies in the 2021 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies List.
Omnicom’s Resolution Digital Bolsters Creative Solutions Offering With Senior Sales Hire
Resolution Digital throws down the gauntlet with new senior sales hire. Yes, "gauntlet" could be embellishing things.
Publicis’ Q3 Revenues Up 11.2% YOY, As Growth In Asia/APAC Region Soars
Publicis Groupe's impressive Q3s are in and they may as well smell like Veuve, Chanel N°5 & new Renault upholstery.
Menulog Enlists Aussie Musos Baker Boy, Big Twisty, D’Arcy Spiller & Kirsten Salty For Latest Campaign
Menulog amps up the riotous fun in latest campaign. Things still miserable for its delivery drivers, however.
AKQA Crowned Most Innovative Media And Marketing Company By AFR
Strategic design and innovation company AKQA has received the top industry ranking in the 2021 AFR Boss Most Innovative Companies List. This is the third consecutive year the company has been acknowledged by the AFR for its commitment to innovation in the media and marketing category. The Most Innovative Companies Awards were presented via a […]
Hedley Thomas Launches Investigative Podcast Shandee’s Story Via The Australian
National news brand, The Australian, has launched a new podcast from Hedley Thomas, Shandee’s Story. Shandee’s Story is the culmination of six months’ work by Thomas, the award-winning investigative journalist behind The Teacher’s Pet and The Night Driver podcasts. The podcast investigates a harrowing cold case. Shandee Blackburn was left to die after a frenzied knife attack as she walked […]
Greater Bank Claims Silver At Step Two Intranet & Digital Workplace Awards
Greater Bank has won a Silver Award at the 2021 Step Two Intranet & Digital Workplace Awards with its Intranet Built on the Elcom Digital Employee Experience Platform. The global awards recognise outstanding contributions to the fields of intranets and digital workplaces, honouring remarkable solutions that deliver business value to their organisations and then share […]
New Research Identifies ‘Commerce Content’ As Key Revenue Driver For Brands And Publishers
Two new research reports have revealed key drivers for ‘commerce content’ and the massive revenue opportunity it presents for digital publishers and brands. Published by independent media organisations, commerce content allows readers to understand the goods and services promoted by an editorial team. It’s now a major part of the partnership ecosystem, and a way […]
JCDecaux And The Federal Government Collaborate For Vaccine Tally Campaign
Despite 70% of Aussies now being vaccinated, still no sign of The Verve's 'The Drugs Don't Work' reentering the charts.
