The Experience Design Blueprint 9780060455217, 0671611011

Table of contents :
The Experience Design BLUEPRINT
Copyright Info
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Who is this book for?
How This Book Works
Section 1: Making the Invisible Visible
Chapter 1: What Makes an Experience?
Chapter 2: Making the Customer Come Alive
Chapter 3: Who is in the Sandbox?
Chapter 4: Modeling the Customer Journey
Chapter 5: The Rental Car Journey
Chapter 6: Aiming for Remarkable, Unbroken, and Generous Design
Remarkable
Unbroken
Broken
Bad Design Equals Broken Experience
When Bad Design Kills
Metrics that Matter
Generous Design
Chapter 7: Improving the Journey
Filters Remove Unwanted Information
Lenses Provide Focus for Design
4 Action Levers
Chapter 8: Promise Delivery System
Pivot on the Audience
Develop Strategy
Produce and Deliver
Customer Insights and Validation
Sourcing Team Insights
Sourcing Noncustomer Insights
Apply Learning
Navigating Trends and Changes
The Curse of the Lumpy Snowball
Quick Trip
Importance of Promise Delivery System
Section 2: Making a Bigger Imprint
Chapter 9: The Neighborhood
A Better Neighborhood
Recipes for Being a Better Neighbor
Chapter 10: Bees and Raccoons
Pursuing the Shiny
A Better Role Model
Focus Focus or Hocus Pocus
Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall
4 Reasons We Don’t Move Forward
Chapter 12: The Three Psychological Zones
Chapter 13: Taking Flight
The Featherless Crow
Thinking Big and Excellence in Execution
3 Doors of Change
Chapter 14: The World of Work has Changed
The Great Misalignment
Taking Action
Chapter 15: From Argh to Aha!
End Notes

Citation preview

The Experience Design BLUEPRINT Recipes for Creating Happier Customers and Healthier Organizations   by Gregory James Olson

Copyright Info “The Experience Design BLUEPRINT…” Copyright © 2013 by Gregory James Olson All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

About the Author

Greg Olson founded Delightability, LLC. with the belief that we all have the potential to do better, as individuals, organizations, and communities. He brings experiences across marketing, sales, engineering, services, and operations to help leaders and organizations make a bigger impact. His education includes a BSEE and MBA from Seattle University while his ongoing education is about how humans think and interact with brands and the world at large. A business coach, consultant, speaker, facilitator, and author he also serves as a volunteer board member for Oikocredit Northwest and an advisory board member to Seattle University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Get in touch at http://www.delightability.com

Acknowledgments Thank you to friends, family, colleagues, and strangers that participated in conversation with me along my journey. Special thanks to those clients that gave me the opportunity to practice what I preach. Cheers to the people that helped me sharpen my thinking and build more meaningful learning models. And, thank you to those that participated in interviews, shared their insights and their stories, some of which appear in this book.

Contents The Experience Design BLUEPRINT Copyright Info About the Author Acknowledgments Contents Preface Introduction Who is this book for? How This Book Works Section 1: Making the Invisible Visible Chapter 1: What Makes an Experience? Chapter 2: Making the Customer Come Alive Chapter 3: Who is in the Sandbox? Chapter 4: Modeling the Customer Journey Chapter 5: The Rental Car Journey Chapter 6: Aiming for Remarkable, Unbroken, and Generous Design Remarkable Unbroken Broken Bad Design Equals Broken Experience When Bad Design Kills Metrics that Matter Generous Design Chapter 7: Improving the Journey

Filters Remove Unwanted Information Lenses Provide Focus for Design 4 Action Levers Chapter 8: Promise Delivery System Pivot on the Audience Develop Strategy Produce and Deliver Customer Insights and Validation Sourcing Team Insights Sourcing Noncustomer Insights Apply Learning Navigating Trends and Changes The Curse of the Lumpy Snowball Quick Trip Importance of Promise Delivery System Section 2: Making a Bigger Imprint Chapter 9: The Neighborhood A Better Neighborhood Recipes for Being a Better Neighbor Chapter 10: Bees and Raccoons Pursuing the Shiny A Better Role Model Focus Focus or Hocus Pocus Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall 4 Reasons We Don’t Move Forward Chapter 12: The Three Psychological Zones Chapter 13: Taking Flight The Featherless Crow

Thinking Big and Excellence in Execution 3 Doors of Change Chapter 14: The World of Work has Changed The Great Misalignment Taking Action Chapter 15: From Argh to Aha! End Notes

Preface I hope you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal at a friend’s house. In that experience you might have said to your friend, this tastes really good – how did you make it? Your friend may have shared the recipe so that you could replicate it at home and enjoy it on your own or with others, at another time. Creating happier customers and building a healthier organization should be like that. There should be recipes ready to replicate. But, in my work starting and growing organizations and helping others to do the same, I’ve often come up short in finding those recipes. So, I set out to create my own, test them with clients and colleagues, and now I’m sharing them with you. Similar to a building architect, that draws from previous patterns and practices, or the chef that is inspired from recipes and other dishes, my aim is for you to be able to draw from this book to build better experiences for people while at the same time ensuring your organization remains relevant and healthy. It turns out there are recipes for creating happier customers and healthier organizations, too. And that is the journey we are about to embark on. I hope you enjoy the tasty morsels and you are able to reproduce the recipes for your own enjoyment and for others. Welcome to The Experience Design BLUEPRINT: Recipes for Creating Happier Customers and Healthier Organizations and welcome to my grand experiment. I know I’m not able to work with every organization, everywhere. But, I think I can take some of what I’ve done and learned, build this step-by-step guide, provide it to you along with 56 recipes, so that you can make a bigger impact without me in the room. I guess time will tell; if the people you serve are happier and your organization is healthier, my experiment will have worked, and paid off for all of us. Good luck in your journey. Please let me know how it goes.

Introduction

Who is this book for? I wrote this book for you, whoever you are. The traditional marketer inside me that says – gads no! Pick an audience, be specific. You have to segment; you have to find your Harley-Davidson enthusiast equivalent. Believe me, I’m a fan of segmentation and executing on a focused strategy. But, I view the subject of this book as more like water or the pencil. It applies to everybody literate and human. So, I suppose if you’re lacking the former you’ve probably not made it this far. And, if you are less than human or evil, well you could learn a thing to two by reading this book. You might just change your ways, yet. When I first began researching and writing this book I thought I was writing for working professionals in the fields of marketing and experience design. I quickly abandoned that thinking. In my work as a Business Coach, Marketing Consultant and Managing Director of Delightability, LLC., I routinely use the contents of this book with entrepreneurs, CEOs, Executive Directors, Consultants, and others that have no such marketing training or marketing attachment to their title. But, they all benefit by the application of what’s in this book to their own organizations. If you are in marketing or a design role, great, my aim with you is to spark new insights. At the minimum, you’ll develop a business relevant vocabulary for designing better experiences within your own organization, whether that organization is a for-profit business, nonprofit, or government. You’ll also better understand how your creative output fits into the organization’s ability to create value and sustain itself over the long run. Within organizations of all types, people that usually speak the language of design don’t speak the language of business and vice versa. Using this book you can build a common language that will bridge silos and create common threads between levels in any organization. The models in this book can be useful to you no matter what your role is in an organization. You can be a board member, employee, volunteer, donor, investor, or simply a savvy consumer that wants to better understand the

ways of the world and maybe challenge organizations and the people inside them to be more transparent, mindful, accountable, responsible, sustainable, empathetic, and to work harder to delight you and earn your business. There is no age limit, up or down, for the materials in this book. You can be 20 or 80, deeply experienced or not; either way, you’re going to see some things for the very first time and see some things in a new way. In conversations with my 13 year old godson, I came to realize that even a child should know how to make experiences better, contribute ideas, get others excited and enrolled, and contribute to making something better and sustainable. Working with him to design the best ever first week back to school was a treat I’ll remember. I imagine the young reader that embraces the content and ideas in this book will do both good and well, in the world. But, it’s not too late for the rest of us. Let’s shape the conversations inside our heads, our organizations and in our communities. Look around, but more importantly, think around. We really do have the potential to do better, as individuals, organizations, and communities. Hopefully, you are on board to do your part; humanity needs you. I suppose if I were to trim my audience from the pencil and the water crowd, I do it along those lines. If you don’t care to make things better or you don’t believe it possible, then …. But, that’s not you. After all, you have read this far so I have faith that you’re a sleeping giant that’s waiting to be awakened. I’m going to do my best to do that, so that you can do your best.

How This Book Works Here is how this book works. There are visual learning models that help you envision things you normally don’t directly see. These mental models give you a new way of looking at something. Sometimes I include an accompanying story to bring the model to life. Alongside this, I’ve provided an exercise or tool that you can immediately try for your own situation.

Making the Invisible, Visible The first section of the book is about making the invisible, visible. You’ll learn about experiences. You’ll discover things like touchpoints, experiences, and journeys and be able to fluidly move between these concepts. You’ll see audiences differently. You’ll learn recipes for creating better experiences. You’ll feel empowered as you tap your inner designer. You’ll probably start to gain insights and generate many ideas for improvement, everywhere. You’ll likely become a more critical consumer especially as you encounter broken experiences.

Making a Bigger Imprint Once you’ve learned how to design better experiences, you’ll still need to make your new vision come to life. That is the concern of the second section of the book. It is largely about innovation, change, and working smarter together, in a marketplace that never rests. It is about making a bigger imprint on the world. You’ll learn how to more effectively navigate your own organization, the business landscape, and customer ecosystem, so that the benefits of your great ideas can be felt by others. You’ll learn how to ensure your organization remains relevant and stays connected to those it serves. You will also uncover some blind spots, and learn new ways to think and organize to get work done, so that you can do your most strategic, creative, impactful work ever.

Section 1: Making the Invisible Visible “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust French Novelist (1871 - 1922)

********** We are trapped by our current thinking. To break free we need new language and mental models. I once had a conversation with the CEO of World Bicycle Relief, the organization that empowers communities by providing rugged bicycles engineered for the rural African terrain and heavy loads. He told me that in Zambia, one of the countries they work within, although there are 72 different local languages, not one of them has a word for maintenance. Imagine the thinking, or absence of thinking, when the word doesn’t exist. Now imagine a world full of enriching experiences. Humans first, technology there only to serve. Happy accidents and surprises that comfort, save time, and make eyes sparkle and lips turn upward. Imagine being respected, listened to, and given the opportunity to make things better, to make meaning and be impactful. Imagine all of the possibilities. But, sadly, this is a bit like bike maintenance in Zambia. Without a common understanding of what experiences even are, let alone how to improve them, we’re stuck. No wonder the world is full of broken experiences, unremarkable products and services, organizations that seem out of touch, and seemingly fickle consumers. Much like a doctor or acupuncturist needing to understand anatomy and the autonomic nervous system in order to treat patients, we’ll need to better understand experiences if we are going to start improving them. In Chapter 1, we’re going to learn the language of experiences and learn how to make

them visible. But, first I want to share a master student tool that will work for you, whether you’re 8 or 80 years old.

More Effective Learning While Reading SQ3R is a reading method that I was introduced to in a “How to be a Master Student” class. It worked for me and I think you might find it useful too, for this book, but also for other nonfiction books you read. SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, review recite; here is how it works: Survey means to look quickly over what you will read; it is your preview. In your survey, read the first and the last paragraph of each chapter. The first paragraph introduces the subject, and the last paragraph usually has a recap. Read headlines and titles. Look at the visuals and read the captions under them. Spend a few minutes doing this before you read. Question is the next step and involves turning headlines or image into questions. Ask yourself what you already know about the subject. Look for the answers as you move through the material. Again, you need only spend a few minutes on this. Read the material after you survey and question. This will make it seem like you’re on a vacation to a place you’d been before. You’ll have some familiarity as you get a little more into the details. Try making your reading visual. Where there isn’t a visual provided, think of what things would look like in your head. Review the material and integrate it into what you are doing. Write a summary or study sheet of material while it is still fresh in your mind. The “Try This!” or “Recipes” throughout the book are a great way to review and integrate your learning into your life. Recite the material after you read each section. Think about how this applies to you as a consumer and working in and with organizations. I’ve provided examples and things to try so you can immediately make use of the material. When you can teach this material to others, then you truly understand the material. I’ve found the SQ3R method to be useful. I only wish that I had been exposed to it earlier. [1]

As you move along in the book, no matter what stage you are in, if you see something that peaks your interest dive into the material. Give yourself permission to skim, skip, repeat and wander around. You will certainly benefit by reading word for word, page by page, but you don’t have to. If there is something that particularly moves you, please let me know. I’m always interested in what my customers think and feel. And since you are reading my book you are now my customer – thank you. Now let’s move on to Chapter 1 where we’ll lift the veil, so that we can see experiences for the very first time.

Chapter 1: What Makes an Experience? QUIZ time – What do you think? An experience is ____________________. Use a sticky note if you don’t want to pollute your page or this is a library or borrowed book. If you’re on a Kindle, then make a note.

Go ahead and finish that sentence. Ok, when you are done go to the next page.

Your definition likely included a reference to something you are familiar with. You may have said an experience is sensory. Or, an experience is what you think and how you feel. Others, when asked this question, say an experience is an event, it is what happens to you, or it is everything. Here is what an experience is NOT: the user interface of your computer or phone or game is not an experience, customer service is not an experience, and a product is not an experience. So, what are examples of experiences? Experiences are all around us. Playing a game, flying a plane, flying in a plane, watching a movie, shopping, eating, and gardening are all experiences. Reading this book is also an experience. These experiences are all very different. We need to be able to model an experience if we have any hope of improving them or designing new ones.

Definition of Experience A combination of factors work together to make an experience; objects, people, services, and spaces all contribute. But, experiences are also contextual. Who’s the who, matters, along with their circumstances. What might appear as the same experience to different people actually varies by individual needs, expectations, values, and intent. So, to revisit that quiz: An experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces.

Recipe #1: Be Mindful of the Factors that Make up an Experience You can create a better experience by being mindful of the objects in the scene, the people involved, the space or environment, and the services provided. We’ll revisit this more in Chapter 7, but for now let’s take a deeper look at experiences.

Figure 1.1 The Experience Hoop It is easier to picture an experience if we think of a person surrounded by a hoop made up of people, objects, services, and spaces. Imagine the person revolving the hoop and coming into contact with objects, people, services, and spaces. Remember, we define an experience as a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces.

A Deeper Look: Meet Marcia

Marcia wants to go on a bike ride today. Riding a bicycle is an experience. Let’s take a closer look at Marcia’s ride to help us build our experience vocabulary.

Objects During Marcia’s cycling experience, she’ll primarily interact with her bicycle, though other objects may appear on the scene as well. Examples of objects include the water bottle on her bike, the various stop signs and signals she’ll encounter, or even cars and road hazards along the way.

People It is likely that Marcia will also interact with pedestrians, joggers, other cyclists, and perhaps motorists.

Services If Marcia elects to listen to streaming music while riding or talk to a friend on the phone, then those services will also add to her bicycling experience. She’ll also be affected by previous service performed including road or trail maintenance and even her own bicycle maintenance.

Spaces Marcia plans to travel the bicycle trail and the roads leading to it from her home. The weather forecast looks good and that will positively add to her cycling experience.

Context If Marcia expected to go fast but hit every red light and encountered congestion on the trail, her experience would be diminished. Likewise, if she were out for a leisurely ride without a care in the world, none of those slowdowns would matter. Again, context plays an important role in our experiences.

Experiences Are Always In Context What we think and how we feel about an experience depends on the circumstances surrounding us. Certain aspects of an experience may evoke emotions in one person while having no effect on another. These factors are intrinsic to who we are and not provided to us directly like the factors that

make up the experience hoop. We need to add to our model in order to show this.

Figure 1.2 The Experience Halo To think about a person’s context, imagine a halo floating above their head. The halo is like a film strip playing in their mind. What they see and how they feel about an experience is influenced by their memories as well as their own physical characteristics, social status, and emotional needs and values. These intrinsic factors work together to build the movie we play in our heads and the dialogue that goes along with it. Those that teach know firsthand that even though they deliver a common lesson to 30 students, 30 unique lessons are received. Who’s the who,

matters and so does their context.

Beyond Our Senses Our experience halo actually goes beyond our physical senses of seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, and tasting. We can even become preoccupied or obsessed beyond our senses. A student with test anxiety, a writer with a block, or a disengaged employee or spouse can get caught up with what is going on in their mind, not what they are sensing in the physical world. Similarly, fantasy, game play, gambling, etc. all play out in our heads very differently than what we actually experience through our senses in the physical world. It would be convenient to blame heinous drug dealers for messing with our minds, but mind altering chemicals are naturally produced by each of us, within our bodies. These neurotransmitters, hormone-like chemicals are created within our own cells and include serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, among others. Each of these has different purposes and directly influences our emotional, psychological and physical behaviors. [2] Kept in balance, these chemical agents released in the right amounts, at the right time, keep us alert, peaceful, energetic, coordinated, etc. But, when they are out of balance they can create a variety of psychological conditions, including sadness, compulsive thoughts, inability to concentrate, mood swings and depression. All of these conditions influence the film strip playing in our heads altering our experiences.

Intrinsic Factors There are a multitude of intrinsic factors that play a role in shaping our experiences by changing our context or our perception.

Physical and Social Physical factors such as age, gender, body dimensions, genetics, diseases, and ethnicity can all play role in how we perceive an experience. So can social factors such as marital and child status, religious or university affiliation, and sexual orientation.

Needs

Our needs and mental state are also factors that shape our experiences. Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? If we don’t have basic food and shelter then our desire to meet physiological and safety needs will take priority and numb us to higher order needs such as esteem and belonging. Simply put, the person searching for their next meal is more likely to visit shelters and churches than they are to visit a library to read a book or engage in social media. Likewise, a person of above average means is unlikely to respond to a 2 for 1 coupon at the neighborhood restaurant. Who we are and what our needs are help to create the context for our experiences. If you’ve ever held the hand of a dying person, then you realize that even though you are in the same space with objects common to both of you, your experiences are very different. Of course they are, because your context is different. They are dying and you’ll go on to live another day. Other examples of seemingly common shared experiences that differ with the individual and their context are dating, meals, participating in sports or being a spectator, shopping, using a phone or other technology, traveling, etc.

Intent Another factor that shapes our circumstances surrounding our experience is our intent, i.e., what we aim to do or set out to accomplish. For example, Marcia’s intent for her bike ride might be to go to the library, train for an upcoming race, discover new things in the neighborhood, or simply exercise.

Expectations and Values What we find personally valuable helps to shape our expectations around experiences, too. Time and money are examples of things we value. If we have very limited time, then we’ll treat our time as very precious. If we have abundance then we’ll be more patient if our moments are stolen from us. But, as individuals we value more than simply time and money, or economic value.

Often, the most precious type of value to us is emotional value. Think of respect, building of trust, peace of mind, calm, security, feeling in control, safe and the feeling of being healthy, sexy, smart, connected, confident, or stylish. It is this emotional value that often overtakes our ability to make rational logical decisions. This becomes especially true when we feel threatened, when our security, trust, or confidence is broken. Emotional value also helps to explain why kids with little money purchase expensive designer jeans or the latest Smartphones. It isn’t because they are a good economic value; they are a great emotional value. Another value that can shape our expectations around experiences is functional value. Of course we value the boat that floats, the roof that doesn’t leak, the tire that holds air, and the phone that enables us to make calls. After all, without features, performance, usability, suitability, scalability, etc. our experiences would be greatly diminished. But, that is logical thinking. Again, we often trade off the logical and rational in order to satisfy our emotional needs.

Figure 1.3 Dimensions of Value The dimensions of value show the different types of values important to customers. Depending upon a customer’s state of mind, needs, and expectations, any one of these values may dominate a decision. What a customer values emotionally often trumps the more logical economic and functional values. For example, our rational logical brain tells us that our jeans are getting a little tattered. We convince ourselves that a new pair of jeans is needed (functional value). We decide on a store or stores to visit and form an expectation of how long we’ll spend shopping and how much we are willing to spend (economic value). But, when we get to the store it is as though our brain turns to mush. We try on a few different pairs and notice how stylish and updated we appear in the mirror. We decide that we are rewarding ourselves for a job well done and end up leaving the store spending three times what we planned. But, we feel justified since it was

our reward, the jeans were badly needed, and we were able to put the purchase on the credit card (emotional value). In some cases, when the expected functional or economic value diminishes, then what emotional value there was can quickly shift to become negative. As an example, let’s say those jeans we purchased made us feel good, both because of how we looked in them and also because the company used sustainable cotton, something important to us. But, now imagine the garment construction was defective and the seams began to unravel. In this case, we no longer receive the benefits of the functional value and any emotional value we were feeling now becomes less important. If functional and economic values are the cake, think of emotional value as the icing on the cake. A good combination of flavors and textures, but few want to eat cake or icing without the other.

Recipe #2: Be Multidimensional Think about how you want customers to feel when using your product or service. Communicate emotional value in your messaging in order to move customers to recognize more than merely economic or functional value. Try This! Choose a communications piece from your organization to examine. Notice how the language appeals to functional, economic, and emotional value. Write down what you find as well as ideas to improve how to create a deeper, more emotional connection with your audience.

History In our experience halo we hold dear those stories we’ve heard, our brand baggage, and past experiences.

Past Experiences If, in our past, we did hold the hand of a dying person then we are likely to recall this when we have a similar experience in the future. Likewise, if we’ve had horrible dates or consumed meals that were unsatisfactory or contained allergens that nearly killed us, we’re likely to recall that too. Try as we might, our current experiences are not divorced from our past experiences.

Brand Baggage Our past experiences cause us to form expectations for our current and future experiences. If you’ve had a really great online shopping experience then you begin to expect that in other online shopping experiences. If you’ve had a bad experience of any type, it can cloud your feelings as you encounter similar products, services, and brands. In the recent economic crisis, great recession, or whatever you’d like to call it, the banking and financial services sector managed to create a persistent and lingering cloud of low trust and disloyalty. This brand baggage is especially difficult for organizations and brands to escape when it affects an entire industry or category. If you meet with a financial planner or consider an investment, it is near impossible for you to forget about events of the recent past.

Stories Heard Stories we hear from others can cloud our own experiences as we begin to interact with products, services, and brands new to us. Think for a moment if you have read a review off of Angie’s List, Yelp, or TripAdvisor, or asked others in social media for recommendations or guidance. What others say does matter and plays a part in both selecting who we interact with, but also our expectations once that selection is made. We’ll discuss this a little more in Chapter 2 when we visit the customer ecosystem. A past experience doesn’t even have to have happened directly to us, for it to affect us. Some people elect not to participate in certain activities or visit certain regions, stores, or restaurants because of stories heard. They needn’t even be true; we simply have to believe them to be true in order for their effects to take hold of our emotions. Political smear campaigns continue because of their effectiveness on voters. Conspiracy theories take hold and propagate through these same emotional veins.

Future Current experiences can also influence future experiences as people recall the positive (minty fresh) or negative (dirty socks) brand aftertaste they had as they retell stories to others. Organizations and the brands they represent

need to be careful that they aren’t unknowingly creating stories they wouldn’t want remembered or retold.

Recipe #3: Write the Future You Want Create the stories that you wished customers would retell. Write these down. You’ll have an opportunity to make these come true in Chapter 7: Improving the Journey.

Recap Remember, an experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. The context is always relative to the person at the center of the experience. Needs, values, intent, and expectations all play a role in creating the context for our experience. Our current experience is influenced by past experiences, the brand baggage we’ve carried with us, and the stories we’ve heard from others. We recall our past experiences as though we are playing a choppy filmstrip. What sticks, whether it is positive or negative, true or false, clouds our thoughts and feelings about our current experience. It turns out, much of what we experience or perceive to be an experience, really is all in our heads.

Recipe #4: Make Memories Emotional experiences are those we value the most. They are also the ones that get stored like indelible ink in our brains, making them easier to recall. Go beyond communications to add emotion. Think about how you can add a healthy dose of emotion to the factors that help to shape an experience, namely, people, services, objects, spaces, and of course context.

Another Look: Marcia’s Bicycle Ride Revisited If we think about Marcia’s bicycle experience in terms of her experience halo we begin to see her riding experience differently. In terms of context, perhaps her intent is that she simply wants to exercise. She’s been progressively getting out of shape and she’d like to turn that situation around. She doesn’t have a fixed schedule but she does have a particular destination that he’d like to reach before returning home.

Marcia picked up her current bicycle used from a person she met on Craigslist. She has not had the bicycle checked out or tuned up. She is concerned that something may go wrong on her maiden voyage since she recalls getting a flat tire in the past. She doesn’t have any tools or an extra tube so she’ll bring her phone and make a call if she needs a ride. She’s also keen on bringing some dog repellant since he’s been chased and nearly bitten in the past. Marcia knows that when she exercises, she tends to get her best ideas so in anticipation she carries a small pad and pen in her pocket. The weather is nice and she’s ready to go. As she finishes her ride she’s likely to talk to others about how great it was and share the ideas she generated along the way. If she has no mishaps with her bike then she’ll likely trust it more on her next ride. See the sidebar on the day old bread theory. You can probably imagine a very different context for a bike ride. Perhaps your last ride was nothing like Marcia’s ride.

Day Old Bread Theory Have you ever caught yourself thinking or saying aloud, “The bread should be fine, it was good yesterday?” It is true most days; the bread is good until the day that it’s not. One day the bread, suddenly and surprisingly goes bad. We treat other areas of our lives much like we do aging bread. Because we don’t visibly see things gradually changing, doesn’t mean they don’t. I have a wonderful friend and mother in law (R.I.P Karen) that was diagnosed and eventually died from a cancerous brain tumor that wouldn’t let up. Prior to being diagnosed, things were obviously changing beneath the surface of what we could see. But, some symptoms Karen experienced, I and other family members witnessed, but explained away, much like the dust forming on the metamorphosing bread. In other areas of our lives beside bread, we unknowingly apply this same theory. Bread and other things do change. We are either moving too quickly to recognize gradual changes or we explain things away until the day we

become shocked that things are not what they once were. This might apply to Marcia’s bicycle maintenance, our own health issues, an aging child or parent, or the products and services your organization provides others. In Chapter 8 we’ll talk about establishing “sensors in the ground” to detect changes before it is too late. You might already be thinking about organization’s that have lost their way as the world outside “suddenly” changed right under their noses. Try This! Perform an experience sweep. Pick an experience you had in the recent past. Maybe you had a shopping experience, visited a doctor, canceled your cable service, returned a product, had your car serviced, went on vacation, purchased a new phone, or attended the theatre. Draw an image of the experience hoop and halo shown in Figure 1.2.  Reflect on the objects, spaces, services, and people you interacted with. Write them down next to the experience hoop. When you think about your context, what were your intentions and expectations going into the experience? How did you feel going into the experience? Write these down as the main film strip, the context in your experience halo. Were there stories heard or past experiences that shaped your experience? Were there brands you avoided going into the experience? This is the historical portion of your experience halo; capture it in the tail of the experience halo. For the experience that has now completed, have you shared how it made you feel with others either face to face or through social media? Did you make a mental note to repeat or avoid this experience or certain aspects of it? Did a particular brand leave a minty fresh brand aftertaste in your mouth or was it more like dirty socks? These can be captured or envisioned on the future portion of the experience halo. Most likely, you provide and shape experiences that others have. At the very minimum you have family and friends but, you’re likely to have coworkers, colleagues, customers, and perhaps partners of some sort. Think about their experience sweep. What would they say about their interactions with you or your organization? How do you think you make them feel?

Why Experiences Matter Our lives are comprised of our experiences. Imagine an elderly person retelling their positive and negative experiences across their life. Most of the negative experiences were probably not intentionally negative or harmful. More likely, those experiences were the result of sloppy practice, ineffective messaging, inattention to needs, adherence to policy, and thoughtlessness on the parts of others. The experiences the elderly person would positively remark on probably had a human component, touched them emotionally (made them feel smarter, better looking, more secure, etc.), and were perhaps intentionally and thoughtfully designed. But, most experiences are not intentionally designed. Rather, they evolve over time and those involved in providing the experiences mostly operate blindly. They don’t understand us as customers, or our context. They also seem to throw their hands up in the air, claiming defeat, citing complexity, lack of measurable impact, and as a result, dumb things down to make the work easier for them, but the experience unremarkable for us. And, without the right internal and external dialogue or set of tools and mental models, most organizations are helpless to make meaningful changes. They will simply persist until such day, they do not. The list of companies that fail to remain relevant over time is long and ever growing. As we go forward in the first section of this book, we’ll continue to build our vocabulary and confidence in improving existing experiences as well as intentionally designing fresh ones. We’ll discover ways to differentiate ourselves from the competition, increase loyalty, build advocacy, uncover innovation opportunities, and reduce the cost to serve. But, none of this will matter without customers and our understanding of them. So, that is what we’ll explore in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: Making the Customer Come Alive “The magic formula that successful businesses have discovered is to treat customers like guests and employees like people.” Tom Peters Author of In Search of Excellence (born November 7, 1942)

********** Great news! I’m declaring today your birthday and I have a gift for you. Do you think it will be a luxury item or something practical? Maybe, a one of a kind? It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have already, or what you need or want. I’ve already decided on the gift.

Do you think you’ll like it? I’m guessing not, since I don’t know much about you, except that you are reading this book. The chances my gift will be especially meaningful to you are pretty slim. Worse, I’ve decided to give you the same gift that I’m giving others, people that might be nothing like you. No doubt, you’re probably not feeling very special now. That is how most of us feel when we are dealing with organizations, perhaps organizations like yours; not special, one of the herd. As a customer, you may have heard yourself saying, “They don’t get me” or “They don’t care about me.” Now imagine that I did know something about you. I’ve been listening to you all year long, maybe even longer. Banked away in my brain, are things you like and dislike. I’ve made mental notes of your habits, preferences, even things that you struggle with. Do you think that gift might be more meaningful to you? Of course, and that is exactly what you need to do to create and deliver meaningful experiences. You need to be mindful of the who. After all, who’s the who, matters.

If you are going to deliver a great experience you need to get really clear on your intended audience. You need to make the audience come alive inside your head. And, if you are working with others, you need to make the audience come alive inside the organization, too.

Audiences Most organizations have many audiences they need to consider. For the nonprofit, audiences may include: staff, donors, board members, volunteers, and clients that you serve. Add investors or shareholders, customers, partners, and suppliers for most for-profit enterprises. And, if you are a part of a service organization in government, then you’ll need to be mindful of many audiences including citizens, voters, elected officials, employees, agencies, and those served by the agencies. As an individual, you consume goods and services, and deal with organizations of many types. As you do, your role changes depending upon the situation and the organization you’re dealing with. You might be a client, visitor, member, student, customer, guest, volunteer, patient, investor, voter, employee, citizen, immigrant, donor, partner, taxpayer, licensee, and more. Hopefully, you are not a prisoner, or a person experiencing homelessness though, those are roles that people find themselves temporarily in, as well. Most of the time from this point forward, we’ll simplify all of these audiences by referring to them as customers or simply the audience.

Not All Customers Are Created Equal Audiences are varied and complex. When we provide average experiences for everybody, treating all the same, we miss opportunities to connect with people, make them feel special, respected, wanted, and meaningful. Instead, they can become agitated, irritated, disgruntled and disengaged, perhaps dismissing your organization all together.

Adjacent Organizations Sadly, even if your organization does a great job connecting with customers, the overall experience can be ruined by organizations that also

serve your customers. Think of your own travel experiences in the security line at the airport post September 11, 2001. With heightened security, and a vigilant eye toward terrorism, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has systematically and negatively been affecting travelers, the vast majority of whom pose no threat. Yet, those negative experiences are what linger in our minds, as brand aftertaste, when we consider our next travel excursion that involves airports. This is rightly a concern for airline executives who fear overwhelmed terminals and disgruntled passengers. An airport security redesign is sorely needed. Tony Tyler, the director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, an airlines’ trade group, has predicted that by 2020, governments will be using a "checkpoint of the future" where passengers can race though without stopping, removing clothing, or taking liquids and laptops out of bags. [3] There is some hope here as TSA in conjunction with several airlines is running a pilot program where they have moved away from a one-size-fits-all approach. According to the TSA website if TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of his or her boarding pass. Expedited screening may allow passengers to no longer remove certain items such as their shoes, outerwear, jackets, and belts, or remove laptops from carry-on bags. Airline executives and their employees see passengers as revenue streams and the reason they are in business. But, think for a moment about the TSA employee. Who is their customer? The TSA website makes repeated references to travelers. But, as a traveler I don’t ever purchase anything nor have a desire to consume services from TSA. So, how invested could they possibly be in me, as a customer? How mindful do you think they are of a traveler’s experience? Think about this in your own organization. Are there other organizations that you outsource, partner with, or otherwise rely on, that may see your customers differently than you do? Perhaps, even within your own organization you don’t have a common view of the customer.

Remember the Internal Audience

There isn’t much of an experience for your customers if the people that serve them are neglected. You cannot deliver a great experience if the people on the front lines delivering service, don’t receive a great experience themselves. One frustrated executive administrator serving the senior management team of a technology company reported that internally, they don’t treat people very well. As a result of this, collective performance suffers. She recalls that while serving in her previous role at a healthcare provider, the organization was careful to provide good care for the caregivers. They reasoned that this was the best way to ensure patients received the best care possible. If you’ve ever been served by a disgruntled or exhausted nurse, you probably know this first hand.

Example: Financial Services Organization This large financial services organization provides automotive financing for dealers and consumers across the full credit spectrum. As such, a large percentage of their workforce is involved in collection activity. One senior executive shared that nobody grows up saying, “I want to be a collections agent.” Because of this, he’s recognizes the need to attach more meaning to their work. Abandoning the call script and treating people like humans within the core set of company values is paramount. Call center staff are able to make accommodations, within guidelines, for customers that are late in repaying their loans. As an example, if a health issue creates a financial hardship, the customer may receive adjusted payment terms so they can keep their car, allowing them to still make it in for medical appointments. Even in difficult circumstances, if you treat people with dignity and respect they are more inclined to cooperate. Along with the desire to move into other financial products such as credit cards and mortgages they’ll need to grow their workforce significantly. To accommodate this, he’s committed to making employees feel valued, providing them with a clear set of values that the company reinforces through internal campaigns. To further the commitment to internal audiences, the company has added performance development managers to ensure employees are coached and developed to their potential. He’s also

committed to creating “water bottle moments” for employees (more on that in Chapter 5). With a focus on improving employees’ experiences this company expects it will meet its growth objectives, enter new markets, and expand its products and services while keeping employee turnover low and building a reputation as the place where people want to work. Let’s Play a Game: Imagine that we’re starting a rental car business. Which vehicles should we acquire? Should we get all SUVs, or Minis? Fiat has re-emerged as a fun car and many other vehicles of all sizes and types have evolved too. Tesla has even entered the scene with an all electric high performance everyday vehicle. Think about how would you approach this? I’ve intentionally simplified this exercise by making it a new business. That way you don’t simply say, we would ask our customers what they want. With a new operation you don’t have any existing customer data. So how do you decide on which vehicles? This is a classic case of who’s the who. Not all customers are created equally. Decide who you want to serve. Who do you want to rent your vehicles? Who is your ideal customer you wish to attract and serve? Hopefully, the customer segments you choose are accessible to you and large enough to build a sustainable business around. For your audience you might ask a few questions. Do they rent cars now? From which brands? What kind of car will they like? Should it be sporty, environmental, practical, luxury, full-sized? Should we offer all of them? What do they expect in a car rental experience? How will we attract our audience? How can we meet and exceed their expectations? How do we want them to view our company and brand? Will they view us differently than the competitors? But, how do you begin and organize all of this?

Bringing Customers to Life People are empathetic creatures by nature. We have a limbic system that makes us care. That makes us different from reptiles. If an alligator bites your hand off, it feels nothing, except perhaps well fed. But, if your dog bites you during a moment of rough play, he is nearly certain to feel bad. Dogs have a well developed limbic system; they care, like humans.

One company, Physio-Control, the pioneer behind the life saving defibrillator that people recognize as “shocking” a heart in a dysfunctional pattern to reestablish an effective rhythm, tapped into this natural tendency for us to care. In the past, they’ve invited patients saved by their products, to visit and share their experiences with employees at company events. Physio-Control products brought customers back to life. But, those stories also brought those customers to life inside the organization. When asking a former long time engineering employee of Physio-Control, if those stories had an impact on his work and how he thought about customers, he answered with a resounding, “YES, absolutely it did!” How about you? Does your company use any tactics to make customers come alive inside the organization? We’ll look at a method to do this after we visit a familiar example.

The Crime Board There is no shortage of crime shows on television where the profile of the murder suspect is put on the crime board for others to view. Here you see related data from known associates, the alibi, and even victims. This is a great example of making the customer (in this case a suspect) come alive inside the organization. Then detectives are able to see connections, track leads, and eventually bring the bad guy (or girl) in for questioning.

Develop Personas You can do a similar thing. Hopefully, you won’t need it to solve crimes but you can make your customer come alive inside the organization. This can help you to rally your people around a common set of customer types and the assumptions made about those customers. Instead of a large crime board, you can develop a persona, a fictional representation of your customers. Personas can be simple and low fidelity back of the napkin type sketches or more carefully illustrated and produced large format posters. Either way, they are representative profiles for a customer base. As a design tool, they are a powerful way to visualize and communicate behaviors, goals, wants, needs, and frustrations. You might develop several personas depending on who you serve. In the spirit of our rental car game, a vacationing family or a business traveler

presents very different needs, goals, wants, and frustrations. So, if we can capture and communicate some of these differences internally across the organization, we can collectively make better decisions on serving distinct sets of customers. That is key to winning the hearts and minds of those you serve. Try This! Create Personas. Let’s revisit the rental car game by revisiting the question of who do you want to serve? Pick two distinctly different types of customers you wish to serve. Give each type of customer a label. If you want to make it easy you can pick the vacationing family or the business traveler that I mentioned. A tougher challenge might be youth that have never rented a vehicle or larger groups of people traveling together. You might even think fractional needs. Perhaps you have an audience in mind that only needs a vehicle for short periods of time like those that use services from Zipcar or car2go. Here is a step by step approach to creating a persona. Who is your audience? Label them by giving them a descriptive name, not like Bill or Mary, but something more descriptive like “urban fashionista” or “bus stop mom.” For rental cars you might think vacationing family or short stay business traveler. Add a photo that represents them. Then, develop their character a bit more by answering questions. These can vary but, here are some ideas to consider. What is their age, occupation, marital or family status? What are their communication habits and values? What have been their experiences with similar products or services and what pain points do they have? It is useful to create a short "day in the life" narrative about them. Of course, you'll want to do this as though you are walking in their shoes or wearing their scarf. What are they likely to say? Add some quotes to reflect this. The images shown in Figure 2.1 are intentionally faceless, colorless, and without identity. You need to bring them to life.

Figure 2.1 Who is the Who? If you are using the Audience from the Big Idea Toolkit you'll also see a few additional items, namely: What do you want them to do? How can you reach them? Who influences them? The Audience from the Big Idea Toolkit is something we use to help envision the differences between various audiences. Using the Audience is especially helpful where there are different skill sets working together and you need quick results. For example, in a non-profit a single fundraising event will likely involve staff, volunteers, donors, and board members. A team wanting to have a successful fundraising event will come to recognize that each of these groups is being asked to participate in different ways. Also, it is likely that the person and method used to reach each group will vary as well. The influencers for each group will also vary. A prospective donor will likely be influenced by other donors but not

necessarily by staff or volunteers. The Audience gives a place for that conversation to happen, using a large format poster and simple sticky notes. Without personas or a conversation around customers, the experiences you create will be less guided and unremarkable.

Recipe #5: Use Personas to Improve Your View Use personas as a filter to view your service offerings and product features. Doing so will reduce biases people have across departments and will also naturally align your team to something that matters, namely, your customer.

Example: Footprint Investments Understanding Audiences Leads to New Opportunities. With over 60 real estate development projects at various stages, Jim Potter, of Kauri Investments, recognized an underserved audience in urban environments. Many people wish to live near their work but the clash between modest wages and expensive housing in many urban areas like Seattle makes this an unobtainable goal for many. House sharing is a possibility that some partake in but, others want privacy and modern amenities not always available. To address this need Jim launched Seattle-based Footprint Investments. Now, those working in the city can also live and socialize in the city, eschewing the increasingly long and expensive commutes to the suburbs. No longer do they have to endure the erosion of their paychecks or their time. Jim has successfully navigated the complex zoning laws to create modern micro apartments that offer residents, affordable in-city townhome style living complete with all utilities, hard wired internet access, furnishings, and even a community kitchen. While visiting one of Jim’s properties, I witnessed one resident, a 75 year old man emerge from his home, with folded up bicycle in hand. His quest was to live more life outside of his door; less gadgets and TV and more living.

Though incomes and lifestyle may vary widely among his residents, the common thread is that these retirees, divorcees, frequent travelers, interns, international students, etc. have decided that more space isn’t what they need. Most of them live alone and trade off space for simplicity, proximity to their social scene, community, and affordability. Because Jim understands his audience and their unmet needs, he has struck a rich vein. He cannot build quickly enough to satisfy the demand. He has similar projects underway in Portland, Oregon; Oakland, California; and Jersey City, New Jersey.

Another Way to Make the Customer Come Alive Simply observing customers in their own environment can be insightful and help you to better understand what they experience. This is the subject of ethnography and can be as large and formal as you like. At the top end, think of embedded reporters on the scene of a disaster or war zone or a consumer packaged goods company sending people to immerse themselves in another culture to see firsthand how an audience experiences laundry, cooking, etc. But, this isn’t out of the realm of even the tiniest organizations with modest resources. Grab a camera and a notebook and go where customers go. Shadow them, observe them, and take pictures or video for later recall. Engage them in dialogue, ask them about their experience and dig deeply to get to know how they feel and why they feel that way. You can do this with current customers, prospective customers, volunteers, donors, employees, or “bus stop moms” as you’ll see in the next example.

Example: The Abandoned Shopping Cart Problem Abandoned shopping carts litter the landscape most everywhere. City Councils want to hold stores accountable for their wayward carts. Stores are stuck between cracking down on their patrons and giving them freedom to take carts as needed. Biases are at play. What looks like a theft problem to the store’s loss prevention manager is a transportation problem to the “bus stop mom” or “urban retirement dweller” as shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2 Shopping Carts at Bus Stop Once you get past the bias that this is a purely homeless problem, you’ll see that kids, and moms, and grandpas all play a part in this problem. Even police are being called upon by municipalities to “do something about this menace.” One police department recently posted on their Facebook page a reminder to the public, that it is a crime to take a shopping cart off of store premises. The world has shifted – shopping carts have gotten smaller and more maneuverable, the price of gas has continued to rise, and some have opted out of owning personal transportation in favor of walking or using public transportation. But, amid these changes, stores are probably blind to the transportation realities their customers face. While stores have found more and more ways to understand our shopping preferences and probably have metrics related to the foods we buy and the prices we’re willing to pay, they really have little understanding of why we

choose their store, how we got there, and if a grocery cart will be on our list of items to take home today. So, there you have it, the human behind the customer has been forgotten and that is exactly wrong. Imagine if the metrics for a given store revolved less around how much orange juice we purchased and at what price and instead examined who the shopper is and what transportation they used to get to and from the store. Imagine what could be learned from discussions with bus stop moms and urban retirement dwellers. That might just spawn some new services and brand loyalty to the stores with courage enough to change the conversation and make the audience come alive inside the organization. In Chapter 8 we’ll learn about reframing problems. At Delightability, we hosted a public workshop where we brought people together from all walks of life to discuss, dive into, and propose a range of possible solutions to the abandon shopping cart problem. The biases were at play until we made the customer come alive by sharing photos and developed low fidelity personas. Then our courageous workshop participants got busy brainstorming and presenting possible solutions. One big take away from the workshop was that there needs to be a range of solutions to address the unmet needs of the humans lurking behind the abandoned shopping cart problem. When we jump to solutions without first understanding the problem or the audiences involved, then those solutions can serve to disappoint, alienate, and create unintentional consequences. For example, a loss prevention manager might be very comfortable having wheel locking technology installed on grocery carts as show in Figure 2.3, but that solution might be very irritating to the bus stop mom or urban retirement dweller that lacks transportation.

Figure 2.3 Wheel Locking Technology Installed on Grocery Cart If you have the equivalent of an abandoned shopping cart problem in your organization, it’s time to begin characterizing the problem by making the customer come alive inside the organization.

Customer Ecosystem As humans we are communal by nature. When we can’t get our modern day campfire, we substitute the phone, social media, meals or coffee. In our ecosystem, each of us influences and is influenced by friends, family, colleagues, social hubs, and even complete strangers in the community. We pre-assemble our ecosystem differently, depending on what we are trying to do. We seek counsel reflective of what we want to hear. That is evident when the teenage daughter ignores the advice of mom, favoring instead what her girlfriend says. But, this behavior isn’t owned by teenagers alone. At any age we self organize into the various tribes we belong to, the CEO peer group, the Chamber, the Rotary, the book club, LinkedIn groups, etc.

We even extend this behavior to our online and media choices. Some prefer to get their news from local television stations while others may tune into polarizing cable news channels like FOX News or the Daily Show with John Stewart. It is unlikely that a FOX News viewer will tune into the Daily Show and vice versa with equal conviction. Whether our go-to sources are television, magazines, newspapers, or they are online what we read and listen to becomes part of our personal ecosystem.

Figure 2.4 The Customer Ecosystem Each of us actively assembles or taps into our unique customer ecosystem according to our current situation and needs. Everybody's customer ecosystem is slightly different depending upon their knowledge, network, and preferences. All brands relevant to the customer co-exist in the customer ecosystem. The customer’s ecosystem is from the viewpoint of the customer. It is a quasi rigid network of people and places frequented as customers encounter various situations. The people may include trusted family, friends, peers and even strangers or experts in the community. Preferences vary among people; some may choose first to seek out people whereas others may first visit places, such as social media or a printed newspaper or magazine. It is interesting to note that mobile phones, in particular Smartphones, can give their users access to social media, web, radio, and provide phone, email, or text contact with people. With such

empowerment to navigate our ecosystem, it is no wonder we feel so incomplete when we leave our phones behind.

Recipe #6: Where Do Your Customers Need You Most? As you build personas and make the customer come alive inside your organization, think about situations they face that are relevant to you. Who do they talk to and where do they go? Brainstorm how you can be present and ready for them when you are most needed.

The Best Birthday Ever As you can see, whether we are providing a birthday gift or a shopping experience it is helpful to know more about the audience. By making the customer come alive, you’ll have a clearer picture of how to satisfy and delight customers. Creating personas, observing customers, and building out the customer ecosystem can give you insights into your audience and unlock new opportunities. This isn’t hard work to do but, if you don’t get started you’re apt to be delivering birthday gifts, yet another year without understanding your audience. While that might be convenient for the gift giver, it won’t be very meaningful for the receiver. If you were to think of your organization as a gift giver, where the products and services you provide customers are the gifts, how impressed would you be with what you give? Are others inside and beyond your organization helping you to better understand the audience and ensure that the gifts given are meaningful? In the next chapter you’ll gain a model for how to look at customers’ lives beyond your own organization. You’ll learn from nature something that will dispel the myth about companies having a life cycle. And, you’ll learn a model to better understand that not all partners you work with are created equal.

Chapter 3: Who is in the Sandbox? “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” Helen Keller Author, Political Activist, Lecturer (1880-1968)

********** The Wheel of Life No matter who we are, as humans we deal with many of the same things over the span of our lives including: love, birth marriage, getting educated, getting a job, relocating, starting a business, making meaning, purchasing goods and services, traveling, becoming ill and then hopefully recovering. If we are lucky enough we also get to deal with promotion, celebration, retirement, inheritance, and gifting. Unfortunately, we may also have to deal with loss: burglary, accidents, divorce, incarceration, even natural disasters. And, inevitably, we all deal directly with dying and death, the only certain escape from the wheel of life. Over time, we become familiar with the various steps as we encounter situations. Remember the experience halo from Chapter 1? We’re constantly adding to and replaying the filmstrip in our head. You might even hear yourself recalling or making comparisons, I’ve been here before or this isn’t as good as what I experienced last time. At the extremes you might say something like, “this is fantastic” or “this is really stupid!”

Figure 3.1 The Experience Honeycomb We can assemble the typical steps we encounter across situations into a lifecycle with distinct stages: discover; enter; orient; interact; advocate; and exit. This is easy to visualize as a honeycomb structure wherein each hexagonal cell represents a particular “what” in the lifecycle. For example, you might “research” at the discover stage or “dispose” or “recycle” at the exit stage. You can easily add to or replace cells representing steps you are familiar with. Notice each cell is a verb. The experience honeycomb is ever growing and each of us has our own slightly different version based on our unique collection of experiences. For a given situation, we may or may not make it through the entire lifecycle or any particular stage. After all, as humans, we may get busy or distracted, disenchanted with what we find, or even simply lose interest,

especially as we encounter new situations that look even better. Hence the expression, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Discover At the discover stage, we become aware of something that we may find interesting or potentially valuable. At the discover stage we use verbs like find, research, and search to indicate this is something we actively seek out. We can also inadvertently discover things that we don’t actively seek out like email, mail, door hangers, and television and radio commercials, as we passively get exposed to them.

Enter After the discover stage, then we get a little closer by entering the situation, dipping our toe in the water. Here we may register, view a demo or otherwise sample the product or service.

Orient Next we get our bearings and orient ourselves. Here we gain an understanding of the costs involved if we continue moving forward, encountering additional steps. We may view cost in terms of time and effort, price, and even risk. Purchase, join, sign-up, and install are typical steps in this stage.

Interact After we’ve committed to move forward at the orient stage, we then interact, sometimes for a short while, at other times for a long while. Depending on the situation, we may have steps involving getting help, unboxing, first use, subsequent use, service, setup, and even connecting or sharing with others.

Exit We eventually reach the exit stage of the situation. Here we may upgrade, return, dispose or recycle. For some situations that represent a single transaction or event,e.g., 25th wedding anniversary or college graduation, we may never return to the situation. For other situations, we may find ourselves re-entering stages again in the future.

Advocate Advocating is largely positive and shown to be toward the end of the experience cycle. But, we may complain, vent, and share our emotions (fear, elation, impressed, let down, etc.) at any point during the lifecycle. We go through each of the stages in the experience honeycomb whether the situation is visiting a museum or having major surgery. The honeycomb shape is intentionally chosen because a honeycomb structure makes the most efficient use of space and materials. Bees use the honeycomb shape to economize labor and wax. [4] Similarly, people expect to accomplish what they are doing at each stage with the least amount of effort. After all, we don’t experience the Amazon 1-click purchase and then later return to the Amazon website hoping to find a 4-click version. Aside from economizing labor we also seek other qualities that we continually measure against our experiences with things of a similar kind. As natural economizers and quality seekers, given the choice we will repel those brands and organizations that act counter to this. We also form an impression of what is good enough, given a particular situation. Sometimes you need the quality of a finely crafted piano, whereas other times the quality of a picnic table will do. Subconsciously, we ask ourselves as we encounter situations if this is a piano or picnic table situation and then we explore our choices. Think of the quality as the taste or color of honey in the experience honeycomb.

Figure 3.2 The Piano and the Picnic Table When we don’t like the choices, e.g., the honey tastes bad; we either opt out or muddle through, unhappily participating. As we muddle through, we collect a bit more brand aftertaste to add to our brand baggage. Fortunately, in many cases over the long run, entrepreneurs create new choices that reduce this tension for us. Exceptions include government and government granted monopolies, though in recent times we’ve seen governments tumble and courageous upstarts with new technologies and business models free consumers from strangleholds in industries ranging from music recording, telecommunications, mobile operating systems, Internet browsers, publishing, payment processing, and even public schools.

Ecosystem Revisited As we go about our business and encounter situations along our wheel of life we turn to, or are influenced by those trusted people and places in our

customer ecosystem. We also look to trusted brands that have left us with a positive brand aftertaste. None of us are about only one thing. On any given day, we each have multiple overlapping situations going on. Our habits and patterns dictate the communication channels we use for a given situation. Some people have never experienced certain communication channels either out of risk aversion or out of a lack of opportunity. For example, many young people have never used a fax machine and many older adults remain inexperienced (and uninterested) in Facebook and other social media.

The Organization’s Wheel Just as there is a wheel of life for humans, organizations of all types have situations they deal with over their lifecycles including items related to starting up, getting going, growing old, re-energizing, maintaining momentum, and winding down or exiting. Organizations don’t have a natural death like humans do. With innovation and rebirth they can literally live forever. The oldest organizations have outlived their earlier human members. One company, Zildjian, the famous cymbal maker and musicians choice, has persisted for nearly 400 years. Some governments and fraternal organizations have enjoyed long lives as well. As we’ll see in Chapter 8, an organization that persists has a promise delivery system that continues to work. An interesting side note: the giant sequoia is the only natural living organism that doesn’t have a natural terminus to its life; old age just keeps getting older for the giant sequoia. All other plants and animals undergo changes at the cellular level, as they mature and eventually die. A giant sequoia properly supported and shielded from insects, fires, and other damage will literally live forever. It turns out; they usually fall under their own weight,which then prompts further decay. [5] Governments and organizations can become too big as well, potentially falling under their own weight. The question to ask is what is the optimal size? History has shown that bigger isn’t necessarily better; one need only look at the fall of the Roman Empire. Today’s organizations face modern

day usurpers and insurgents, but perhaps a more insidious culprit of decline is apathy. Apathy takes many forms including disengaged voters, CEOs that fail to take action despite escalating changes in the competitive or customer environment, boards that fail to replace ineffective CEOs, and legislative “leaders” caught up in partisan politics bickering in ineffective battles while the outside world continues to morph. When people are apathetic and resigned, no longer caring about an organization or a government, that organization begins a path toward ruin. That is true, whether it is government like the bankrupt city of Detroit, a scandalous company like Enron, or 158 year old, one time corporate stalwart, Lehman Brothers. Bigger isn’t necessarily better and it certainly isn’t guaranteed to be in touch with the needs of those it claims to serve. Home Depot failed in China, Walmart in Germany and McDonalds in Iceland, Jamaica, and most recently in Bolivia. [6] By contrast, the giant sequoia doesn’t try to grow everywhere. As large and old as the giant sequoia gets, it still is at peace within the forest ecosystem and within itself. Every tiny cone, winged needle, water carrying capillary, section of thick spongy bark, all work together toward making the giant healthier. This is true, at least until the day the giant falls. The sequoia does eventually lose its ability to support and sustain itself. If it could reach just the right size or expand its support system as it grew, old age would keep on going. Building your organization should be no different. You need a strong base of support to keep the organization validated and on the right path. Otherwise your promise delivery system will break and so will your organization. We’ll learn more about the promise delivery system in Chapter 8 and you can put your organization to the test. Try This! Host a “size matters” conversation inside your organization where instead of focusing on bigger is better, you focus on building something that makes more meaning and is able to sustain itself over time. Discuss the life cycle of your organization. How old should it become and how can it rebirth itself through innovation? How would you measure success? Consider that your organization might have to be smaller to be better and to thrive.

Simplifying Matters No matter the type of organization or where it is at in its life cycle, its life will be prolonged indefinitely if it can effectively navigate the 3 funnels shown in Figure 3.3 and retain enough cash to meet its obligations.

Figure 3.3 The 3 Funnels The 3 funnels visual is a reminder that no matter what type of organization we’re in, we have customers to serve. These customers didn’t start out that way; they started out as prospects, or potential customers. And hopefully, they’ll move beyond being customers to become loyal advocates. So, the 3 funnels are: 1) the exposure funnel where you turn suspects (A) into prospects (B); 2) the adoption funnel where you turn prospects (C) into customers that are using your product or service (D); and 3) the retention funnel where you turn customers (E) into loyal advocates (F) that help you attract more prospects, in turn reducing your marketing expenses related to the exposure funnel. Limited flow through any of these funnels negatively impacts the organization. All the organization’s customer related activities can be forced to fit the 3 funnels. These activities include: 1) those things you do to attract new potential customers; 2) activities and tactics to convert those new customers to become users of your products or services; and 3) those activities that

encourage and enable users to advocate on your behalf. The tactics and channels an organization uses may change over time with technology, customer preferences, and channel effectiveness but the 3 funnels remain a constant. Simply put, the aim of the organizations is to create awareness, gain interest, build desire and commitment toward purchase and consumption, and move customers to show their conviction by advocating to others. Try this! Build an ABC Report. No matter the size or type of your organization, you’re still subject to the 3 funnels - there is no escape. What will vary are your systems for reporting and the size of the data set. The funnel shape implies that there is a slowdown; people enter the top and then take a while to get out the bottom. But, some customers never make it through the funnel. It can be as though the funnel is leaky or has a cover preventing people from effectively entering. Build a report against the 3 funnels to show how many customers are at each stage. Discuss what barriers prevent them from reaching the next stage and craft a strategy to overcome those barriers.

Figure 3.4 The Business Landscape The business landscape is for organizations what the customer ecosystem is for customers. The landscape includes competitors, but most importantly it is comprised of all of the relationships that help the organization to get things done along the organization’s wheel of life. These relationships include: vendors and suppliers, distributors, retailers, technology and channel partners, contractors, consultants and other professional services like accountants and attorneys, as well as specialized service providers including contract manufacturers, call centers, advertising agencies, etc. Depending upon the organization, there may be additional transportation, logistics, and financing related service providers that also help the organization across its wheel of life. The business landscape exists for organizations of all types i.e., nonprofits, government and for-profit. Organizational immaturity and old habits and patterns may get in the way of identifying and leveraging the talent and resources available in the business landscape.

Extended Enterprise The business landscape image depicts that not everything a business does is within its own four walls. Some operations may not even reside in the same country. The extended enterprise is made up of those companies that help complete the product or service offering. Outside organizations in the extended enterprise may directly interact with an organization’s customers or they may support back office systems, processes, and personnel. For example, customers placing calls to their mobile operator about that new Smartphone or billing situation will likely speak to an outsourced customer service agent, not an employee of their mobile operator. In similar fashion, if you book a room over the phone with a representative of Hilton Hotels, most likely you will be routed through the company Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system to an agent in an outsourced call center in Manila, Philippines. This is an interesting conundrum for companies. In a rush to maximize profits, many company have moved call center or manufacturing operations to lower cost labor forces in other countries. But, customers might not view this move as beneficial as the organization’s cost conscious managers or investors. After Hilton Hotels, was acquired by private equity firm, The Blackstone Group. L.P., some call centers based in the U.S. were closed. In an already stumbling economy, the further loss of jobs didn’t sit well with employees, some of whom trained their Manila based counterparts that would inherit their jobs. It also didn’t sit well with customers, some of who voiced disapproval and vowed not to return. [7] There could be longer term negative impacts on the organization and its brand as the customers’ views are different than that of the organization. Just as dedicated and skilled employees are not carried on the balance sheet as an asset; those loyal customers that defect are also invisible. Sales might tick along undetected until they mysteriously and abruptly diminish. The day old bread theory applies here, too.

Competitors and Partners Competitors co-exist in the same business landscape, sometimes sharing common suppliers and service providers in addition to customers. The most obvious example is a retailer that carries competing manufacturers’ products. But, competitors can also act together as partners. When partners work together, whatever their purpose, it is useful to have a scale to reference and even use as a discussion tool inside the organization and between partners. The 4-C partner model shown in Figure 3.5 helps you identify each partner as a true collaborator or a pure competitor or something in between. It is helpful to understand the range of possibilities within the partnership and to also ensure both partners arrive at a common view, to avoid any surprises or built up resentment when one partner may not live up to unspoken expectations.

Figure 3.5 The 4-C Partner Model The 4 C’s stand for: competitive, cooperative, collaborative, and coordinative. Partners can only be one of these types; they don’t fit multiple categories. I’ve provided some differences between various types. It doesn’t matter as much how I define each of the 4-C stages. The important thing is that not all partnerships are created equally. If you rely on partners for part of what you do and you want to keep your customers happy, then you’ll need to ensure your partner and you are seeing the partnership in the same way.

Recipe #7: Level with Your Partners Have a discussion with a current partner to find out if you view your partnership the same. If appropriate, talk about moving the partnership up to a higher level. Topics to consider in your discussion include: vision or purpose for working together, resources to be shared, rewards, leadership, accountability, and

communications. For truly collaborate team efforts you might spawn a separate team and create a team charter. Try This! Expand your business landscape. Now that you have a more complete view of the business landscape and the partner continuum, it is the perfect time to revisit the customer ecosystem. Expand your current view of the business landscape to include potential partners that could help you to influence your desired audience.

Summary Most things of significant importance cannot be done alone. Having a model for working with others in the business landscape is vitally important to advance issues and agendas that are larger than a single organization. At times we’ll need to work with competitors while at other times we’ll have the luxury of working with like minded collaborators that help complete our product or service offering. Being able to get on the same page about customers as well as the partnership that serves them is our best chance to work effectively together to benefit our own organizations and our customers. But, none of that will ever matter if we don’t understand what our customers go through or should go through in working with us. Chapter 4 gives us new insights and tools to be able to model our intended customer behavior. Then, in Chapter 7 we’ll get down to the business of intentionally designing remarkable experiences, i.e., experiences good enough to remark on.

Chapter 4: Modeling the Customer Journey “Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.” Albert Einstein Theoretical Physicist (1879 – 1955)

********** Expanding the Experience Honeycomb Recall the experience honeycomb shown in Figure 3.1 where we, as individuals, encounter different situations across our wheel of life. The cells in the honeycomb structure each represent a particular “what” in the lifecycle. But, we need something beyond the “what” in order to model what we experience over time. For example, we may be trying to change a reservation (what) while we are in our office at work (where) on a break (when) using our office phone (using). We need to expand our model to include where we are when we encounter different situations, when those situations occur, and what we are using to accomplish the task at hand as shown in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1 Where – When - Using Here are typical choices for the where, when, and using. Where may include: at home, at the office, in a store, while traveling, while on vacation, or in motion. When may include: upon waking, while getting ready, commuting, at work, during a break, during leisure time. Remember using is how we get things done. Options include: mail, online, email, mobile phone, phone, social network, fax, face to face, text, etc. Of course if we are talking about a very specialized experience then there may be additional choices to consider. So, our model is beginning to shape up like this: Who’s the who? What is the what? Where is the who, when they are doing the what? When do they do the what? And, what are they using to accomplish the what? Conventionally this is the how, but using is more descriptive of the device or method used. You might need to read that one more time slowly if you are still hearing an Abbot and Costello “Who’s on

First?” routine play out in your mind. The image shows examples of the where, when, and using, but you can easily imagine many more variations, not shown.

Touchpoints A touchpoint is where a customer has an interaction with an organization or a brand. Think of the organization touching the customer and vice versa through a variety of means. It is easy to recognize a touchpoint when there is a visible and physical interaction like speaking to an employee at a bank or grocery store. But, a touchpoint needn’t be face to face or physical. Touchpoints can also be digital like visiting a website or receiving an email. Touchpoints are interacted through the senses by seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and touching. Other examples of touchpoints include: checking out at the cash register in a physical store, phoning customer support, chatting with an online agent, viewing an ad on a billboard or television, clicking an online ad, reviewing a receipt or invoice, or using a touch screen kiosk to check in at the airport or to check out a book at the library. Remember, an experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. The interaction happens at a touchpoint, which could be a space, an object, a person, or a service. Touchpoints can be physical, human, or digital, tangible or intangible as shown in Figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2 Touchpoint Examples Touchpoints come in many forms but fit the categories of spaces, objects, services, and people. There will be new touchpoints invented next year and the year after, but I suspect they will still fit into these categories. If not, let me know and I’ll update my model.

Objects The interaction is with an object if the touchpoint is a physical object you can hold like a catalog, packaging, or product itself. Objects can also be digital like an email or electronic catalogue.

Spaces The interaction is included in spaces if the touchpoint is a physical location where customers go. A website that contains images of a building, a store, park, etc. is a virtual representation of that space and therefore included in spaces as well.

Services All services are intangible; they are consumed, cannot be picked up, carried away, or stowed. Examples include e-commerce, hosted applications in the cloud, or location based services. Services needn’t be high tech; an example is low tech delivery of a product to your home or office.

People Human touchpoints might be face to face like interacting with a salesperson or may be virtual as in chat or contacting a call center. These human touchpoints may be real time interactions, but may also be delayed as in a twitter message, voice mail message or moderated community forum.

Reputation Touchpoints 3rd party blogs, reviews, ratings, Consumer Reports, etc., are unmanaged interactions and not between an organization and a customer so, they are not included here. But, they are important and are considered by customers when they call upon their customer ecosystem for advice, referrals, and guidance. Providing customers with remarkable experiences is the best insurance policy to ensure your reputation is seen positively.

Touchpoint Relevance Not all touchpoints are effective for all customers. Customers’ habits and preferences vary when engaging an organization or brand. Customers today expect organizations to fit their preferences, rather than the customer having to conform to the touchpoints the organization makes available. A customer can become quickly aggravated when they want to interact with an organization in a particular way, but the organization doesn’t make that method available. For example, a customer might want to talk to a human being in real time about an order they placed online. If they attempt to contact the organization, but are pushed to automated phone systems, support forums, FAQs and online contact us forms, then the conversation never happens and response comes too late.

Recipe #8: Remember the Phone

Make sure your customers can always contact you via multiple methods that are meaningful to them, including the phone. A great example is online reseller and customer service superstar Zappos.com that makes their phone number available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. GoDaddy is another one that shares this policy. I’ve included ads at touchpoints in Figure 3.7, but note that many ads are rarely touchpoints because unless a customer sees them and responds or has an emotional reaction (in their halo) then the touchpoint is dead and disconnected. If there is no interaction with a customer at a touchpoint then it really is a dead touchpoint from the customer perspective. Interactions at touchpoints may be light or they may be heavy, deeper interactions where information is collected and an intelligent response is provided. One example is a repair person showing up with exactly the right parts to fix a broken appliance after a lengthy online chat session with a support technician. Imagine receiving a greeting and the next steps of your itinerary as you power up your phone after your plane lands in your destination city. This interaction could happen via voice, text, email, or inside an application – depending upon the preferences you previously set.

Recipe #9: Make an Inventory of all Touchpoints Perform a touchpoint audit and pay particular attention to the potential disconnect between online and physical touchpoints that may need to be smoothed for your audience. A touchpoint doesn’t carry any particular meaning, quality, or value; it is simply point of interaction. Touchpoints aren’t concerned with who’s the who, or what’s their context. How a customer feels at a touchpoint is in their experience halo. That’s why we need to be mindful of how we design the interaction, so that our customer has the best possible experience at a touchpoint. This way, we increase our chances of delighting customers (if we choose to) and decrease the chances that something will go wrong or, if something does go wrong, there is recovery or remediation. All organizations or brands, nonprofits, for-profits, and governments interact with their customers, volunteers, members, employees, donors,

investors, etc., at touchpoints as shown in Figure 4.3. There is no other interaction; think of touchpoints as the exclusive interaction club.

Figure 4.3 Touchpoint Duality Think of a touchpoint as each time the customer’s “what” in the experience honeycomb interacts with a person, object, space, or service from the organization’s 3 funnels.

Different Views of the Same Touchpoint It is important to recognize that when the organization and customer come together at a touchpoint, they might have radically different views and concerns. Remember, a customer is simply trying to make their way across various situations they encounter in their wheel of life whereas the organization wants to move customers across the 3 funnels. Consider a customer that needs to explore transportation alternatives for commuting to their new job. They look at many options including using public transportation, repairing their older vehicle or purchasing a new one from a dealer.

The view looks different from within the car dealership. Here for example, the car dealer isn’t concerned about repair or public transportation. They are more concerned with quotas, revenue, and moving aging inventory as new models arrive. They want to move the prospect very quickly across the 3 funnels to buy a car (hopefully today) then become a customer for life and then tell others how great it all was. So, imagine how different the views are between the customer and the eager salesperson that greets them as they arrive on the lot. No wonder, with these different orientations, the car buying experience is agonized by most people that face it.

Can You Smell a Touchpoint? So, what about intangible touchpoints? Do they exist? Sure, intangible touchpoints are those things that cannot be touched directly. Think of sounds like that of a Harley-Davidson or the T-Mobile jingle. Also, if you’ve flown Singapore Airlines or been into a Victoria’s Secret you know firsthand that scent can be a powerful stimulant for our experience halo. Technically, sounds and smells are objects in our experience model. Here is why; sounds waves are actually vibrations on your eardrum caused by mechanical sound waves that are transmitted through the air. Smelling also works with tiny objects; your olfactory receptors in your nasal cavity detect molecules that float into the air. Whether they are from flowers or fresh baked bread, the physics are the same. If there are no molecules that float up into our nose, as in steel, then we don’t smell it and there isn’t a smelling interaction. [8] Although sounds and smells are objects it is more natural for us to think of a space or environment as noisy or smelly. It doesn’t matter which part of the experience model we use, as long as we include these senses.

Can You Think a Touchpoint? Can I think a touchpoint? Is there such a thing? A clever marketer might say – yes, that is a brand touchpoint. For example, when you walk into a restaurant that has high tension because it’s busy and crowded is there a touchpoint that is ambience? No, ambience is not a touchpoint. That is the emotional response to the touchpoint of the space. So, if a person was

waiting to be seated at this restaurant or already seated and waiting impatiently to pay their bill, the touchpoint in the first case is the lobby and in the second case, the booth or table. Put another way, if a person didn’t care about the tension or was unaware, the touchpoint still remains the same. How we think about the ambience is the filmstrip that we play in our heads; it is part of our experience halo, but not a touchpoint.

Why I Don’t Like Nouns Alone as Touchpoints If we define a touchpoint as an interaction between a customer and an organization or its brand then it should be descriptive of the interaction. For example, a receipt by itself is not a touchpoint. The receipt itself is not an interaction; it has potential for interaction. For the receipt to be part of the experience at a touchpoint it has to be asked for, printed, reviewed, picked up, etc. If the receipt is never picked up then there is no interaction and therefore, it is not a touchpoint. With the verb-noun combination there is a natural interaction. Without the verb, the noun stands alone, like a web page that is never visited. This is one reason to establish measurements at touchpoints and monitor their effectiveness and relevance with your audience; more on that in the Chapter 7: Improving the Journey.

How Touchpoints and Experiences Relate A customer experience is what is happening deeply and surrounding a touchpoint. If you expand your view beyond the interaction to include the context, the emotion, and the quality of the interaction then you begin to understand the experience the audience is having. Remember, we define an experience as a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. 30 students sitting in a classroom hearing the same lecture each experience a unique lecture because each of their context and connection made to past experiences in their brain is unique. However, the touchpoint of hearing and seeing a lecture unfold is exactly the same for each student sitting in the classroom. The touchpoint is the same, the experience is different.

Customer Journey

The customer journey is a collection of experiences at touchpoints over time. Journey types vary along with the duration of the journey. Journeys can be about a relationship that changes over time, or they can be about a shorter duration transaction or event. Each of our own personal journeys encompasses all journeys of all types over our life span, but that is too large of a journey for an organization to be practically interested in. Within our organizations we are usually concerned with smaller journeys of a particular type. A wealth management firm or non-profit might be concerned with building a relationship over time with clients or other constituents, whereas a government agency might be more concerned with transactional journey related to their specific area. Journeys can cut across departments and even organizations. The most challenging problems and perhaps the most interesting opportunities involve journeys that cross organizational boundaries in the business landscape. These are the problems and opportunities that individual organizations and departments don't readily see, but that customers face with frustration or hopeful eyes toward a brighter future with better experiences. Sometimes problems are too large to solve from the viewpoint of the person helping us on the phone or in person. Systemic problems easily outgrow a front line employee, especially if the organization’s culture does not permit the employee to remedy a customer situation directly or provide suggestions for improvement. Each of us has been personally affected by broken experiences, many of which upon closer examination cut across organizational boundaries. When a product is reported by a company’s website to be available in store, but a visit to the physical store reveals otherwise, a negative brand aftertaste is created in the mind (halo) of the customer. Also, imagine the feeling a customer has when an in-store ad draws their attention. They get excited and go to the company’s website on their mobile phone or in-store kiosk to compare products. But, when they don’t find it, they’re disappointed.

Customers don’t care about policy, or the reasons an organization has disconnected online to in-store operations; they only care about their own customer experience. In Chapter 7 we’ll explore organizational readiness as one of the levers to use in improving experiences. The online-to-offline experience is sadly an easy target for broken experiences. There are many scenarios for this including an online coupon that is only good online, but not in the same company’s physical store. I have personally witnessed an avid book reader vow to the sales person at a major bookstore chain, “You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t use the online coupon in the store? You are the same company! I will never shop with you again.” That is a preventable customer defection and eventually (I hope) we will all look back and say, “Remember when we used to have problems like …” If Ritz-Carlton had bookstores I surmise this broken experience would never happen as you’ll see in the next example.

Example: The Ritz-Carton Hotel Company L.L.C. Gold Standards are the foundation by which the Ritz-Carlton Hotel operates. This includes the service values embraced by every employee. Some of those values particularly address an employee’s ability to remedy a customer situation directly, “I am empowered to create unique, memorable and personal experiences for our guests” and “I own and immediately resolve guest problems.” Other service values give employees a voice into making improvements, “I continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve The Ritz-Carlton experience” and “I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me.” [9] I have great confidence that a stay at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel property would go beyond comfortable and clean. I feel that my care and well-being would be the utmost priority of their attentive, sincere staff. I imagine leaving would feel a bit like saying goodbye to friends. Recalling my previous example, if they really did have book stores, I have confidence that my online coupon would have been honored in the physical store.

Beyond the Ritz-Carlton

My travels to a Ritz-Carlton Hotel will necessarily involve more than a hotel stay. In order to get to a Ritz-Carlton I still have to travel, most likely on a plane, which involves airports and the infamous broken security experience. To begin my Ritz-Carlton experience I have to deal with a plethora of people and services that don’t give a damn about my experience and that I find disheartening. If we look at the customer journey as larger than what happens for guests on the Ritz-Carlton Hotel property then we can imagine there are many areas that could be improved. In order for those problems and opportunities to be addressed we have to change our dialogue, but first we have to change our view.

How Big is the Journey? A customer journey can be viewed from many vantage points. To continue the hotel example, a visitor may be viewed as a person that is occupying a room for the night. Or, that person could be viewed as a traveler on a larger journey that has many stays at many hotels in many cities. We need to be able to see from afar or up close in more detail as shown in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4 From the Street to the Satellite Our thinking is limited by our perspective. If we are driving and stuck in traffic with cars all around us, we don’t see the clear path or the lane ahead that we need to avoid. When we come up a little higher into the balcony view, we have a broader perspective. We can see the road, the crowded lanes as well as the clear path. We see multiple vehicle and their drivers and we also begin to see the landscape beyond the edges of the road. If we continue to ascend with our helicopter view we open up our perspective further. Here we see multiple balconies, roads, and an even larger landscape. Helicopters have their limits too. Going beyond the helicopter is reserved for the satellite view that can see the furthest and can orbit the earth as well. For every organization there is an equivalent street– balcony–helicoptersatellite view. The street view might be those individual contributors in various positions, the balcony might represent the corner office, and the helicopter view gets outside the office to see what lies beyond the

organization and how it survives or thrives in the larger business landscape and customer ecosystem. The satellite view looks even broader to understand the overall meaning and connectedness to a human centered world. If you go higher, you have the opportunity to escape the biases and limited views from the street. You have the opportunity to get more human and ask, “What does this mean for humankind?” But, be careful, without the balance of the street, the views from far away might be a little blurry. You might recall a past situation where you needed help with a product or service. Perhaps, your situation was different and you needed somebody to empathize and accommodate your unique situation. If the person “helping” you cited policy then they were operating with a street view and you probably felt less than human. What you really desire in a situation like this, is for the person “helping” you to go to the balcony or helicopter, understand you, and make an exception to the policy that you don’t care about in the first place. When we vary our perspective, coming up or down as needed, then we can have more authentic dialogue with those around us. When we do this our communications shifts from one way messages to a two way dialogue with a better chance of mutual understanding.

Example: Abandoned Shopping Carts Revisited Remember the abandoned shopping cart problem from Chapter 2? Here is what that problem might look like from the various vantage points. First, the street view.

Street View As a loss prevention manager my duties are to reduce loss, whether that is shoplifting inside the store or cart theft beyond the store. I’m also responsible for replacing shopping carts that disappear. So, when my new friend, the sales person that sells me wheel-locking devices arrives on the scene, I’m sold. I believe the problem is solved and my pain will go away.

Balcony View But, the view from balcony might look a little different. The manager in the corner office is heard saying, “Shoppers without transportation are

complaining. Some don’t even complain, but we don’t see them shopping in our store anymore. And, the technology isn’t without problems. Carts still disappear and some customers have complained that the techno carts malfunction while still on the store property. We still have a problem, here.”

Helicopter View The helicopter view goes beyond the store. From this vantage point you can hear neighborhood associations or city councils laying blame and demanding solutions and accountability. Imagine hearing, “We are sending the wrong message to tourists as well as those considering buying a home or starting a business in our city. It doesn’t feel safe, clean or attractive. Shopping carts are being abandoned in ditches, at bus stops, on private property, in driveways, on sidewalks, even in the middle of the road or in waterways. It is dangerous and unsightly.” Fist pounding on the table, “We need to hold cart owners accountable.”

Satellite View But, what if we adopted a satellite view, a more human centric view? Is this not a solvable problem where there can be multiple winners? Does somebody have to lose? A range of solutions is probably needed. A satellite view combined with making the customer come alive would likely lead to happier shoppers and stores while enrolling outside stakeholders into solutions, too. Those outsiders might include existing or new nonprofits, existing transportation and service providers, youth groups, underemployed, or even citizens that give a damn. Problems that persist and are seemingly unsolvable, like the abandoned shopping cart problems are not solved at the street, balcony, or helicopter view. Your organization might have persistent problems too, that would benefit from an expanded perspective.

Example: The Death of the Walled Garden Change your view and you change the opportunity. If you carry a Smartphone and have downloaded an application from the Android Market, now called Google Play, or from the Apple App Store, then you’ve benefited from the satellite view.

In the pre-iPhone era, before Google and Apple arrived on the mobile phone scene with the Open Handset Alliance that created Android and the iPhone respectively, mobile network operators like Vodafone, Orange, TMobile, Verizon, etc. and device manufactures like RIM BlackBerry, Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung provided access to their devices and networks for a relatively few number of application developers as compared to today’s marketplaces. This also severely limited the choices available to consumers. At the time, executives in their helicopter view, argued that networks needed security and that certification programs were limited in resources. But, critics made up of consumers and organizations developing applications and services, criticized this walled garden approach; they wanted access. Access was never provided by those in the helicopter; their congressional-like in fighting only prompted two outsiders to ignite a new phase of the mobile revolution. Most recognize the trigger for this revolution as the use of touchscreen technology in devices like the iPhone, but the even larger piece was the increasingly accessible marketplace offered by first Apple and subsequently, Android. This happened because of two outsiders to the mobile device world that went higher. In doing so, they got more human and now have raised the bar for all mobile device manufacturers and mobile network operators. Many of the previous industry stalwarts continue to play catch-up to these new more human and experience centric companies. For those playing catch up, their bread may have already gone bad; for some, it may be too late. Some of the most interesting problems and opportunities happen at the edges of our responsibilities and lay beyond the boundaries of our organizations. They require new thinking and new conversations. The view from the balcony is not the same as the helicopter or satellite, or the road. The perspective is different. Sometimes in organizations the people on the front lines interacting with customers see one thing and the people behind the scenes or in the corner office, see something differently.

If we have a balcony view, sometimes we need to come down into the street to see what is going on. And, if we are in the helicopter perhaps we need to get outside of the organization, or even the industry.

Example: Alaska Airline Terminal Redesign When Alaska Airlines redesigned its terminal at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Ed White, Alaska’s VP of corporate real estate, assembled a team from across the company. In an attempt to get outside of their own helicopter view they went higher; they visited theme parks, hospitals and retailers to see what they could learn. One thing they learned was that where employees were available to direct customers, there were shorter wait times and less confusion. The team noted that Disneyland was very effective at this, having people in all of the right places. [10] Try This! What if we go higher? The piano or sawhorse model can help us to have a more meaningful conversion about expected quality. We can say something is good enough and once we understand the model we know what that means. We can collectively move on to address things that are not yet good enough. But, we also need to be able to have a discussion about viewing a situation from the right vantage point. The question to ask inside your organization is, “What if we go higher, what we will see? Or, should we go lower or get outside? Who else can help us see this? Do we need to include a bus stop mom?”

Intentionally Designing Experiences With the experience vocabulary we are forming, we can examine experiences and journeys more fully. If we can do that with existing journeys and experiences then there is hope that we can tap our inner designer and begin to intentionally design new experiences. Then we can begin to make more people smile and remark on our organization or brand (remarkable experiences) or reduce the cost to serve, or both. In the next chapter, we’ll apply our new terminology of touchpoints, experiences, and journeys to an example we have all experienced from the perspective of being a customer, renting a car.

Chapter 5: The Rental Car Journey “Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Herbert Simon Social Scientist, Professor (1916 – 2001)

********** We have two perspectives when renting a car. We have the organization’s perspective and that of the customer. In this chapter, we’re going to focus on the customer view. Mapping the system within the organization and across the business landscape is important, but comes later; that should be done in light of what customers want. There has been a shortage of customer first thinking in operational efficiency focused initiatives, like Lean where the focus is on reducing waste and unnecessary steps. Remember, if you don’t understand customers and the experiences you should be designing for them, Lean and other practices might be tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. You might be removing steps and waste from an increasingly irrelevant process or even set of customers. When a customer rents a car they will encounter many steps as shown in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1 Rental Car Journey Typical Steps Customers will encounter many steps in a typical rental car journey. They might first find offers, make comparisons on websites, and eventually register online and reserve a car. Once they arrive at an airport (a typical place to pick up a rental car) they will catch a shuttle, get their car, adjust the mirrors and seat and eventually leave the lot and begin using the car. When they return the car, they’ll settle their invoice and take the shuttle back to the airport and eventually return home. Some customers may skip some of these steps. For example, not every customer reserves a GPS and some customers may participate in loyalty programs that enable them to bypass checkout lines, going directly to their reserved car where the keys await them. Figure 5.2 shows how each of these steps fits into the customer’s experience honeycomb.

Figure 5.2 Rental Car Experience Honeycomb We can show each of the steps customers encounter across the experience honeycomb. Each stage e.g. discover, enter, etc. has individual steps associated with it. In this model time advances as you go toward the right. Cells above other cells complete first. For example, get car comes later than catch shuttle and load GPS is below load luggage though both appear in the Interact stage. Notice that although the experience honeycomb model includes a stage for Advocate, in this particular example none of the cells associated with it are populated. This is because there isn’t anything about renting a car that makes us want to naturally tell others about it, especially before our rental car journey completes. The exception might be if the rental car company provided a free upgrade or the car was a remarkable drive, but even then, advocating to others isn’t a step that is top of mind for rental car customers.

So far, our honeycomb model reveals what the customer does, but not where they are when they do it as in Figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3 What and Where In the rental car journey, the customer’s physical location changes as they encounter various steps. In this example, their journey begins at work and they eventually arrive at the airport and then onto the rental lot before leaving with their rental car. The customer uses the car for travel before returning to the airport or other drop-off location. The “where” is important because customers don’t have the same capabilities everywhere. A harried traveler will likely only have a phone for their use while on-the-go, whereas the same person in an office environment will have access to computers, phones, fax machines, printers, the Internet, and other people. Adding the where helps us to better understand the customer context. We gain additional understanding by adding the when into our model as shown in Figure 5.4.

Figure 5.4 Add the When In this case the customer is a business traveler and working the entire time, from when they reserve the car online at work to when they complete the rental and return to the airport for their departure home. The traveler being in work mode helps us to understand their context. For other journeys the context may be very different and when may have included “upon waking”, “while getting ready”, “while commuting”, “while on break or lunch”, “during classes” and “during leisure time.” The when labels can be varied to suit the audience and particular journey you are modeling. For example, if your organization serves women experiencing homelessness, like The Sophia Way in Bellevue, WA, then the when labels throughout a day will look very different. In place of “while commuting” there may be “while searching” and in place of “during leisure” there may be “while hiding” or “while talking with a case manager“ or “while getting some rest.”

Sometimes, looking at smaller slices of time will be instructive. For example, if you make a product or provide a service that is only consumed during a narrow sliver of time e.g. getting ready for work, commuting, or preparing a meal, then you may want to focus only on that time. It all depends upon the audience you are looking at and the duration of their journey. In our rental car example, we don’t look at the business traveler’s breaks or leisure time while they are away on a business trip. Though their physical location varies, we simply say their entire journey happens while they are working.

Figure 5.5 Touchpoints with What and How In Figure 5.5 we begin to show the interactions between the rental car company and the customer as touchpoints. Remember, an experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. Our model reminds us of this by including those words around the center touchpoint. We won't include them in subsequent illustrations, but imagine they are always present. The dotted line between touchpoints shows continuity in the journey. The dotted line extending in both directions off of Figure 5.5, means that there are touchpoints beyond the page, not shown. The first touchpoint shown is the customer reserving a car online and receiving an email confirmation. The next touchpoint shows the customer catching the shuttle to the rental car lot. These touchpoints may be separated by hours or weeks. It is interesting to note that although the rental car company and customers have no other interactions between these two touchpoints, the traveler has

accomplished plenty. They have packed bags, left work, arrived at the airport, traveled on one or more planes, arrived at an airport in their destination city, disembarked the plane, navigated their way to baggage claim, waited for and picked up their bag, and many other steps that are part of the travelers journey, but not specifically the rental car journey. From a satellite view, you can imagine they have been even busier beyond their travel journey. Let’s continue to look at our narrow example of the rental car journey. Now imagine our business traveler riding the shuttle on the way to the rental car lot. During the shuttle ride the customer watches a video screen behind the driver that explains how to return the rental car and reminds them that wearing a seatbelt is required by law. Next to the luggage holder on the shuttle there is a collection of maps and a brochure about the car rental company's loyalty club. The experience our traveler is having at this touchpoint (the shuttle) includes services (the ride), objects (the seat, video, brochures), and people (dialogue with the driver and other travelers). At this touchpoint, the travelers experience also includes the space or environment as it may be hot or cold inside the shuttle, rainy or icy outside, noisy, smelly, etc. As the shuttle arrives at the rental car lot, the business traveler exits the shuttle and this part of the experience completes. The driver locates the traveler’s suitcase and places it neatly on the sidewalk with the handle extended. In this case the business traveler tips the shuttle driver, another interaction. It is interesting to note that when there isn't signage to explain things like tipping policy, people often look for cues from others to see what the norm is. In this case other travelers might follow suit and tip as well. Journey mapping is a flexible tool that can be applied at various levels. In our example, we treated the shuttle as a single touchpoint in a travelers rental car journey, but we could also slow down and expand the shuttle experience, getting much more granular with every aspect of the shuttle experience at shown in Figure 5.6.

Figure 5.6 Explore New Journeys It is possible that an experience at a single touchpoint can be expanded to be a journey mapping exploration all on its own. In Figure 5.6 we expand the “catch shuttle” touchpoint to be a journey that includes: finding the shuttle, waiting for the shuttle, queuing up for the shuttle, and entering. Once onboard the shuttle the customer journey continues as they park their bag, find a seat, look at brochures, watch a video, listen to audio, retrieve their bag, and interact with the driver and potentially other passengers. Applying the piano and the sawhorse model to journey mapping, sometimes a quick trip through a journey is good enough. At other times, to gain the insights we want, we need to slow down and delve into various nooks and crannies of the experiences our customers have. In Chapter 7, we’ll explore methods we can apply to improve journeys of any type or duration.

Figure 5.7 Rental Car Journey Touchpoints Figure 5.7 shows common touchpoints to this rental car customer journey. Note that the customer interactions in the earlier touchpoints are primarily with the website and email communications. But, upon catching the airport shuttle, people begin to enter into the experience. Once the customer has picked up their rental car, there are few interactions with other people. Customers load their own luggage, enter destinations into their GPS, start the engine, leave the parking lot and begin using the car. If you are thinking that the limited interactions with people or services in the later touchpoints present an opportunity, you are exactly correct. We will explore those opportunities in Chapter 7. But, first, let’s get emotional.

Figure 5.8 Customer Emotions To improve experiences, it is useful to understand the quality of the interactions at each touchpoint. In Figure 5.8 we show the same touchpoints, but add the emotional response of customers using a scale. Touchpoints that appear higher have a more positive emotional response, those touchpoints appearing lower, have a more negative response. Remember, experiences are emotional. That is what the experience halo is all about. You may be thinking of your own rental car experiences of the past. That is your own brand baggage that you’ll carry into your future rental car experiences; it might be good or terribly bad. In Figure 5.8, each touchpoint is numbered to correspond to customer statements made about that particular step. Though this is a fictitious example, perhaps you can hear yourself saying something similar at each touchpoint.

1) Find offers: I know I must have some deals in my email or be able to find a coupon online. 2) Compare cars: I hope this car is large enough. If I take clients out for lunch I don’t want them to feel cramped. 3) Register on web: That wasn’t too bad and if I rent from them again, at least they have my information saved. 4) Reserve car: I hope I’m getting the best deal for this car. I wonder if I can get a free upgrade at the counter. 5) Arrive airport: Now where do I catch the shuttle. Oh yeah, rental cars this way. Alright – it is a bit of a walk, but at least I have wheels on my luggage. 6) Catch shuttle: Finally, I didn’t think it would take quite that long for the shuttle to arrive. At least the driver is nice and parked my luggage on the rack for me. I’m happy to be able to sit down. 7) Wait at checkout: Wow, now I have to wait in another line. This is a waste of my time. 8) Get car: This car is pretty nice and roomy enough. Wow, is it hot outside. I’m glad this car has air conditioning. I only wish I had a bottle of water! 9) Load luggage: I’ll stow my bags in the trunk. I don’t want my computer bag to be visible in the car. 10) Load GPS: Seems like I already did all of this at home. I need to get going. I’ll just enter the hotel address for now. I’ll have to add more in later. 11) Start engine: Wow, I’m finally going. Now, how do I get out of here? Comments at each touchpoint (qualitative data) can be obtained by listening to or interviewing customers. Customers can also be invited to participate in journey mapping exercises. If customers are not available or it is otherwise

not practical for them to participate you’ll still benefit by representing the customer in the exercise. Techniques from Chapter 2 used to make the customer come alive inside the organization will help your team to empathize, walk in the customer’s shoes, and anticipate the customers’ emotional response at each touchpoint. The emotional insights you gain here can provide you with tremendous advantage over competitors by revealing opportunities to delight, reducing the cost to serve, and even identifying new products and services that customers would find valuable. As I was writing this section, I polled 100 colleagues and friends to see how others felt about their car rental experiences. I wanted to understand if this group exhibited much loyalty toward rental car companies and if so, why. What I found was that loyalty was largely driven by discounts received through memberships and associations. Disloyalty, on the other hand, was driven by particular experiences customers had at touchpoints. Some people reported “add-on” costs were an unpleasant surprise, others reported that the rates received online were not honored at the rental counter, and sadly a few reported mysterious damage claims had been assessed against them by the rental car company. In one extreme case, the damage report was months later and was reported to be to the vehicle’s undercarriage. The customer affected has vowed to never rent a car again after such an experience. Honestly, I was expecting to hear better news, but most people in this 100 person sample were disloyal and chose their car rental company based on price and availability of the car in the needed location. In other words, renting a car is unremarkable and not worth getting excited about, let alone become a loyal advocate over. That can be changed and we’ll explore tools to make improvements in Chapter 7.

Emotionally Charged Touchpoints While the experience across all touchpoints determines the overall quality of the customer’s journey, there are some touchpoints that are more emotionally charged for customers. For example, at touchpoint number 8, the customer is reported to have said among other things, “I wish I had a

bottle of water.” A parched passenger that unexpectedly receives a water bottle at this moment will likely be delighted. For that customer, that touchpoint represents a water bottle moment. The same water bottle tactic provided to another customer might have no impact at all. Again, who is the who and what is their context, matters. Emotionally charged touchpoints might go the other direction, too. A customer’s actual experience might fall well below their expectations. In moments like these, it is as though they have received a pie in the face. Different situations can trigger pie in the face moments for different customers. This could happen to some customers when they witness or experience injustice, inequity, or inaccuracy. Others might feel the pie in the face moment when they are disrespected, ignored, or made to feel confused at a certain touchpoint. When a customer feels cheated or when promises made to them are not kept, they will likely feel a pie in the face. In these most extreme of negatively charged emotional moments, if the customer has the ability to fire the organization or brand, they will. This is tougher to do when a customer has limited choice due to being stuck in a contract, or because they are dealing with a corporate monopoly or government agency. Water bottle and pie in the face moments are reserved for the most extreme reactions at touchpoints. These are the moments where customers make mental notes to defect or become loyal and even tell powerful positive or negative stories to others. Each of us has experienced both water bottle and pie in the face moments as we have encountered various situations in our wheel of life. Some of these moments have shaped our brand baggage and are the major stars in the filmstrip we feature in our heads and the stories we share with others. There are plenty of average, unremarkable or even mildly irritating experiences that happen to us where we are not moved to fire an organization or brand. We simply muddle through and deal with it. But, over time as more choices become available we move to experiment with those new organizations and brands. After all, unknown and unproven might be better than sampled and unremarkable.

The danger zone for organizations is the Zone of Indifference as shown in Figure 5.9. Here is where the experience at a touchpoint only meets expectations. Think of this as the most boring, safe, unexciting vacation that you’ve ever been on and would never return to. Customers will not feel any surprise or delight here; the water bottle moment never arrives.

Figure 5.9 Delight O Meter Imagine being able to measure the difference between the expectations customers have and the experience they actually perceive at any given touchpoint. That is the concept behind the Delight O Meter. As shown in the response indicator, where the experience far surpasses expectations the customer is delighted. Conversely, if the experience falls short of expectations then the customer is dissatisfied. When the experience delivered is on par with expectations, then a customer is indifferent to the experience they are having at that particular touchpoint. In this zone of indifference, it doesn’t matter if the expectations were high or low, the result is exactly the same. For example, let’s say a customer goes into a fast food restaurant for a meal. They don’t expect much here in terms of food quality or even service. The food is delayed and the restaurant apologizes, offering the meal without charge. In this case, the experience at the cash register touchpoint exceeds

expectations. The customer initially had low expectations and was actually delighted by the experience at the register. Contrast that with a high end restaurant where the entrees, sides, and beverages are expensive. In this restaurant there are several servers that each guest comes in contact with during their dining experience. In this case, the customer’s expectations are very high. The meal eventually arrives, and is consumed along with several beverages and dessert. While everything taste fine and was presented well, there wasn’t any surprise or delight. The experience lives up to the customer’s expectation placing the whole dining experience in the zone of indifference. There is no loyalty in the zone of indifference and consumers are only one offer, event, or referral away from considering another organization or brand.

Recipe #10: Establish a Listening Program Create an ongoing program to listen in at touchpoints to see what customers think of the experience they are having. Then use that information with your team to discuss ways to create water bottle moments and steer clear of the zone of indifference.

Recipe #11: Be Intentional in Your Choices Be thoughtful in selecting the customers you intend to serve. Will you be able to meet their expectations and occasionally surprise and delight them, too? Examine your existing customer data to learn about dissatisfied as well as delighted customers. Perhaps you need to attract more customer like those in the group you’ve delighted. For the dissatisfied customers group, perhaps they are not a good choice of customer. Or, you may need to better manage their expectations by improving the communications you have with them.

Pivoting on the Audience Remember who’s the who, matters. A business traveler’s expectations and needs for a rental car will be very different than those of a vacationing family. What might appear as a water bottle moment to one person might be completely unremarkable and ho-hum to another.

Holes and Traps It is important to see what could or does go wrong from the view of the customer, not from the view of the organization. This is especially true if the people in the organization are isolated from the customers’ environment. Imagine your customers saying, “I’m stuck. I don’t know where I’m at. Why do I have to know how this works? Does anybody even care? I don’t have time for this - argh!”

Example: Bill Forgets the Car Rental Company The situation is that Bill, our business traveler, on the rental car journey has now arrived at the airport of his destination city. He reserved a car, but is unable to recall which rental car company he made the reservation with. He rolls along pulling his carry-on bag with one hand while trying to navigate his phone in the other. He heads toward the rental car area of the airport. His flight was a little late, and he is already pressed for time. He has a big meeting a few hours away and still has a drive ahead of him. The Delight O Meter is registering dissatisfied. Using his cell phone, Bill is unable to retrieve his reservation. He usually rents from any one of three rental cars agencies, so he picks the nearest of the three to ask an agent for help. Already embarrassed, he can now add frustrated to his emotional state because there are lines at every counter. He wishes there was a kiosk he could visit or even better that he would have received a simple text message welcoming him with a reminder of his reservation number. That way, he could have avoided this whole situation. Remember, we are looking at the car rental journey from the customer’s perspective. It doesn’t matter what the purpose of Bill’s trip is and what else he has ahead of him, he is not off to a great start. There are many ways to improve Bill’s rental car experience as we’ll soon see.

Recipe #12: Build a Customer Empathy Lab Recreate the use environment that a customer would likely have whether that is a home, office, boat, classroom, or kitchen. Run scenarios by adopting different personas and use the same equipment the personas are

likely to have on hand. It can be useful to prototype an experience and detect where customers (or even employees) may have difficulty. Alaska Airlines prototyped an entire new terminal design for its SeaTac hub to better understand what it would be like for a customer to arrive at the terminal. They were able to shave wait times but they also reduced the amount of physical movement for agents in handling checked luggage, which in turn reduced processing time and agent fatigue. [11] Those insights may have been hard to predict short of completing a prototype. Prototypes are great for modeling things you wish to try out in the real world. Designing a new experience can also begin with a journey map. Then, whether you are building a new restaurant, a mobile application, or a new service, the mapping can help to inform the physical, technical, and aesthetic design. A journey map can also be used to model an event or an evolving client relationship.

Designing a Fresh Experience Now that we’ve been through a step by step build up of a rental car experience, let’s look at the same steps applied to a new experience. You can use the following steps for a journey within your own organization. Mapping a journey is best done by a cross functional team with different views and skill sets. You can do this on your own or get help from an outside firm like Delightability. Sometimes it is useful to do both. First, you do a rough cut (remember the picnic table) using a smaller team of explorers, then you assemble a larger team. There are 3 phases and 8 steps you’ll need to undertake to embark on a customer journey mapping exercise.

Phases to creating a customer journey map Phase I – Pre-work Phase II – Mapping Exercise Phase III – Communicating Results

Phase I – Pre-work

With your initial team, determine the objective for journey mapping exercise. Why do you want to do journey mapping? What question are you trying to answer? Are you exploring opportunities, trying to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, increase employees engagement, increase sales, explore how a campaign or new communication channels might impact your customers, or ? Be clear from the start and your team will do less “wandering in the swamp.” Is this an audit or assessment of an existing journey or the design of a new proposed journey? Next, determine the customer(s) you’ll focus on. Assemble a team that will be useful to completing the exercise. For team consideration you might want to fast forward to Chapter 14. Also, consider including customers on your team.

"Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context a chair in the room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan." Eliel Saarinen Finnish Architect (1873-1950) It is useful to discuss how you will use the output of your mapping exercise. Also, what is the required fidelity needed. A low fidelity sketch or post it notes and paper map is sometimes good. At other times a more polished map is useful and having access to a graphic artist or visual illustrator can be handy. As a side note, the books, The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam and The Art of Explanation by Lee LaFever are both good confidence boosters for visual story telling.

Phase II – Mapping Exercise 1. Scope the Journey Pin down the duration of the journey. For example is this a single event, a day in the life, a trip, or a prolonged experience across a greater timeframe like the rental car journey, or longer. Note any related journeys that might

be worth exploring. Record these in a separate area I refer to as the PlayGround (more on that in Chapter 12).

2.

Make the Audience Come Alive

In your pre-work you’ve selected the audience. Now you need to do a bit to make them come alive. Use pictures, quotes, develop personas, stories, or any of the exercises from Chapter 2 to help make the customer come alive in the mind of the team performing the journey mapping.

3.

Brainstorm the Typical Steps

Generate the typical steps customers will go through in this journey. Then arrange the steps into the experience honeycomb stages. Label the stages as shown in Chapter 4 unless the names can be improved upon for your particular journey. Choose names that are meaningful and specific. Remember, in the experience honeycomb, time advances toward the right and dependent cells fall below other cells. Brainstorming the various steps is easily accomplished using affinity mapping (see Chapter 12). You can do this on a table top or tape paper to the wall as shown in Figure 5.10.

Figure 5.10 Experience Honeycomb on Wall

4.

Add the Where and When

Add the customer’s location as they perform the various steps in the experience honeycomb to your visual map, taking form now. Remember this helps create additional context. Also, add when the customer performs each of these steps. You don't have to use icons as we did earlier, but you could.

5.

Show the Touchpoints

Here is where the organization starts to come into the map. Show the specific customer and organization interactions between spaces, people, objects, and services. For help, refer to Figure 3.7. Remember to use a noun verb combination e.g., “find offers online” or “wait for shuttle.” Document all touchpoints in the journey.

6.

Collect Customer Emotion

Collect customer emotion from actual customers or those playing the part. Show the touchpoints raised or lowered relative to each other. Add any qualitative data to reinforce the emotional scale. It can be helpful to number the touchpoints and create additional data using those reference numbers. If there are obvious touchpoints that can be water bottle moments or are in danger of becoming pie in the face moments, note that too. Use what customers say, but also walk in the customer's shoes and ask questions about what, where, when, and using. Discuss holes and traps and see if you generate any new insights or emotions. If you are starting to get any ideas for improvements, add them to the PlayGround.

7.

Pivot on audience

If there is more than one audience you need to be concerned with then repeat these steps to see what might look different. If the steps and stages are the same, check the touchpoints for relevance and emotional level.

8.

Create the output

Continue to clean up and refine the output according to desired quality. Remember the piano and the picnic table model to determine what is good enough. Don’t worry too much about improving the customer journey at this stage. We’ll explore methods for that in Chapter 7.

Phase III – Communicating Results Chances are you’ll want to refer to your journey map to make decisions or remind yourself of something later. But, your colleagues or partners that were not part of the exercise might benefit from the output as well. The journey map is best presented in large format. Though you were part of the team that built the map, think about how to present the journey map to others, without having to recreate the whole exercise over again in your mind. Try This! If you are not ready for a journey mapping exercise with other people, then try it alone. For your first journey map, create a journey map of all of the steps you’ll need for an event. In this case, make the event a birthday party for your friend. So, the customer in your journey will be your friend.

Journey Mapping for Business to Business It is often easier for people to imagine a business to consumer (B2C) customer journey. A business to business (B2B) customer journey can be done with the business customer in mind or can be done with the end customer. Think of this as big C and little c. The end user is little c. A journey map could be completed using a big C customer type and another one created for the little c customer. For example, if you are a food manufacturer and sell to grocery stores (B2B) you will also benefit by thinking of your end customer, the store’s customer. From the food manufacturers perspective this is little c.

Business Landscape Revisited When your organization uses other companies to provide services to your own customer, they can either positively or negative impact the customer’s experience. The more interdependent you are with partners and service providers in your business landscape, the more you’ll need to pay attention to intentionally designing great experiences. Leaving the complexities and interactive effects of products and services to channel partners or service providers to figure out, is a prescription for customer dissatisfaction, brand decay, and poor financial performance.

Summary We’ve continued to build up our experience vocabulary. We’ve immersed ourselves, step-by-step, into customer journey mapping by being the customer in the rental car journey. We’ve also looked at a customer journey mapping model that can be applied to our own customer situations. Chapter 7 will reveal useful tools we can apply to improve customer journeys, but first let’s expand our vision. Let’s look at some possibilities across a range of customer experiences.

Chapter 6: Aiming for Remarkable, Unbroken, and Generous Design “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney Co-founder of the Walt Disney Company and original voice of Mickey Mouse (1901 -1966)

********** In this chapter, I’d like for you to don your imagination cap. I want you to think of possibilities, boundless possibilities, and how much better things could be. Free yourself of constraints and judgment. This is a safe place to let your imagination roam. As you encounter situations in your wheel of life, you interact with people, objects, services, and spaces as we learned in Chapter 3. Some situations you encounter are natural, i.e. they exist in nature, but most of what you encounter as a human being has been designed by other humans. Humans have been designing objects and systems long before either of those words were uttered. Hunters and gatherers benefited from the weapons and carry systems they designed. Other additions to the design portfolio of humans include the design of communications in the form of art and language, shelter to protect us from the elements, and objects to serve various functions. Humans have a long history of design. We’ve even designed systems and schools to help others design. This book is designed to help you tap your inner designer. Humans work in concert to make things better through design and that makes us unique compared to other animals in the Animal Kingdom. Thinking of yourself as a designer, no matter your title or role in the organization might feel out of place for you, but it shouldn’t. We actually

start our creative lives as budding designers. We envision, we draw, we build castles in the sand, we go on to host excellent tea parties, build forts, etc. But, then something happens. As we get a little older, we start to become more rigid. We begin to observe that some people are better singers than we are, some are better musicians, athletes, artists, some are good at math, and others are good at other stuff. Parents, teachers, siblings, etc. all reinforce that. The reminders of what we are good at start early on. Depending on the generation we might get encouraged and rewarded for participating, even if we aren’t that good. Then, if we take on more education, we begin to specialize. Most people make choices and do something narrow like studying accounting or engineering or biology or physical therapy. We go on to get better at those things and practice medicine, or law or accounting or whatever we set out to do. After all, each field is full of things to learn and master. And, from the early industrial age thinking, we’ve been conditioned to think specialization a la Frederick Taylor, is the path toward improving industrial efficiency. Aside from the obvious challenge of remaining relevant in a world that changes around you, specialization doesn’t do much for the human spirit. It leaves us longing for more unless of course we simply drown that fire inside us that yearns to create, design, and build things, systems, and community. Specialization, amid all of the technological advances, has created an atmosphere where as consumers we expect thoughtful, holistic experiences that understand us and fit our needs and desires. Specialization breeds increased depth. And, complexity builds as there is more demand for the various pieces of an experience to all fit seamlessly together. This is true whether the subject of design is vacation or travel, healthcare, car sharing, education, streaming music, financing a home, etc. Unless an organization has a very narrow offering, then any single person in the organization, from the CEO on down the line, is not capable or empowered to deliver an entire experience, there are simply too many

moving parts and most lie outside of one’s purview or specialty. The result is that experiences are relegated to the specialists in call centers or those that create the website, etc. There isn't even widespread agreement on what an experience is. Don't believe me? Define it, then turn to your colleague and have them define it. See, I told you so. We live in a world full of broken experiences. But, I believe we all have the potential to do better, as individuals, organizations, and even communities. I am hopeful that there are rich possibilities that can be made to come to life as people like you become empowered. If we each awaken our inner designer, remembering that no matter what our role is today, each of us were at one time, creative designers. Then, hopefully, the examples that follow will inspire you to think of some possibilities in your own organization or community. Though the chapter title includes the words remarkable, unbroken and generous, we’ll also learn from examples with less glamorous attributes.

Role of Vision in Design In modern society we design in order to make life more productive, comfortable, and entertaining, etc. Few engage in design without some vision of a desired future state, whether that is a piece of art, a bridge, a building, or a sandwich. We envision a better future and then set out to create that future. It is important to envision memories and emotions you wish your audience to have when they experience what you’ve designed for them. That is your first step toward intentional design.

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, pen name, Lewis Carroll Author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1832 – 1898) You wouldn’t board a train or plane without a destination in mind. But, that is exactly what many do every day in organizations of all types and sizes.

People are putting in time, going through the motions, making it through the day, collecting a paycheck; in essence they are serving time, trading hours for dollars, until what is next or until retirement. Don’t be one of these people. Instead reach for a better destination for yourself and those you serve.

The View from the Customer In organizations, customer conversations begin to get simplified and forced to fit departmental views. A sales person has a view that might be different from a call center rep or the manufacturing engineer, or the accountant. But, the customer has their own perspective and none of those department views or biases inside the organization matter to them. In your organization, can you see what the customer sees when they look at your organization? Sadly, in most organizations the answer is a resounding no. Try This! Who in your organization owns the customer experience? Is it one person or distributed? Assemble colleagues and have each of them draw what it is like to do business with your organization, from the customer perspective. In what environment and context does the customer have their experience? Does it change over time? Even if you don’t do a full blown customer journey mapping exercise, you should still be able to envision and articulate what the customer experiences in dealing with your organization. This chapter is dedicated to a friend of mine, Brian Fairbrother, who shaped many experiences for customers and more. His own journey was abruptly cut short by a bad design. I’ve tried to learn from the factors that may have contributed to his preventable death. In this chapter I’ve also chronicled many other personal experiences, extracting the unique lesson behind each one. My aim is that through these examples, you’ll become a better designer and ultimately provide customers with better experiences. In Chapter 7 we’ll learn specific levers, filters, and lenses that we can apply to touchpoints and journeys. This chapter helps to provide much of the context for that.

Zoom Factor

As we explore designs and experiences of all types it is sometimes necessary to zoom in, inspecting a space, examining an object, looking more deeply at a service and the people involved. At other times we need to look at a larger context and customer journey. We can zoom in for more detail or zoom out to see a bigger picture as in the satellite view from our model in Figure 4.4. As you get ideas to improve your own products, services, and communications write them down. It is important to capture them, even if you do nothing more with them. Now might be a great time for you to take a small detour and learn about the PlayGround and idea zone presented in Chapter 12.

Remarkable Remarkable experiences are those experiences worth remarking on. Remarkable experiences touch our hearts and minds. That is why we feel moved to remark on them. It isn’t likely that you’ve ever told anybody about an unremarkable experience. Creating and delivering remarkable experiences can create loyal customers that are willing to remark on their experience to others. This positive word of mouth referral is the least expensive and most effective marketing available. Imagine if we all had countless, raving fans promoting our organizations and brands. Unfortunately, remarkable can also be negative. People make negative remarks and share negative stories as well. As an individual you probably care about what people say about you. As a brand or organization you should especially care about your reputation. The digital world has democratized content publishing and storytelling. Now, anybody can complain and vent on their favorite social media site and if passionate enough they can post reviews, comment directly on the organization’s social pages, or publish a website, blog, or video as United Airlines found out.

Example: United Breaks Guitars Musician Dave Carroll had a poor customer experience when baggage handlers apparently damaged his guitar. Dave spent the next 9 months trying to get United Airlines to pay for damages. In his final exchange with the customer relations manager, he was denied his request for compensation. He stated that he was left with no choice but to create a music video for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation. The manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal”. The first video that he posted on YouTube, depicting his poor experience, has received over 13 million views. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally, his response was: “Good luck with that one, pal”. Taylor Guitars sent the musician two new guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from

the video that has lead to a sharp increase in orders. Dave has gone on to create a follow up video and now tells his story in a book by the same name, United Breaks Guitars.

Recipe #13: Have a Guitars Discussion Have a guitars discussion in your organization to find out where and when your people might be treating customers, partners, or other stakeholders with indifference. Then discuss tactics you might use to correct the previous pie in the face moments and go for creating water bottle moment as described in Chapter 5. Consider turning the discussion into a team with ongoing responsibilities.

Remarkable Example: Compassionate Fares Alaska Airlines v. Lufthansa Sometimes very bad things happen to very good people. I have a friend who lost her mother to a sudden and rapid battle with pancreatic cancer. On the morning that she lost her mother I helped my friend arrange travel from Seattle to her home town in Germany. It turns out she needed to fly to San Francisco to meet with the German Consulate, then fly to Germany. The two airline booking experiences were distinctly different. One experience left a very poor brand aftertaste with me whereas the other experience intrigued me enough to make me want to fly them. Compassionate fares should be easy to book, represent best pricing and provide additional comfort and care at various touchpoints along the customer’s journey. Why not make sure the traveler receives a warm blanket on the flight, comforting beverage, baggage assistance, empathy, etc. It turns out that Lufthansa did all of that and more. They provided a discount off of the lowest fare, provided food and drink aboard the flight, no baggage fees, and didn't bother with the cumbersome burden of proof that somebody died. Alaska Airlines, on the other hand, begin immediately asking for the name of the funeral home associated with the deceased and within a sentence was citing policy. How utterly ridiculous I thought - I expected more from them.

Of course there isn't any of that information available. Her mother had died only hours before in a small town in Germany. After a short course in policy the powerless agent mentioned that the bereavement fair might not even be the best fair. It turns out it wasn't. The bereavement fair was $80 higher than what I could book last minute on the airline’s website. Lufthansa's didn't cite policy once in my interaction with them. This and their continued sensitivity all the way through messaging on the itinerary and on flight behavior have earned them future business and positive stories told. As for Alaska, well, I've gone from previously loyal to currently indifferent and will likely look to be delighted on Virgin or Southwest Airlines as other friends I've told this story to, champion the airlines that have previously delighted them.

Recipe #14: Policy Schmolicy Make a list of the instances you or your colleagues felt it necessary to cite policy to your customers. Now discuss the reasons for this and find ways you can be more human and have more authentic dialogue with your customers without using the dreaded word, policy. I guarantee you that your customers don’t care about your policy any more than they care about the color of your shoes. So, imagine when you are citing policy, you are really saying to your customer, “I am wearing green shoes right now.” Hopefully, that sounds ridiculous to you. In fact, the next time I’m dealing with a customer care person or their manager and they begin to cite policy, I’m going to ask them, “What color are your shoes?” When they begin to answer, I’ll politely say, “Ah, I don’t really care about the color of your shoes, or your policy. Here is my customer policy and what I’d like to have happen....”

Remarkable Example: Color Samples Traditionally, adding some new color to a room includes a visit to the paint store or similar section of your home improvement or hardware store. Whether you look at paint chips online, a mobile application or in the store, you’ll ultimately have to decide what colors to sample and try on your wall before committing to purchase enough to paint the room. Because we don’t want to make a mistake and we’ve probably bought the wrong shade of a

color before, we tend to over purchase. We arrive in our space ready to paint with multiple versions, just in case.

Figure 6.1 Test Splotch on Wall Reveals the Need to Try Again But, after multiple experiences of paint sampling run amuck we may end up with our own small supply of paint as shown in Figure 6.2. Maybe we’ll use these quart sized remnants for a future project, give them to a friend or simply let them age in our garage, basement, storage unit, or gulp, paint cabinet.

Figure 6.2 Orphan Quarts Waiting for Their Special Day So, imagine my surprise (that really is only a portion of my paint shown in Figure 6.2) when I happened upon a paint color samples display by Benjamin Moore in a neighborhood hardware store as shown in Figure 6.3.

Figure 6.3 Paint Samples Ready for Service In your organization’s offering to customers, think beyond the need to make your product easy to use and get started. Think about how customers will course correct when their initial plan doesn’t quite work, as in this example where the customer discovers they don’t actually like the color they chose. Or, consider the aftermath including clean up, storage, disposal or recycling. This example was paint, but similar stories could be told with printers and ink, food, fuel, plants, household cleaners, and most everything else that is designed and manufactured.

Figure 6.4 Hand Sized Paint Samples by Benjamin Moore Imagine how much differently a person with a supply of orphan quarts will feel the next time they purchase a palm sized paint sample. It fits nicely in the hand, comes in pre-mixed colors, its ready to use without the left over storage and disposal headache. The economic value is clear since you purchase less paint that you would have previously. The functional value is improved since the paint sample is ready for application and the color is seen through the clear container unlike the metal can that required you to manually dot the top with some paint to remind you later, of the color inside. But, it is the extremely high emotional value that will have customers remarking on their new painting experience as I did here. I feel less wasteful, more in control, and can focus on applying new colors and design to my space.

Remarkable Campaigns Sometimes remarkable doesn’t take the form of a product or service or space or the way you’ve been treated by people. A well designed and

executed communications campaign can be very effective at touching our hearts and minds, the precondition for remarkable.

Example: Departure Roulette Heineken, with the help of creative agency Wieden + Kennedy, created Departure Roulette. In Departure Roulette people are given the opportunity to push a button on a big green Departure Roulette board. Once the button is pressed the board rattles through seemingly random and exotic locations, eventually settling on one surprise destination. The only catch is that travelers must be willing to drop their original plans and depart for the new destination. There has been no shortage of people willing to participate. The Departure Roulette board was originally presented to travelers in JFK airport. But, in true remarkable fashion, observers began making remarks on what they were witnessing. The Departure Roulette board and crew then started to appear outside the homes, offices, and in the lives of people who had remarked that they too, would be willing to try. Those that remarked and were selected got the chance to press the button and go. The video depicting the campaign has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube within in a few short months. Whether you drink Heineken or not, the campaign’s presence in the airport initially, then moving through social networks has proven to be worth remarking on.

Example: The Fun Theory Volkswagen with the help of DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc., created a campaign to test the hypothesis that fun can change people's behavior for the better. The campaign began by placing creations like “piano stairs” in everyday settings. In this case, subway stairs were made to resemble a piano keyboard. As people walked on the stairs, the corresponding musical notes were heard. People’s behavior did change. Previous to the experiment, more people took the adjacent escalator. After piano stairs were put in place, 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator. The Fun Theory hypothesis had been tested and found to be true.

Other social experiments continued and eventually the campaign encouraged others to put the theory to the test with their own ideas. Participants submitted their own ideas and inventions to complete for The Fun Theory Awards. Over 700 ideas and inventions from 35 countries were submitted. Never mind that Volkswagen eco-car sales have been up year over year, the fact is the campaign is remarkable. The Piano Stairs video is one of the most shared films online with over 19 million views on YouTube. This is more than a campaign; it is a new way of thinking.

Example: One for Sophia Sometimes remarkable is about changing the conversation. It is about shining a light on something that might be hidden. Delightability helped The Sophia Way create a campaign that did just that. It turns out that homelessness for adult women is the fastest growing homeless population in King County, the largest county in Washington State, comprised of 39 cities and home to over 2 million people. The Sophia Way exists to serve the growing population of women experiencing homelessness. For those that have been to places like Bellevue, Kirkland, and Issaquah, in Washington State, it may be hard to believe that such a problem could exist here. But, these adult women are usually not highly visible, instead blending in among others and sleeping in cars if they have one, under overpasses, or in shelters when space is available. The One for Sophia campaign is a community giving campaign that encourages coffee houses, restaurants, and other establishments to become agents of social good. Their establishments help to create awareness of The Sophia Way and its mission to help women experiencing homeless on their journey to independence. The establishments also provide an easy way for their customers to help. The micro philanthropy campaign is simple. While ordering at a participating café or restaurant, a patron asks to “add one for Sophia.” They

are then billed the according additional amount, but instead of receiving anything extra, the money collected is then donated directly to The Sophia Way. It costs the establishment nothing to participate, and provides the entire community with a convenient and informal way to contribute. It is a way to democratize helping by giving people of all means the ability to make a difference for the equivalent of one cup of coffee or an appetizer. In addition to raising additional funds to support ongoing operations the campaign brings much needed awareness around the issue of adult women homelessness in King County, an uncomfortable subject that most are more comfortable ignoring.

Recipe #15: Find Your Model Behavior Think beyond your immediate product or service. What is the behavior that you want to influence and what would a campaign look like to achieve that? Heineken’s campaign was about the adventurous spirit and spontaneity of their customers, VW’s was about adding fun to change behavior, and The Sophia Way’s campaign was about empathy and creating a movement where people can make a difference, even at the price of a cup of coffee. Remarkable campaigns don’t have to have large budgets and span continents. One regional campaign that has proven worthy of remarking on is the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign intended to reduce littering by 18-25 year old males on Texas roads. Another example is Blendtec’s, Will It Blend campaign that includes a series of videos where founder Tom Dickson humorously demonstrates the power of the Blendtec blender by attempting to blend various items, including those from popular culture like iPhones and Justin Bieber merchandise. While not big budget it has been an enduring campaign, big on results. Combined views on YouTube for the 100 videos, and counting, are well past 100 million views.

Unbroken Experiences can be unremarkable and at the same time unbroken. Sometimes that is perfectly ok. You won’t be able to make every experience at every touchpoint in a journey remarkable, nor should you try. However, you definitely want to avoid dissatisfaction and broken experiences, so, sometimes it’s great to aspire to simply provide unbroken experiences. As a consumer yourself, sometimes you just want things to work. They don’t always need to be remarkable; they do need to be reliable, predictable, dependable, and above all unbroken. Examples include the checkout line at the grocery store, driving in traffic, filling a glass of water from the tap, sitting down on a chair, walking up steps, riding your bicycle, returning a product, getting warranty service, filing an insurance claim, visiting the dentist, etc. No matter what your organization provides customers, you’ve probably provided more of it to customers like them, than they have purchased from organizations like yours. This is true whether you manufacture shoes, houses, boats or meals or sell cars, financial services, run a nonprofit, or a government agency. Organizations typically deal with more customers than the other way around. With this tremendous upper hand of knowledge you have an opportunity to help your future customers prevent mistakes that you’ve witnessed previous customers make. Leveraging this knowledge and helping customers avoid broken experiences can be simple as the example in Figure 6.6 shows.

Figure 6.5 Home Furnishings Store Provides Customers with Twine in Loading Area This home furnishings store recognizes that the customers’ experience doesn’t end at the point of sale terminal. They provide twine to those customers in the loading area that may not have thought to bring any, or to those who made an unplanned purchase too large to fit inside their vehicle. The store doesn’t have to provide twine and they probably wouldn’t be frowned upon for not providing it. After all, it is an oversight on the part of the customer. But, why let a broken experience occur with prediction when a little forethought and action can fully prevent it? Your forethought is an insurance policy against broken experiences that your future customers may have. Treat the situation the same as if your customer were a child wandering toward traffic in a busy intersection. Of course, you’d intervene and help them out.

Recipe #16: Be Smooth

Think about what you might provide your customers at a time that is convenient and appropriate to smooth their journey. Then smile and take solace in knowing you’ve prevented a broken experience they may never even think about. In Chapter 7, we’ll look more at the “smoother filter” that you can apply to customer journeys.

The Delight O Meter Revisited Recall the conditions for delight and dissatisfaction. Delight is when the experience exceeds expectations and dissatisfaction is where the experience falls short of expectations. The zone of indifference is where the experience is on par with the expectation . So, in your organization’s competitive situation you need to assess whether there is an opportunity and reward for standing apart from the crowd of competitors that keep your collective customers in the zone of indifference. Some industries and products have extremely low retention and loyalty because of this zone of indifference. It takes courage to break free from the pack, especially when the accountants and lawyers get involved, forcing leaders to predict and quantify the economic value. Perhaps that is what has beaten down some industries and products to be thoroughly unremarkable. Hot dogs are a good example. By now, you know an experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. So, if we zoom into the packaging aspect of hot dogs you may soon recall your own experiences with lackluster packaging. Sure, I am happy that I can purchase hotdogs that no longer have nitrites and MSG and even boast premium cuts of meat. After all, I did read Upton Sinclair’s muckraking novel, The Jungle. I think about it most every time I eat hot dogs, sausages, and the like. But, aside from the improvements in the actual product, the packaging remains unimpressive. I've yet to meet a person that enjoys handling hotdogs or the messy residue left behind in the leaky package.

Resealable packaging like that shown in Figure 6.6 is an incremental improvement, but more is needed. This is a widely accepted unbroken, unremarkable experience that would benefit from packaging innovation. How about a hotdog or sausage keep or dispenser? Sara Lee, Oscar Mayer, Hempler’s, Johnsonville, others that I’m also not loyal to, are you listening?

Figure 6.6 Resealable Hot Dog Packaging is an Incremental Innovation Leaving Plenty of Room to Move from Unbroken to More Remarkable Packaging Design For other consumers, packaging may be less the issue as compared to their perception of unhealthy ingredients or suspicious labeling. Heightened sensitivity around gluten, MSG, soy, trans fats, etc. spreads naturally with casual conversation. Even without social media, people simply asking at a meal, “Is that gluten free?” or offering up “These cookies are gluten free” makes us more aware of a potential sensitivity. Add social media along with our hyperconnected society and there is no hiding for questionable ingredients or the labels and stores that carry them. If Upton Sinclair’s novel matured an industry with the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, imagine what could be done in today’s connected world. But, conforming to healthier ingredients and truth in labeling is only the low bar. To wins hearts and minds, manufacturers will need to rise above this and begin connecting the food to the packaging to the context and lives of people outside of the grocery store. This is what is required for

manufacturers that want to break the cycle of single transactions and discounting. Boring doesn’t earn loyalty and retention. Bad, earns even less. Better packaging, targeting life events, social media, recipe ideas, contests, videos, etc. are a path to be more remarkable. Authenticity is important here to leave consumers with the feeling that manufacturers gives a damn about humans that consume their products, and that they aren’t just conforming in order to keep making a sale. The Bratwurst labeling shown in Figure 6.7 gives me confidence that the product doesn’t contain undesirable elements, but it makes no attempt to connect and engage me. If I’ve purchased this brand before, I don’t remember and certainly don’t remember the meal; I’ve had many since the last purchase. These are anti loyalty factors and almost ensure that while in the grocery store I’ll also consider the adjacent competing brands.

Figure 6.7 Foods that Leave out Ingredients I May be Sensitive to Gain my Attention, Especially Foods I like to Share with Friends and Family

Broken It is bad enough when each of us is the perpetrator of our own broken experience like when we forget to bring twine to the home furnishings store. We really don’t need others to assist in creating our broken experiences. But, it seems that there is no shortage of participants blindly playing their role in the common and everyday occurrence of broken experiences. When the grocery store messes up a transaction then ushers you on to customer service so they can help the next person in line, they are effectively passing along the problem. In the process they’ve demonstrated that they don’t’ give a damn about the problem they’ve created for you. Even, if this broken experience doesn’t cross the threshold of remarkable for you, the nagging annoyance adds to your negative brand aftertaste and will consciously and subconsciously affect your future shopping choices. For others, it might immediately cross their remarkable threshold given their context including their lack of time to deal with a problem they didn’t create, current mental state, previous brand baggage, etc. We can find broken experiences in nearly every compartment of our lives healthcare, education, housing, employment, government, environment, banking, insurance, politics, communications, shopping, transportation, travel, and even in our own families. Broken experiences can happen when people don’t care, systems and processes are not updated or don’t reflect current reality. The wrong metrics could be in place that allows broken experiences to persist. Perhaps the wrong people are in place at the top or bottom of the organization, too. Recall from Chapter 2, the importance of making the customer come alive inside the organization. When organizations fail to see their customers in this way, they lack empathy, and broken experiences are simply a check box, or rote email or form letter decision away.

Unseen Customers One recurring and sad example is the treatment of U.S. war veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq by the Veterans Benefits

Administration. Decisions about their treatment of PTSD and ongoing disability are slow in the making, exceeding a year in many cases. At least one veteran has committed suicide after the seemingly indifferent bureaucracy stalled him on getting treatment for PTSD or making a decision on his disability status. [12] This is an embarrassing failure of people and services in a noteworthy broken experience that continues to play out, claiming new victims daily. When customers and their situations are invisible to us as leaders of organizations and designers of services, objects, and spaces, then we will inevitable be contributors to broken experiences. Case in point is Eisenhower High School in Yakima, Washington. In the fall of 2013 construction completed on this state of the art school as part of a voter approved bond for $114 million. But, designers and others involved in the planning and execution of the project failed to imagine what it would be like to be a student at the new school. As a consequence they didn’t’ include adequate drinking fountains and now that oversight is being retrofit into the design, albeit at a higher cost and arriving after the start of the school year. [13]

Broken Experiences Create Major Dissatisfaction Broken experiences create lost human and economic potential. You cannot have thriving organizations, schools, neighborhoods, communities or nations with broken experiences everywhere. Broken experiences can happen with one pie in the face moment, a cascade of events, or an ongoing situation. When a customer’s experience is broken, depending upon the context, including their mental state, they might go into fight or flight mode. Highly principled people might stick around and fight until they feel they have been fully taken care of. But, often times, people give up because they just want to get back to living their life. Experiences can get especially bad at the edges of peoples responsibilities or purview. These credibility handoffs are destroyers of experience. Imagine if customers had an app on their phone or computer that captured

the accumulated time invested in dealing with an organization. Think of this “Angst-Meter” as the opposite of the Delight O Meter. If customers then demanded a discount, or to be compensated for their lost time or angst, I suspect most organizations could not afford the bill. Imagine turning all of the angst and time lost into better product and service interactions, better communications, and better experiences. That is the potential for all of us to do better. Try This! Assemble the list of organizations and brands that you have placed on your “Do Not Go” or “Do Not Buy From” list. How many others would you add if you weren’t locked into a contract or similar agreement? Now turn that to your own organization. What are you doing and saying to customers that might earn your placement on such a list? Here are a few of my own experiences without too much elaboration.

Example: Different Views of the Same Customer Home Depot delivered 20 sheets of plywood to my old address. My delivery was late and I happened to drive by my previous house where I saw the plywood in the driveway. One huge difference between me and the customer service person I spoke with over the phone to help resolve this is that they were getting paid to deal with me. I only lost time, accumulated angst and distaste for their operations and brand. I imagine the truck driver that was redirected to pick up the plywood from the driveway and re-deliver to my real address was equally annoyed and lost a little confidence in the organization that day. On a separate occasion with Home Depot (I didn’t learn the first time) they failed to honor a return in store because the item was purchased online. Even after escalation to both the store manager and the online service manager, I was not taken care of. The item I wanted to return was an extra exhaust fan for a bathroom. It was unused and currently stocked by the store, yet their policy got in the way of doing the right thing for this customer. I’ve since purchased plenty of lumber, appliances, paint, tools, a high efficiency furnace, tankless water heater, BBQ, and more, but none of it from that organization.

As a customer, I don’t see a Home Depot brick and mortar store differently from the Home Depot online. I don’t care about a policy that is out of touch with my customer reality. Remember, I don’t care about the color of their shoes.

Example: Refrigerator Doubles as Toy Oven My Sears Kenmore refrigerator was not yet recalled (others of similar fashion were) but the light assembly inside literally got so hot it melted and discolored the plastic housing that contained it. The light housing actually melted loose from the screws that secured it to the interior ceiling of the fridge. It dropped down and began cooking the frozen chicken on the top shelf. It turns out the two light bulbs inside never shut off, even when the refrigerator doors were closed. Sears wouldn’t take this seriously as my refrigerator wasn’t yet on the recall list and was out of warranty. I said their product had a serious design flaw and was a fire hazard. They only assisted after I started a social awareness campaign about my dangerous and defective refrigerator that cooked my chicken. Many other stories heard from friends, family, and colleagues make me fearful to deal with certain organizations and brands. You have similar brand baggage; we all do. When people are upset they usually find somebody to complain to. You’ve probably done this as well and you’ve also probably served as the sounding board for friends and colleagues that felt slighted and needed to blow off steam. Imagine if all of us and consumers and producers were more cognizant of providing better experiences – oh, the potential.

Bad Design Equals Broken Experience Unempathetic people or those going through the motions or citing policy can destroy an otherwise good experience or make a bad experience, even worse. But the design of objects, services, or spaces can all do their part too, in contributing to broken experiences.

Not Respecting the Neighbors Good design doesn’t ignore neighbors as the Panasonic emergency light shown in Figure 6.8, does. It is hard to imagine why this team thought it would be okay to design a plug in product that makes the adjacent outlet inaccessible, but that’s exactly what they did.

Figure 6.8 Emergency Solar Powered Night Light Prevents Use of Adjacent Outlet

Providing False Choices Other less visible but equally frustrating examples, not shown, include the GE Spacemaker microwave oven that can’t be used for it primary purpose as a microwave if its kitchen timer feature is being used. I suspect the designers behind that decision didn’t spend much time in the kitchen nor did they talk to those who did. Imagine if such design thoughtlessness applied to other products like cars, phones, and computers. Thankfully, in our own human bodies we aren’t forced to choose between neighboring systems. We can have both a beating heart and breathing lungs without the tradeoff. A good product design doesn’t ignore neighbors or force customers to make false choices either.

Saying it’s So, Doesn’t Make it So Another example of a product design that ignores the reality of neighbors is the unintelligent but high efficiency (HE) washing machine from (insert

most any brand here, since this is a common flaw). The problem is, without a thermostat or an internal heater, and because the unit uses so little water, the operator isn’t guaranteed to actually receive hot or warm water simply by setting temperature selector. If the household uses a tankless water heater then the problem is exacerbated because the tankless water heater doesn’t have a ready supply of hot water, it heats on demand. At the point the tankless water heater is finally ready to serve hot water, the HE washing machine has likely stopped requesting it from its neighbor, having reached its total fill and most likely with cool water.

Recipe #17: Embrace the Neighbors Does your product or service ignore the neighbors or force customers to make false choices? Think of your product or service as a fish that does not swim in the ocean alone. What else will your product or service need to accommodate or take into account so that your customers don’t have a broken experience?

Ignoring Customer Reality When you design the spaces where your customers experience your product or service, you need to be mindful of what else they may be doing in that space. The public bus stop shown in Figure 6.9 ignores the fact that people walking to the bus stop might bring food or beverage to consume while waiting for the bus. Of course, they will eventually finish the food or beverage at the stop or once on the bus, at which time they will need to stow the garbage. Not having a garbage can at the bus stop ignores this reality and encourages a work around by customers as shown. In similar fashion, trash may be left on a bus that doesn’t provide a place for garbage. It is interesting to note, that even if this bus stop did have a garbage can, some environmentally conscious riders may feel it inadequate as they wish to have a place for recyclables as well.

Figure 6.9 Bus Stop Doesn’t Accommodate Trash from Riders Who May Sip and Wait If this were your organization’s bus service, how long would it take you to recognize there is a problem at this stop? Would your riders or drivers alert you? If an employee did suggest adding garbage or recycling bins or suggested another course of action, how would the idea be received? Do you think this is a solvable problem? Another example of ignoring customer reality can be seen in the common area shown in Figure 6.10.

Figure 6.10 Common Room in University Lacks Capacity to Accommodate Electrical Needs In this major university, an electrical cord is strewn from a nearby room. Of course people in the space sitting on the couches and chairs will likely have laptops, phones, and other devices, all of which will need to be charged. You wouldn’t have a ski lodge without a place to stow your skis outside. So, why not have a place to charge all those phones and devices? What about a charging wall, a charging table, grid, etc? At some point, a designer said to the team, people are going to sit in the space so we should include couches, chairs, and tables. But, people don’t go far without their devices and for many students the university is their office. A charging wall or charging table would be much safer, more attractive, and functional than the extension cord. This is not a thoughtful space and diminishes the experiences of the people passing through it. This same scenario plays out in office environments,

coffee shops, book stores, and other places every day of the year. Again, we have the potential to do better.

Service Bad design is easily witnessed in objects and in spaces, but is more difficult to observe or capture when it is a service, especially one that is transitory in nature. Nonetheless, customers bank away the experience in their halo for later recall. The image in Figure 6.11 was my final straw when I decided to defect from my RIM BlackBerry device on the Sprint Network. Both companies lost me as a customer, shortly after the message in 6.11 appeared on my Smartphone screen. It wasn’t the first time I had seen a strange message on my screen, but over time I became less forgiving. I’m sure the unintelligible message meant something to someone, perhaps to the programmer who decided on those cryptic words. But, to me it only represented that the phone was not useful for one of its intended purposes, searching the web. And, although the message encourages me to try loading a different page, I really, really, wanted this particular page. Imagine ordering off of the menu in a restaurant only to have the wait staff tell you, “We are unable to prepare that meal, please select another restaurant.”

Figure 6.11 Unhelpful Error Message as Seen on Smartphone Customers respect you more if you abandon the cryptic messages and appear more human. It is better to say you screwed up in ordinary language than to say something unintelligible like “Beep Beep, Jabba Jabba, Wonk Wonk.”

Recipe #18: Proactively Communicate Think of the times when your product or service goes awry for your customers. Then examine what, how, and when you communicate to customers. There is much improvement to be found there. If you don’t find any, then sharpen your view by involving a customer in the review.

Location Matters As they say in real estate, location matters. The same is true of designed objects. Rarely is an object’s place of design the same as where it will be put to use. Also, these places rarely resemble each other. Even with photos, computer models, and mockups, it is often hard to imagine what something

will be like at scale in its proper place, until it is actually there. This was the case with The Fin Project installation at Warren G. Magnuson Park in Seattle, Washington as shown in Figure 6.12.

Figure 6.12 Informative Plaques Mounted at Bottom of Fins are Difficult to Read The informative plaques are mounted on the bottom of submarine fins that together represent a pod of Orca whales. A nice installation, but, ignorance about the project is more comfortable than crawling on the ground to read the plaques. Laboratory conditions are not the same as point of use conditions as show in Figure 6.13.

Figure 6.13 Smoke Alarm is Too Far Away to Recognize How to Remove and Replace Battery When you first install a battery into a new smoke detector, both are likely in your hand. Any instructions that appear on the device are visible and can even be placed into areas with more lighting if needed. But, the day the chirping smoke alarm needs a new battery, the situation has changed. The device itself is likely mounted in a difficult to reach location. If there is print on the device, it is too small, cast in the same color as the

housing, probably in poor lighting, and simply too far away to read. The manual has long since disappeared. The new battery cannot be installed, until you figure out how to remove the old one. But, once installed they are not that easy to remove and the added stress from the chirping sound makes it even more difficult. A better design would take into account this reality of the non-laboratory like conditions. If that giant sequoia from Chapter 3 could talk, one thing that it might remind us of is that things may change over time. Take this into account when you are designing products, services, and spaces and you are less apt to unintentionally design broken experiences.

Ignoring the Time Element Over time, things can become less useful or even a little messy as shown in Figure 6.14. Here, the mustard container needs to be stored upside down, in order for gravity to assist in gaining access to the remaining product inside. Some brands have taken notice and began featuring larger platform lids and also re-orienting the label to be readable in what would ordinarily be upside down. Both are good developments, but neither prevents the messy residue that accumulates at the mouth of the container. Perhaps a zipper equivalent is needed?

Figure 6.14 Mustard Residue Accumulates Over Time and is Made Worse by the Need to Flip Container to Access Remaining Product Another design example that ignores what will naturally occur over time is the commercial toilet paper dispenser shown in Figure 6.15.

Figure 6.15 Toilet Paper Dispenser Doesn’t Make Use of Naturally Occurring Orphan Rolls Partial rolls of toilet paper are created every day, in every city, and nearly every bathroom. Is it possible to design a commercial toilet paper dispenser that accommodates partial orphan rolls? Sure it is, but I haven’t seen one yet. Seems like an opportunity to get things right. Again, we have the potential to do better. Bad design and broken experiences annoy, rob us of our time, our dignity and respect. Bad design can inconvenience us, increase our financial burden, limit our choice, but, bad design can also kill, as our next example reveals.

When Bad Design Kills You don’t have to design chemical weapons, bombs, poison, ammunition, or harmful food additives in order to kill. Sometime, you need only cast a blind eye to things that change over time, like the mustard residue but with more extreme consequences.

Example: Bicycle Ride Reveals Broken City A colleague and l rode our bicycles around Lake Union in Seattle one sunny afternoon. At one point I led us onto a newly paved section and I remember saying, “Look at this nice part here.” As soon as I uttered those words I realized I had led us onto the road and with fast moving traffic. My words changed, “Whoa, what the heck. This is a road, move over, jump the curb. Go though the plants. Cars are coming. Hurry up!” It turns out there is no trail on the West side of Lake Union in this “bike friendly” city. I didn’t know that, so I headed for the area that looked like it would be a trail, but found a major road instead. Our ride continued around South Lake Union and I thought we would have a better experience on the Eastern side of the Lake. With no trail on the one side we were smart enough to stay off the road. We did find a sidewalk on the East side of the lake and continued our ride along the sidewalk. Once again I halted us, this time the near disaster didn’t involve traffic or cars at all. What we discovered was a steep flight of stairs hidden in plain sight. It wouldn’t have been a problem had they led up to a building or school. But, when you’re riding along a sidewalk in a major city, the last thing you expect to encounter is a sudden flight of steep stairs. It seems a little too weird to possibly be true so, I took a picture as shown in Figure 6.16.

Figure 6.16 East Lake Union Sidewalk with 11 Hidden Stairs that appear in the Dark Spot Under the Trees I was pretty mad at the idea that somebody would carelessly design stairs into the middle of a sidewalk. I thought I should call somebody, but whom? It isn’t exactly a 911 call when nothing happened; it merely could have happened. I thought who designs the city anyway? Is there a department of design or a chancellor of improvement? I dismissed that notion as quickly as I conjured it. I never made the call and if anybody else complained similarly, nothing was ever done about it. A year later, sadly my friend Brian Fairbrother did not avert disaster. He rolled along that same sidewalk on his bicycle, unsuspecting and encountered exactly that same surprise staircase, all eleven stairs in total. In fact, the picture in Figure 6.16 is exactly as he would have seen had he made it out of the hospital on September 8, 2011. But, sadly this same day Brian Fairbrother was removed from life support, dying from the injuries to his brain he suffered from the crash 9 days earlier on August 30, 2011. The

protective bicycle helmet was no match for the magnitude of the fall from the 11 stairs he tumbled down. Neglect, poor design, and perhaps lack of maintenance around the space were victorious in colluding to claim another victim. As you read this there are several similar dangers lurking in your city or one nearby. In every city, I’d like to see a posted number to call or a website like the MyStarbucksIdea.com website that solicits input from visitors. Cities should have such sensors in the ground to tap the crowd’s presence and ability to detect when things might be unsafe, wasteful, or simply in need of improvement. This is similar to more focused stamp out graffiti initiatives or report litter bug hotlines. This would give visitors the ability to share that something in the city is unacceptable and notify people than can further vet and route the suggestion for possible action. In similar fashion to MyStarbucksIdea.com and other rating systems, people could then vote or rank the issues in their own neighborhoods. It would also give a city and its various departments the opportunity to show they give a damn about the people that live, work, or recreate there. This particular crash may have been the perfect storm event. It was almost like there was collusion between the hedge, the sidewalk, and the tree. At the time of Brian’s crash, the hedge was trimmed as a slope giving an illusion of a sloped path; the trees shadowed the grey sidewalk and made the rail nearly invisible. And, the lack of maintenance on the trees over the sidewalk left leaves and branches lurching down below helmet level. Brian probably heard and felt branches and leaves hitting his helmet before he felt the jostle of his bike tumbling down the stairs. In general, conditions usually worsen over time as maintenance is neglected and aging takes its toll. In this particular case, conditions probably worsened similarly over time. When the sidewalk was first installed, the trees would have been small, the shrubs non-existent and the stairs would have been more visible. Since Brian’s crash there has been an attempt to improve the area as shown in Figure 6.17. Here the trees and hedge have been timed. The rail is now

painted bright orange and a warning sign has been added that indicates there is a stairway ahead. The bump has also been taken out of the sidewalk and a couple of reflective sidewalk eyes have been added.

Figure 6.17 East Lake Union Sidewalk as it Appears One Year After Brian Fairbrother’s Crash I now interrupt this book with a short memorial to Brian who made it 50 short years on this planet.

Lives Cut Short Brian, I always enjoyed our discussions and passings by, no matter how long or brief. Even if I only saw you working or didn't see you, but heard your distinctive laughter, know that you made me smile and gave me comfort with your presence. When I had bad news strike my life you cared, listened, and reassured. I only wish I had some magic power to do the same for you right now. I'm sad that your instructions are to terminate but I do

understand. I only wish that the review committee made up of the karmic universe at large would realize that your journey, like other journeys cut short, is a mistake. I can’t pretend to understand the mysterious workings of the universe and what lies beyond, but I do hope that your journey continues and you are able to rest and shine on others. Peace and Love to you brother, Greg Olson Remember Marcia’s bicycle ride from Chapter 1? You now realize that her riding experience was made up of objects, spaces, services, and people. Fortunately, she returned to ride another day. Brian’s ride also involved spaces and objects and services (lack of maintenance) that colluded to provide a broken experience, from which he didn’t return. We really can all do better than this.

Cities Deserve Special Mention Broken experiences in cities are exceptional because there is no product to return or money back guarantee for services rendered. A person passing through a city has a reasonable expectation of safe passage, whether they are walking, driving, or riding a bike. Those that work in the city on behalf of others need to especially work together to understand customers and then design and deliver unbroken experiences for those customers. They also need to efficiently source, vet, and implement ideas from the people that consume city services and visit city spaces. In Chapter 8 we’ll explore the promise delivery system, a model that every city can use to remain relevant, stay connected to its stakeholders, and continuously innovate in a sea of change.

Metrics that Matter Imagine if our collective human metric was to be happier. What if organizations of all types were to forget about growth at all costs, or cutting costs beyond expectations and all reasonableness? What if executive focus and accountability included more than earnings and profits? What if share price wasn’t the most important metric? Imagine a world where alleviating suffering or maximizing happiness mattered. If an organization had big profits, but miserable employees, unhappy customers, or wreaks havoc on the environment, then this would be made visible; it would mean something. In this possible world the focus would be, “Are we making our stakeholders happy?” Imagine the possibilities for employee and civic engagement, education, health, community building, and human progress. Happy customers would be the norm. We would collectively focus on making customers happy and treating them with respect like some thoughtful companies do today. As a result we would be more prosperous, tolerant, less polarized, compassionate, and maybe even peaceful. Is it possible? I think it is our duty as the dominant species on the planet and chief stewards of our shared environment to find out. If you’re in agreement with this thinking that new metrics are needed, then know that you and I are not alone. On July 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted U.N. Resolution 65/309 wherein among other things they stated the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental human goal and recognized that the gross domestic product indicator was not designed to and does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people in a country. It turns out that GDP and corporate profits can be up and to the right, while at the same time, those that helped it get that way may experience personal decline in terms of real wages, household wealth, and overall prosperity.

Example: GargantuaCorp As an extreme fictitious example, consider GargantuaCorp that manufactures most all of the goods within a country. In order to achieve

this, it employs contractors for meager wages with no benefits and uses a bank of slaves that receive much needed experience in lieu of pay. The output of GargantuaCorp is incredible since there are few other alternative companies to work for. GargantuaCorp provides nearly all of the food, equipment, transportation, and household goods that society needs. GargantuaCorp also provides banking and debt services so that “employees” can afford to purchase the goods they help to create. In terms of GDP the nation hosting GargantuaCorp is deemed to be doing fabulously well. Each year, GDP is up and to the right and profits are handsome. Some politicians and investors consider GargantuaCorp to be a darling. But, there is a darker, more sinister side to the story. Society is in decline. Poverty has increased, many who wish to work or make meaning cannot, wealth inequality is more lopsided than during feudal times, and the environment is suffering in the name of progress. Metrics lie and distort reality. Recessions measure consecutive quarters of decline in GDP. There is no real measure for the happiness of a nation, only their combined economic output. Even the U.S. Misery Index initiated under President Lyndon Johnson is limited to inflation and unemployment. Ignoring this reality traps our thinking, our public policies, and our human progress.

Example: Oikocredit International ESG Scorecard In my work as a volunteer board member for Oikocredit Northwest, a support association for global social investor Oikocredit International, I’ve become aware of their ESG Scorecard for environment, social, and governance. Since Oikocredit International does its work in 70 plus countries through hundreds of partners, it is essential to have social performance criteria in place to screen, vet, and manage partners. The ESG Scorecard helps Oikocredit field staff understand partner organizations in terms of environmental impact, outreach and targeting efforts, client benefit and welfare, governance, and responsibility to its community and staff. Oikocredit International is concerned with a balance between social and

financial viability. It’s internally developed ESG Scorecard sets quantitative stands by which to measure and evaluate potential partners. So, what about your own organization? Have you evolved past the pure focus on growth, earning, and profits or your nonprofit or governmental equivalent? Are you creating happiness for all stakeholders? In Chapter 8, we’ll explore the promise delivery system that will provide you a model to ensure your organization is making and keeping relevant promises to your various stakeholders, but for now let’s continue our quest for a more relevant metric as shown in Figure 6.18.

Figure 6.18 Universal Metric and Real Time Indicator of Happiness The authentic smile is universal, crosses cultures, gender and generations. A smile can help to build human bonds, dampen stressful situations and put people on notice that you are tuned in, listening, and that you care. But, when an experience also involves objects and spaces, there needs to be a way to extend the equivalent of the smile to inanimate objects. Generosity in design can help accomplish that.

Generous Design Generous design makes people smile. When an organization exceeds expectations without any pressure to do so, people often take notice. It might mean going beyond what is required by law or code, or even the norm set by competitors. Often the thoughtfulness goes unnoticed, but the design still serves to make things a little easier or a little better. At other times generous design is more obvious and enters the remarkable camp. When you can see generous design firsthand you think to yourself, “Wow, somebody thought of that. How nice!” But, more importantly you feel that somebody cared and as a result they touched your heart and your mind. Generous design goes beyond expectations, like the dual drinking station shown in Figure 6.19 or the stair rail in Figure 6.20 that extends a little more than required, so that it comfortably greets those about to meet the stairs.

Figure 6.19 Drinking Station Serves Double Duty for Humans and Canines Alike The drinking fountain outside this coffee shop is thoughtful for 4 legged friends that might be along for the ride, run, or walk. Here the purveyors were generous in the placement of objects (the dish) and services (the water spigot) in the outdoor space improving the experience for the dog and its owner.

Figure 6.20 Stair Rail Extends Gently into the Sidewalk Providing Easy Transition If you were about to climb these stairs, you might notice the gentle greeting of the rail that meets you before you take the first step. But, generous design isn’t limited to public spaces. Figure 6.21 shows generous design applied to coffee packaging and in Figure 6.22 vacuum cleaner bags.

Figure 6.21 Generous Packaging Design for Tchibo Coffee has Offset Pull Apart Tabs If you’ve fumbled opening a package then you’d appreciate the package design of Tchibo coffee. After removing the vacuum packed foil pouch from the wrapper, it’s easy to discover the separated top. A simple pull apart operation opens the bag to reveal the rich aromatic coffee inside. This is packaging that feels thoughtful, not cheapened, not focused on security and shoplifting, or on maximizing the space available for marketing.

Figure 6.22 Self-Closing Bosch Vacuum Cleaner Bag Prevents User From Getting Face Full of Dust It is pretty obvious that a vacuum cleaner bag will get dusty and actually fill with dirt, hair, and lint. When you change the bag you’re already aware of the mess that you may encounter. So, when you discover that a thoughtful designer created a self closing vacuum cleaner bag, preventing you from getting a face full of dust, it is hard not to smile and feel appreciation. That is what generous design feels like.

Generous design is what you would design for yourself if you had the skills, the insights, and were focused on making humans happy. Generous design goes beyond spaces and objects and includes services like credit unions and their even broader category, cooperatives.

Example: Boeing Employees Credit Union In 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression if a worker was lucky enough to get a job at the Boeing Company they were faced with a new challenge, they needed to bring their own set of tools. A worker without tools or the savings to purchase them was unable to turn to their bank for a loan. After all, if a bank survived the widespread banking collapse, they were certain to not be lending money, especially to a person who needed it. But, something generous happened. Elmer Eggleston and 17 others each contributed 50 cents to create an asset pool of $9.00. They then lent a newly hired worker the $2.50 required to purchase tools. This chain of lending to people in need continued and by the end of the first year 490 members had joined. This new type of financial institution, started by Boeing workers was originally called the Fellowship Credit Union. It was later renamed to Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU) and today serves over 825,000 members and holds more than $11.4 billion in assets. [14] Nobody forced Elmer or his colleagues to help newcomers to the job purchase tools. Pulling together a credit union was a generous act of design and continues to serve today. Similar examples of generous design of services can be found in your own community and might start with you.

A Better Camper If you’ve ever been camping then you probably experienced a rock lined campfire pit like the one shown in Figure 6.23. One tradition that I’ve started with my family and friends while backpacking is to always improve the outer rock ring at a campsite. There has never been a time when we were not able to leave the campfire pit in better shape than when we arrived. In making these improvements, we understand that we’ll never see the faces lit up by future fires, nor will those people affected ever know that incremental improvements were made by us prior to their arrival. We do this, in the spirit of making people happy.

Generosity starts with each of us. It is our own mindsets. With generosity there isn’t a bystander effect, thinking that someone else will take care of things. You get involved, you make something happen either for that moment or for a future moment you may never witness, like the well placed flat rock that’s appreciated at a future camp fire, host to the perfect pot of coffee or stew. Imagine the possibilities if we were all a little more generous.

Figure 6.23 Rock Lined Campfire Pit to Make Campers Warm and Happy

Recipe #19: Have a Generosity Discussion Discuss with your team how your organization might be more generous in the design of your products, services, spaces, and how you interact with others.

Recipe #20: Comb the Environment for Analogs Look for analogs. I’m guessing that if you’ve made it this far in the book, then you have an open mind, you’re trying to learn and you’re not caught up in the belief that your situation is so unique that you can’t possibly learn from others or their situations. One source of potential inspiration to find remarkable experiences and generous design is among analogs. Look for similar objects, spaces, or services, but in different industries or environments than your own. For example, when Alaska Airlines needed to look at terminal redesign and how lines form, they found an analogue in theme parks. If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, then you know firsthand they have large lines, but people remain happy.

Observe similar experiences If you want to consider selling cars, fast food, or clothing without having customers interact with salespeople you might look to vending machines, kiosks, and automated teller machines. Movie rental services that have gone this way are more ubiquitous than the corner video store, they supplanted.

Accidental Design is Rarely Generous The space pictured in Figure 6.24 is accidentally designed. The columns and walls serve as leaning posts where people gather and wait. People can even be seen sitting on the floor. Across the same city an analog can be found in the intentional and generous design at a public library as shown in Figure 6.25.

Figure 6.24 Airports are Natural Areas for People to Gather, Wait, Meet, and Eat. Bags will naturally accompany most passengers yet spaces in the airport often make people feel unwelcome.

Figure 6.25 The Sitting Space Surrounding this Column at a Public Library is Inviting to Visitors. The airport could borrow from this design to make passengers feel more comfortable while they are stuck waiting.

Embrace What Will Naturally Happen Spaces at times will overflow when more arrive than what a space is designed to accommodate. This is true of buildings, roads, airports, and other spaces, too. Better to embrace what will naturally happen than ignore

this reality. Another example of embracing what will naturally happen can be found in Chinese architecture as shown in Figure 6.26.

Figure 6.26 The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon Embraces Nature. Notice that there are no gutters or downspouts in this architecture. That is because the rain is natural and something to be embraced. When it rains the meticulously placed roof tiles channel falling rain water toward the eave tiles and eventually off the many drip tiles, creating hundreds of dripping waterfalls. By embracing what naturally happens, the designers were able to turn what others would hide, into visible art.

Recipe #21: Uncover Something Hidden that Customers Might Appreciate Look more deeply at the experiences your organization delivers to uncover natural forces that you currently oppose or hide. Consider making these visible to customers. Perhaps in your organization it isn’t about the rain, but about the inner workings of an object, how things are unfolding behind the scenes of a service, revealing parts of spaces unseen from a particular vantage point, or making conversation more visible. What are you hiding or fighting for no good reason at all?

Encourage Possibilities Just Because What if you could turn empty spaces into smiling faces? That is exactly the idea behind the work of Canadian design collective Daily Tous Les Jours, that converted a narrow strip of land near the street and bus stops into a giant public interactive experience as shown in Figure 6.27. When participants swing on the color-coded swings they trigger pre-recorded sounds from xylophone, piano, and other instruments. No person walks down this street expecting such a generous community gift .

Figure 6.27 Interactive Installation in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, “21 Swings,” by Daily Tous Les Jours. Photo courtesy of Olivier Blouin.

Generosity Begins with Your Mindset Generosity starts with an individual before it permeates an organization or a community. It can start with you, if you make a choice to embrace it, and adopt a generous mindset. One test of your own generosity involves an everyday experience each of us, as humans, encounter, namely the bathroom. When you take a bio break and upon finishing, do you leave an empty roll as shown in Figure 6.28 or do you think about the next person, generously loading a partial roll atop the new? It all starts with your own attitude and behavior. How you handle toilet paper for the next person is symbolic of how you handle other things for other humans seen and unseen.

Figure 6.28 Different Approaches to Generosity It should be obvious, but the person leaving the empty role on the left is less generous than the person that piggybacked the rolls on the right. Which scenario represents you?

Summary In this chapter, you were exposed to many possibilities. You learned of unbroken experiences, the recipe for building a better city. You also learned of generous design as seen in objects, spaces, and services. Imagine the possibilities for better experiences in the home, in the community, in the environment or entire journeys across the wheel of life. Think sustainable, peaceful, lips turning upward, warm smiles, and happy

eyes and faces. Think of new metrics that measure things that are meaningful to all of your stakeholders. Hopefully, in this chapter you gained some insights into how you will do things differently, as you design and deliver experiences. In our organizations, we don't always get to start with fresh design. Sometime we walk into a situation that is rife with accidental design, that is, design that isn’t intentional, but rather has evolved over time. You may hear defenders of such design say things like, "That is the way we've always done it here," or "Our policy for that is...." You might also hear, “We can’t” or “We don’t” or “We did it this way because….” But, none of this should matter to you if you are on a path to happier customers and healthier organizations. Help shape the vision, change the conversation, and share the tools to make getting to a new destination easier, more meaningful and fun. In Chapter 7, we’ll add to our personal design toolboxes a few things that are equally relevant for intentionally designing new experiences or reinvigorating those that have become stale. You’ll further build your confidence as a designer, no matter your actual title or role.

Chapter 7: Improving the Journey “To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.” William Shakespeare Actor, Poet, Playwright (1564 - 1616)

********** Welcome to Chapter 7, the luckiest chapter in the entire book. The luck isn’t about the number 7 though I find it refreshing and appropriate that luck is associated with the number 7. This chapter is the luckiest because by combining your learning so far with the application of the tools in the chapter to your own situation, you’ll soon begin manufacturing your own luck. You’re already on a path to creating happier customers and a much healthier organization. Experiences are important because they are all around us. Sometimes they happen to us, good or bad. At other times we are the ones creating and influencing the experiences of others. Most of us, from the CEO on down to front line employees, don’t understand the factors that make up an experience, much less how to intentionally design a great one. If we don’t know how to create better experiences then our path to get there is at best, a hodgepodge laid by specialists that might see the trees but not the forest. Most designers and organizations are chiefly concerned with the design of objects or services, but often miss out on the other aspects of the experience. With too small of a focus on objects or services, the larger holistic picture a customer actually cares about in their wheel of life is often lost on an organization. It is no wonder loyalty suffers, most organizations view customers as fickle, and many customers think organizations are out of touch. We learned in Chapter 1, that an experience is a contextual interaction between people, objects, services, and spaces. The tools in this chapter

include these additional factors so that you can improve experiences at individual touchpoints and create more holistic, meaningful journeys. In Chapter 2 we learned that we must make the customer come alive in order to empathize and understand what it must be like to be a customer. In this chapter, the audience remains a central theme. After all, if you are to improve an experience, it should be for customers and other stakeholders, not solely the organization. Ideally, the benefits are realized by both the organization and those it serves. In Chapter 3, we explored the experience honeycomb and 3 funnels as models that make visible the different concerns of organizations and those they serve. In Chapter 4 we expanded our experience vocabulary to include the customer journey. By now, we know how to talk about situations and things from different vantage points and quality standards. We are also familiar with the customer ecosystem, the business landscape, and a model to more effectively build partnerships. Nobody is born knowing how to do math or how to ride a bicycle. Likewise, nobody is born knowing how to design or improve customer experiences and journeys. To help you learn this new material and become more confident in its application, I’ve mixed the familiar with the unfamiliar. This tactic helps us to learn. Otherwise our powerful brains get fatigued and we become vulnerable to distractions. This was the reason to include examples with bicycles, birthdays, and car rentals; you’re already familiar with them. In Chapter 6, I shared with you many possibilities for remarkable experiences and examples of generous design. It’s not all Pollyanna though; you’ve also been exposed to bad design and broken experiences along with some of the factors that made them so. As we forge ahead in this chapter, hopefully the brief summary I recounted for you doesn’t sound unfamiliar. If it does, I’ve probably not provided you with a great learning experience. If you’d be so kind, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this at this point in the book. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, or simply send me an email at [email protected].

Positive, negative, or neutral comments; they are all welcome and I’m grateful for your input and feedback. If you’ve applied any of the recipes to your own situation and care to share stories about that, I’m listening. This chapter is about making improvements. You can create a better experience by paying attention to the objects in the scene, the people involved, the services provided and the space or environment. Improvement can be made to the experience at individual touchpoints or across the entire journey. The tools we’ll focus on are filters, lenses, and levers. Let’s revisit the rental car example as shown in Figure 7.1 and begin applying our new tools to build our confidence in improving journeys.

Figure 7.1 Rental Car Example with Touchpoints

Filters Remove Unwanted Information The first tool we can apply in improving customer journeys is a filter. When we apply a filter to a customer journey we are reducing the information available to only touchpoints relevant to that filtered view. Filters are reductive, that is they reduce the overall picture, giving you more clarity, but on less information. In this sense, filters help you to see trees of a particular variety in a forest of many. Filters can be about whatever subject you’d like, groups of people, a particular process or technology, communications, information, accessibility, etc. Figure 7.2 shows the car rental journey with an audience filter applied.

Figure 7.2 Rental Car Example with Audience Filter Applied Remember, the rental car experience will be different for the business traveler than for the vacationing family or an elderly widow traveling alone. By applying a filter, we can reduce the touchpoints in rental car journey down to what is relevant for a specific audience. For the business traveler with preferences on file with the rental car company’s loyalty program, the touchpoints “compare cars” and “queue at checkout” might not be relevant. The business traveler might have the ability to bypass the line and the car preference is already stored. Likewise, pivoting on the elderly widow audience might reveal a heightened interest in “load luggage” and “catch shuttle” with a decreased emphasis on “load GPS.” Filtering on an audience or persona can help you to focus on what is important for that audience by more closely walking in their shoes. This creates an opportunity to differentiate from competitors,

improve messaging to that audience, or spawn innovative products and services as shown in Figure 7.3.

Figure 7.3 Rental Car Example with Potential New Service for Elderly Audience Some travelers, like the elderly widow traveling alone may appreciate having assistance with their luggage as noted by the emotional low point in the rental car journey at touchpoint number 9. A rental car company offering luggage assist services could attract new customers, increase the loyalty with certain existing customers, and even create an incremental revenue stream in a largely undifferentiated industry. Luggage assist would also provide an opportunity for staff to connect on a more human level with the audience as opposed to simply treating people as transactions. Note that touchpoint number 10 is grayed out. This touchpoint may not be relevant with the particular audience. If you were to survey or ask customers for feedback about potentially irrelevant touchpoints, be sure to include “not applicable” or “didn’t use” or “not important to me” so that the feedback you receive doesn’t mask reality.

Recipe #22: Indentify Your Extremes

When thinking about audience filters, pick two extremes. If you carefully design to two extremes, you'll not only satisfy the extremes you’ll likely cover the variations of the main stream crowd. As an example consider Alaska Airlines. Their airport terminal redesign improves service for 2 extremes, namely the tech savvy crowd that mostly checks in online and those that want less technology and more human help once they arrive at the airport. The terminal redesign added more self service kiosks, but for the less technology inclined, Alaska Airlines also increased the number of staff available to help. This is a case where designing to two extremes addresses the needs of the mainstream crowd. Other filters might be less people centric and more data or technology centric. As an example, if we applied a “web data” filter, we might look at only those touchpoints where web data is either collected from a customer or provided to a customer. This could be useful to data centric people inside the organization. Or, imagine filtering a journey on technology, looking specifically how a journey is experienced through a tablet or mobile device. An organization doing this may shed light on blind spots and better understand what customers with those devices might be thinking and feeling. A savvy organization will also use filters as a source of innovation, finding opportunities to develop mobile applications useful to their audiences. Other filters include communications, information, process, ecology, maintenance, failure, or anything where you wish to screen out some of the complete picture and focus on something of interest. One filter that may be beneficial to customers and organizations alike would be if organizations applied a “differently enabled” filter. Not everybody has the same abilities when it comes to using products and services. Some limitations will be due to socio-economic status. Others limitations will be purely physical like those that suffer from chronic conditions such as arthritis and diabetes. Also, the abilities or conditions needn’t be permanent. A person will usually recover from being sick, having a broken arm, or being unemployed. If an

organization ignores these realities, customers could be made to feel unwelcome and those memories made could be long-lasting. This is especially relevant for a university that wants students to eventually participate in alumni giving campaigns, or the utility or hospital that provides assistance to those temporarily in need. Applying filters gives you the ability to view customer journeys in particular ways that your team may not have previously thought about. What about a hurry filter? Imagine somebody that is pressed for time. Can your product or service accommodate them, or is everybody treated as though they have an abundance of time? Educational level, computing experience, mobile device proficiency, language skills, etc. are all potential filters that could be applied to the journeys your customers share with your organization. You are only limited by your team’s collective imagination.

Lenses Provide Focus for Design Whereas filters are reductive, removing information from the customer journey, lenses help us to sharpen our focus. Applying lenses can help us to build up touchpoints that may not exist in our original view of the customer journey. Like filters, lenses can be about anything. Lenses are applied across the customer journey, at and between touchpoints. We can zoom in and apply lenses to the objects, services, spaces, and people that help to form the experience at a touchpoint. Or, we can zoom out and look at the multitude of touchpoints across a more holistic customer journey. By applying lenses to customer journeys, organizations can provide more relevant experiences, reduce the cost to serve, differentiate from competitors, and discover opportunities to innovate products and services. What follows is an inexhaustive list of lenses along with short descriptions and examples. Like filters, your organization can invent lenses suitable to your audiences and the experiences you’d like for them to have in dealing with your organization.

Shifter The shifter lens moves a touchpoint to occur at a different point in time. For example, in the rental car journey, it is likely that a customer will know some of their intended driving destinations at the time they reserve a car. Applying a shifter lens moves the touchpoint “load GPS” that usually occurs inside the vehicle at the rental lot, back in time to the touchpoint where the customer is online and has access to the internet, their address book, etc., as shown in Figure 7.4.

Figure 7.4 Rental Car Example with Shifter Lens Applied to “Load GPS” Touchpoint Shifting the “load GPS” touchpoint provides the customer with the ability to pre-load the GPS into their online profile, while they are in the comfort of their home or office. This prevents the customer from wasting time in the rental lot as they search for information and enter data into their blank GPS. With the shifter lens applied, the customer picks up their vehicle with a GPS pre-loaded with their previously entered destinations. Applying the shifter lens in this way also spares passengers accompanying the driver from having their time wasted. To those customers using a GPS and or interested in saving time, this improved experience could leave them with a positive brand aftertaste that influences future rental car decisions.

Creator The creator lens introduces a touchpoint to the customer’s journey between other touchpoints. The reasons to do this vary and may include the need to

slow down, communicate critical information, improve quality, increase comfort, reduce potential confusion, add security or authentication, gain feedback, lessen the overwhelm a customer may be experiencing, provide additional assistance, etc. As an example, sticking with our rental car example, imagine a wheelchair bound or injured customer arrives at the airport. An added touchpoint could be to have a representative meet the customer to assist getting them onto the shuttle and to the rental car lot. Another added touchpoint could be to provide customers exiting the rental car lot with a card containing a toll free number to access concierge services. Another example is an automobile dealer that might create a new touchpoint by adding a self service kiosk on the lot or in the showroom. This might be used to select a salesperson from a lineup or avoid one altogether. The kiosk could also provide the customer with access to check their own credit worthiness toward the lease or purchase of a new vehicle. The automobile dealer of the future will likely incorporate touchpoints like these focused on improving the car buyer’s journey. The key question to ask when using the creator lens is, “What could we add to improve the customers experience in dealing with our organization.” The answer to that question may also be found similarly in applying one of the other lenses. Duplicate findings or overlapping findings between lenses is fine. In the case where a touchpoint is predominately a space, devoid of people, services, or objects, you might also add those other elements in order to improve the experience at that touchpoint. Again, improvement can be made at touchpoints or across touchpoints. The key is to avoid gaps in the journey or voids that don’t serve customers or the organization either. One source to find potential gaps is to explore sensors in the ground as discussed in Chapter 8.

Futurist How can we improve the customer’s journey by helping them to predict the future? A weather forecast is an obvious example that improves a farmer’s journey in an agricultural community. Most of us are not farmers, but we

still rely on forecasts to plan our clothing choices, outdoor adventures, vacation travel, or even commute across town. Another example of applying the futurist lens can be found in a trip to the Washington State Department of Licensing. The Department reveals average wait times on its website for each location. [15] Similar services for ferries, traffic, and even restaurants add video to help customers make an informed decision about where and when to visit. Imagine a thoughtful mortgage lender that helped customers maintain their home and avoid sticker shock on big repairs simply by setting aside a preset percentage of the mortgage payment into a maintenance account. This would be similar to collecting additional money and holding in escrow to cover property tax obligations and insurance premiums. With such a future oriented program a customer wouldn’t feel quite the financial sting when if their stove or roof needed repair or replacement. Note, that by not helping customers to predict the future they might have a poor experience with your organization, and end up spending valuable time or money that they didn’t budget for. While they might endure the line or make the unplanned purchase, the negative brand aftertaste they carry with them might not serve your organization well in the future. Another way to think about the futurist lens is to ask yourself, in the ideal customer journey, what should go on the customer’s calendar as a reminder today and how can we help them with that? Think events, planned replacement, maintenance, servicing, etc. Some loyalty programs fail in this regard. After a period of inactivity, the member’s accumulated loyalty benefits are forfeited or in some cases their entire membership is canceled. Organizations concerned about their long term viability must take a longterm view of customer relationships and not let accounting or the information technology departments dictate the terms for the organization’s customer loyalty program.

Delighter Where can you add surprise and delight to a customer’s experience? Is there a particular object you can add to a touchpoint? For example, adding a

water bottle to the touchpoint “get car” as shown in Figure 7.5 could exceed customer expectations at that touchpoint.

Figure 7.5 Rental Car Example with Delighter Lens Applied to “Get Car” Touchpoint Imagine the driver and each occupant entering the rental car and discovering they each had a water bottle waiting for them. This is a low cost and especially useful gesture for airline passengers prohibited from carrying liquids on the plane. This “water bottle moment” would likely put a smile on most any traveler’s face and elevate the emotion at touchpoint number 8. Every journey has the potential for water bottle moments if the designers are in tune with the audience and use the Delighter lens. Adding a service to a touchpoint can also spark a smile. Imagine a customer arriving at their rental car on a hot summer day to find it idling with the air conditioner turned on. Similarly, in the middle of winter with frost in the air, imagine arriving at the rental car to discover it idling with the heater turned on, providing immediate relief and escape from the harsh elements.

During a personal visit to Disneyland, when I was checking in at the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, they recognized my birthday. I hadn’t prompted them and don’t even remember when or where I provided my date of birth. That didn’t matter to me; I was delighted. The ordinary, boring, hotel check-in process became remarkable enough that I’m telling you about it now.

Recipe #23: Make a Persona’s Most Valuable Touchpoint Shine Select a customer persona most valuable to your organization. Then, after mapping their customer journey, identify touchpoints where you could make the experience at that touchpoint more emotional and remarkable. You might consider an equivalently unremarkable touchpoint like hotel check-in or you might heighten the experience even further for a touchpoint that your customers or competition already pay much attention to. Whether it is a sleepy touchpoint or one that already sparkles, adding some delight is sure to be noticed by your most valued customers.

Reducer The reducer lens is concerned with eliminating unneeded touchpoints or delays in the customer journey. These might be outdated steps in a process or needless steps for a particular audience. Examples of touchpoints that can be eliminated from the rental car journey for frequent travelers are shown as grayed out in Figure 7.6.

Figure 7.6 Rental Car Example with Reducer Lens Applied Eliminates Needless Touchpoints Frequent rental car customers don’t have a need to find offers, compare cars or register on the rental car company’s website. They likely already have a profile stored online including preferred type and size of car, payment method, and whether or not they choose to purchase additional insurance. Recognizing this saves the frequent traveler time as they skip the checkout line at touchpoint 7 and proceed directly to their car where the keys await them. Another example where the reducer lens saves the customer time is in making payments over the phone. When an organization recognizes the phone number associated with an account, and then provides the customer with enough details to make a payment without needless re-authentication, then the customer has sped through the payment transaction journey and the organization has reduced the cost to serve. Not all organizations and processes are as mindful of the customer’s time.

Reducing the time spent at a single touchpoint is also a concern of the reducer lens. When a customer shows up at the auto dealer for a scheduled service appointment and is subsequently treated like they’ve only arrived for the first time and without an appointment, their time is wasted and the negative brand aftertaste begins to form. Doctors, restaurants, airlines, and other service organizations that unnecessarily hold up their customers similarly diminish the experiences of their customers. If your organization requires customers to share the same information at multiple touchpoints across a journey, then your organization and ultimately your customers would benefit by you applying the reducer lens.

Recipe #24: Act Like a Time Savings Account Walk in your customers shoes and deal with your own organization or create a mystery shopper program where you can guide others in this way. Note the touchpoints where customers may feel delayed in line, online, or on the phone. At which touchpoints is their time wasted or where are they asked to provide information the organization should already have. Note the opportunities to streamline the information asked for across the customer journey. Then ask, “Do we already know this information somewhere in the organization and how can we make this visible for the people serving the customers or the customers themselves?” We’ll revisit this recipe as we look at the organizational readiness lever, later in this chapter.

Reminder The reminder lens is thoughtfully applied to the customer’s journey for their benefit at a more appropriate time. Consider Bill from Chapter 5, wandering through the airport, unsure which rental car company he made his reservation with. The reminder lens anticipates such situations. Applying the reminder lens to the rental car journey would send a text, voice, or email reminder to Bill as he arrives in his destination city near the time of his expected arrival. This little gesture would resurface the reservation information at the most appropriate time. Imagine the peace of mind this would bring an otherwise frantic and disorganized traveler.

Another example is the Hyundai Assurance Connected Care program that provides customers with a monthly vehicle health report and sends them maintenance alerts via text or email. Each alert reminds customers of upcoming service needs along with what is included at each service interval. In applying the reminder lens questions to ask include: What information might be beneficial to customers if we help them to recall it in the future? What will be the customer’s context at that future touchpoint? What devices and information formats will be relevant? And, have we asked for, received, and stored their preferences?

Exchanger Think of the exchanger lens as the give and the get. When an organization makes an exchange at a touchpoint they provide something the customer cares about while at the same time they receive something of value to the organization. The most obvious example is the exchange of a product or service for money, but for most customer journeys you’ll need more exchanges than that to move the customer along the 3 funnels as discussed in Chapter 3. A good example that makes use of the exchanger lens is when a casino guest sign up for the casino’s rewards and loyalty program. In exchange for sharing their profile and contact information, the customer receives initial points, offers, and the promise of more deals and special invitations in the future. Contrast this with the abusive practice of being confronted with a popup survey when first visiting an organization’s website. Here, it is as though the eager marketer bludgeons the visitor, chanting, “Take our survey, take our survey.” Of all the bludgeoning I’ve experienced, I’ve yet to respond to one of these surveys. I immediately look for the icon to close the popup window. The popup survey doesn’t take into account my context or respect my time. In every case, it violates my expectation that I’ll quickly find whatever I was originally seeking at the organization’s website. The popup survey is simply, noise that gets in the way of what might otherwise be a perfectly good website experience.

Avoid being greedy and only asking for the get. By turning a one sided proposition into an exchange, your relevance will increase and your engagement rate will follow. In keeping with the website example, it is okay to ask for contact information in exchange for privileged content, like a white paper, learning resource, or ebook. A less digital example is the baker or artisan that provides a taste in exchange for a bit of your attention. If you’re like most people, you’ve sampled a cookie or other tasty morsel and then went on to make the purchase. See, you already have firsthand experience with the exchanger lens. When considering making an exchange at a touchpoint ask, “Are we giving sufficiently to our customers at this point, in order to get from them a rating, feedback, contact information, an expression of interest or other information?” If the answer to that question is NO, then improve your offer. See also the giver lens.

Technologist The technologist lens is used at a touchpoint or across the journey to improve the experience for the customer or to reduce the organization’s cost to serve. Exercise caution when focused on technology initiatives aimed at reducing the cost to serve as they can diminish the quality of the customer experience. If you’ve struggled to navigate a poorly designed voice response system then you know firsthand how frustrating technology can be. Recall the shopping cart wheel locking technology that serves the loss prevention manager well, but fails from the view of the transportation challenged customer. When pursuing technology initiatives aimed at reducing the cost to serve, where possible, strive to improve the customer experience at the same time. An example of this is a retailer that adds self-service checkout machines that enable customers that are comfortable with technology, to bypass traditional cashier-staffed checkout lanes. Other examples of applying the technology lens to customer journeys include moving face-to-face transactions to the web or mobile devices as in

purchasing movie tickets or depositing checks via scanned check image. In these cases tech savvy customers can bypass or avoid lines altogether. Customer centric organizations will ensure that customers with less technological preferences will still have access to traditional services. Technology initiatives can create higher costs for customers. Costs borne by customers are not solely the prices they pay, but also include the effort required and time consumed in installing, configuring, and making use of your product or service. Steep learning curves can render a product or service irrelevant save for the most enthusiastic technologists. Those of limited means or short on time might be driven away from your products or services if you make it increasingly unaffordable to remain being your customer.

Communicator An experience can be improved simply by improving the communication at touchpoints or across the customer journey. Questions to ask when applying the communicator lens include: What messages does our audience need to hear from us? When is the most appropriate time to communicate? What is the best method to effectively reach our intended audience? The intent of communications varies across the customer journey and will bear resemblance to the 3 funnels. Some communications will help customers to understand why they should want to be a customer and what it’s like once they become one. Other communications aim to help prospects more easily become customers or become proficient users of the organization’s products or services. The savviest of organizations will go further and enable customers to advocate to others, in ways consistent with the aspirations of the brand. For example, the fashion brand White House Black Market aspires to make women feel beautiful. Communications that customers receive in the form of catalogues, online, in-store, and across social media stay true to that passion. But, White House Black Market goes further and also gives women a direct voice. Customers can participate in Style Diaries, sharing with other women their own story about the moment they felt the most beautiful or the last place they wore a little black dress. When customers are

able to express themselves directly through the help of a brand, then that brand has successfully earned a place in the customer’s experience halo. Communications can also be used to inform and direct to prevent customers from running into problems. For an object or service,this might be in the form of a quick start guide, FAQ, etc. For a space or route, the communications can take the form of signage and way finding as in navigating within a building, across a park, a larger landscape like a ski area, or a city. While communications can be used to prevent problems, sometimes difficulties arise through no fault of the customer. Proactively communicating status, progress, problems, glitches etc., to customers goes a long way toward keeping an experience in the unbroken category. For example, the Hyundai Assurance Connected Care program proactively communicates to customers throughout their vehicle ownership journey. In the event of a recall that affects their vehicle, Hyundai vehicle owners are automatically notified via the in-vehicle display, email, and the MyHyundai.com website. [16] Different modes or channels of communication can be effective for different types of customers. Remember not all customers will be like the people who design and deliver the organization’s products and services. Language proficiency varies as does the ability to see and hear. While faceto-face real time communications may be effective for some customers, others will benefit from pre-recorded audio or video messages that can be paused, played back, and volume adjusted. Captions or interpretive services may be needed to effectively communicate with hard of hearing or deaf customers. Vision impaired customers will benefit from empathetic people that verbally communicate over the phone or face-to-face and also understand how to properly act around and accommodate service animals that could accompany customers in the organization’s establishment. Consider applying a “Differently Enabled” filter to see what it might be like dealing with your organization as a vision, hearing, or mobility impaired customer.

Prerecorded audio communications in various languages can help customers of different nationalities appreciate what appears to be the same tour whether it’s an art museum or a city treasure like the Pantheon in Rome. Communications tactics and purposes vary across organizations and customer type. The whole point of the communicator lens is to improve the customer journey by leveraging the power of effective communications. Returning to our car rental example, a customer completing their rental car journey may receive a communication after a recent trip, thanking them for their recent business along with a special offer toward a future rental. Customers may also receive communications announcing the organization’s new “GPS at home” feature and “luggage assist” and “concierge” services. These communications may be pushed through any of the organizations communications channels including face-to-face, phone, online, email, SMS text, social media, in-store, on-shuttle, and even on the label wrapping the water bottle that awaits customers as they enter their rental vehicle. Of course customers will not pay attention to all of the messages, across all of the channels, all of the time. Customer context, timing, and mode of communications can make a big difference whether a message is well received or falls flat. A good communications example that is sensitive to context, timing, and mode is a phone call from an executive director of a nonprofit that promptly communicates appreciation to donors following a successful fundraising event. In this example, the call recipients have context since they attended the event. The timing of the phone call is appropriately just after the event, and since the executive director communicates via phone, she is able to connect with supporters, build a little rapport, declare success, and personally thank them for their generous support. This thoughtful communication by the executive director could make a lifelong impression with supporters. Contrast this with a similar appreciative message delivered via letter one month after the event to supporters. By this time, people have moved on to other things, it isn’t clear whether the letter was received or read, and there isn’t any opportunity for personal exchange.

Communications is one of the 4 action levers to improve experiences as discussed later in this chapter.

Intriguer The intriguer lens is concerned with adding mystery or intrigue to the customer’s experience. It might be something small that causes people to think: I wonder why they did that. I wonder how they did that. Or, what is that over there? Applying the intriguer lens intentionally looks for opportunities to pique a customer’s curiosity. The key here is to bait the customer, leaving them to hang on. The intrigue will cause them to continue to think. Our brains are really great pattern making machines and when our curiosity is piqued we’ll work things over in our mind, in search of an explanation. Once that happens we’ve solved the puzzle and we’re no longer intrigued. Your unfinished to-do list that haunts you is like this, especially if you dangle it in plain sight as a nagging reminder of your unfinished business. But, mystery and intrigue can more distant, too. Think of the movie trailer that plays over and over in your mind or the subtle design element on a website or in a game that makes you want to click it or just makes you wonder. Prevent the customer from solving the puzzle and they’ll continue to fixate on it. As a consequence, your organization and brand wins much needed emotional real estate. Intriguer tactics are like the swirls and sprinkles that sit atop the chocolate truffle luring you to take a small bite. You can hardly stop yourself. The crinkly paper that separates the layers in a chocolate box further adds to the mystery. You can’ help but look beneath, revealing the tasty morsels that await you. Applying the intriguer lens can be as simple as removing explanation and information. Go too far and you might break the customer’s experience. But, strike the right balance and your customer will likely be intrigued then continue to explore as shown in Figure 7.7.

Figure 7.7 Moon Gate at Lan Su Chinese Garden Provides a Glimpse to the Adjacent Space When you walk on the pebble mosaic near this Moon Gate, you can’t help but be intrigued about what lies beyond the wall. You are lured to step through the portal. If the entire wall was made of a sliding glass door or merely open, the mystery and intrigue would be absent.

Brander

The brander lens is concerned with making sure the brand values are adhered to across the organization’s communications and behaviors. Questions to ask in applying the brander lens include: What perception of the organization and its products and services are we trying to maintain or shift in the minds of our stakeholders? Are we consistent in what we are saying and how we are acting across the customer’s journey? Does this consistency span departments and include our outsourced service and channel organizations that also interact with our customers? In short, what stories do we want to be known for and how do we tell them across our stakeholders’ journeys. The brander lens can be applied to physical objects like packaging, products, documentation, vehicles, etc., as well as spaces the organization works in. But, perhaps even more important are the events, communications, decisions, and behaviors that customers and other stakeholders witness or experience firsthand in dealing with the organization. Interactions at touchpoints and across the entire customer journey exemplify the brand values or aspirations of the brand. For example, when a Nordstrom sales associate walks around the cash register counter to hand the shopping bag to a customer that just completed a purchase that is a much branded Nordstrom touchpoint. In addition to the personal handoff, the customer receives a friendly smile and thank you consistent with John W. Nordstrom’s founding philosophy to offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality, and value. The brander lens can be about ensuring consistency, but it can also be about differentiating certain touchpoints from competitors. Even if a frequent Nordstrom shopper were to visit another store it is likely that while paying at the register or in the event they make a return, they’ll long for the personalized and heightened customer service that Nordstrom is well known for.

In another example, the world’s largest home furnisher retailer, IKEA, has a signature touchpoint for customers as they exit the store. For those customers that didn’t get their fill in the IKEA restaurant or satisfy their hunger by shopping the Swedish food market they can still get a quick bite at a low price at the IKEA Bistro. As customers exit the store, it is as though the IKEA brand first beckons them and then as they pay reminds them, “See what a good value we are!” [17]

Digitizer The digitizer lens explores touchpoints in the customer journey would benefit by being more digital. This could be the addition of a digital touchpoint where there wasn’t one before or the added digital option to a traditionally physical touchpoint. For example, choosing to receive an estatement or have a receipt emailed are digital substitutes for mailed paper statements and physical receipts. For most audiences and journeys the digitizer lens is best complimented with the humanizer lens. This balanced design approach ensures that an audience with a more digital orientation or oppositely, physical or face-toface orientation, will not feel left out. Being too specialized and insular will cause you to be out of touch with your audience. Citibank’s North America Head of Consumer Marketing eliminated the digital marketing department citing that we should all be digital, that “digital” isn’t a department. [18]

Humanizer The humanizer lens is the complement to the digitizer lens. It is concerned with making the interaction at a touchpoint more human or physical in order to create a more emotional connection with the customer.

Helper By applying the helper lens you anticipate where the customer may become stuck or confused and in need of assistance. Questions to ask include: At which touchpoints do we need to provide the customer with assistance? In what format should the assistance come i.e. chat, email, face-to-face, automated voice response system, direct dial to human, forum, search, SMS

text, etc? Is there anything more for the organization to learn from this help interaction with the customer? Consider the expected delay and impact to the customer as they search for, access and then wait for assistance? When a customer calls into an organization, the person providing them with assistance is getting paid. Customers don’t get compensated for dealing with your organization and every time they do, they incur additional opportunity cost. Be aware that at the point a customers is seeking help, they may already be questioning their purchase decision. Utilizing call back technology can help diminish the negative impact to customers by preventing the need for them to wait on hold for the next available agent. The helper lens is a great compliment to the “What could go wrong?” filter. A complimentary recipe discussed in Chapter 5 is creating a customer empathy lab.

Monitor The monitor lens is concerned with monitoring performance across the customer’s journey. The importance of closing the gap between what the organization says and does and what customers subsequently think and feel about it is paramount and a subject further explored in Chapter 8: The Promise Delivery System. As you apply the monitor lens to touchpoints you are asking questions about performance and customer validation like: How does the customer think we are doing at this touchpoint? Is there a better way to measure our performance or customer sentiment at this touchpoint? How do we know how we are doing? It can be extremely valuable for an organization to capture customer sentiment around their experience dealing with the organization’s warranty, returns, and escalation policies. Applying the learning from these situations can help to inform other parts of the organization and may be used in shaping strategy or policy as discussed in Chapter 8.

Metrics should not be purely quantitative and automated, though those are the easiest to obtain. Consider creating a scorecard with leading and lagging indicators, some of which are focused purely on customers, whereas others focus on measuring organizational readiness and performance. Examples of establishing listening channels to monitor customer validation and source insights can be found in Chapter 8.

Giver The giver lens is about finding opportunities across the customer journey for the organization to be generous. Reasons to do this might be to live up to the values that the organization and brand espouse or to simply differentiate from competitors. Examples of generosity include providing amnesty to inactive loyalty program member or providing customers with late payment forgiveness or extended payment terms. The mortgage lender that proactively extends terms or lowers interest rates will likely earn loyalty from customers in other areas of it business.

Rewarder The rewarder lens is a slight variation on the given lens. Here the focus is on rewarding specific behavior. For example, a person who purchased twice might receive a coupon toward their next purchase to reward their behavior.

Sensor Applying the sensor lens to touchpoints heightens the senses at that touchpoint. The question to ask is how can we add touch, taste, and smell to touchpoints in this journey? Can we make the experience for customers more tactile, aromatic, visual or tasty? What would make it more pleasing to the ears? Remember the factors that make up experiences at touchpoints include services, spaces, objects, and people. Any one of those can be made to be more sensory.

Comforter Some experiences at touchpoints are, by their nature, unpleasant. Interrupting your restaurant meal to change your toddler’s diaper isn’t

exactly a planned menu item. But, the restaurant that confronts this reality and makes it less unpleasant to do so, is appreciated. The comforter lens is a focus on making it more comfortable to do unpleasant tasks as shown in Figure 7.8.

Figure 7.8 Baby Changing Station and Diaper Bin Makes an Unpleasant Task More Comfortable Other examples of unpleasant tasks or situations include changing a flat tire, cleaning up after your dog while visiting a park, being involved or witness to accidents or crimes, losing luggage or other belongings, unexpectedly having to use the bathroom, etc. People involved in these situations were on a journey different than where the situation eventually took them. Nobody wakes up one morning saying, “Today, I’m planning to witness a major accident.” But, when an unpleasant situation unexpectedly happens, the organization, or in some cases the Good Samaritan who provides comfort is well appreciated and long remembered.

Recipe #25: Provide First Response Like Comfort

Have a first response discussion in your organization to talk about the unpleasant situations your customers might face and how you might provide comfort to them. Here are a few more lenses to fuel your conversations and spark your inner designer.

Reframer Turn problem areas into opportunities by reframing them like the restaurant that sends guests an SMS text message when the table is ready. Instead of customers crowding the entrance while they are waiting for their reserved table, they are free to roam around the neighborhood.

Demonstrator Demonstrate to speed learning about potential value to customers or to the organization.

Smoother Modify internal processes to make the journey smoother for the customer and the organization. Look for friction or gaps in the experience. Identify unexpected paths and workarounds.

Completer Find complementary product and services to complete the customer’s experience.

Personalizer Provide customers the ability to personalize aspects of their experience at certain touchpoints or across the journey.

Connector Provide customers with ability to connect with other customers, partners, or other organizations.

Funster Introduce fun to a touchpoint or across journeys.

Energizer How can we make a touchpoint or journey more noticeable, revitalize a space or service, pay more attention, make more noise, add sparkle or sizzle, and increase participation.

Recipe #26: Establish Lenses Discuss with your team what characteristics you’d like your customers to make positive remarks on when dealing with your organization. Then establish lenses to match. For example, if you want customers to think of your organization as human centric then include the humanizer lens in your design and development activities.

Recipe #27: Adopt a Lens As you document existing customer and other stakeholder journeys or design new ones, assign lenses to particular people that can serve as caretakers. Certain people and personalities might be especially suited to particular lenses. Whether you use a phased gate approach or more agile or concurrent product development discipline, be sure to include lenses that are relevant to our organization, industry, and audiences. Remember lenses can be about anything you wish. When you change your views you can change your conversation and then you can get busy intentionally designing and delivering remarkable experiences to your customers.

4 Action Levers Filters are a great tool to allow you to reduce too much information to a relevant subset that you can more easily see and take action on. Applying lenses to certain touchpoints or across entire journeys can also yield high value improvement areas. But knowing and doing are two different things. It might be that your organization doesn’t have any blind spots, you know exactly what to do, or that you’ve applied filters and lenses to your own situation and have become overwhelmed with the large list of improvement to be made. You get paralyzed before you even begin. It’s okay to feel that way. Remember the satellite and the street model from Chapter 3? When we work with the details of filters and lenses we’re at the street level. Now let’s come up a bit, to a higher level. Any improvement you make to a customer’s experience can be force fit into one of four categories as shown in Figure 7.9.

Figure 7.9 Levers to Improve Experiences The 4 action levers gives you a way to do mental bookkeeping for making improvements in the areas of more relevant communications, improved customer thinking, organizational readiness, and better product and service interactions. But, that isn’t the only power of the levers. They also serve as a system of checks and balances. After all, you can’t have more relevant communications or better product and service interactions if you don’t have improved customer thinking. And, if your organization isn’t ready or up to

the task, then better product and service interactions or more relevant communications will never actually materialize. Compare this to the act of cleaning a four room house by moving all of the mess into one of the rooms. You’ve only shifted the problem temporarily. If you visit the effected room, you’ll notice the problem straightaway. If you know classical physics then you also know Newton’s third law states that for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. That is an axiom that applies here. If you invest in activities behind one of the action levers then realize the other levers will be affected, too. Lever is an intentionally chosen word because with a lever, you amplify a small input force to provide a larger output force. For example, by investing small actions into better understanding customers, you gain a greater output of Improved Customer Thinking. Use the 4 action levers to identify projects and programs that aim to improve the organizations ability to deliver more remarkable products and services, build more authentic relationships, and communicate more effectively with intended audiences.

Improved Customer Thinking Who are the audiences you are concerned with today and in the near future? What do you want them to think, feel, do and remember? Remember audiences can be internal or external to the organization.

More Relevant Communications What are the communications requirements across initiatives, time, and channels to authentically connect with your intended audiences? Remember that communications also includes internal communications.

Better Product & Service Interactions What are the intended experiences you want your audiences to have over time, when dealing with your organization?

Organizational Readiness

Customer experiences and journeys don’t happen in a vacuum. Organizations must be ready to interact with customers and also be mindful of the behind the scenes operational requirements. What will be needed to get and keep others ready?

Recipe #28: Find Your Critical to Executions Reflect on your current and past execution gaps that prevented your organization from being ready to deliver remarkable experiences. As you go forward intentionally designing customer journeys, note what will be required in order to close the execution gaps. These comprise your list of CTE’s: critical to execution. As you explore new projects and program make CTEs part of your organization’s customer experience vernacular.

Summary We’ve now examined three unique sets of tools to help us make improvements to customer journeys. Filters and Lenses helped us to understand improvement at a more granular level whereas the 4 action levers help us up higher. Having the ability to quick check initiatives against the 4 levers can help to ensure your organization isn’t trying to take on more than it can handle. Our ambitions will always exceed our ability to execute given the available level of resources. It doesn’t matter if we are acting as one or with the citizens of the planet, we can simply think faster than we can do. Using the improvement tools of this chapter will help provide insurance against delivering broken experiences but it won’t help you make and keep promises or navigate trends that impact your organization. For that, we’ll rely on the promise delivery system model that every organization has, whether they know it or not.

Chapter 8: Promise Delivery System “Drive thy business, let not that drive thee.” Benjamin Franklin Author, Printer, Scientist, Musician, Inventor, Satirist, Civic Activist, Statesman, and Diplomat (1706 - 1790)

********** In Chapter 3 we learned about the 3 funnels and how an organization can persist indefinitely, if it can navigate the 3 funnels and retain enough cash to meet its obligations. But, managing activities across the 3 funnels isn’t exactly the top of mind for most leaders. In this chapter we’ll learn about the promise delivery system, another tool that will help us to create happier customers and ensure our organization remains healthy. The promise delivery system, shown in Figure 8.1, is a closed loop system that revolves around an intended audience and includes 4 major components: strategy, delivery, validation, and learning. All organizations have a promise delivery system that reveals how promises are made and kept to its stakeholders. Promises are the goods and services the organization provides its various audiences. This mental model is a powerful tool to help us see how the organization works and how improvements can be made. The promise delivery system could just as easily be called sustainable value creation. If any of us broke the promises we made to others, our credibility would diminish. People would come to realize that we are not reliable. Organizations make and keep promises, too. However, in an organization, the results of breaking promises can spell disaster. It could mean lost customers, employees, and partners. Or, it could result in a loss of competitive position in the marketplace. At its worse, it could mean legal actions, environmental ruin, and even outright failure.

But, like the day old bread theory reminds us, things happen gradually. An organization isn’t completely fine one day and out of business the next. The loss of competitive position and share of mind with customers, employees, partners, and other stakeholders erodes over time with each decision made, large or small. As share of mind is lost with stakeholders, the organization becomes less relevant. This can happen over a long period of time or can feel sudden as the world has witnessed with high publicity company and government failures in more recent economic times. Let’s explore the promise delivery system in Figure 8.1 to see what happens and how to remain relevant in a competitive business landscape, rife with seemingly fickle customers.

Figure 8.1 Promise Delivery System

Pivot on the Audience The first part of the promise delivery system model is the audience you place at the center. Once again, who’s the who, matters. It is likely that you’ll have many audiences to consider. Your organization has a promise delivery system for every audience it serves. Whether or not your organization keeps its promises is another story. It is important to recognize that promises are made to people either explicitly or implicitly. Further, the recipients of these promises can be the customers you serve, but are also the employees and partners that serve those customers. Depending upon your organization, you’ll also have other stakeholders that aren’t customers, partners, or employees; these may include investors, donors, suppliers, etc.

Conflicting Promises One challenge organizations face is to manage expectations that arise between conflicting promises made to different audiences. For example, imagine the CEO of a publicly traded technology company promising employees quarterly bonuses in order to keep them excited and working toward an aggressive product launch. At the same time, the CEO has set expectations with investors and customers alike that this product launch will be particularly impressive. But, now imagine the launch was a dud; the customers didn’t respond to the product launch and sales were nearly nonexistent. If you follow the public stock markets, you’ll recognize what comes next. Usually the cost cutting measures that follow the failed launch include layoffs for the very employees that were promised quarterly bonuses. In this example, short term earnings might be artificially preserved by reducing expenses related to people. Investors might see a stock price respond favorably or at least retain its value in the short run. But, the launch was still a dud, employees were shed, and the company has diminished expertise and capacity as a result. A gutted fish can no longer swim. This short term thinking has long term consequences, inside and outside of the organization. The people left inside the company are shocked

about what just happened and many wonder if they might be laid off next. It is likely that the company also loses employee advocates and may even create negative worth of mouth. As introduced in Chapter 1, organizations need to be careful to not create stories they wouldn’t want retold. In this example, investors may be satisfied in the short run, but now may be concerned over the longer term viability of the company. While this example has played out in many for-profit companies, making conflicting promises isn’t exclusive to profit seeking enterprises. A nonprofit scenario plays out similarly as the Executive Director may promise program staff an increase in resources, but then can’t keep the promise when a fundraising event brings in too few donations.

Recipe #29: Document Stakeholder Promises Identify the various stakeholders for your organization then be good about documenting the explicit and implicit promises you make. Note the potential conflict and explore how you might manage expectations to avoid conflicting promises and disappointment.

Example: Home Builder Manages Expectations The CEO of this leading home builder and his team know to set the right expectations up front. They tell customers that houses are built to a predictable schedule, with minimal variation, to keep costs low. They even make the schedule visual and share it, so customers and vendors are able to see what will happen and when. If things don’t go according to plan because there is a mistake or a change, they fix it. Customers appreciate their role as co-creators in the home building journey as well as the upfront communications, as evidenced by a high customer referral rate. Good value for customers doesn’t come at the expense of vendors. While this builder has high standards and expectations for vendors, this proposition isn’t one sided. Houses built to a fixed schedule means predictability; good news for vendors that need to manage resources effectively and have a consistent work to grow their business. Vendors are also paid weekly for work performed against the schedule; alleviating cash flow concerns.

This example set by this leading homebuilder demonstrates that making and keeping promises to multiple parties doesn’t have to mean happiness for some and disappointment for others. They also demonstrate that if you are transparent about problems that arise and take good care to fix them, then customers will remain loyal.

Develop Strategy The upper right hand component of the promise delivery system is Develop Strategy, but something has to guide that strategy. Every organization begins with some initial purpose that guides the organization early on. It may remain the same or shift over time as people inside the organization change or gain new insights about the customer ecosystem or changes in the business landscape. Most organizations have a multiyear strategic planning cycle with an annual refresh to help guide what they will do in any given year. In addition, organizations often have established a clear mission, vision, and values to further serve as guideposts as they navigate the way forward. Together all of this answers the question of what the organization should do with its limited resources. Note that organizations of all sizes have constraints. Naturally, our ambitions will always exceed our ability to execute given the available level of resources. That is true if we are acting alone or in concert with all of the people on the planet. This is because as creative human beings we can simply think of stuff faster than we can hope to accomplish it. Constraints play out in the language we use surrounding our strategy. It can be summed up in one word, namely, why. This word makes us inherently compare and defend competing alternatives in a resource constrained environment. If there were no constraints and abundant resources, people would ask why, much less. Imagine sitting around the campfire with plenty of wood. Your friend puts a log on the fire. You don’t think much of it. But, now imagine there are only three logs left and your friend puts a log on the fire. You will likely ask, “Why that log?” Whether its campfires, vacations, or purchase of homes, vehicles, or appliances, why, is part of our natural strategy dialogue. Thinking about what to do is not the same as getting it done. So, if we want our audience to feel the benefits of what we propose in our strategy, we’ll need to get past the whys and produce something of value.

Produce and Deliver This is the part of the promise delivery system where the organization shifts from thinking to doing and delivers on its promises. Here, an organization produces and delivers products and services to their customers. They also produce communications to attract customers, orient them, and help them to understand the value of the products and services. Anything the organization provides customers is included in this component of the promise delivery system. In addition to what is provided to customers, this component of the promise delivery system is also concerned with the schedule and execution tactics. Here is where the organization answers the questions, “What should we provide our customers? How will we do it, when, and who will be responsible?” Also, “Who else can help us deliver and keep our promise?” But, all of the accountability, planning, and flawless execution is without merit unless we actually receive validation from those customers we aim to serve.

Customer Insights and Validation In this component of the promise delivery system we shift our focus from doing to listening and observing. This is where you can see how your products and services are being received. This is where you begin to connect the theoretical right hand side of your promise delivery system to the marketplace reality on the left hand side. Here we attempt to confirm that our promise delivered was actually received and valued. Here is where we want to understand what customers think and how they feel about our organization and the products and services delivered. This listening and observing is part of monitoring the customer experience at touchpoints at various times throughout their journey. This is also the place in the promise delivery system where we may gain tremendous insights. It is worth mentioning the difference between ideas and insights since I use those throughout this chapter and in Section 2. Ideas are more about a possible course of action whereas insights are a deeper understanding that may spawn a multitude of ideas. If we can get into the experience halo of our customers, then we can gain insights that will enable us to improve the customers’ experience. These insights can help us to improve the products and services the organization delivers, how the organization delivers them, and how the organization communicates value to customers. These are reminiscent of the 4 action levers we learned about in Chapter 7. We may also gain insights that spawn innovative new products and services, business models, or even provide a competitive advantage. Many of these insights may have previously been in the organization’s blind spot. It is also possible at this stage of the promise delivery system, that we realize we may have poor customer thinking. We may have misconceptions about customers and what is important to them or we may be attracting customers unlike those we set out to serve. Either way, getting the audience wrong can create tension that is only discovered at this stage where we connect the theoretical right hand side to the marketplace reality of the left hand side. With customer validation, our strategy and what we produce and deliver is on much more solid ground.

Recipe #30: Listen and Observe Study your customers and their customer ecosystem to better understand how you can best listen and observe in order to gain new insights. Be courageous and run experiments. If you are authentic, most of your customers will be pleased that you care to know what they think and how they feel. Warning: do it gently and at the right time. For example, a website visitor might be agitated if a “take our survey” message pops up before the audience has even had a chance to get oriented to what is on the home page.

Sensors in the Ground Establishing sensors in the ground can give your organization a competitive advantage and also provide you with innovation insights. Much like a seismometer can measure and record moving tectonic plates, “sensors in the ground” is a metaphor for measuring and recording movements in customer satisfaction or stronger yet, delight. It is also useful for measuring and recording the lack of delight that could result in defection and churn. Sensors in the ground can take many forms and exist in part, at touchpoints in the customer’s journey. Examples include surveys, and feedback forms, but those are not the ones that provide the greatest insights. Providing customers with phone numbers, email addresses, or social media channels so they can interact directly with staff has the potential for even greater insights and validation as compared to passively collected data. Staff empowered to resolve a problem or advance ideas goes a long way toward gaining insights or resolving issues that might be in the organization’s blind spot. Issues in the blind spot will never be asked in a survey. After all, they are blind spots. Moreover, frustrated customers and excited customers with telling tension around their great ideas want to be heard, understood, and respected. And, that requires a conversation between humans.

Example: Tony Riviera’s Gourmet Pizza In Tony Riviera’s chain of gourmet pizza restaurants, staff would call out to about ten percent of customers that received their order via delivery. The

reason for this Tony explained was that if the customer wasn’t happy he would still have the chance to remedy the situation or take good care of them on their next order. He noted that most customers don’t complain, they simply don’t return. It is unlikely that an online feedback form or a comment card in every pizza box would have yielded the same results. Having sensors in the ground, like Tony had with periodic call outs to recent customers, can not only save a customer, but can also be used to source competitive insights or ideas for improvement.

Example: SW Steakhouse I had the good fortune to dine at the SW Steakhouse at the Wynn Las Vegas shortly after it opened. Our table of four was all very impressed when the executive chef visited our table and asked one simple question, “Why did you choose my restaurant this evening?” We answered and went on to volunteer additional information and ideas. None of us knew for sure what Chef David did with that information, if anything, but the face to face personal interaction was more important to us than the information we provided.

Example: Snoqualmie Ice Cream Snoqualmie Ice Cream establishes sensors in the ground by interacting directly with customers at its café, during events, and by listening to social media, and responding to email. It was in social media that the premium ice cream producer took in the suggestion from customers to switch from soy lecithin and carrageenan to eggs as part of their ingredients. Samantha, the Chief Marketer shared the customer request with Chief Ice Cream Officer, Barry who went on to test and eventually perfect new recipes. Here, a simple suggestion from customers triggered a major product and packing change that once completed was communicated back to customers, a move that will likely earn continued customer fanaticism. Yes, Snoqualmie Ice Cream is that good. Sensors in the ground can provide your company with customer feedback that can improve products and services and even lead to next generation breakthrough innovations. Having effective sensors in the ground increases the likelihood that you will win the battle for your customers’ hearts and

minds. It can also help you reduce the cost to serve and prevent problems that might create negative brand baggage. If the staff isn’t empowered, or worse, the customer never gets a human response, then consider that particular sensor in the ground to not be working. If this were a seismometer you wouldn’t detect the earthquake, but since we are talking about customers, a broken sensor means you don’t know what is going on; your customers may be happy or very frustrated. Either way, without effective sensors in the ground you’re operating in the dark and that can be a problem in a competitive marketplace.

Sourcing Team Insights Ever seen the film Big with Tom Hanks? In it, Tom plays a young boy that wishes to be bigger. He asks Zoltar, a fortune teller machine, for an immediate future where he can be big. His wish comes true. Overnight, he becomes an adult then quickly goes on to become a childlike toy executive complete with keen insights gleaned from his childlike interior.

Figure 8.2 Zoltar the Fortune Telling Machine as Appearing in the Movie Big. This One Appears at the Santa Monica Pier in California. What’s Your Zoltar? Where are you going to gain insights and where do you draw inspiration from?

Example: Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference I was at a Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference where I met Tim Hurson, author of the book on more productive thinking, Think Better. Tim was speaking to an audience of around 250 people from around the world

and asked them, “Where do you get inspired?” Tim asked the audience to reflect on this and jot down the places or activities they were engaged in when they remember getting inspired. After a few minutes passed, Tim showed us our answers, on the big screen. He had predictably revealed most of our common answers as places and activities including: while driving, in the shower, while working out, running, walking, listening to music, in the garden, at museums, etc. He then asked people to name any places or activities not shown. My hand was one of the few that went up. I shared what I call planestorming: sitting in first class (if I’m lucky enough to be upgraded), listening to music, with blank paper, a pen, and possibilities. That seems to be where I get inspired. Perhaps it’s the perfectly pressurized cabin, the occasional glass of wine, wonderful service, or the fact that I’m isolated and away from interruptions, or maybe because I’m thinking about the place I’m headed to. I don’t really know why the 1st class cabin is the place I get inspired, but by now I’ve recognized my pattern. The thing that was interesting about Tim’s question was that not one person in the audience shared a place of inspiration that resembled the office. That is sad and something to think about for yourself and for those that work with you.

Recipe #31: Provide Inspiration Rewards Think about Tom Hank’s character in Big and also Tim Hurson’s conference question, “Where do you get inspired?” If you are the boss, ask your staff the same question. Consider changing the environment at work to be more inspiring. Rather than reward people with a day off, a bonus, a turkey, an attaboy or whatever you currently do, consider rewarding them with an indulgence in their activity or visit to that place that inspires them. Imagine how they would feel if you gave them the day off, a bonus, and let them get to their place or activity of inspiration. If you are not the boss, then seek to find your place of inspiration, and often, wherever that may be. I imagine a workplace complete with napping cots and Ostrich Pillows for personal regeneration as shown in Figure 8.3. [19]

Figure 8.3 Ostrich Pillow from Studio Banana Things, an Initiative of Studio Banana.

Sourcing Noncustomer Insights Establishing sensors in the ground is a great way to gain validation of your products and services and to gain new insights from customers. But, sensors in the ground are good for noncustomers, too. For example, if you were part of an innovation team in the soap category at a large consumer goods company or a small business that made hand soaps, you could source some insights by tuning into the ideas submitted at The Fun Theory. [20] If this were one of your sensors in the ground, you’d have realized by now one especially powerful idea that was submitted in an attempt to make hand washing by children more fun and prevalent. The person that submitted the idea explains that if children knew there was a toy embedded inside the soap it would encourage more hand washing. Simply wash your hands enough and you’ll reveal the free prize inside. That is an unlikely combination between a product intended for hygiene and a toy intended for entertainment, two objects in this case. But other unlikely combinations between objects, spaces, people, and services could also reveal unexpected surprises and opportunities. Try This! Look for unlikely combinations between objects, services, spaces, and people. For example, two objects like ice cream and vending machine or a space and an object like a car dealership and a ticketing kiosk you might find in an airport. Imagine a car dealer of the future where you reserve a test drive online, check in at the showroom kiosk to get your keys, and test drive your potential next car, maybe even purchase it without having to interact with a sales person. How about ice cream served to impatient and overly warm passengers waiting on the tarmac; how delicious would that be?

Apply Learning In this Apply Learning component of the promise delivery system we answer the questions, “How do we turn insights into actions? Does any of what we’ve learned change what we should be doing? Who else needs to know about this and what do we want them to do?” No matter the source of our insights, it’s only natural for us to want to share either our newly discovered customer validation or our great insights just as Samantha shared the carrageenan replacement suggestion with Barry at Snoqualmie Ice Cream. If you have a large organization or channel partners where much of the staff doesn’t directly interact with customers, then this sharing is vital. Remember the importance of making the customer come alive inside the organization. If new insights spawn an idea, you’ll need some ground rules and operating mechanisms in place for how to deal with new ideas, especially those that come at inconvenient times. We’ll learn more about that when we visit Chapter 12: The Three Psychological Zones. Remember in Chapter 4, one of the sure methods of improving experiences is to increase organizational readiness. Whether the people serving customers are inside the organization or in the extended enterprise, they need to understand what has been learned and how it shapes the path forward. Sometimes, readying others can be as simple as storytelling.

Example: McMenamins Breweries and Historic Hotels Storytelling is a powerful force at McMenamins Breweries and Historic Hotels. It is evident in the painted and photographed scenes sprinkled throughout the various properties, but it is also prevalent in the conversations that front line staff have with each other and with those in the back office. Insights gained spawn ideas and experiments that quickly turn into new products and services that customers value. In the McMenamin culture, ideas are welcome, no matter the source. Director of Marketing, Renee Rank Ignacio shared that a developer whom they’d previously worked with had become aware of a property that contained a 100 year old Methodist Church. The developer approached the McMenamin brothers

who subsequently saved the Church by building a historic brewpub on the property. The McMenamins Old Church & Pub opened literally in the same month as when the Wilsonville Methodist Society completed the Church 100 years earlier.

Example: The Sophia Way Helen Leuzzi, the Founder and Executive Director of the Sophia Way, extended her sources of insights beyond web destinations and other organizations. She went beyond staff, volunteers, her business coach, peers at her leadership school, and a board of directors, to create a Community Business Council made up of community leaders in local business and government. The extended eyes and ears of community leaders provide her with an improved satellite view of the surrounding community. In addition to supercharging her ability to gain insights from a multitude of sources, it also affords her the opportunity to inform, educate, and influence their perception of homelessness and to give a face and name to those experiencing it. Try this! Identify those people and organizations in the business landscape that you can periodically visit as a source of potential insight? Talk to people inside your organization, but also go beyond to include channel partners, advisers, customers, etc. Try This! Create an Insights Diary. Insights are those underlying currents behind or across ideas. They can be inspired by customers, conversations, a website, or whatever your brain makes an unlikely combination with. The source doesn’t matter; capturing and sharing the insight does matter. The insight diary can be an internal wiki or blog or intranet site. In a software company I founded, I literally used a large binder labeled Customer Storybook. The stories in that notebook helped us to prioritize what we should build in the next product release cycle. The specific technology implementation for the insight diary isn’t as important as the fact that the customer insights are visible, shared, and persistent. It really becomes a history book of what you’ve created, along with the back story on the why.

Navigating Trends and Changes It is challenging enough to keep the promise delivery system working smoothly, but remember customers are part of a larger ecosystem and the business landscape is comprised of competitors, vendors, suppliers, partners, service providers, etc, all of which never stands still. Changes in the business landscape and customer ecosystem need to be considered in the promise delivery system. The questions to ask are, “What has changed and what should we change as a result?”

Example: Rat City Roller Girls Former skater, owner, and Chief Marketer for the Rat City Roller Girls, Jessica Ivey was paying attention to changes in the business landscape and seized an opportunity. The Seattle Supersonics were on their way out of town creating a large void at KeyArena at Seattle Center. With an eye toward improving the fan experience and increasing the visibility of the league within hometown Seattle, Ivey crafted and presented a business case to move the team to KeyArena. The strategic move was well received by committees and member owners. Seattle’s premiere all-female, flat-track roller derby league made the move to KeyArena enabling them to broaden their fan base to reach more people in Seattle and the surrounding suburbs. Had Ivy not navigated the changes in the business landscape, the team would still be skating smaller venues around town, where it wasn’t too uncommon for fans to wait in line for “day of” tickets should they become available. With that and other production and training challenges out of the way, the Rat City Roller Girls organization can now focus on improving the experience for fans and players alike.

Fads and Trends Is there a fad that may affect the organization or is there an emerging trend that should not be ignored? If most of your customers are using social media, for example, and your organization isn’t, that can put you at a disadvantage. But, sometimes your organization needs to buck the trend to stand apart from the crowd. In near solidarity, most major airlines have

saddled customers with baggage and change fees. Southwest Airlines, on the other hand, is going the opposite direction. They are running a campaign to proudly let customers know, These Fees Don’t Fly With Us. When overall mood or climate impacts your customers or those in the business landscape, it is usually more visible to you. Because you are an individual consumer as well, it is harder to lose sight of what is going on, unlike a fad or trend that you may not be privy to. Having sensors in the ground already calibrates you to some fads or trends. Customers may make comments like, “You guys should….” or “Why haven’t you….” These statements are telling the organizing that it is behind the times or that it should join the pack or be more tuned in to what is coming.

Recipe #32: Become a Trend Detective To detect these fads and trends ahead of hearing them from your customers, look to where customers look, their ecosystem as shown in Figure 2.3. Aside from their go-to people, they are going to magazines, online sources, television shows, stores, etc. If you are attempting to create the trend or fad, then you’ll need to influence that same ecosystem. As we become aware of trends and fads that may be affecting our customers and our organization, we need to Apply Learning inside the organization. Some parts of the organization may make use of new information immediately whereas other parts may need the information in order to shift and shape the strategy as we cycle through the promise delivery system arriving once again at Develop Strategy. Some practical easy to spot trends include advances in communications and technology including mobile phone adoption, mobile application proliferation, the move toward digital everything, interconnectedness through social media and email. If you are Kodak or Fuji, hopefully you noticed the trend toward digital storage and away from film. There is a trend toward fractional ownership of cars, local food sources, tracking of nearly everything, and an overall flight to values.

Example: Flight to Values One young professional I spoke with while writing this book shared with me what may be a disturbing trend. She said that she and others of her generation that she works with have had a real eye opener during the great recession. They’ve mostly been able to keep their jobs over their more senior and experienced colleagues due to the fact that they are less expensive talent. She admitted that she is often in a bit over her head, but it’s been a great learning curve and she has been able to advance rapidly. On the other hand, she recognizes those employers aren’t loyal, so she and her colleagues aren’t either. She used the term free agents and proudly said she and others jump to the next opportunity as quickly as the company decides to lay people off in order to bolster short term financials. When asked about more strategic, longer term issues, she thought those were great concepts but not as relevant to her. In decades past, somebody may have responded with a statement like, “That is above my pay grade.” In this case, the unspoken statement sounded more like, “That is above my level of engagement as a short term employee.” This is disturbing news for innovation and long term health of organizations.

Sinister Trends Other more sinister trends include the feeling of isolation, increasing polarization, wealth imbalance, chronically unemployed or underemployed, aging population, political intolerance, escalating violence, heightened security, persistent economic challenges , climate change, etc. If you pivot on particular countries or regions add to that civil war, economic collapse, push toward transparency, etc.

“The world moves, and ideas that were good once are not always good.” Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States (1890-1969)

The Curse of the Lumpy Snowball As organizations scale they can become too big, bloated and out of touch with customers and trends. The absorptive capacity of the organization doesn't allow for the strategy to shift and shape according to changes in the customer ecosystem and business landscape. This can happen as they take on too much, spreading themselves thin, or by adding too many layers of people between the street and satellite views. Things start to unravel and with continuing cycles around the promise delivery system, they are further and further from delighting customers, let alone satisfying them. It is as though they roll a stick or rock into the snowball and it keeps getting lumpier as they continue to roll .

Quick Trip Think of the promise delivery system as being equally applicable to big promises and large planning cycles as it is to smaller departmental promises and shorter time frames. If you are a large organization, remember while you may be studying the problem and discussing your alternatives, a more nimble competitor that can take a quick trip through the promise delivery system might render your actions too little, too late. As I write this many traditional universities are being out maneuvered by less traditional upstarts and more nimble competitors that see the promise of online education.

Importance of Promise Delivery System The promise delivery system enables the organization to have a consistent model for making and keeping promises to audiences. It provides a visible means to connect strategy with the more practical considerations of customers and employees. It also provides leaders and managers a view into creating meaningful metrics and operating mechanisms to stay on track. Connecting the theoretical right hand side of the model with the marketplace reality on the left hand side helps to keep the organization grounded in marketplace reality and have better conversations if and when the organization needs to shift its course. When is probably the more appropriate word for most organizations as few things remain the same in the customer ecosystem and business landscape over the long run. If you don’t adjust your strategy based on changing conditions, your organization’s promises might fall short of audience expectations. The list of companies with broken promise delivery systems that have lost their relevance and have gone away is large.

Summary I strongly urge you to use the promise delivery system in your organization to change the conversation for the better. This simple mental model shows how organizations make and keep promises to those they serve. There are a couple of key takeaways to remember from this. As you are serving multiple audiences your promises need to be congruent - they can't create tension. For example, if you promise shareholders increased earnings and higher profits but shed employees and cause customers to defect then your promise delivery systems are in contention. Keeping promises in check and congruent is a better way. Also, make sure you connect your strategy and what it produces to validation and getting feedback from those you serve. It doesn’t matter that you say what you do is good enough. Have your customer say it and then apply that learning back into your organization and channel partners, etc. to shape and shift your strategy. If you keep doing this, then you’ll be able to keep doing this.

If you don't, well, history is full of organizations that could not maintain their promise delivery system. I hope by now you are feeling full of insights and a little bit powerful, no matter what your role is in the organization. Remember the first 8 Chapters of the book were about making the invisible, visible. Now you’re going to learn how to make a bigger impact in any organization that you work with. As a result, you might just make a bigger imprint on the world.

Section 2: Making a Bigger Imprint “We’re here to put a dent in the universe.” Steven Paul Jobs Entrepreneur, Marketer, Inventor, Co-founder Apple Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios (1955 – 2011) Hopefully, by this point in the book the veil has been lifted. You now know what an experience is. Perhaps you’ve even challenged others to define it. You’ve learned some practical tools to improve experiences and customer journeys. No doubt you’ve imagined some better possibilities and are beginning to see where those fit into the organization’s promise delivery system. I want you to feel confident and empowered to actually play a part in designing better experiences, no matter what your official title or role is. This was the intent of the first section of the book. Going forward I wish for you to be able to deliver on the promise of better experiences so that your audience takes notice. So, the second part of the book is about innovation and contributing toward making a healthier organization. Once you know how to design more remarkable experiences, it is equally important to make those possibilities come to life. Imagine if Disneyland was an unrealized dream. If you’ve ever tried to implement a change or start something new, then you know firsthand what it feels like to swim upstream in your own organization and in the marketplace. Most ideas cannot be implemented alone. You’ll need the resources, cooperation, and sometimes simply the brainshare of others to make your

ideas come to life. Or, perhaps you’re the one that will help others to bring their ideas to life. It turns out much of what we desire in a good neighborhood is also good for a healthy innovation culture, as we’ll learn in Chapter 9.

Chapter 9: The Neighborhood “A good community will not be invented, discovered or “just grow.” It must be forged from the purpose and quality of the lives of the people living in it.” Arthur Ernest Morgan Community Organizer, Educator, Civil Engineer, U.S. Administrator (1878 - 1975)

********** The mental models in Section 1 are not difficult to imagine, once they are introduced. Putting each model into the context of our own lives we can quickly imagine better outcomes for ourselves as individuals across our wheel of life as well as for the customers our organizations serve. It is as though the models have been hidden in plain sight and the potential improvements have been trapped. There is another model that is plainly viewable that we can draw inspiration from. Understanding how to navigate it can help us to build healthier innovation cultures within our organizations and communities. Whether you inhabit a populous urban center like Tokyo or a desolate rural town like Lost Springs, Wyoming you understand what a neighborhood is. But, do you understand the power of a neighborhood as a model for our organizations to aspire to?

A Better Neighborhood We have all experienced it, felt it, and seen it firsthand. And when we don’t have great neighborhoods we certainly feel that too. Perhaps we pass through quickly, stay cooped up for safety sake or just retreat to more sanguine surroundings, be it couch, TV, book, or bed. Great neighborhoods have common areas frequented by people with spirited purpose. Pool, library, garden, coffee shop, grocery store, or front yard – it really doesn’t matter. These purpose felt people feel opportunity and venture into the world to make things happen. They have the confidence they can learn from or share with those around them. Eye contact isn’t out of place in a great neighborhood but fear is. Safety and security are nigh thought of; there simply isn’t the need. A great neighborhood doesn’t operate at a base level. It has evolved to the higher order of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Those in trouble are spotted by caring neighbors who assemble to lend a hand. Great neighborhoods are not locked in time. They don’t rest on their laurels. Though things mature, there is rebirth and trimming; the hedges and gardens don’t feel overgrown and unwelcome. People know which direction to go; there are signs and sidewalks to show the path. In a great neighborhood, the recipe for peaceful coexistence is understood. There is harmony among a diverse range of ethnicities, age, incomes, and health. People are at all different stages of development and ability. The community recognizes this and even put in sidewalks that are accessible to those bound to scooters, walkers and wheelchairs. People help people, nobody goes hungry for long and there is at least one person a bit “out there” to challenge the status quo. Broken windows and graffiti are absent. Neighbors in great neighborhoods keep up appearances but not artificially. It feels authentic.

Great neighborhoods have high levels of trust and pull through challenging situations from weathering the storm to planning the annual block party. People in great neighborhoods naturally harness the wisdom of crowds and embrace diverse creative thinking. There is a focus on delighting others, especially by those children less hardened by the world. Though you never expect it, you welcome seasonal changes by the handmade holiday card, the special basket of May flowers, or “boo” package that you receive from clandestine snickerers. People are not afraid to frequent their front yards for that is where new contacts are made and friendships refreshed. There is a healthy balance of privacy and transparency without upsetting surprises. People in great neighborhoods don’t care about hierarchy. Everything is contextual. Everybody leads and everybody follows. The kid selling lemonade is the leader for the day, bringing delight to others. The business landscape is tolerant, even uplifting. Neighborhoods are necessarily dependent upon good neighbors. What follows are recipes for being a better neighbor.

Recipes for Being a Better Neighbor Recipe #33: Meet the Neighbors Get out of your chair; make contact, real contact with others in your community. Have a conversation. Be a human, not merely an e-mailer or a meeting remnant.

Recipe #34: Identify and Repair Cracks When you see a cracked sidewalk or broken window, repair it. Enlist the help of others you meet while moving beyond your chair. Share the journey with others. Don’t worry that your department may not be the “sidewalk repair department.”

Recipe #35: Embrace Other People’s Art Visit the lemonade stand down the street, embrace a wild idea, share some wisdom, and seek the same. Read the organization’s newsletter and then comment to those that contributed. Remember, we are all running the busy program in our minds, but when you slow down a bit to buy a painting from an artist or lemonade from a budding entrepreneur you’ve changed the world just a bit – and that is a good bit.

Recipe #36: Follow the Kids Take off your boss hat and let others lead. Don’t be afraid of the unknown and unproven and above all don’t fear failure. It will be fine. Develop and cultivate talent, provide opportunity, let the kids mow the lawn. Let people lead projects they would otherwise not think to lead. Create involvement and build community.

Recipe #37: Share Your Porch When you open yourself up to receive others you enrich your world while at the same time giving others a voice and reason to care. Whether it is the new kid on the block that’s out walking the dog or the elderly woman that doesn’t move too quickly anymore, they all have much to share. Find a common area at work, at a coffee shop or a co-working space, and then invite a stranger into a conversation. Listen more than you talk, be authentic.

Figure 9.1 Sharing Your Porch May Result in Unexpected and Inspiring Guests

Recipe #38: Go For a Walk Get out into the street, into the community; the answers are not necessarily within your building or home. Don’t limit yourself to connecting only online. Visit a new corner of the office, say hello. If you walk the halls but eschew online, then contribute to an online discussion. If you live online, get out for a physical walk, down the hall, down the street. Go on a walking tour in your city and meet a stranger. Go to a neighborhood association

meeting, a block party, a family reunion, ride the bus. Have more conversations outside of your comfort zone with more people and you will manufacture more luck, for you and for others.

Recipe #39: Provide Access Give others a seat at the table. You’ll be amazed at the stories and insights others have to share, if only given the chance. Gift a connection to a stranger that might help them like throwing a life ring to the hapless soul floundering in rough water.

“Grown men can learn from very little children, for the hearts of the little children are pure, and therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.” Black Elk Medicine Man, Warrior, and Priest Sioux Indians (1863 – 1950) You can learn something from the uncommon but familiar study of a great neighborhood. Our increasingly diverse, interdependent, global, and dynamic environment demands that our organizations operate more like a great neighborhood, an Innovation Neighborhood. Ignore the neighborhood and you’re leaving much to chance, a prescription for broken window syndrome and ultimately broken innovation and halted human progress. Making a bigger imprint on the world begins in neighborhood and that requires good neighbors.

Example: Vivian Waters and ViolinSync Sharing your porch sometime means extending beyond the physical realm. Vivian Waters, is an accomplished violinist that has played with orchestras and also performed as a soloist in 26 countries and has held a number of posts and faculty positions. While she was a faculty member of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, she observed that student enrollment was declining. This troubled Vivian both from the standpoint that she loved to teach and was doing less of it, but also because she feared musicians would go undiscovered and undeveloped. Not having an instructor and feedback is especially a problem in learning the violin or the viola. Students cannot see what they are doing. Literally, you cannot watch yourself play the violin in the mirror; the instrument and

your head are turned, in order to effectively play. It is hard to give yourself feedback based on something that is invisible. With the help of technology and a shift in vision Vivian now shares her expertise and talent with students around the world by providing face-toface violin lessons via webcam and video conferencing over the internet. She does this from the confines of her home studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Students learn completely online and no longer have to fight traffic, be in the same city, or even the same time zone or country as their teacher. Vivian’s Waters embodies many of the recipes for being a better neighbor. She saw the proverbial crack in the sidewalk and didn't let it fester. She went for a walk, met some neighbors, shared her porch, fixed what was broken, and now she is making a bigger imprint on the world, one student and one musical note at a time. When a good neighbor gets involved and is given a voice to make a change, good things can happen across the entire community.

Example: Joe Fugere and Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria When Joe Fugere first opened Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, the thing that kept him up at night was whether he would be able to pay the rent, keep the doors open, and feed his family. His concern quickly grew to include those working alongside him. He treats employees as family and together they view Tutta Bella restaurants as the neighborhood living room. With multiple successful restaurants established Joe was looking to stretch himself professionally. He joined the Washington Restaurant Association with the hope that he’d meet other members in the community and get involved. In what he’d get involved, he wasn’t quite sure, yet. That mystery ended at his first member meeting, when the committee chair from the Government Affairs Council asked if there was any member present that had gone through the process to add outdoor seating to their

establishment. Joe somewhat reluctantly leaned forward and raised his hand. It turns out that Joe had recently completed the lengthy and burdensome process of adding outdoor seating that had started with his application, several months prior. A representative from the Government Affairs Council at the Washington Restaurant Association arranged for Joe to meet with city council members and eventually the mayor. All concerned wanted to make Seattle more conducive to bicycles and pedestrians, so this fit that agenda well. Having a voice at the table like Joe was important. After testifying at a city council meeting and hearing others publicly comment on proposed changes, Joe was invited to preview the legislation before it eventually became law. Joe Fugere’s story shows that one person can indeed make a big difference. Here he was, a restaurant entrepreneur that leaned forward a little at a meeting that he stretched himself to attend. He became involved in something larger than himself and important to his community. Now, when an establishment wants to add outdoor seating, within a few weeks of applying and spending a couple hundred dollars, they are able to change the conversation on the sidewalk, literally. Joe’s participation as an active, thoughtful neighbor goes beyond making an impact to legislation and the process around the sidewalk café journey. The results of his involvement continue to make an imprint on the city of Seattle. Each of us has a story like Vivian’s or Joe’s that hasn’t fully blossomed yet and remains untold. What stops the rest of us from leaning forward or making things happen, inside our organization and in the community? That is the subject of Chapter 11: The Wall and Barriers to Innovation. But, first let’s see what we can learn from bees and raccoons, two diverse animals that also share the neighborhood.

Chapter 10: Bees and Raccoons “That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.” Marcus Aurelius Roman Emperor, Stoic Philosopher Author “The Meditations” (121 – 180)

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Pursuing the Shiny It is well known that raccoons are curious creatures; they love to handle food and objects with their tiny sensitive hands. In fact, many raccoon traps are baited with shiny objects such as coins, or foil. It turns out that raccoons will relentlessly hang on to a shiny object and become trapped. In business sometimes our pursuit of innovation is much the same. We become fascinated, even fixated on our shiny object du jour sometimes not letting it go when we should. Organizations that don’t manage their innovation portfolios can get caught up in pursuing fascinating dead ends while the even shinier objects of yesterday go un-resourced and languish in the realm of the ordinary. It is critically important that organizations put in place vetting processes that pass thru shiny objects worth pursing while putting on ice or killing those that don’t measure up. Not every pursuit has to be a sure thing, hence the portfolio management approach. That said too many organizations get caught up in pursuing too much with too little. This is especially prevalent in the tech sector where there is no shortage of ideas. Unfortunately, there is sometimes no shortage of paths pursued as well and resources are spread thin to the point of personnel exhaustion and marketing place infectiveness. If more raccoons were caught with their hands on the shiny object, starving to death, and increasingly desperate then this terribly unproductive practice would cease. However, corporate leadership, boards, and the culture in high tech companies tends to favor the shiny paths because those are the ones that everybody sees as the big payoffs. We are able to perfectly recall the successes of the organizations we admire, even thinking that we are emulating them. However, we all suffer from amnesia when it comes to the countless organizations and initiatives that fail to measure up or fail altogether.

Figure 10.1 Dutiful Bee Collecting Nectar

A Better Role Model It turns out that there are better role models than raccoons, namely, bees. Bees are equally fascinated, but not with shiny objects. Their fascination is with nectar, water, and great digs. Each morning worker bees wake up (I wonder if bees have an equivalent of snoring and dreaming?) and venture off in a direction in search of nectar, water, and potentially better nesting grounds. This pursuit by scout bees is necessary to sustain life for the entire colony. When a venturing scout bee encounters a stash of nectar, water, or a great nesting site, it returns to the hive and performs a waggle dance. The energy exuded in the waggle dance signals to the surrounding bees the value of the treasure found. It turns out that bees may be smarter than some corporate leaders. All bees in the colony do not follow one waggle dancing bee. Bees place many bets, in essence, as a colony they manage a portfolio that pays off with relative values of water and nectar. Any scout bee returning to the nest can perform the waggle dance with excitement equal to the value of the treasure they found. This is a fully inclusive process; no scouts returning to the nest are discriminated against because they don’t carry a certain title, possess a certain number of years experience or have a direct relationship with the queen. We can learn much from bees and raccoons. While raccoons are agile and can even climb headfirst down trees, bees are able to hover, fly, and change direction immediately when the situation calls. Raccoons amid all their curiosity are creatures that serve their own selfish purpose. Bees are no such creatures. Bees appear to work alone but are always working in a larger distributed team for a common purpose to keep the hive alive and thriving. Whether you lead an organization or simply work with or for one, be a little more like a bee and less like a raccoon and your hive may soon thrive, too.

Recipe #40: Dance Like a Bee Have a discussion with your team to brainstorm how you can work together more like bees and less like raccoons. Discuss how your organization

handles shiny objects and how you can establish the equivalent of an innovation waggle dance.

Example: Large Mobile Operator Interviews with personnel at different levels of this large mobile operator revealed practices that were conducive to killing the innovation culture or innovate-a-cide. Not proud of the practices or stories shared, those interviewed asked to remain anonymous, by individual and company name. It doesn’t matter that this was a large mobile operator; the offending practices could be present in organizations of most any type or size and in any industry. The offending practice concerns different treatment of ideas solely on the merit of where ideas come from. It turns out that in their innovation culture, who it is that shares an idea, is key. If a senior executive has so much as a hunch, the organization will rally resources around it, sometimes to the tune of millions of dollars and at great opportunity cost. But, across the campus, a developer, marketer, or an accountant with a fresh idea must go through the proper procedure and channels. This translates to a director needing to endorse the idea and then invest their time in sponsoring it, building a left brain spreadsheet ruled business case, and then gathering even more support in a VP targeted road show. Even if the process were to start, by the time it completed, the organization may have needed to already be pursuing the next idea. This organization is continually behind the curve and people interviewed at all levels, are frustrated, aphetic, and resigned. Imagine the lore that fills the halls, about those ideas passed by, but successfully adopted by competitors. Or, the ideas pursued relentlessly to fantastic dead ends and at great cost. Think about what that waggle dance looks like in this organization. It is as though the VP has more reflective disco tights than thousands of others, so the corporate disco ball shines brilliantly on them. Meanwhile, others are draped in fabrics of muted, absorptive colors, for fear they might shine too

brightly when attempting to show off their dance moves. Imagine if an innovative idea came from a store, dealer, supplier, or … gulp, customer. Those ideas are dead on arrival and that suggestion box is closed. Where an idea comes from shouldn’t matter. Imagine pulling the fire alarm in one of the buildings on the corporate campus. Of course the fire department would respond, no matter the title or level of the person that pulled the alarm. Sometimes, sharing an idea and the opportunity it represents is akin to pulling the fire alarm. When we don’t heed the warnings of those warning us, soon the whole place could be ablaze. When that happens, all of the organizations’ stakeholders may lose. Contrast that situation, to McMenamins, where ideas are shared and stakeholders win.

Example: McMenamins Breweries and Historic Hotels In the McMenamins culture, ideas are welcome, no matter the source. Director of Marketing, Renee Rank Ignacio shared that a developer whom they’d previously worked with had become aware of a property that contained a 100 year old Methodist Church. The developer approached the McMenamin brothers who subsequently saved the Church by building a historic brewpub on the property. The McMenamins Old Church & Pub opened literally in the same month as when the Wilsonville Methodist Society completed the church 100 years earlier.

Recipe #41: Consider Ideas From Any Source In your next staff meeting (at all levels) discuss your formal and informal practices that are akin to innovation culture killers. Make a collective vow to confront reality and embrace and vet ideas no matter what their source. Relate this to the “apply learning” corner of the promise delivery system.

Focus Focus or Hocus Pocus An illusion leaders often face is that people will heroically do the impossible while under continued pressure. The schedule never relaxes and more is piled on until finally bodies give out and minds fatigue. Bees are industrious, attentive animals but you won’t see a bee pulling an all-nighter. They work and then they rest. I’m not sure if they recreate like cats and crows, but it’s interesting to ponder what that might look like. The point is that nature always eventually wins. If you doubt that revisit the section on the wheel of life. A balanced life doesn’t solely benefit the individuals concerned with maintaining a work life balance; it helps the organization, too. A healthy balance in the organization provides capacity to consider and pursue strategic alternatives, form and then nurture effective partnerships, recruit and cultivate talent, research new capabilities, develop and then support products and services, provide customers with remarkable experiences, and be thoughtful in making and keeping promises to the various stakeholders. Similar to an individual, if your organization pursues too much with too little, performance suffers. The signs become apparent if you look for them. Execution gaps appear, conversations are not held, scheduled dates slip, personnel leave in search of better neighborhoods, customers defect, etc. If you’ve ever returned from a tradeshow, event, customer visit or vacation to find everybody too busy to hear what you’ve learned, then your firm probably lacks absorptive capacity. Simply put, the mental gas tank is full and cannot take in or effectively make use of additional information, no matter its significance. This is sad and all too common.

Slow Down in Order to Speed Up Sometimes you need to slow down in order to speed up. Bees returning to the colony to perform their waggle dance are not ignored, cast aside because of an imminent release, upcoming event, or looming earnings call. People in your organization shouldn’t be ignored either, but they are routinely set aside, held up, marginalized, or encouraged to remain silent. This isn’t likely to be formalized, but recognize that it occurs.

No matter if your organization has 10, 100, 1000, 10,000, or 100,000 people, imagine the potential for all of those people to perform better together, always leaving a little time for an informative and effective bee disco.

Recipe #42: Practice Self Reflection Reflect on your own style. Ask yourself if you are more like the conjurer that chants, “hocus pocus” before you pile more on the organization, or if you’re mindful of results and can be heard chanting, though sometimes silently, “focus, focus.” So, why do we struggle so much when all of this seems to be making sense? For that, let’s turn to Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall.

Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall "And it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them. Thus it happens that whenever those who are hostile have the opportunity to attack they do it like partisans, whilst the others defend lukewarmly...." Niccolò Machiavelli Italian Diplomat, Political Philosopher, Musician, Poet, and Playwright (1469-1527)

********** The Destination We all have some destination in mind or future state that we’d like to reach, personally and professionally. One of my own is to complete and share this book. Your organization has destinations in mind, too, across a range of categories. No doubt various people and departments are chugging along trying to reach those future states in categories including but not limited to: finance, customers, brand, operations, organization, talent, technology,

community, products, services, competition, partners, recognition, culture, intellectual property, communications, thought leadership, etc. It’s important that you don’t lose site of the destination that you’re trying to reach. Creating goals, objectives, and required actions is something that many organizations do a fair job at. What they are less effective at doing, is identifying the factors that prevent the organization from reaching those intended destinations. When those factors are in the blind spot they are also absent from conversations. Over time they cumulative and erode the organization’s culture and performance. The wall depicted in Figure 11.1 is comprised of many blocks. Each one of these blocks represents something that opposes progress toward the destination. Imagine each rock labeled with an issue, or practice, or prevailing attitude that retards your organizations progress. Unchecked, the wall grows ever taller and impenetrable.

Figure 11.1 The Wall is What Separates Us From Our Intended Destination You know when your organization hits the wall. Growth slows, innovating at the increasing speed of change becomes more difficult, margins decline, teams sputter, you look for fresh ideas, but have trouble integrating the new alongside the old. Your communications and brand take a back seat as you try to forge ahead. Your promise delivery system starts to experience the curse of the lumpy snowball as discussed in Chapter 8. Good people think about leaving and some actually do. It is as though the neighborhood is in decline and raccoons are running rampant.

Recipe #43: Discuss Your Destination and What Blocks You Have a positive discussion with your team to envision the future state you’d like your organization to reach across the range of destination categories relevant to your organization. Discuss what will be different in the organization when you reach the destination. Ask people to share how they think they will feel once they arrive at the destination. Then move the discussion to share what is getting in the way. Discuss the relative sizes of the obstacles. Draw a wall like that in Figure 11.1 then label the blocks according to what you hear. Bigger blockers of progress deserve bigger sized blocks. When you’re done you’ll have a visual representation of what people think is preventing the team from reaching its intended destination.

Pattern Thinking Our primitive brains establish patterns that for the most part keep us safe and out of trouble. This has kept our ancestors out of the jaws of wild beasts. This is also what happens when you apply your vehicle brakes when it looks like the speeding car is going to plow through the intersection and smash into you. You see the pattern and act accordingly. Our brain creates and recognizes patterns, those that give us the feeling that we’ve been there before, even if we’ve only imagined it, seen it on television, or heard it from another. But these patterns can limit our openness to new possibilities. We similarly recognize patterns in the conference or board room. Corporate cultures and environments erect invisible barriers and act as anchors in the sand when it comes to advancing new ideas. If a new idea doesn’t fit an existing pattern – then it is dismissed, filtered out, or subjected to the corners of the parking lot where it will be ignored and forgotten. It turns out that workers are conditioned to recognize this pattern and tend toward advancing safe, in bounds, ideas that are more likely to be embraced. More radical thinkers leave for more innovative pastures and the organization becomes stuck in mediocrity, churning out unremarkable “innovative” products and services. The environment becomes safe for those that play the game, but that game isn’t game changing as people don’t ask the tough questions, or have conversations that break through boundaries and explore new territories.

Biases Though patterns are codified into the DNA of an organization they also reside in individuals. Schooling, past experiences, beliefs, and values all shape the biases we bring to work each day. Biases held by individuals and entire departments become woven into the innovation fabric of the enterprise. One classic and common bias is financial. “What is the business case?” “What is the expected ROI?” “Is this a big enough business to matter?” These biases for immediate results or large returns squash budding ideas that really could be the next big thing, if nurtured. Smart people everywhere are upholding these biases and unable to move forward. They are stuck in their own thinking;much like a trained elephant is tethered to the ground with only a small chain and spike that it could easily break free from .

Figure 11.2 Biases Limit What We See as Well as the Stories We are Able to Recall or Tell

Internal Innovation Hurdle Your finance department or CFO may be crushing innovation. One of the reasons for this is clear. The financial tools behind internal rate of return, hurdle rate, and risk premium don’t enable the right discussions and analysis. Those might be ok tools to evaluate projects and programs that look similar to the past, but we’re talking about innovation. It hasn’t happened yet, remember. The cry for ever more proof and larger business opportunities is prevalent in large publicly traded companies. This practice creates an Internal Innovation Hurdle (IIH) that is simply too great to overcome.

This creates the tendency to pass by smaller, unproven opportunities and to also overestimate and become more confident in the next big thing. Rather than larger companies developing these opportunities while they are small, they let small companies compete and develop. As winners emerge they then buy them, attempt to follow them, or continue to observe from afar, maybe even get passed by. Over time, the companies that behave in this way end up with droves of algorithm optimizing personnel while the innovators that explore new mysteries and strive to gain new understanding are noticeable absent among the ranks. Roger’s Martin’s book, The Design of Business introduces and explores that concept with the knowledge funnel. It is a fantastic compliment to this book and I highly recommend it.

Recipe #44: Resize Your Hurdle Discuss with your team the IIH. How big does an opportunity have to be in order to be considered or pursued in earnest? How proven must the opportunity’s size and the knowledge surrounding it have to be? What is the tolerance for unknowns and things unknowable? The path to success is rarely straight. While a long journey begins with a single step, there are often side trips, stumbles, and retrenchments. You needn't make one big leap to get to the end. While the destination might be very interesting, the real reward is in the journey and exploring and exploiting new capabilities and opportunities. This will be lost on a company with too high of an IIH.

Recipe #45: Happify Your Hurdle Recall the happiness metric from Chapter 6 where we strive to make stakeholders happy. Discuss with your team what your IIH should look like in the spirit of that discussion.

Alligators Among Us Some of those who appear to be the smartest and most vocal people in organizations are often the most dangerous, in spite of the recognition and rewards bestowed upon them. These gator brained, knee jerk reactors

immediately quell the thing that threatens them, or worse they simply fail to give it notice. You might recognize them as being the vocal devil’s advocate in meetings, telling colleagues why they are wrong or why things will not work. They are also the “could be” champions of a new initiative as they carry political weight in their organizations for their astute assessment of past situations. Gator brains are the people that squelch the voices of others inside or outside of the organization. Innovation does not follow established patterns. Reframe to break the established patterns that trap your thinking and ability to be creative. You have to enable people to break free of their biases and give them capacity to take risks and be creative beyond their reactive gator brain thinking. When you finally do all of this your innovation culture will sing and the stakeholders they serve will listen with joy.

Build a Brain Like Velcro If you want a more innovative, creative, problem solving brain then you’ll need to build more brain hooks, or is it loops? It doesn’t really matter; the point is to build more connections to other seemingly unrelated things. Build the habit of doing this and voila, your amazing brain begins to forge new connections and you begin “seeing” things seemingly out of nowhere. Things you’ve been exposed to become more brain sticky, giving you the ability to not only recall them, but also to connect them to other things. You did this regularly when you were a child; you acted like a walking talking sponge, soaking up information, asking questions, and making funny connections as you began to journey forward in your wheel of life. It has worked for you; you are now smarter and more capable than your 7 year old self. It is time to get restarted.

Recipe #46: Create Capacity Make the time and space to build more brain hooks. Invest a little time perusing magazines, periodicals, newspapers, and books. You’re reading this one so you’re already on your way! Find a new column in the Wall Street Journal, read blogs, watch a documentary, and then learn even more on Wikipedia. Be a sleuth by searching the web on interesting subjects and then pursuing those rich information veins. Then stop. Do this again another

day. Imagine the effectiveness of your super hero Velcro like brain if you did this for 15 minutes each day. Don’t program yourself to know before you start. Build a new habit of being curious. This is a wonderful childlike trait. Make time to share what you find with others and encourage them, similarly.

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." Sir Francis Bacon English Philosopher, Statesman, Scientist, Jurist, Essayist (1561 – 1626) Too Much Internal Focus When there is a lack of understanding of what is going on in the customer ecosystem or business landscape an organization with the propensity for analytical thinking and deliberation will likely halt forward progress. You might say or hear others say, “We don’t have enough information to proceed. It is too risky, we need more certainty.” This practice directly relates to the burden of proof associated with too high of an IIH. Returning to some of the “customer come alive” practices of Chapter 2 can help to increase understanding and turn on empathy for those disconnected people inside the organization. Run small experiments to test ideas for value with customers. Produce an infographic or use other visual communications to help others see what you see. Visual models in this book, like a journey map, can aid in that. Imagine quickly developing on a whiteboard a persona and the surrounding ecosystem complete with influencers and communication modes. Only alligators would be unresponsive to that discussion.

Recipe #47: Look Outside Assign people to look outside or find an outsider to share what is going on, much like a forecaster, but for things other than the weather. Attend events, network online and build connections with phone calls and casual meetings. If you are too busy for this, your redesign begins with your own life and

schedule. Establish formal or informal networks of people that can share outside-in information. These can be insightful or informed individuals, customers, partners, or advisory councils. Imagine the possibilities of people inside your organization with all that reality and outside perspective.

Follow the Water Water takes the path of least resistance. It doesn’t jump over hurdles or erect barriers in its own path. It also doesn’t listen to anybody, pay heed to the organizational chart, or concern itself with feelings. It does however make it to its destination if there is a path to be found. You need someone to play this role in your organization. This courageous person might be inside your company or it may be a vendor or consultant free from your internal political and operational realities.

Recipe #48: Build an Innovation Neighborhood If you are a large organization, consider spawning an entrepreneurship center inside your organization. One of the purposes of the people in this group is to “follow the water” and help others do the same as needed. One role this person or group could play, especially in a large organization,is to be an innovation ombudsman. If the large mobile operator mentioned earlier had such a center and ombudsman, their innovation neighborhood would be thriving. Imagine the possibilities with more innovation pass through of ideas to the marketplace; more meaningful innovations, more competitive, happier customers, lower churn, decreased cost of marketing. See, it’s good to invest in the neighborhood.

Be a Great First Responder The customer ecosystem and business landscape make up the external environment. Some day there will be changes in either or both of those that in turn create an opportunity for your organization as well as for others. The question is, will you be ready? And, how long will it take for your organization to catch on and catch up? How responsive is your promise delivery system as you start to sense trends forming or gain new insights? The large mobile operator from Chapter 10

has a very slow response; ideas in the business have to be vetted through a lengthy, cumbersome, and political process that renders many efforts irrelevant before they complete, no matter how promising the opportunity may be. Having capacity to respond like a first responder can help your team to mobilize around the next mobile development, social media craze, or pop culture fad. Your ability to respond with changes in your products or services or in your communications and campaigns signals to the marketplace your innovativeness and continued relevance in a world that continues to change.

Example: Pizza for President Obama When Joe Fugere received the call that President Obama would like to try Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria he was beyond excited. That moment had been a couple years in the making. The opportunity started forming when Joe leaned forward a bit and got involved. His involvement in the sidewalk café journey eventually led him to be invited to participate in a small business discussion with U.S. Senator Patti Murray. She and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell were shaping what would become parts of the Small Business Jobs Act designed to increase lending available through community banks to small business owners like Joe. Traditional banks it turns out were bailed out, but also checked out when it came to lending to small businesses. Joe couldn’t get a loan from any bank, not even his own, despite having a strong track record and at the time, 3 successful restaurants and a strong balance sheet. A follow on small business roundtable discussion in downtown Seattle brought Joe face to face with President Obama. At the time pizza wasn’t on the menu but President Obama was intrigued. Joe was later invited to the White House to have front row presence as President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act into law. President Obama even made a remark about not yet having tried Tutta Bella pizza. Joe never forgot that moment and continued to press for the opportunity to serve the president pizza. That day finally arrived when Joe received a call from the White House.

The president was going to be in town and was ready for that pizza. Part of the way through the discussion Joe realized they were expecting delivery. That is a challenge for Neapolitan style pizza that doesn’t travel very well do to its thinness. Plus, it’s best served hot off the wood fired authentic Italian grill. Making the challenge even greater, Joe was informed that the president would be at a different airport than expected, north of the city, more than 1.5 hours away in rush hour traffic. Not wanting to say NO, of course, Joe said, “Yes.” After all, he had a great team and 48 hours. With the clock ticking, Joe assembled his team and began sharing the big picture. The team worked on the menu and logistics given the opportunity and the challenge. They expanded the support network to include vehicles for delivery, courtesy of Mini Cooper, and also arranged to have their wood fired oven manufacturer deliver a 3 ton oven to the tarmac at Paine Field Airport where the Director of the Airport complied with the unusual request. Eventually, the entire plan came together and 65 people aboard Air Force One were delighted with Tutta Bella Neapolitan pizza, salad, and tiramisu for dessert. When this opportunity arose, there was no deliberation. The opportunity wasn’t stuck in committee. Joe seized the opportunity, organized the team, and together they built a plan and executed it deliciously.

Figure 11.3 Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria Delivering Pizza to Air Force One You might have an annual planning cycle where you determine your big bets for the year, plan your goals and objectives, the destination you wish to reach. But what if your best idea comes tomorrow, after your planning cycle completes. How will you react? And, how fast can you react?

Support Structure Innovation is a team sport where nobody sits on the sidelines. Monday morning quarterbacks are not welcome, but everybody has the opportunity to coach or make a play. As you build your support structure, as Joe Fugere did, make sure to include bees into your neighborhood. Then, when the opportunity arises, and it will, together you’ll be more prepared to move the hive, as compared to the raccoon that may let the opportunity pass them by.

Reframe Sometime we need to reframe a problem to see other potential solutions or an opportunity. An example is abandoned shopping carts that litter the landscape in many cities. Another example is money losing room service.

Have there been any situations that you’ve face or that you’re facing now that might benefit from a reframe.

Example: Yoram Bernet and Scope 5 Yoram Bernet started Carbon Salon, a project to help homeowners track their household carbon emissions. Making the information visible helped to shape behavior. The free online service was valuable to those customers using it, but it wasn’t clear that even if a modest subscription fee were added, it would provide enough capital to build a business. That same interest that individuals have also pervades the enterprise. After all, enterprises are made up of people. And, more and more of those people and those enterprises are concerned with not only carbon emissions, but sustainability metrics of all sorts. Yoram reframed the problem of providing a great service with no remuneration into a larger opportunity to build a software company that serves enterprises growing needs and concerns around tracking complex sustainable metrics. This pivot has won Scope 5 continued investment and customers alike. But, perhaps most importantly, by reframing, Bernet and his growing team are able to come to work every day knowing that they are able to make a bigger imprint on the world.

"It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau Author, Poet, Philosopher, Abolitionist (1817 – 1862) Example: Donna Alexander and The Anger Room Most people would think that people that commit violent acts should automatically be locked up or somehow punished. This isn’t a view shared by Donna Alexander. Having witnessed violence in her Chicago school

while growing up, she thought there had to be a better outlet for stress and frustration than violence and arrests. She came up with the concept of smashing stuff as a way to vent. This idea continued to percolate in Donna’s mind for years until she finally decided to create the business and pursue the opportunity. The Anger Room was born and she began her new journey. By reframing a problem, Donna created an opportunity for a business, an outlet for frustration, and even a new form of entertainment. The Anger Room facility is a place where you can let your hair down, gear up and destroy real-life mocked rooms that simulate an actual workplace, living area or kitchen. It is complete with mannequins, TVs, tables and many more breakable items. It is also free of judgment, consequences, or public humiliation. As Donna said, “We are tapping into something that people naturally want. It is natural to want to smash things up. We provide that outlet. They love the part about not having to clean up after their own mayhem.”

Recipe #49: Invite Others to Help You Reframe What is a problem that you’ve struggled with that you can reframe? Invite others into the conversation, perhaps from the outside. An outsider isn’t encumbered with internal patterns and biases. They might even add perspective as they see a connection based on their experience in another industry or geography.

Recipe #50: Get More Than New Glasses Find an outsider to your organization. Leverage their unique perspective to see your organizational reality with new eyes. Use advisors if you have them or establish some if you don’t.

Too Big To Start The wall looks terribly large when you’re facing it. But, that wall is made up of many blocks. Sometimes simply getting started can fuel additional momentum to continue. The 5 minute rule states that most everything can benefit from 5 minutes of dedicated time. Some things will complete in as

much time. If you have teenagers at your house that complain about a chore like emptying the dishwasher, employ the 5 minute rule. Your dishes can be put away well under 5 minutes. If you don’t believe it, try it out and time it. Cleaning your office, your garage, or outlining the proposal, creating a customer persona, or whatever blocks your progress – all can benefit from 5 minutes of your devoted time.

Recipe #51: Give 5 Minutes to Move Ahead In your state of being busy, set aside 1 hour, carved into 5 minute blocks. Consider giving others 5 minutes at a time. This can be a quick coffee or water mixed with brainshare or a sketch on the whiteboard or a model from this book. If each of these sessions ended at the 4 min 50 sec mark, in an hour you could be a sounding board, coach or guide for 10 people. You’d still have 10 minutes to decompress before your next meeting.

4 Reasons We Don’t Move Forward 1) Values or Beliefs not in Alignment You might recognize this as, "I've reluctantly signed up to do something" or "You were really good at coercing me but I never really was committed." This reason is usually cited when we don't move forward on somebody else's idea or initiative. You simply don't believe in "the cause" or the value of getting it done. Reaching the final destination doesn't resonate with you so much. Sometimes people want to fantasize about reaching the Utopian end state but they don't really have any intention of doing any real work or making a contribution. If you find yourself in this camp saying "work - that is for the others," or "a person should... ", then some intellectual honesty is in order. Simply come to grips that you are a fantasy doer or know what you value and stop committing without following through.

2) Lack of Resources This oft-cited paralyzer is a red herring easily spotted by asking yourself or others what resources are needed. Then systematically break down and eliminate each resource needed - this is an obstacle removal technique. Many problems can be reframed to require a different set of resources, those actually within reach. Also, there are those resources that you don't have now and those that you won't have in the future. Solve today's problem today and tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.

3) Fear or Lack of Courage This reason for inaction is more easily understood when the person not moving forward is part of a larger social context. When you have to rally the herd and get others moving there is a certain risk that goes along with that. It is much easier to not lead the way, blend into the crowd, and wait for somebody else to take a risk and be responsible. This is a well researched and documented area of social psychology called the bystander effect. But when others are not involved, it becomes squarely about you. You may have been conditioned to fear failure or you're in an environment where failure is something to be avoided at all costs.

Failure can actually be a good thing, especially in small doses. That's what experiments and prototypes are for! I worked in the Boeing Wind Tunnel for 5 years. We ran many experiments to detect failure and make improvements at a small scale because the human and financial costs of mistakes at scale are so enormous. Besides failure, some people also fear the destination of success and all its accoutrements. To overcome inaction and to combat many of the subconscious and conditioned avoidance behaviors, it is good to create new habits. You can easily do this by adopting a habit practice sheet (free download) and by creating conscious action triggers. [21] Action triggers can have a profound power to motivate people to do the things they need to do. The reason, according to Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology at New York University, is that action triggers eliminate the need for conscious deliberation by making people "predecide" what they are going to do. In this they program themselves to protect goals from tempting distractions, bad habits, or competing goals.

4) Lack of Clarity By far this is the most popular reason people don't move forward that I've encountered. They simply don't know how to get started or what the next step is. They are overwhelmed by the myriad of choices and possibilities. You can hear them saying to themselves, "Where to start, where to start." They may be so overwhelmed they are unable to articulate what they want or think they need. Often, others have trouble helping people in this state instead they usually prefer to give them time and space to "get it together." Creating the Big Picture as you’ll see in the next chapter can go a long way toward unlocking what the brain already knows but is unable to express. Sequencing your big idea into chunky steps along a path with a clear vision of the payoff seems so simple... and it is. But have you actually done it? You want to create your next "Aha" moment, give it a whirl. Better yet, help somebody else do the same; a subject for the next chapter.

Summary In this chapter we learned about the wall that separates us from our destination. We also learned about how pattern thinking, biases, and gator

brains can squelch innovation in its tracks or even prevent it from getting started. We learned about the importance of building a brain like Velcro, the power of reframing, building capacity and following the water. Joe, Yoram, and Donna provide inspiration that we can move forward on opportunities even though we don’t have the proof required by those that rule the accounting department. We explored some techniques to overcome the wall and learned the 4 reasons we don’t move forward. By applying the recipes in this chapter you can overcome the barriers that impoverish most innovation neighborhoods. In the process you’ll continue to build a healthier organization. In the next chapter we’ll cast some light on our blind spots around the psychological zones we operate in. We’ll learn yet more language to shape our own behavior and those of our colleagues, so we can do our best work together.

Chapter 12: The Three Psychological Zones “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Longest-serving First Lady of the United States, First Chair of UN Commission on Human Rights (1884 – 1962) ********** Have you ever been in a meeting where people obviously are not on the same page? Sure you have! Some people may have been with the program, wanting to move forward on the current plan, while others seemed to be in the “let’s continue to change the plan” mode. Then, there are others that remain silent, unsure of what to make of the situation. If this is familiar territory to you then you’ve witnessed firsthand, people in different psychological zones. Some of the language you might hear in meetings where different people are in divergent psychological zones include, “That is a great idea, but that isn’t what we’re doing right now.” Or, “We all know what to do, now let’s get back to work.” “Let’s stay focused people.” “Does anybody have any ideas here?” What is less popular, probably because it takes more courage to speak up is, “What are we doing again?”

The Idea Zone The first psychological zone is unremarkable; we are all familiar with it. It is the idea zone and that is our mindset when we are generating ideas. Everybody has been here because everybody has at one time, had an idea.

In the idea zone you might have a fleeting moment with a single idea or you might linger here with a steady stream of ideas. When you are brainstorming alone or with others, you are very clearly in this idea zone. People that consider themselves “idea people” are quite at home in the Idea zone. Some people have a propensity to do something with their ideas whereas others might simply get them. This latter group might get ideas so frequently they are confident another one is right around the corner. So, there is no need to act on the idea of the moment. The idea zone is home to sticky notes, voicemails, emails, text messages, pictures, back of the napkin notes, the whiteboard, and every other place we capture our ideas large or small, good or bad.

The Execution Zone The other psychological zone that is unremarkable is the execution zone. This is the place where commitments are made to get stuff done. When you are thinking of due dates, deliverables, actions and owners, then you are in the execution zone. This is the place where the calendar lives. In this zone, people are mindful of helping the organization to deliver on the promises they’ve already made.

Figure 12.1 Plaque Reminding Us that Thinking is Not the Same as Doing In workshops one of the things I frequently do is ask people if they consider themselves more of an idea person or an execution person. Most of the time the group is nearly equally divided. Imagine if the same stats are true of the people in your meetings. That would mean that half of the people in your meetings are thinking about ideas and half are concerned about execution. That by itself isn’t the problem. The problem arrives when we begin talking and don’t have a mental model for the different zones that various people are in or how to move between them. A board member once shared with me what she would tell other board members that approached her with an idea. She would say to them, “That is

a perfectly good idea. Why don’t you come back to me when you have a fully executable plan?” What she didn’t realize at the time was that she was in the execution zone and the people approaching her with new ideas were in the idea zone. She was effectively shutting people down without realizing it. She was dismissing ideas outright, not on the merits of the ideas, but because of how and when they were shared. Reflect on your own situation and think about where you default. Are you an idea person or more of the execution police? How do you go from the idea zone to the execution zone? Think about that for a moment. What do you do as an idea person when you want others to consider your great idea? Or, if you are the execution minded person, how do you react when people share ideas with you? Two of the three psychological zones are unremarkable. Upon hearing them we recognize them right away, having been there before. After all, at some point we’ve all had an idea and we’ve all used a calendar. But, restricting ourselves to only two zones is limiting and creates a polarized view of the world – idea people or execution people only. Nah, that blend of two zone thinking doesn’t make for particularly productive or interesting conversations. And, that is exactly what is needed, a better conversation. If I had a time machine, I’d go back in history and speak with leaders of many types to understand their perspective of whether they considered themselves idea people or execution people and also learn how they advanced ideas. Of course they were effective without the technological tools of today, perhaps even more effective at having a better conversation.

The Conversation Zone The conversation zone is the place where we have authentic dialogue. In this mental state, alone or with others, we flesh out ideas enough to gain further understanding of the idea and why it matters. In this zone, we gain the additional perspectives of others that might sharpen and improve ideas. In the conversation zone we get on the same page and build a simple plan that all can agree to.

It is important to recognize that if a group doesn’t agree to what is shared in the conversation zone they aren’t going to get agreement later when they are busy minding all of the details in the execution zone. Interestingly, just because we build a simple plan that we all agree to, doesn’t mean we actually have to move forward on it. Sometimes, the activities in the conversation zone can move us to decide not to act. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps we gained perspective and began to see the situation differently, making the idea less important, or not worth pursing at all. Also, in the conversation zone, sometimes ideas morph or spawn even better ideas to be considered.

The 21st Century Coffeehouse Community Conundrum Coffeehouses have been around for centuries. Inside them conversations have spawned organizations such as Lloyd’s of London and even the precursor to the New York Stock Exchange. Coffeehouses have been home to the sharing of ideas from authors, artists, politicians, merchants and most others that benefited from interacting with those in the community. Even the organizing of the Boston Tea Party took place in part at a coffeehouse, what is now the Green Dragon Tavern. Imagine what that conversation looked like. But, in our modern, fast-paced, technologically advanced, and hyperconnected society our conversation zone may be at risk. It isn’t too uncommon to visit a coffeehouse and witness many people getting their coffee on the run with no time for conversation. Sure, some will stay and congregate. But, many will have laptop lids up, fingers gliding across Smartphones and tablets, and earbuds in place to isolate themselves from others, even those sharing the same table. While they may be digitally connected to others online, their personal technology bubble insulates them from human connection. This new type of isolation isn’t healthy for the conversation zone and serves to diminish community. Whether in the coffee shop or in organizational silos, insulation between people doesn’t lend itself to good conversation, understanding, high performing teams, or human progress.

I would like to see coffeehouses return to their roots of the Penny University where patrons were charged a penny to enter, mingle with others and leave slightly more enlightened. I’m not literally advocating coffee shops lose money by charging only a penny, but the idea that one could come to a coffeehouse to connect with complete strangers is lost on those donning ear buds or those with eyes focused on screens. I challenge coffee shop purveyors to create conversation zones and provide talking paddles of sorts. These would be designated places to formally meet and talk, with strangers. In those zone patrons could present a talking paddle, a sign of sorts that invites people to engage in dialogue. On the sign, you could write whatever subject you invite people to discuss with you. This is a path toward inviting others into the conversation zone alongside you. This is similar to the successful and sometimes imitated practice by American Indian tribe’s use of talking sticks to ensure all people are given the opportunity to speak. However, instead of resolving disputes as tribes often do, the talking paddle can be used to discuss important issues and ideas and to build community.

Figure 12.2 Talking Board With Coffee Bait

Recipe #52: Invite a New Conversation If you don’t own a coffee shop or have the courage to present a talking paddle inside one, but you have access to a cafeteria or common eating area, try the same thing there. Break outside your normal clique, department, group, specialty, or isolation. Expand yourself and invite others into the conversation. By doing so, you’ll build community and human connection and maybe garner some much needed input for your big idea or issue.

Group Dynamics Not recognizing the three psychological zones are at play in your group can be damaging and act to divide a team. The signs include negative comments

whispered during or spoken after a meeting. Examples include, “There goes Jerry again with another idea,” or ”Alicia is always shutting me down.” People are emotional and their feelings sometimes become apparent with their body language. We’ve all seen the folded arms or a person pushing away from the table, emotionally separating themself from the rest of the group. Recognize that this emotional separation began before the folding of the arms or the pushback from the table. It may have been triggered by words spoken, a meeting agenda or lack thereof, or the expectations and tone set by the meeting invite. Depending upon the culture and the biases at play in the organization, a disengaged person may have previous baggage that prevents them from engaging in the meeting from the outset, before any words are ever exchanged.

Guiding Principles for Each Zone Having a mental model for the three psychological zones can help you or a team to be more productive and find more peace. You can further enrich the model to include guidelines so that your team knows how best to work together. By doing so, you’ll work more smoothly together, be more productive and reduce the drama and ill feelings that plague members of many groups.

Guiding Principles for the Idea Zone Think of the idea zone as the place where possibilities live. Statements like "What if ...." or “We could ….” are signature phrases for the Idea zone. Guiding principles to consider for the idea zone include: 1) Ideas can come at anytime and from anywhere; 2) When you get an idea, capture it so it isn’t lost; 3) Ideas are not judged at the same time they are captured; 4) Recognize that not all ideas will advance; 5) Some ideas may fit nicely as add-ons to other ideas previously captured.

Guiding Principles for the Conversation Zone Think of the conversation zone as the place where ideas are fleshed out to better understand. Statements like "Show me what you mean" and “What would be the impact?” are signature phrases for the conversation zone. Guiding principles to consider for the conversation zone include:

1) An idea not implemented has no impact; 2) Make the idea visual to help others understand; 3) Ideas can be broken down into chunky steps along an implementation path; 4) Every idea should have an expected payoff i.e., that is the reason to care about the idea; 5) narrow the idea if you struggle to identify the payoff or to create the chunky steps toward implementation; 6) one idea may spawn additional ideas.

Guiding Principles for the Execution Zone Think of the execution zone as the place where commitments are made. Statements like "What did we commit to?" and “When is it due?” are signature phrases for the execution zone. Guiding principles to consider for the execution zone include: 1) A task unclaimed is a task undone; 2) Perfection is the enemy of good enough; 3) Projects are finite, programs are ongoing; 4) Actions and deliverables due should be calendarized for completion; 5) Inspiration has expiration, so get started now; 6) Once you get started, it is easier to keep going.

“One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other.” Chinese Proverb A Better Set of Tools At Delightability, we’ve taken these 3 zones and created the Big Idea Toolkit to help people capture ideas, have more productive conversations, and be more mindful of execution. The large format visual posters live in the physical world and use ordinary sticky notes. Learn more by visiting thebigideatoolkit.com or the Delightability website. In the Big Idea Toolkit, the PlayGround is the place to capture ideas, the Big Picture is the tool to have a more productive conversation, and the

PlayBook is the record of what has been committed to.

A New Language When you change the language you use you begin to change your thinking and your behavior. Once you have an understanding of the three psychological zones then you can more easily navigate past biases.

“Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized” Benjamin Robert Haydon English Historical Painter and Writer (1786-1846) Instead of a colleague shutting down your idea, you might say to them, “This is only an idea. I’m not asking us to commit to it by adding it to our PlayBook. I’m merely bringing it up as a future possibility. I’ll capture it in the PlayGround so we don’t lose sight of it.” Likewise, you might encourage a colleague that is stricken with sudden inspiration. Shortly after you hear the words, “I have an idea” then you will say, “That’s great, put that in the PlayGround.” You might also encourage a colleague by inviting them to help you create a Big Picture for a particular idea. In doing so you may commit to advance certain actions of the plan by scheduling them in your PlayBook calendar. These simple tactics based on mental models and the language surrounding them can mean the difference between a high performing team and one that wanders in the swamp, never seeming to accomplish much. If you hear somebody asking, “What is the next step?” or “What are we doing again?” then you’ll know to help them see the Big Picture and get on the same page. The Big Picture is the place to share the idea, the expected benefits of that idea once it’s brought to life in the real world, and the big chunky steps necessary to make that happen. If you can get the big chunky steps outlined

then you have a simple plan that you can break down into further detailed actions, deliverables, and assignments for team members to be recorded in their personal or shared PlayBook.

Already Trained Because the Big Picture uses ordinary sticky notes and is a physical poster, it reduces biases that exist between group members that have different specialties and expertise. Everybody is familiar with a sticky note. In that sense, we are already trained and ready to participate. Because sticky notes are moveable, there is a certain feeling of flexibility and ease that feels less rigid and permanent than other tools. The Big Idea Toolkit is not the only tool that you’ll need to function. Electronic calendars, spreadsheets, text, email, and a host of other tools will complete your organizational tool belt. But, if you lack a tool like the Big Idea Toolkit that recognizes and empowers people across the three psychological zones then you’ll likely run the risk of blurred thinking and behavioral biases.

"To a man who has only a hammer in his tool kit, every problem looks like a nail." African Proverb Affinity Mapping Brainstorm Exercise Affinity mapping is an idea zone practice that many high performing teams use. The 3 step process is also referred to as the sticky note brainstorm since it uses plenty of sticky notes.

Step 1: Ask the Question After you hand out dark markers and sticky notes the brainstorm begins by asking the question that you’d like the group to collectively brainstorm around. Each participant then individually and silently writes down the answer to the question, one sticky note at a time. More is better and duplicates across team members are fine. If people begin to run out of ideas you might spur them on by asking them to think of different dimension of the idea. People, process, and technology are good triggers, but you might

also consider certain filters, lenses, and the 4 action levers to more fully think about the answers to the question at hand.

Step 2: Group and Label Collect sticky notes from each participant and place on an open space, preferably a vertical surface like a wall, window, or whiteboard. As a smaller group, silently rearrange the sticky notes into similar groups. If a sticky note looks like it can fit into more than one group, duplicate it. Label each group to describe how each of the items relates.

Step 3: Advance the Output The last step is to actually use the output from step 2. Depending on the nature of your question, you might be able to populate a timeline or calendar directly. Or, more likely you’ll need to have one or several discussions to flesh out a simple plan using a conversation tool like the Big Picture to get everybody on the same page.

Getting Operational Being cognizant of the 3 mental zones we operate in is necessary but not sufficient by itself in order to perform as a high performing team. Like the guiding principles that help to shape your attitudes and beliefs you’ll also need operating mechanisms to guide your behaviors around how you advance ideas, pursue opportunities, and keep your promise delivery system functioning well.

Chapter 13: Taking Flight “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States, (1809 – 1865)

********** One View of the Truth It doesn’t matter if you sit at the top, middle or bottom of the organization, to credibly execute you have to do it collectively and from “one view of the truth.” This “one view” needs to rationalize the lofty ambitions of the few with the organizational capabilities of the many.

Recipe #53: Take the One Page Test Every person in your organization should be able to say what the organization’s purpose and priorities are. Test this at any level by asking people to simply write down on a blank piece of paper, what they know to be the answer. The question is seemingly straightforward, but the answers may not be.

The Featherless Crow I returned to my home one afternoon and heard a ruckus in my back yard. Overhead there was a dark cloud. There must have literally been more than 100 crows scattered in the trees overhead. I gave up counting at 80 since I was getting bombed with branches as crows diligently pecked them free. The crows were furious and I was confused and a little fearful, too. Bird images from Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film, The Birds, flashed in my mind. After retreating to the safe confines of my home I looked through the window to better understand what was happening. There appeared to be fledgling crows on the ground. Whether they were nudged to move ahead in life ahead of time or a wind gust gave them prematurely flight, the tiny featherless chicks had no hope of flying. There they sat, prey for the curious neighborhood cats and raccoons, save for the murder of crows overhead that would continue to stand guard. Over the next several days there were a few periodic ventures into the yard to redirect the misguided crows from hazards like stairwells. For a little while, I lost site of the crows and feared the worst. Then, I saw some unusual activity in the far corner of my yard. Little, newly feathered crows were hopping up the bank onto progressively higher rocks, and then jumping off the ledge at the top, honing their flying skills as gravity played its part. It was quite a treasure to see the featherless birds mature and eventually turn their clunky sky jumps into masterful flight.

Practice Makes Perfect, Not Training Like baby crows, we need to practice those things we want to become more proficient in. Training alone seldom provides the opportunity for mastery. Imagine a baby crow sitting through the crow equivalent of flight instruction. Without the hours spent flying (or trying) the real world lessons would come slowly, if ever.

Thinking Big and Excellence in Execution Faith Based Execution Dream it and it will surely happen, somehow! Not likely, right? Simply put, faith based execution is execution that is not grounded in any reality. It relies on supernatural forces and things unseen. If I were to say that I’m going to the moon but I have no propulsion vehicle or ticket with a space service then it isn’t likely to happen. Saying it’s so doesn’t make it SO! Words alone are not an investment. Faith based execution is not new. For eternity, people across the planet have used words and actions to inspire others to get behind them in pursuit of the next big thing, whether that was a new religion, persecution of a people, building a canal or a new product, or the formation of a new government. Whether or not we agree with the value or outcomes of the various historical initiatives, one thing is clear; the ones that actually happened were indeed rooted in reality. That is how they happened. They didn’t rely solely on powerful, persuasive orators and other magical forces. John F. Kennedy rallied people around the idea of going to the moon in his “Man on the Moon” speech of May 25, 1961. On July 20, 1969, almost six years after JFK's death, Project Apollo's goal was finally realized when men landed on the moon. It was excellence in execution, not faith based execution. [22] From Wikipedia…[ “At the time of Kennedy's speech, only one American had flown in space — less than a month earlier — and NASA had not yet sent a man into orbit. Even some NASA employees doubted whether Kennedy's ambitious goal could be met. [23] Answering President Kennedy's challenge and landing men on the moon by the end of 1969 required the most sudden burst of technological creativity, and the largest commitment of resources ($25 billion), ever made by any nation in peacetime. At its peak, the Apollo program employed 400,000 people and required the support of over 20,000 industrial firms and universities. [24]]”

Many current and contemporary examples of excellence in execution abound but I use the “Man on the Moon” example and the subsequent Apollo program because of its historical significance and it continued impact on science and engineering. It also epitomizes “thinking big”. Kennedy backed up his visionary speech with well placed bets and then marshaled the resources of an entire nation. It is interesting to think about the fact that this was all accomplished in an early state of computing and communications. This was BG and BM (the last one doesn’t sound so good), meaning before Google and before Microsoft. In fact, Michael Dell was a whopping 4 years old when Neil Alden Armstrong and Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. landed on the moon. Think of the possibilities when you combine big thinking along with the state of communications and computing today and then add excellence in execution. Perhaps a well coordinated open innovation initiative that marshaled the nation’s resources could cure cancer, solve the climate crisis, and other vexing problems. So why do I give this “faith based execution” practice a name and call attention to it in the 21st century? Easy, because the costs associated with faith based execution are burdensome, wasteful, and distracting. Faith based execution in companies burns out employees at all levels, diminishes the quality of products and services offered and subsequently the experiences of customers. It also burns precious capital, and most importantly prevents us from thinking of and solving BIG problems that matter. Think of less crap in landfills and more meaningful products, services, and experiences. Think of BIG, no … think of even BIGGER problems to solve. This is more important than ever, given the state of the global synchronized recession, climate crisis and security crisis. And, with organizations running leaner than ever we collectively need to be grounded in reality based execution. If you go from 300 employees to 50, should you have the same blind faith that things will get done at the same pace and quality? Of course not, unless your 50 are magic genies. But, last I checked that would only give you a combined total of 150 wishes granted. You might still need to temper your ambitions.

Obvious lagging indicators for faith based execution are things don’t get done at all or on time or at an acceptable quality level. But, there is a leading indicator as well. I call it the nearest neighbor phenomena. It turns out in resource constrained environments people like to look to their neighbors as an additional resource that might be able to get stuff done. After all, if I am at capacity then why not tap my neighbor. Problem is, everybody is at capacity, including your neighbor. And, if what you’re asking isn’t one of your top priorities then it is hard to imagine why is should be #1 for your neighbor. Record the magnitude and frequency of nearest neighbor requests and you have a leading indicator that lets you know if your strategy is going down the path of faith based execution. Other ways to ferret out faith based execution includes creating an execution audit that identifies execution gaps. Then you have some choices, you can decide to accept those gaps, leverage outside resources that can benefit by closing them, or prioritize to close the gaps. But above all, please don’t have the blind faith that these execution gaps will be closed by magical forces not on the payroll. Relying on magic is faith based execution and it is sure to disappoint stakeholders and ultimately, yourself.

Words Alone Are Not an Investment Thinking is not the same as doing. No matter how many times we say something is a priority unless we take action on it or help others to do the same, we are not really invested. There is great power in setting dates, defining deliverables, assigning owners, etc. When things are less fuzzy and clearly calendarized for execution there is a better chance they’ll actually be accomplished. But who decides what gets put on the calendar and when? These things are not automatic.

Operating Mechanisms Operating mechanisms reinforce the organization’s promise delivery system, create shared ownership, provide communications, and establish protocol for decision-making and conflict resolution. Establishing operating mechanisms provides the opportunity for people in the organization to become proficient at things important to the organization’s continued success. Proficiency gained through operating

mechanisms leads to consistency and momentum and improves the chances the organization will reach it intended destination. At the helicopter level, the organization should have operating mechanisms that help it to: build and refine strategy; produce and deliver its goods and services, source insights internally and externally; validate results; and apply learning. By now you probably recall these as each corner of the promise delivery system. At the street level, the organization will need operating mechanisms to evaluate and advance ideas, prioritize opportunities, review status, create and review budgets, etc.

Recipe #54: Improve Operating Mechanisms After documenting your current operating mechanisms, hold an affinity mapping brainstorm session. Ask the question, “What operating mechanisms do we need in place to ensure we keep our promise delivery system functioning well for all of our stakeholders?” Consider assigning a lead and establishing a frequency for each operating mechanism. An idea not implemented makes no impact. There is no benefit, no matter the size of the underlying opportunity. One important operating mechanism for most organizations is to establish protocol for how and when ideas and their underlying opportunities will be advanced, killed, or temporarily put on ice. You need to address comments like, “Yeah, but….” or “We should ….” or “What about….” How do you get or give permission to do something different?

Change is Difficult A good read on the psychology of change is Dan and Chip Heath’s book, Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard.

3 Doors of Change The lack of success and outright failure of change initiatives has caused us to design a sustainable and effective model for change. Though change doesn’t happen without people, our experience shows us that many leaders jump from decision to implementation, skipping the critical step of gaining alignment of the people who will carry the burden.

Figure 13.1 3 Doors of Change Model Reminds Us to Include Alignment Activities in Our Change Efforts Our human centric change model embraces people; we call it the 3 doors of change. Think of successful change initiatives having to pass through each of the 3 doors in order for the change to take hold and make a lasting impact. Getting through door number 1 is easy and involves making a decision, crafting a vision or a plan. Here is where organizations often invest time and resources into making a better, more informed decision. Door number 3 is implementation. It is here where plans are put to the test. The mechanical actions are performed to get the desired results. The execution police are relentless in keeping us on task even though we may have lost sight of what we were doing, or the original purpose behind it. The belief that employees or volunteers blindly adhere to whatever has been decided may be a hangover from the industrial age and era of specialization where people were thought of as efficient assembly line workers, chunking out whatever the factory boss had configured the line to do.

But, most of us don’t work in factories. And, even fewer workers today have a sense of duty to whoever is barking orders as we learned about in Chapter 6 with the Flight to Values example. So, why is it that we still act like we work in factories? Because institutions and organizations are slow to change save for the rare organization that crafts new rules and norms. HR, Training and Development Departments, and leaders are seldom well versed in psychology, campaign design, and shaping human behavior. Think of your current organization and all of the organizations that you’ve worked with and for. How much did you learn about getting other people on board your train? That is exactly what is needed for successful change and the subject of door number 2, alignment. Door number 2 is the pathway to sustainable change. Here is where activities and campaigns help to on-board, inform, and empower people to participate. As members of teams and participants to others’ plans, we crave to be heard and to be ready for what is asked of us. Visit any social network or a highly functioning team and you’ll witness this in droves.

Figure 13.2 3 Doors of Change Follows Z Path Showing that Alignment Effort Sometimes Make You Feel as if You’re Going Backwards The 3 doors of change model is shown in Figure 13.2 in context with an idea, an expected payoff, and a path. The blue path is intentionally a “z” shape. At first, when you make a decision and move through door number one, you feel like you are moving forward (steps 1-2). But, then you feel like you are going backwards (steps 3 -5) when trying to gain alignment. Time seems to slow down while you’re working through alignment. After gaining alignment, you’re moving forward again. These feelings of moving forward then backward and forward again are reinforced by the blue “z” shaped path that is evident on the Big Picture poster from the Big Idea Toolkit. [25] Teams that skip door number 2, and jump to implementation too quickly, eventually return to gain alignment of the rest of the people that will carry out the change. Think of changes you’ve been a part of or witnessed. It is very possible that change occurs quickly, effortlessly, and even invisibly.

But, for this to happen you’ll have to include attributes that help with door number 2, alignment. In the best of cases, you’ll have a high alignmentword density in your change initiative. Alignment words to consider include: valued, inclusion, expression, respect, participation, readiness, campaign, journey, secure, authentic, credible, relevant, focused, incremental, clarity, easy, purpose, destination, community, sharing, and payoff. Change efforts needn’t be top town or driven by legislation. No boss told you to put yourself on Facebook or LinkedIn or begin text messaging, yet you’ve probably done all of those. If you want to make a bigger impact for yourself and others you’ll need to pay attention to the 3 doors of change. You’ll look less like a boss or bureaucrat and more like a 21st century change master that aligns people to make great things happen. And, in a lopsided world rife with ailments we could all use more greatness.

Courage Sometimes you have to pursue or propose something because you think it makes sense. A hunch or a principle is not a bad thing to pursue but it does take some courage. While your intuition might be sufficient for yourself it may fall short in satisfying others.

Advancing the Idea More customer data isn’t always available and even if it were, it might mislead. Consider The Fun Theory video, Piano Stairs. The reaction you’d get if you asked people about in a focus group ahead of it being built is vastly different than the experience you observe once it’s installed. That takes courage to defend and propose, especially if you’re going up again a high internal innovation hurdle, replete with left brain spreadsheet processing types.

Recipe #55: Apply the 3 Doors of Change Model Force fit something that you’ve already successfully changed to fit the 3 doors of change. Think about the idea. Now fit a failed initiative to the same 3 doors of change model. Where do you think it failed?

Summary For your organization to take flight, you’ll need good operating mechanisms and the discipline to follow them. You’ll also need the ability to practice those operating mechanisms and stay true to excellence in execution. One important and understated operating mechanism is how to advance ideas that may come at the wrong time. Entrepreneurs do this well most often times, but in a larger corporation, nonprofit, or government agency, opportunities often pass them by. Organizations of all type are running leaner than ever and many of those helping the organization to make and keep promises are outsiders, contingent staff, consultants, and vendors. Whether you’re inside or outside, you’re not going to do it alone. You’re going to need some help and when you weren’t looking the world of work changed. That is the subject of next chapter.

Chapter 14: The World of Work has Changed “Work keeps at bay three great evils: boredom, vice, and need.” pen name, Voltaire Francois-Marie Arouet Writer, Historian, Philosopher Polemicist (1694 - 1778)

********** I’m going to repeat the chapter title with an added clarifier. The world of work has changed, and it’s not coming back. We have reached a new economic reality. Workers now have more assignments throughout their working lives than ever before and many of those assignments are being performed in a capacity other than, as an employee. The related economic reality is that more employers are increasingly dependent on people that are not employees of the firm, today and in the future. This is true, whether the organization is a for-profit enterprise, nonprofit, or government. The reasons for the new normal aren’t as important (in this book anyway) as the need to face a new reality, its unintended byproducts, and explore a way forward.

Unintended Byproducts Loyalty has evaporated in both directions between employers and employees. For employers, the diminishing tenure of employees spells trouble for future innovation. Employers add to this trouble by viewing specialized skills as transitory, hiring and even more easily shedding when

convenient. Workers are largely disengaged when they are working, viewing their jobs as temporary and undervalued. They are at capacity, since they are likely doing the jobs of colleagues earlier let go. The jobs shed are not likely to come back; after all, the current employees are “doing just fine.” For those not working, savings, retirement, and home equity evaporate if they existed at all. Safety nets like unemployment are null and void for the long term unemployed and a ticking clock for newbies. This is all bad news for a nation starved of tax revenue and communities of local spending. This combined with increasing costs has bankrupted municipalities like Detroit, Michigan. There is a growing and often unspoken separation between those with a job and those who continue to struggle, in spite of education, ability, and experience. Some resort to denial, thinking something wrong with those that can’t get it together. Others, simply don’t think about it at all or associate with those affected, for fear the jobless cancer might be contagious.

The Great Misalignment There are great inefficiencies in matching talent with available assignments. Employers cite lack of appropriate talent. But, appropriate talent cites, broken experiences and too few jobs. Case in point, I attended a Business Matchmaking Entrepreneurship Forum with representatives present from U.S., State, and City Government as well as from large employers that, through their own policy or by way of obligation in a government contract, provide a percentage of their work to small businesses. Each one of the employers on the panel cited not being able to find enough qualified small businesses to be compliant with these policies. Also, in attendance at the forum were 100’s of entrepreneurs, of all types. One reluctant entrepreneur in the audience asked a panelist from mobile operator Sprint, “How can I gain access to people that actually understand what I do? I’m an RF Design Engineer with expertise in microwave. Sprint needs designers with my skills. But, when I talk to your recruiter, she thinks I design kitchen appliances. It’s so frustrating. I just want a job.” By the sound of applause this engineer received, the frustration seemed to resonate with other entrepreneurs.

Exploring Forward So, how do we overcome this great mismatch in a world of work that has forever changed? This is an area that is rife with human service and technology innovation opportunities. It is also an area that would benefit from a serious reframe of the current public policies.

A Little Help A government interested in building community and civic engagement would do well to play a part in shaping supportive policies and tax reform. As Abe Lincoln said, “Government should do for the people what they cannot do for themselves.” Converting all the unemployed and underemployed into entrepreneurs is not grounded in reality. Imagine that we could wave a magic wand (we just did) and now all of the people that needed work are small businesses owners, solopreneurs, and armies of one. Now, we have the same problem we already had, namely the nice lady

engineer that designs radio frequency systems is still not working. She still needs work and others of all skills and experiences do, too. The great mismatch continues. Help is needed here for regular people, just as help was needed to bail out failing banks and a sinking automobile industry that couldn’t seem to just pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. During the previous Great Depression, nobody was under the illusion that we would simply turn the unemployed into small business owners. The solution for getting people working came from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a cooperative Congress that passed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935. This funded, among other things, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which over its lifespan provided nearly 8 million jobs. This and the Civilian Conservation Corp. provided jobs and built infrastructure and spaces like Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon that millions have since visited. These programs were effective and only naturally went away as World War II ended the employment shortage. [26]

Mutual Benefit The U.S. is a nation in need with an aging infrastructure, the desire for domestic manufacturing, and with innovations yet to be realized in healthcare, education, energy and even government itself. Most people want to make meaning, especially those who diligently went to school to learn a trade or profession. They don’t want to collect unemployment, sit on the sidelines, and not participate in something larger than themselves. Think of the possibilities across industries to put talent to good work. Kennedy launched a space program that sparked a nation to action. Something of that caliber is needed today.

A National Goal Happiness is a good metric for people in any society. Full employment for those that want it should be a national goal and priority. The ability to make meaning and provide for oneself and family goes a long way toward making people happy. This is the surest way to strengthen communities, build healthy innovation neighborhoods, and advance human progress.

Courageous Conversation

Creating happier customers and building healthier organizations is everybody’s responsibility. It doesn’t matter if your label is employee, vendor, consultant, independent contractor, freelancer, volunteer, unemployed, etc., when you are working on an assignment it is for a customer. Everything you’ve learned about customer experiences and journeys applies. Who better than you, to apply it? But, you don’t escape responsibility that easily. You also have a duty toward building a healthier organization, the organization you happen to be working for at the moment. It might be a startup of 2 people or a well healed corporation of 200,000; most likely it is somewhere in between. The models shared in this book apply to any firm you’ll ever work with, or for. Blind spots are aptly named. Your duty as a reader of this book and as a student in your own wheel of life is to share what you’ve learned with others, as appropriate in the course of your assignments, wherever those may be. In doing so, you’ll lift others from their blindness of making customers happier or the organization healthier. You’ll encounter resistance. Machiavelli did and warned us of that reality with the quote he penned in the 1500s (start of Chapter 11). You have courage, though. You are not afraid to bring about a new order of business and change the conversation.

Taking Action So, what do you do to help along the world of work from your corner of the community? Here are a few ideas for people in different situations. As you read on, no matter your vantage point, think about combinations between different situations. Here is what I propose in a world of work that has forever changed.

Large Business Imagine the potential that exists for you since you already have products, services, distribution channels, customers, and infrastructure. 1) Create an innovation neighborhood. Stock it, in part, with outside entrepreneurs. Add fractional talent that you cannot attract for a job, but would still like to work with your organization. 2) Recognize and abolish your IIH. It’s really ok that you next business opportunity may only be a $20 million business as opposed to a $1 billion business. 3) Treat people with dignity and respect. Add people to give current employees more capacity. Stop fear mongering tactics, period. Reduce executive pay before shedding employees upon bad news. The raving fans you build start inside your own organization. You are at a disadvantage if you don’t start there. 4) Adapt your non-discriminatory policy to include the unemployed and especially the long term unemployed. Reprimand or fire those that break the policy. 5) Be more collaborative by sponsoring, using the talent within, and becoming a resident of co-working spaces.

Established Small Business Like a large business you have some level of products, services, distribution channels, customers, and infrastructure. You may be limited in your ability to bring on additional headcount though you’d benefit by the additional talent.

1) Augment your staff at all levels with fractional talent, especially talent than makes your existing people more effective. 2) Pop up a team like a Hollywood production to run more experiments and test ideas for value.

Underemployed The great misalignment and vast numbers of underemployed people will continue to plague the economy short of policy changes and solving the misalignment problem. Entrepreneurs, especially reluctant entrepreneurs and solopreneurs are in this category, too. 1) Make your work visible, continue to build your support network, and align with others that have complementary skills or clients. 2) Pay attention to the three legged stool. Seek help for the legs of the stool that struggle with or dislike. Any small business owner struggles with balancing between running a smooth operation, delivering on whatever their product or service is, and promoting their own value to attract clients. Even if you are good at all three, you’re still time limited and might not have time to sit atop the well balanced stool. Get out of balance and you and your personal life topples to the floor.

Figure 14.1 Three Legged Stool Remind Us to Balance and Leave Some Time for the Human that Sits on Top

Unemployed Most likely you now have more time available than at any point since you began working. Take advantage of the time and try not to let the economy grind you down or make you feel inadequate. Retirees and volunteers are in this category, too. 1) Be active by working on projects that help you to promote your abilities, maintain or improve your skills, or explore a business opportunity. 2) Be open to part time and volunteer opportunities that can help you pursue a passion, pay the bills, build a network, and build community. 3) Make your voice heard loud and clear. Let others know what you are doing and what you are looking for. Become involved in the community. 4) Visit family and friends that you didn’t have time for when you were previously working so hard.

Congress and other Policy Makers

Without changes in policy toward job creation, discrimination, and tax relief the effects of long term unemployed will continue to plague the economy. 1) Expand Equal Employment Opportunity Laws to include the prohibition of discriminatory practices toward the unemployed and especially the long term unemployed. [27] 2) Provide a hand up instead of a hand out by creating a modern equivalent to the Works Progress Administration. This potential public private partnership would provide full time family wage jobs to the unemployed in the areas important to the nation’s ongoing health, security, independence, and competitiveness in a world economy. Look to cooperative structures that put people and community ahead of profits, rather than larger for-profit corporations with other priorities. 3) Expand the situations where the IRS waives the 10% 401k early withdrawal penalty to include those experiencing long periods of unemployment without the assistance of unemployment benefits. It is bad enough that people have to rob their futures to make the mortgage or rent, keep the lights on, and food on the table. It is unconscionable that they would be penalized to do so. 4) In policy making be more human centric. Maximize happiness for all people not merely special interest groups. Be accountable to the middle class or don’t serve at all.

Co-working Spaces Everywhere Go beyond butts in seats mentality of people renting space from you. Develop an ecosystem for residents to become more confidence, capable and collaborative inside the space and beyond the walls. 1) Become a market maker for the people in your spaces. Invite outside organizations to bring problems and opportunities to the service collective made up of residents of the space. Then help them to pop up teams to explore ideas and the opportunities they represent.

2) Regularly check in on what people are working on. Find out what they need and then offer direct assistance and connections that may help from a larger support network. 3) Attract sponsors to fund increased capabilities, keep rents low, and offer scholarships to those residents or would be resident most in need.

Recipe #56: Build Community No matter which one of the situations you currently find yourself in, plenty of other people share it. Make contact with one of them. It could be somebody you already know or the friend you’ve not yet met. Together, discuss how you’ll systematically make contact of any sort to have a conversation of any type with a person in each and every one of the other situations, not like yours. Although situations may vary, we have plenty to talk about. At the very minimum, our humanity and wheel of life unite us.

Summary We’re all in this together and nobody gets out of here alive. This is a common effort on many levels. Above all, have a sense of humor. There is enough tension in the workplace and economy. Smile, blow off steam and have a good time. If you survive you'll remember this time as the tough good old days that you worked through. And, if you don’t…. well, you’ll have had a more enjoyable time in the process. You’ll likely work with some of your colleagues and new formed friends in another capacity and context. Life is long, enjoy the ride.

Chapter 15: From Argh to Aha! “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Maya Angelou Author and Poet (born April 4, 1928)

********** There is much wrong in the world and it is easy to get ground down and just muddle through, as an individual and as an organization. Things can be a little messy, and persist that way for a long time. Think of this as the land of Argh! But, when we no longer accept things as they are, we are open to seeing things differently. We become open to possibilities and begin to believe there is a way out. When that happens, we're ready to transform the organization. By making the invisible, visible, we are able to see things in new ways and help others to do the same. Increasing our literacy about experiences, audiences, and how the two relate help us to envision a world full of better possibilities. Then, we can bring that new literacy and language into meetings at all levels, everywhere. Using recipes and mental models from this book we show, rather than explain, how better experiences are created and why they matter to the people that matter to the organization. We can do the same thing to show the health of the organization along with those things that affect it over time. That will help shift other people’s thinking, their language, and ultimately their behavior. Others will get inspired and get ideas, too.

But, we can’t be an organization full of ideas without any action. So, we also need a healthy innovation culture that can move ideas along to make their impact felt in the real world. When we have a healthier innovation culture we have the maximum number of people working toward a common purpose, this, in spite of our differences in ethnicity, religion, education, socio economic status, gender, title, role, geography, etc. This is really important because teams look differently today than in the past. And, how they come together and how long they stay together is different than in the past as well. This next year can be your best year, ever for your innovation neighborhood. You might play a part in more than one, sometimes as an employee, other times as a board member or volunteer. The organizations you are a part of will probably be at differently levels of maturity. That is ok. You’re an excellent student and teacher. Here are 12 steps to transform the organization’s culture. 1) Get clear on the destination: where are you going and what does success look like? 2) Establish the boundaries: what do you do and what is off the table? 3) Be clear on your audiences and priorities: what promises will you make and keep and to which audiences? Think of this as the promise delivery system from Chapter 8 meets making the customer come alive from Chapter 2. 4) Establish operation mechanisms: how will you stay on track and maintain your promise delivery system? What will be the rhythm and pace of the organization? 5) Map journeys: what is the intended experience for each of the audiences internal and external to the organization? 6) Define deliverables: what will you produce and deliver to keep your various promises? Think products, services, events, campaigns, programs, and communications.

7) How does all of this line up against the calendar? What will be your day to day operational reality? 8) What can you leverage, from partners, past successes, the customer ecosystem and the business landscape? 9) What tools and resources can you leverage? What mental models, technology, space, teams, etc., will you employ in your efforts. 10) What capabilities do you have, need to grow, maintain, and replace? How will you do that in a world of work that has changed? 11) What budget (time and dollars) is required? 12) How will you keep score? What are the desired reports to help inform and keep track of progress toward reaching the destination? How will you monitor the state of the customer and the health of the organization? When this transformation is complete you’ve made it to Aha!

So, What is Going to Stop You? Try telling a 3 year old seven things to do and you're lucky to see even a few items accomplished. Their mental bookkeeping is lacking. Over time youngsters and adults create systems like mnemonics in order to remember names, dates, the number of days in a month, order of streets, locations of things, how to route find, etc. We adapt and make mental models in order to create new understanding. By this final chapter, you've been exposed to many mental models including: the 3 funnels, the experience honeycomb, experience hoop and halo, dimensions of value, customer ecosystem, business landscape, journeys, sensors in the ground, the promise delivery system, Delight O Meter, generous design, 4 action levers, filters, lenses, street to the satellite, piano to picnic table, 3 doors of change, 4C partner scale, the wall, innovation neighborhood, etc. It is enough to make your head explode right? The danger is that: you'll continue the status quo, dumb things down, fit new information to your existing patterns and habits, and force fit today’s

changing reality to archaic systems simply out of convenience. Chances are your organization may silently and unknowingly support this or worse, they may pressure you to protect the current ways and methods. You’ve read this far so I’m not that fearful. Hopefully, by reading this book, you will never look at experiences, bees, raccoons, abandoned shopping carts, bicycling in a city, or renting a car in the same way that you did before. Neighborhoods have forever transformed in your mind as well. It is also my hope that the stories, examples, and models in this book served to grab you by the shirt collar and get your attention, maybe even make you slightly angry. At the same time, I hope that you feel encouraged, more capable, and more confident in designing more remarkable experiences and architecting a healthier organization, no matter your role, title, or tenure with that organization. We all have the potential to do better, as individuals, organizations, and our collective community. The world needs you. There is an entire network of supportive like minded people that want to make the world a better place for those living on it today, and tomorrow. You have all the permission you ever needed and are now armed with a few recipes worth replicating. Please begin creating happier customers and a healthier organization. The time is NOW. One last note…

The quotes throughout this book largely refer to people that have long since exited the wheel of life. In spite of all our technological progress many of the issues they faced and the stories they told still pervade us today. But, most of the voices of the past were squelched and never saw the light of kindle or page of book. Your human centric and thoughtful work going forward would make them proud. Please give them the voice they never had. Thank you for investing your time in reading my book. Gregory James Olson

End Notes Chapter 1 [1] Learn more about SQ3R Robinson, Francis Pleasant (1978). Effective Study (6th ed.). New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-045521-7. http://remembereverything.org/the-sq3r-method-of-studying/ [2] A good overview of brain chemistry can be found at: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/proteins.html

Chapter 2 [3] “Airline executives urge airport security overhaul.” Alaska Journal of Commerce, October 16, 2012. http://www.alaskajournal.com/AlaskaJournal-of-Commerce/October-Issue-2-2012/Airline-executives-urgeairport-security-overhaul/

Chapter 3 [4] "After all, bees use the honeycomb shape economize labour and wax." Darwin, C., On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, London, John Murray, 1859 A great article for more reading from Robert Krulwich, "What Is It About Bees And Hexagons?" http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/13/183704091/what-is-it-aboutbees-and-hexagons [5] The Giant Sequoia Asa Gray, Longevity of Trees, quoted in Rodney Sydes Ellsworth, The Giant Sequoia, pp. 94-95; Scientific Papers of Asa Gray: Selected by Charles Sprague Sargent, Asa Gray Charles Sprague Sargent - January 1, 1889, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1889 [6] Home Depot failed in China, Walmart in Germany and McDonalds in Iceland, Jamaica, and most recently in Bolivia.

“Home Depot's do-it-yourself model fails in China's do-it-for-me market.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/14/us-homedepotchinastoreclosure-idUSBRE88D02W20120914 Walmart in Germany “Why did Wal-Mart fail in Germany?” Andreas Knorr and Andreas Arndt. http://www.iwim.uni-bremen.de/publikationen/pdf/w024.pdf McDonalds in Iceland “McDonald's pulls out of Iceland.” October 27, 2009. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8327185.stm Jamaica “Why McDonald's failed.” October 7, 2005, The Jamaica Online Star. http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20051007/cleisure/cleisure1.html “McDonald’s Closes All Their Restaurants in Bolivia.” December 22, 2011, Hispanically Speaking News http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-dailynews/details/mcdonalds-closes-all-their-restaurants-in-bolivia/12787/ [7] Hilton. “Blackstone to Buy Hilton Hotels for $26 Billion.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/04/business/04deal.html?_r=0 “Hilton launches work-at-home program.” August 14, 2008. http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/38/Hiltonlaunches-work-at-home-program “Readers criticize Hilton's decision to close U.S. call center.” http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2010/08/readers-react-to-hiltondecision-to-close-us-call-center/108671/1

Chapter 4 [8] Noses and Ears. "How does the sense of smell work?" http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/question139.htm

"How Hearing Works." http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/hearing2.htm [9] The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. http://corporate.ritzcarlton.com/en/About/GoldStandards.htm

Chapter 5 [10][11] Alaska Airlines Terminal Redesign Touchpoint, The Journal of Service Design. Volume 1 | No. 1. April 2009, p.10 "Alaska Airlines' airport of the future makes quick work of getting passengers through check-in." Fast Company, March 2008. http://www.fastcompany.com/705004/hustle-flow

Chapter 6 [12] Veteran Scott Eiswert, a National Guardsman takes own life. "The waiting wounded." The Economist, March 23, 2013. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21573984-governmentfailing-keep-faith-ex-soldiers-waiting-wounded Suicide Data Report, 2012. Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Health Services, Suicide Prevention Program. Page 17 shows the suicide rate to average more than 17 lives per day from 1999 to 2010 (the last year for which the report shows data). http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Suicide-DataReport-2012-final.pdf “For Veterans, The Wait For Disability Claims Grows Longer.” Listen to the story on Morning Edition, NPR http://www.npr.org/2012/12/27/168069322/for-veterans-the-wait-fordisability-claims-grows-longer [13] State of the art school without drinking fountains. "New Eisenhower High School only missing one thing, drinking fountains." KIMA TV, September 5, 2013. http://www.kimatv.com/news/local/New-Eisenhower-

High-School-only-missing-one-thing-drinking-fountains-222633491.html? tab=video&c=y [14] History of Boeing Employees Credit Union. http://www.becu.org/who-is/history.aspx

Chapter 7 [15] Wait times revealed. Washington State Department of Licensing https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/dsdoffices/ [16] Car communicates to its owner Hyundai Assurance Connected Care https://www.hyundaiusa.com/assurance/connected-care.aspx#4 [17] IKEA signature touchpoint reminds customers of value. IKEA Bistro. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/portland/restaurant [18] Citibank. "Why Citibank Eliminated Its Digital Marketing Department." Business Insider, April 17, 2013. http://www.businessinsider.com/citibank-eliminated-digital-marketing2013-4

Chapter 8 [19] Ostrich Pillow http://www.ostrichpillow.com/ [20] The Fun Theory http://www.thefuntheory.com/ Volkswagen The Fun Theory Case Study http://youtu.be/Ihai50diA7o

Chapter 11 [21] Habit Practice Sheet "You are 30 days from a Better You." http://www.thebigideatoolkit.com/?p=621

Chapter 13 [22] Man on the Moon John F. Kennedy "Man on the Moon" speech. Excerpt from an Address Before a Joint Session of Congress, May 25, 1961. http://www.jfklibrary.org/AssetViewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx [23] “Apollo: The Race to the Moon.” Murray, Charles; Cox, Catherine Bly (1989). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-61101-1 [24] "NASA Langley Research Center's Contributions to the Apollo Program". Langley Research Center. NASA. Retrieved August 1, 2013. Allen, Bob NASA Langley Research Center's Contributions to the Apollo Program. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/Apollo.html [25] The Big Idea Toolkit and the Big Picture from Delightability, LLC. http://www.thebigideatoolkit.com http://www.thebigideatoolkit.com/?page_id=22 Videos on Big Picture: http://youtu.be/qfArYBFcedo, http://youtu.be/BELfp3ed_PE

Chapter 14 [26] Final report on the WPA program, 1935-43 Library of Congress online, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2008/20080212001fi/200802120 01fi.pdf LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, Washington, D. C., December 18, 1946. "DEAR GENERAL FLEMING: Transmitted herewith is the Final Report on the Work Projects Administration covering the entire period of the operation of its work relief program from July 1, 1935 through June 30, 1943. Publication of this report, which was prepared during the period of liquidation of the program, has been postponed until now because of the war....

Among major construction accomplishments of the WPA were the building or improving of 651,000 miles of roads, the erection or improvement of 125,110 buildings of all kinds, the installation of 16,100 miles of water mains and distribution lines, the installation of 24,300 miles of sewerage facilities, and the construction and improvement of many airport facilities, including landing fields, runways, and terminal buildings. The service projects covered a wide range, from the serving of hot school lunches and the maintenance of child-health centers to the operation of recreation centers and literacy classes. These service projects employed the abilities and training of otherwise jobless white-collar and professional workers, and provided many needed and valued community services.... Sincerely yours, George H. Field.” A fascinating website dedicated to preserving the history of the WPA and promoting the idea of WPA for today. http://www.wpatoday.org/Home_Page.html Historic photo of Timberline Lodge, built by the Works Progress Administration in 1934. http://www.archives.gov/seattle/exhibit/picturing-the-century/greatdepression.html WPA WORKERS' HANDBOOK http://newdeal.feri.org/misc/faq/faq1.htm [27] Expand Equal Employment Opportunity Laws Current Facts. http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html "The Jobless Trap," by Paul Krugman, New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/opinion/krugman-the-joblesstrap.html?_r=0 Report showing discrimination against those experiencing long term unemployment. http://www.bostonfed.org/economic/ppb/2012/ppb123.pdf