Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience

A R T I C L E R E P R I N T

DesignManagementReview

Customer Loyalty and theElements of User Experience

Jesse J Garrett, Director User Experience Strategy,Adaptive Path

Reprint #06171GAR35This article was first published in Design Management Review Vol. 17 No. 1

Managing Design to Build Customer Loyalty

D M ID E S I G N M A N A G E M E N T I N S T I T U T E

Copyright © Winter 2006 by the Design Management InstituteSM. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form without written permission. To place an order or receive photocopy permission, contact DMI viaphone at (617) 338-6380, Fax (617) 338-6570, or E-mail: [email protected]. The Design Management Institute, DMI, andthe design mark are service marks of the Design Management Institute.

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Design Management Review Winter 2006 35

S T R AT E G Y

Customer loyalty can seem elusive andmagical to those trying to obtain it.However, there are a lot of good reasonsfor businesses to pursue customer loyal-ty as a strategic objective. Customers areexpensive to acquire; keeping them loyalallows you to amortize those costs.Loyal customers are often willing to paypremium prices. Loyal customers can beyour most effective marketing weapons,evangelizing for your product on yourbehalf.

Given all these benefits, it’s only nat-ural that businesses should turn to adiverse range of tools to develop cus-tomer loyalty. And everyone seems tohave a different formula for making that

loyalty happen. Develop a brand thatresonates with your audience, and yourcustomers will be more loyal. Improveyour customer service, and your cus-tomers will be more loyal. Spend moremoney on marketing, and your cus-tomers will be more loyal. Strengthenyour quality control processes, andyour customers will be more loyal.Invest in customer relationship man-agement software, and your customerswill be more loyal.

But initiatives like these don’t buildcustomer loyalty. Customers becomeloyal because of the experiences theyhave as a result of these types of initia-tives. A resonant brand creates an emo-

In life, strong and fulfilling emotional bonds are fundamen-tal to enduring relationships. Jesse James Garrett explores

how this principle applies to products and customer loyalty.Conceptualizing design as integrating five layers of content—from strategic decisions to finely crafted details—he advocatesdeveloping a combination of function and information ineach layer to create experiences users find compelling and satisfying.

Jesse James Garrett,Director User ExperienceStrategy, Adaptive Path

Customer Loyalty andthe Elements of UserExperience by Jesse James Garrett

36 Design Management Review Winter 2006


tional connection for the customer. Successfulcustomer service delivers an experience thatmakes the customer feel important. Marketinginitiatives reach out to customers even as theyhelp the organization better identify its cus-tomers. Quality control processes minimize therisk that the customer will experience productfailure. Customer relationship management sys-tems ensure a consistent experience across all thecustomer’s interactions with the business.

The common thread here is the experiencethe customer ultimately has with the business,because positive experiences create the emotion-al bond that leads to customer loyalty. But isn’tsomething missing from the equation? Whatabout the product itself? What role does it playin creating customer loyalty?

Of all the touchpoints customers have withyour business, your product is the one touch-point with which they are likely to spend themost time. The product is also the touchpointlikely to create the strongest emotional reaction,because it is in the product experience that yourbrand promise is fulfilled. The product itself isyour most valuable customer touchpoint, andcreating a positive experience here is essential tobuilding customer loyalty.

Designing ExperiencesIt might seem as if experiences can’t really bedesigned. Experiences are personal, emotional,and ephemeral—the subjective perception of aparticular moment in time. But whether or notproduct designers think of their work in theseterms, they are already in the user experiencebusiness. Every product creates an experience forits users. That experience can be the result ofplanning and conscious intent—or it can be theunplanned consequence of the product design-er’s choices. Which strategy would you prefer?

But creating an experience instead of an arti-fact requires a deliberate way of thinking aboutdesign. The decisions that result in a positiveuser experience are rooted in deeper, more-abstract considerations. We can visualize theseconsiderations as a series of planes, layered oneon top of another, with more-abstract consider-ations toward the bottom and more-concreteconsiderations toward the top (Figure 1).

At the most concrete level is the Surfaceplane. Here we address the sensory elements ofuser experience—the visual, auditory, and tactilestimuli the product will deliver to the user.

The choices we make about the Surface arerooted in a more abstract set of considerationsthat I call the Skeleton, or the arrangement andselection of design elements for maximum effectiveness.

The Skeleton is the concrete expression of theunderlying Structure plane, where we articulatethe flow of the experience as the user interactswith the product.

The Structure plane deals with the relation-ships among the functional and informationalelements of the product. The precise makeupand selection of these elements comprise theScope.

At the most abstract level is the Strategyplane, in which we describe the overarchingdirection of the product, its place in the market,and the user needs and business objectives itmust address.

Within each of these five planes, we haveadditional detailed considerations to take intoaccount in designing the user experience. Formany products—particularly complex techno-logical ones—the problem of creating a success-

s k e l e t o n

s t r u c t u r e

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Figure 1. We can visualize the considerations that go into creating greatuser experiences as a set of five planes along a continuum from abstractto concrete.


Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience

ful user experience is compounded by a basicduality in the very nature of the products.

Some products are primarily functional,existing to enable a user to perform a task oraccomplish a goal. Other products are primarilyinformational, existing to communicate to auser. But a diverse and ever-larger group ofproducts has both functional and informationalaspects. Consider the design of a public space,such as an airport or a library. The design willinclude functional considerations, such as help-ing users move through security or check out abook. But the design will have informationalconsiderations as well, communicating to usersthe status of flights or a schedule of events.

To talk meaningfully about the elements ofuser experience, we must incorporate this duali-ty into the five planes. Dividing the planes downthe center allows us to fill in specific terms forthe various elements, and it enables us to seehow the elements work together to create posi-tive emotional experiences that lead to customerloyalty (Figure 2).

I developed these ideas (as a model calledThe Elements of User Experience, in my book of

the same name) in the course of my workdesigning websites, because it is on the Web thatthe collision between the task-oriented andinformation-oriented nature of products is mostapparent. But these same principles apply to anyproduct with both functional and informationalaspects—that is, any product that must bothhelp users accomplish tasks and communicatewith them.

Plane by PlaneStrategy is the foundation ofevery user experience. But toresult in a successful experience,the strategy must balance thebusiness’s objectives for the

product against the needs and expectations ofthe product’s users.

User needs include the concrete goals andobjectives users have for their interactions withthe product, as well as the less-tangible emotion-al characteristics of the experience they desire.These needs are typically uncovered throughresearch and analysis of the behavior and expec-tations of users as they relate to our product (orthe product of our competition). Attention touser needs is the essential foundation to buildingcustomer loyalty.

But every product exists as much for thebusiness that produces it as it does for the peo-ple who use it. We articulate our understandingof the strategic role of the product for the busi-ness through product objectives. These objec-tives determine how we measure the success ofthe product.

Some products generate revenue only once,when they are sold. Other products continue togenerate revenue over time for as long as theyare actively used, as in the case of any productthat requires consumable supplies, such as arazor or a photocopier. Some products are neverintended to generate revenue. For instance,Microsoft takes a $71 loss on each Xbox 360 itsells because the company plans to make itsmoney on software for the unit, not on thehardware itself. Knowing how we will measurethe success of our product helps us to makesmarter design choices to support those productobjectives.

functionality-oriented information-oriented

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Sensory Design

User NeedsProduct Objectives

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Figure 2. The elements of user experience are organized according to abasic duality in the nature of products that incorporate both task-orientedand information-oriented experiences.

38 Design Management Review Winter 2006


Scope is the entire set of fea-tures the product will include.In defining scope, we must con-sider both the functional andthe informational aspects of the

product. As a result, we have two separate scopeexercises—functional specifications and contentrequirements.

Functional specifications sound technical, butthey’re not. They simply represent the set ofoperations the product will enable the user toperform. Functional specifications for a mobilephone, for example, may include details of usertasks, such as placing calls, answering calls, orchanging the ringtone. These specifications donot describe the technical underpinnings ofthese features; instead, they describe the featuresas they are presented to the user.

Content requirements describe the informa-tion the product will need to communicate tothe user. For a mobile phone, content require-ments might include detailed descriptions of thevarious status indicators or other messages thephone must be able to convey. Content is fre-quently textual, but it need not be—wallpaperimages or games included on a mobile phonewould be considered part of that phone’s content.

Smart choices about scope can have a signifi-cant impact on customer loyalty. No matter howeffectively the features of your product aredesigned, if they aren’t the right features—that is,if they don’t align with user needs and expecta-tions—users will come out of the experiencefeeling confused or let down. Having the rightfeatures in place is essential to creating the posi-tive user experience that creates customer loyalty.

Structure is where the userexperience starts to take shape.Structuring functionalityrequires attention to issues ofinteraction design, mapping

out the flow of the user’s movement through atask or from one task to the next. Looking at theinformational aspect of the product, we mustsolve problems of information architecture,organizing and arranging the information sothat people can understand it and use it.

Interaction design and information architec-ture intertwine most prominently on the Web.

Pages on a website can freely intermingle func-tional elements and informational ones. Thehigh-level structures of a site—its sections andsub-sections—are likely to be developed throughinformation architecture, but they may containapplication components (such as forms) thatrequire interaction design.

Information architecture and interactiondesign can be vital contributors to customer loy-alty because both these disciplines require anintimate understanding of the psychology of theuser. By understanding the flow of a task—thenatural way a user goes about achieving a goal—we can develop the interaction design to mirroruser expectations, as well as sometimes predictwhat users will need before they request it.

Successful information architecture reflectsthe way users think about the subject matter ofthe content, as well as the language they use totalk about it. Not only does this help users findcontent they’re looking for, but it has an impor-tant emotional impact, as well. Good informa-tion architecture makes the product feel familiarand comfortable, like having a conversation withsomeone who shares your background andpoint of view. This creates the positive emotion-al resonance that makes users want to spendmore time with the product.

Skeleton issues come into playwhen we move beyond under-standing how the experiencewill flow for the user and startdefining what form that experi-

ence will take. We give form to interactiondesign through interface design, or the selectionand arrangement of controls the user will inter-act with. Anyone who has driven a variety ofrental cars, for example, can tell you that thesame interaction flow—such as adjusting themirrors, turning on the windshield wipers, andengaging the parking brake—can be accom-plished through a wide range of configurationsof switches, buttons, levers, and knobs.

We give form to information architecturethrough navigation design, the selection of ele-ments to facilitate the user’s movement throughthe available content. Successful navigationdesigns must accomplish two goals: they mustcommunicate to the user the choices available tothem, and they must help the user access the


Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience

content of his or her choice. The table of con-tents in a book serves as navigation because itincludes page numbers that allow users to jumpdirectly to a chapter. A simple list of chapterswithout page numbers would not serve the samenavigational function.

Both the functional and the informationalaspects of a product benefit from good informa-tion design, crafting the presentation of infor-mational and functional elements so that theycan be easily understood. In a space like a retailstore, information design is essential to helpusers operate within that environment. Clearsignage or other visual cues are importantwayfinding devices that help customers to locatethe features and products available in the store.In an information-rich environment like amuseum, these information design choices canmake the difference between a confusing experi-ence and a rewarding one that drives repeat vis-its and customer loyalty.

Surface considerations areoften the first to come to mindwhen we think of the designprocess. This realm of sensorydesign includes visual choices,

such as color palettes and typography; soundelements, such as the background music in ashopping mall or the beep of a microwave oven;and tactile qualities, such as the textured handleof a power drill or the click of a button on aremote control.

Choices about sensory design should not bemade on purely aesthetic grounds, however. Thedecisions we make here must reinforce and sup-port all the choices we’ve made about the otherelements of the user experience. You can makeall the right choices about the flow of a user task,the controls to facilitate that task, and the neces-sary labeling of those controls; but if the visualdesign makes it difficult for users to read thoselabels because the controls are cluttered withunnecessary decorative elements or poor typo-graphical choices, the experience falls short.

Sensory design in and of itself can have apowerful effect on customer loyalty. The powerof sensory stimuli to evoke human emotion iswell known; indeed, it is the basis of all forms of art. This emotional dimension to experiencecan, in many cases, persuade the user of the

value of a product. Great sensory experiences areones we want to return to over and over again.

Making It HappenCustomer loyalty is all about making customersfeel good about their relationship with yourbusiness. It’s a lot like the personal relationshipswe have with friends or colleagues. People wantto spend time with people who make them feelgood and well-appreciated. We evaluate the rela-tionships we have with busi-nesses in the same way.

In a very real sense, yourproduct is the embodiment ofyour business for the cus-tomer. For customers to feelthey have a good relationshipwith your business, they mustfirst feel they have a good rela-tionship with the product—and that begins with the userexperience. The savviest mar-keting strategies and the mostefficient customer serviceprocesses won’t deliver loyalcustomers if those customersdon’t have a positive experi-ence with your product.

Your customers are on yourside; they want to be loyal.They want to have positiveexperiences, and they want you to succeed indelivering them. The unhappy customers whosend you disgruntled email or call your helpdesk with expletives don’t really want to see youfail. They turned against you because their expe-rience with your product wasn’t what they hadhoped for.

Loyal customers are high-value customers.And every customer wants to be a loyal cus-tomer. But first, you have to enchant them.User experience is a complicated business, but if you understand all the elements involved, itisn’t an unsolvable problem. With attention tothe right details, the designer can seem like a real magician.�

Reprint #06171GAR35

The savviestmarketing strategies

and the most

efficient customer

service processes

won’t deliver loyal

customers if those

customers don’t

have a positive

experience with

your product.

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Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience