Rising Expectations of Customers Requires a Design Mindset
The internet and social media have fundamentally changed the way that people interact. Closer communication, along with streamlined applications and website designs, have created a high ceiling for comprehensive design and simpler approaches. The expectations for customer-centric, usable solutions and intuitive technology are higher than ever before.
To meet these expectations, organizations can focus more on Design Thinking to drive innovation in the customer experience. This requires a gradual shift to a design mindset in how people approach their work – driving empathy and the ability to put themselves in a customer’s shoes.
One powerful technique that is core to Design Thinking and that helps spark creativity is visualization. The human brain seeks out visual ideas. We seek out numbers and data that have been thoughtfully presented.
As the Government sets out to re-invent its services and embrace innovation, those who provide its solutions can tap into the toolbox of designers. By visualizing solutions through information graphics and other techniques, Government clients can ‘see’ the solution ideas through experiments. The days of notebook presentations are gone. Visualization can include prototypes, videos, interactive workshops, and graphical facilitation.
This approach can enable experimenting with ideas before investing in large, costly solutions. Consider a bank introducing a new type of account to their clients. The bank could release a white paper with numbers and facts, explaining in detail the benefits of switching to their new account. This will resonate with some clients who think in these terms, but to capture a wider audience, that bank could create a visual model which evokes a client’s interest while simultaneously conveying the account’s technicalities. In this way, the company has delivered all the vital information in a memorable, comprehensible and meaningful manner. Creating this meaningful connection is equally important for the government, as is seeks to provide vital services to a wide variety of citizens.
As such, no human brain is wired to process solely either analytic or visual data, but a combination. So, take steps to adopt a design mindset and walk in your customers’ shoes… so you are ready to continuously meet and exceed their expectations.
About Arc Aspicio
Arc Aspicio is a management, strategy, and technology consulting firm that takes a mission-oriented approach to complex client challenges. As a rapidly growing company, Arc Aspicio has a bold strategy for 2016-2018 that drives growth through new capabilities in strategy, design, human capital, data analytics, information sharing, cybersecurity, and strategic communications. The company is known for a strong, collaborative culture that values gratitude – for its clients and its great team. And, #welovedogs! Follow us on Twitter @arcaspicio or learn more at www.arcaspicio.com
