User Experience Differentiation

When I worked in luxury hotels, we obsessed over the guest journey. Every touchpoint, from the pre-arrival email to the final farewell, was engineered to create a memory, not just a stay. That discipline was what allowed us to charge $800/night while the property down the street was asking $500. Fast forward to vacation rentals, and I kept seeing the same pattern: two nearly identical properties, but wildly different results. Here’s one example: • Property A → $265/night, 68% occupancy • Property B → $392/night, 91% occupancy Same location. Same size. Same amenities. The difference was guest experience by design. The 4-level framework I adapted from luxury hotels: 1. Functional Excellence (Foundation) Cleanliness, working WiFi, clear arrival info, quick resolution when things break. 👉 This is the minimum standard. It gets you to market rate but not beyond it. 2. Emotional Connection (Differentiation) Personalized welcome messages, thoughtful local recs, small surprise touches, follow-up that feels human. 3. Lifestyle Enhancement (Premium Positioning) Concierge-style coordination, curated experiences, seamless tech integration, VIP access to local partners. 4. Memory Creation (Luxury Differentiation) Anticipatory service, wow-moments, tailored celebrations, relationships that last beyond a single booking. How Property B brought this to life: • Personal arrival video message • Local artisan welcome basket • Complimentary wine tasting reservations • Private hiking guide connections • 24/7 concierge service • Surprise anniversary champagne The results were staggering: • 4.9★ rating vs. 4.5★ • 67% rebooking rate vs. 12% • $63K more annual revenue • 244% ROI on guest experience investment The insight: guest experience is not about adding fluff. It is about building a system that elevates a stay from “functional” to “memorable.” That is what creates pricing power, brand loyalty, and long-term advantage. 👉 I’m curious, what is one guest experience upgrade you have seen pay for itself many times over? #GuestExperience #PremiumPricing #HospitalityExcellence #VacationRentals

Employees often miss what #CX is about, so I have an ice-breaker activity I've used at the beginning of #CustomerExperience workshops. Now, I offer this idea to you: At first, this will seem obvious and perhaps unhelpful, but stick with me, please. The activity is to have small groups spend 10 minutes discussing what drove their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with recent air travel. No, the outcomes will not be surprising—but that hides a really important point that will shake up participants' expectations and attitudes. Of course, everyone says the same things in this exercise. "I was satisfied because we arrived on time." "The snacks were better than expected." "The seats were surprisingly comfortable." "The flight attendants were attentive and pleasant." And, on the other side, "I was dissatisfied by delays." "Communications about flight changes were poor." "The seat was cramped and awkward." "The staff was grumpy and indifferent." I'll spend a few minutes collecting the drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Everyone will nod in agreement. And then comes the point of this exercise: Absolutely no one will say that a driver of satisfaction was that the airline flew them six miles in the air and delivered them to their destination safely. In other words, the CORE experience--and the most important priority of any airline--drives virtually nothing in terms of customer relationships. Getting there safely is expected, not a driver of satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. That's the "aha." Whether you're talking to a group of healthcare workers who think their only essential function is reducing mortality and morbidity or a room of telecom execs who feel everything hinges only on uptime, the message is that it's not what we do but how we do it that drives differentiation, satisfaction, and loyalty. We all can become so focused on the delivery of our primary product or service--or achieving the chief KPIs--that we can neglect to understand the experience from the customer's perspective. Forcing people to consider their own experiences and perceptions as customers helps them to perceive that air travelers landing safely (or patients having successful surgeries, or your phone service working) isn't what drives differentiated CX and outstanding loyalty. Don't get me wrong—you can't miss the table stakes. An airline isn't forgiven for lax safety because it has fresh nuts, nor is a telecom company pardoned for unreliable service thanks to rapid call answer times. But delivering table stakes is not what drives the kind of rabid loyalty, sales, and margin enjoyed by brands with differentiated CX. Ensuring people realize this before introducing them to customer-centric concepts and practices opens their minds to new possibilities within their existing job roles.

In today's marketing landscape, competitor research is more crucial than ever. But are you reverse benchmarking? Data reveals that many brands, in their quest to highlight unique selling propositions (USPs), often fall into a pattern of sameness. 60% of brand strategies consolidate similar features, making brands indistinguishable from one another.  However, research from Kantar shows that brands that carve out a distinctive identity are 3X times more likely to achieve significant growth compared to those who choose to imitate. Take HubSpot, for example. In the crowded B2B software sector, HubSpot stands out by putting customer-centricity at the heart of everything it does - from its intuitive “Flywheel” model to its focus on automation designed specifically around SMEs’ unmet needs. Rather than mimicking traditional funnel-based competitors, HubSpot’s differentiation strategy has fueled its rapid growth and loyal customer base. Mailchimp turns playfulness and creativity into a memorable B2B brand identity, standing out with bold campaigns that are instantly recognisable. So why focus on mirroring your competitors? When it comes to brand growth, the data consistently favours differentiation over imitation. Brands that embrace strong differentiation not only stand out but also have a statistically higher chance of success. This should inspire optimism in your marketing strategy. Despite the allure of conformity, it's important to remember that it can lead to a loss of unique edge. Many brands, in their pursuit of similarity, end up with the same tired characteristics, gradually eroding their distinctiveness. Instead of mirroring your competitors, empower yourself by asking the right questions. 'How can we out-feature them?' 'What are they neglecting?' 'Who are they alienating?' 'Where are they missing the mark?' These questions can guide your strategy towards distinctiveness. Research indicates that 80% of customers will switch brands after more than one negative experience, and an alarming 54% will leave after just a single bad encounter. Dive into your competitors' reviews—identify the friction points, frustrations, and unmet needs. This exploration reveals opportunities to fill the gaps they've overlooked. Brands that concentrate on these neglected areas cultivate sharper emotional and analytical relevance. So, the next time you're scanning the competitors, ask: 1) What customer segment are they actively alienating?  2) Which part of their experience is driving the customers away?  3) What are their customers' pain points after choosing their product or service?  4) What do their reviews and social threads complain about most often?  5) Is their positioning wearing off on the tropes that were once the USPs? 

Designers’ View vs Users’ View! You put a baby on the bed. Above the baby, you hang some toys From your side (designer’s view), it looks beautiful. All toys are visible, colors are bright, arrangement is perfect. But… From the baby’s side (user’s view), The scene is totally different. The baby only sees the bottom side of the toys. Maybe it looks confusing, boring, or even a little scary. The baby is the real user. And the real user experience is very different from what the designer imagined. The Lesson: Just because we (designers) find something attractive does not mean users will also like it. Users see things from their own perspective, environment, and needs. If we ignore the user’s view, our design may look perfect to us but fail in real life. Why understanding the user’s view is important? 1. Design is not for us, it’s for users. What looks nice to us might be confusing to them. 2. User’s perspective is always different. They focus on completing their task, not on admiring visuals. 3. Testing reveals reality. Only when we test our product with real users, we realize: ⤷ Which parts are helpful? ⤷ Which parts are confusing? ⤷ What should be improved? 4. Better experience = Better product. When we design for users’ comfort, the product becomes easy, useful, and successful. Final Thought: As designers, we must step down from our own “beautiful view” and look from the user’s side. Because finally, the product is not for us, It’s for the user. #UXDesign #UserExperience #UIDesign #DesignThinking #UserTesting

You run a usability test. The results seem straightforward - most users complete the task in about 10 seconds. But when you look closer, something feels off. Some users fly through in five seconds, while others take over 20. Same interface, same task, wildly different experiences. Traditional UX analysis might smooth this out by reporting the average time or success rate. But that average hides a crucial insight: not all users are the same. Maybe experienced users follow intuitive shortcuts while beginners hesitate at every step. Maybe some users perform better in certain conditions than others. If you only look at the averages, you’ll never see the full picture. This is where mixed-effects models come in. Instead of treating all users as if they behave the same way, these models recognize that individual differences matter. They help uncover patterns that traditional methods - like t-tests and ANOVA - tend to overlook. Mixed-effects models help UX researchers move beyond broad generalizations and get to what really matters: understanding why users behave the way they do. So next time you're analyzing UX data, ask yourself - are you just looking at averages, or are you really seeing your users?

When UX Becomes Human Something fascinating is happening in the world of user experience. After years of perfecting clicks and swipes, we are witnessing a fundamental shift - UX is learning to feel. AI powered platforms should be able to understand frustration in typing patterns, adapt its approach in real-time, and turn what could have been a poor customer experience into a positive interaction. Not through better button placement, but through better understanding. The evolution we are seeing is - From user journeys to emotional journeys From touch points to trust points From interface design to emotion design From user personas to human relationships The best UI is sometimes no UI at all. As we move toward ambient computing, with smart glasses, AR interfaces, and whatever comes next, the line between digital and human experience will continue to blur. The winners won't be those with the slickest interfaces, but those who create the most emotionally intelligent ecosystems. Are you ready for the era where UX isn't just about user experience, but human experience? #HumanExperience #AIInnovation #FutureOfUX #cio #ceo #cto #cdo #cfo #caio #EmotionalIntelligence #DigitalTransformation All opinions are my own and not those of my employer. 

For a long time as an Engineer, I’ve been under the impression that the ability to dissect and find out the inner workings of things only “adds to their beauty”. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴. ~R. Feynman But later in life, when I had the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of various other personas and people from different walks of life - artists, marketers, analysts, consultants, travellers, and so so many many more interesting minds, it led me to believe that the great Richard Feynman was perhaps mistaken in this one aspect. Sometimes, when you take it all apart and expect different minds to appreciate every inch of a product or any object there is and make use of every inch, even as a thought experiment, it does SUBTRACT FROM THE EXPERIENCE. While an engineer goes depth-first and finds ultimate joy in the dive, an analyst takes pleasure in the ocean’s surface, how light reflects off waves and how the wind causes it. The way someone experiences one centimetre in a single dimension could and often vastly differ from how another experiences multiple dimensions and meters of the same object. An example that all can relate to perhaps is how we experienced things as children vs. how we experience them now. With much more knowledge at hand. While depth-first is the perfect experience for some aspects of life, there are things which were experienced way better breadth-first. And exposure to more knowledge has taken away from it. This Experience-Differentiation philosophy applies to every walk of life and every story we weave across business functions. Apple said, “1000 songs in your pocket”, not “Fastest streaming music service”. Apple excelled in creating a vision for the iPod – it wasn't just a device; 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. ~Thomas Gregg Sales can objectively impress a CXO by selling outcomes instead of resource efficiencies. Marketing can bond with decision-makers by showcasing the art of the possible over hardcoded values. Product & Engineering can make every layer of experiences captivating by not demanding users appreciate and experience things depth-first, which is every nut and bolt that they sweat for users (ref: majority of the product’s value often comes from a small selection of its features ~Pareto Principle). As a closing note, I’d like to point out I’m an eternal fan of the big Feynman approach to all things, and here’s a quick reading recommendation if you’re up for exploring the inner workings of the great mind that dissected flowers on a field: 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘔𝘳. 𝘍𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘮𝘢𝘯! #experiencedesign #datastrategy

In banking, “me too” is a growth killer. Most banks and #creditunions offer the same accounts, the same rates, the same experiences—just wrapped in different logos. But in a world of API-first #fintech, embedded finance, and AI-driven personalization, sameness isn’t safety—it’s irrelevance. Differentiation doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. It means solving your customer’s pain points, not the industry’s clichés. From a digital perspective, it means you should be embedding value where others just offer transactions. And because banking is fundamentally a chore and utility for most of us, you better be designing experiences so intuitive, they feel invisible. I’ve often said that the best banking experience is one I don’t have to think about. The winners in banking won’t be the biggest or the flashiest. They’ll be the ones bold enough to build something that doesn’t blend in. Your future doesn’t demand coffee in the branch (or egg salad machines). Differentiate—or disappear. #Banking #DigitalStrategy #CX #leadership #EmbeddedFinance #ProductInnovation #FinancialServices #communitybanking

Small is Big. Yes, I am talking about Micro-interactions. Those subtle, almost imperceptible animations and feedback that guide and delight users. Think of the gentle bounce when you pull to refresh, or the tiny heart animation when you like a post. These aren't just decorative; they’re powerful tools that improve the user experience. These provide immediate, engaging feedback, making users feel more connected to the interface. They confirm actions, such as a button changing color when pressed, signaling that the user's input was received. This reduces uncertainty and increases satisfaction. Consider the swipe-right animation on dating apps. It's not just functional; it adds a sense of achievement and excitement. Or the subtle vibration when you switch your phone to silent mode—this tactile feedback reassures you the action was successful without needing to look at the screen. To incorporate micro-interactions effectively, start with understanding your user's journey. Think like a user. Identify key actions where feedback or a touch of delight can make a difference. Keep micro-interactions simple and purposeful; too many can overwhelm and distract. I mean, they’re called “micro” for a reason, right? Test and iterate based on user feedback—what feels intuitive to one person might not to another. In essence, micro-interactions are the shoulder-pats we need from time to time. They transform mundane tasks into enjoyable experiences, making users return for more. So, DesignFriday focuses on these tiny details—for they're the key to creating a more human-centered digital world. #webdesign #userexperience #uxdesign #microinteractions #designinspiration #uidesign #webdevelopment #interactiondesign #digitaldesign #userinterface

In the race to stand out, too many companies are chasing their competitors' tails instead of listening to their own users. With decades in the user research field, we've seen this mistake time and time again. Let me be blunt: Stop assuming that because your competitor has a feature, you need it too. That's playing catch-up. Differentiation comes from truly understanding your users. It's not just about having listening tools or doing user research; it's about actually applying what you learn. Take auto manufacturer Kia, for example. It turned its brand around by addressing user complaints head-on. They didn't just copy other automakers; they fixed their reliability issues and improved their designs based on user feedback. Here's my challenge to you: Before you write your next set of product requirements, take a hard look at your users' feedback. For example: → What are users constantly complaining about? → What features do your users wish you had? That's your road map to differentiation. Also, for the love of all things UX, stop begging for "a seat at the table." Instead, focus on having an impact. Be the one who brings user insights to decision-makers. That's how you drive real change. Ready to shake up your approach to product differentiation? Let's chat. Leave a comment or DM me. I'm always up for a no-BS convo about putting users first.