A Loyalty Experience

Sep 5, 2017

How great UX engenders brand loyalty

I’ve been working on a deck for my executive team that talks about user experience. In it, I discuss what it actually means to work as a User Experience professional as well as the difference between design and UX – because lately those terms seem to be used synonymously, when they are decidedly not. As I finished it up and was preparing to present to a room full of industry leaders, I realized that none of my rationale would matter unless I tied all of this back to what mattered to them most – loyalty.

That’s when I realized that loyalty is just a function of great user experience. That every touchpoint of a product provides an opportunity to create moments that matter — something that can delight a user or offer them exactly the assistance they need at exactly the right time.

In the map below, we look at the experience of a customer at each stage of their journey. This example provides us with insight on where we can deliver a moment that matters — sticking with the user long after they have left the cycle or experience.

This map is a powerful tool in user experience (and loyalty experience) design. When creating a loyalty program, website, marketing plan or app, we can easily see and anticipate where to deliver the most impactful moments. It’s also important to look at this journey as a cycle. There’s a reason that we build out experiences in this way. We know that loyalty doesn’t stop after you’ve finished an experience. The key is to ensure that your experience was amazing and to remind you to do it again.

How does this create loyalty?

When the world first touched the iPhone, they realized that something had been missing for their entire lives. The interactions felt so native to their already-existing patterns that there was no need for a learning curve. Apple delighted users the moment they touched their product. This planted the idea in the minds of individual users that Apple cares about them specifically. They saw this delightful moment as something deeply personal to them.

When you think about a user as an individual, instead of a group, you can pinpoint specific moments to replicate this personal feeling of delight. These simple moments can often become the backbone that drives loyalty.

So, use the experience map. Think of your users as individuals. Research what they are really doing and don’t assume anything. Putting in the time and effort to understand each user will pay dividends down the line and will increase their brand engagement and brand loyalty. When you think about user experience you’re already thinking about loyalty. If you would like more information on transforming your loyalty experience, contact us today.