Here are 15 principles that you should follow when designing a great experience.
I don't share enough of my Kindle books and have yet to upload them to my books list (will get to it soon :) )
Lou Downe created a book that is just fantastic and that you should not only read but also have as a checklist for the things you build and deliver, so they create value and delight both customers and employees
1.
Be easy to find
Users should intuitively locate the service, even without prior knowledge of the task.
2. Clearly explain your service's purpose: Users should immediately understand what the service offers and how it functions.
3.
Set user expectations
Clearly define what users need to provide and what they can expect in return, including time, costs, and potential restrictions.
4.
Enable goal completion
Assist users in seamlessly achieving their goals, from start to post-completion support.
5.
Work in a familiar manner
Align with established mental models, avoiding inefficient or outdated ones.
6.
Require no prior knowledge
The service shouldn't assume users have pre-existing knowledge.
7.
Be agnostic of organizational structures
Siloed organizations produce siloed services
8.
Minimize required steps
Make processes efficient, sometimes proactively addressing user needs or pausing for important decisions.
9.
Ensure consistency
Maintain a unified look, language, and interaction regardless of delivery channel.
10.
Avoid dead ends
Guide all users towards a clear outcome, ensuring no one gets stranded. - give people autonomy to make choices, and not be a hindrance in doing this
11.
Be universally usable
The service must cater to everyone's needs, regardless of circumstances or abilities. - this is not always easy, but do your best to try and continue to improve it as you go along - don't neglect it.
12.
Encourage right behaviors
Promote safe, beneficial behaviors for both users and service providers, avoiding harmful precedents. The drivers of behavior will move people to do certain behaviors - if you for example incentivize short call times in your customer service, then the goal will be not on the quality, but on getting people off a call - think hard about the behaviors, the drivers and the spillovers.
13.
Adapt to change swiftly
Services should promptly adapt to user changes, ensuring consistency across touchpoints. You have to constantly be re-evaluating. Remember if you don't talk to users or even experience the services yourself, then how can you add value?
14.
Clarify decision reasons
When a service decision is made, its rationale should be clear and contestable for users.
15.
Facilitate human assistance
Always offer users an easy way to interact with a human when required. - in a world where we want to automate everything, good human touch is a must
Which are your favorite ones?
#servicedesign #behavioralscience