The Experience Strategy Podcast

Today's we are joined by Julie O'Brien Ph.D., a behavioral scientist working at the intersection of wellbeing and technology. Julie shares insider knowledge into how companies of all sizes can use science to improve their customer experience. Tune in as Julie shares the seven most important behavior change principles for Experience Strategists. In This Episode: [01:58] Julie shares how behavioral scientists collaborate in the creation of successful products and services. [04:11] Elements necessary for an innovation to be successful. [06:41] Distinctions between behavioral mapping and journey mapping. [09:44] Why it is crucial for companies to integrate behavioral science and behavior change principles into their work. [11:44] Why human factors are integral to behavior science. [17:21] Quick summary of the seven behavioral change principals. [22:39] Julie shares her thoughts on agency and how it factors into behavioral change. [28:30] Environment is an integral factor in human behavior. [34:04] Julie shares advice for Experience Strategists and companies large and small. Key Takeaways: Behavioral Science offers a methodology and approach that can help people better evaluate all possible solutions to choose the one that has a higher chance of success. Companies need to incorporate behavioral science into their process so that they can design solutions that actually make sense with the way that humans behave. Behavioral science is really a broad interdisciplinary field that draws on many different perspectives that all help us understand human behavior in general. It's important for behavioral scientists to understand that removing agency is ok when people are active participants in the removal of agency. It's not ok when it's done without consent or awareness or to push someone's behavior towards something that is actually not what they want or not getting to an outcome that they care about. Bio for Julie O'Brien, Ph.D. Julie O'Brien is a behavioral scientist working at the intersection of wellbeing and technology. She's spent her career designing and testing scalable solutions that close the gap between what people want to do and what they actually do. She has spent her career bridging the academic world and the product world. She believes that basic research has enormous value to product and service design, and that everyone can learn to think like a behavioral scientist. To that end, she has developed a framework to introduce the underlying drivers of human behavior to product and service designers. She firmly believes that behavioral science can best solve real-world problems when integrated into existing systems in a holistic way, across multiple touchpoints and channels. Julie has designed products, started two nonprofits, and studied the full range of human behavior from energy efficiency to racial discrimination to diabetes self-management. She is the Head of Behavioral Science and Coaching at US Bank, a newly-elected member of the board of directors for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology, created the behavioral research function at Opower, led the health initiative at Duke University's Center for Advanced Hindsight, and most recently built out Applied Behavioral Science at WW. Learn more about her work and how to apply behavioral science at https://www.thinkbehavioralscience.com/

In today's episode, we are joined by Ron Swidler, Chief Innovation Officer at The Gettys Group Companies and creator of the Hotel of Tomorrow® Project, a think tank that unites teams of hospitality experts to ideate, prototype, and test innovations for the near and more distant future of the hotel industry. From technological innovations and new business models to unprecedented shifts in customer expectations, Ron shares the top 10 things hotels should be doing to prepare for the future. In This Episode: [01:59] Ron elaborates on the major shifts he has seen in customers' wants and needs from a hospitality experience. [06:38] How are owner developers now approaching creating profitable spaces that provide both hospitality and meet the new safety needs that customers have come to expect? [11:35] Brands have to decide what they stand for in order to deliver their services to their guests in a way that is most meaningful to them, or risk becoming irrelevant. [16:12] What does it mean to experience time well spent in a hotel? [19:38] Ron shares some ways that technology is driving the future of hospitality. [27:37] How do modularity and flexibility relate to the idea of time well spent? [31:29] Micro room solutions are creating adaptable and functional spaces while cutting down on construction costs. [34:19] How will luxury be defined moving forward? [38:44] Aransas gives a quick summary of today's discussion and topics. Key Takeaways: Moving forward, hotels must focus on innovating for wellness. The flexibility of how spaces are used has to become a higher priority for the hospitality industry. Brands need to have a clear sense of purpose and a clear place in the market. People in the future are going to want their spaces to adapt to their particular needs. Luxury is linked to an experience of transformation. It's a moment to invest in ourselves and to feel nourished and nurtured and cared for. Bio: Ron Swidler With a passion for pioneering ideas and new approaches to hospitality experiences, Ron serves as the CIO at The Gettys Group Companies. Ron created the Hotel of Tomorrow® Project, an industry-leading think tank that has brought together hundreds of companies for many years to envision the future of hospitality. The result has been innovation that can be found in hotels and restaurants throughout the world. His vision also led to the founding of Gettys ONE—our interior design group dedicated to branded hotels— and Outside Agency, our branding agency—where he leads brand creation and strategic thinking projects for boutique properties, large industry events and international brands. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been interviewed in countless publications for his hospitality, design and branding insights. Ron received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. He is affiliated with the Hospitality Advisory Council at DePaul University, School of Hospitality Leadership. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France; EM Lyon in Paris; Haaga Helia University in Helsinki, Finland; and Breda University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands.

Today we are joined by Joyce Cadesca, Founder and President of famHQ, a tech-enabled family concierge service supporting working moms in managing their households and careers. In this episode we look at the functional, social, emotional, aspirational, and systemic Jobs To Be Done in this exciting new startup. In This Episode: [01:31] What famHQ is all about. [04:58] What inspired Joyce to create famHQ. [07:09] How famHQ is establishing "villages" around single moms of color. [11:24] Dave asks about the jobs that famHQ performs for their customers. [17:04] How the people and the tools that famHQ employ work together to make their services as seamless as possible. [22:01] Can famHQ be a systemic solution for society's single parent households? [24:32] Creating a fair and equitable working environment. [30:36] What gets companies excited to partner with famHQ? [32:51] How the human factor sets famHQ apart from other household service providers. Key Takeaway: The Jobs to be Done by employers, communities, and service providers have shifted radically in the last 10 years. Companies like famHQ, who take a systemic view of their customer's needs will be able to have lasting impact. Bio: Joyce Cadesca A steadfast equity advocate, Joyce Cadesca serves as the Founder and President of famHQ, a tech-enabled family concierge service supporting working moms of color in their households and careers. Upon graduating from Columbia University, Joyce began her professional career as a classroom teacher to elementary and high school students. A few years later, she became the youngest director for Beginning with Children Foundation in New York City, where she led the College Access and Success department. Cadesca then attended The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth to earn an MBA degree in General Management. She then moved into full-time corporate positions within operations, HR, and finance functions at leading global financial institutions. However, at the height of the pandemic in 2020, Joyce switched career paths back into the nonprofit education sector to leave her mark by paying it forward to future rising leaders of color. What began as dedication to supporting underrepresented students evolved into a wider inquiry around equity. While Joyce's current focus is to support moms of color in the workplace, she believes that leveraging an equity lens is core to developing strategy, no matter the industry. Outside of work, Joyce has volunteered as a board member with the Child Care Council of Westchester in New York, and as co-chair of the Tuck Association of Diverse Alumni at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Joyce lives in the greater Philadelphia area with her son. *** http://www.famhq.org @famhqconcierge https://www.linkedin.com/company/famhq/

Experiences, like umami flavors, can be difficult to pin down. Both ideas transcend words, so how do you define them? How do you measure them? How do you help leaders and customers understand the value? In this episode, we are joined by Aga Szóstek, Ph.D. a strategic experience designer and author of "The Umami Strategy" as we discuss how to create experiences that are not just memorable, but powerfully impactful. In This Episode: [04:08] Why did Aga name her book The Umami Strategy? [07:50] What drove Aga to focus on experience strategy? [13:59] Why vision is one of the most challenging elements of the strategic cycle. [16:51] Most companies do not incorporate this experience into their overall vision. [20:42] Why brand image is often prioritized over the brand's experience. [22:13] What are "edges" and how are they used to make a brand stand out? [27:52] How companies measure experience metrics. [37:14] Aga's secret for experience measurement that more companies should focus on. [40:42] What designing a new kind of business book was like for Aga. Key Takeaways: A meaningful experience vision will drive a strong sense of purpose for the customer. Feeling of purpose, doing something with you contributes to something higher order Companies must also be clear about how they emotionally differentiate themselves from competitors. Expectation divided by experience equals memory. Bio: Aga Szóstek, Ph.D. is a strategic experience designer and author of The Umami Strategy: Stand Out by Mixing Business with Experience Design. For the past two decades, she worked at the forefront of combining design, technology, and business. Her approach inspired many organizations to bet on experiences as their market differentiator. When not consulting, Aga designs experiential tools called Seed Cards and co-hosts a podcast: Catching The Next Wave. https://agaszostek.com/en

The pandemic has influenced every aspect of how we deliver customer experiences. We are joined today by experience strategy pioneers Colin Shaw and Joseph D. Pine to make predictions about what the new normal will look like… and recommendations about what it should look like. Will 2022 be the year today's companies step forward into the future or will they stay stuck in the past? In This Episode: [03:39] Joe and Colin share why people are listening to experts that cultivate digital services and experiences. [08:52] How Colin and Joe define "experiences." [13:37] Colin and Joe discuss "experience strategy." [17:21] What companies are missing the key element of experience strategy? [19:33] How the American Customer Satisfaction Index can shed light on how many companies actively pursue or actively ignore progress in customer satisfaction. [29:35] Are companies approaching industry change with the wrong mindset? [34:27] Where will customers go from here? [37:15] Colin describes the elements of what he labels "Customer Science." [42:59] Joe and Colin share their New Year's Resolutions for their work in 2022. Key Takeaways: The pandemic has been a catalyst for companies to review their business models. The time for companies to define their new mindset is now. Between the years 2010 and 2019, only 30% of organizations improved their customer satisfaction. That means that 70% of organizations' customer satisfaction either declined or remained flat. Customer experience is still in its infancy. Perhaps the pandemic will be what nudges it into maturity. The future of customer satisfaction will depend on both companies and customers. We all have a choice to go back to the way things were before, with mediocre experiences, or to move forward and build new standards and expectations. Bio: Colin Shaw & Joseph D. Pine Colin is an original pioneer of 'Customer Experience.' LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers', where he has 290,000 followers. As the Founder & CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, his Customer experience consulting company has been recognized by the Financial Times as 'one of the leading management consultancies for the last three years in a row. Colin is the co-host of the highly successful Intuitive Customer podcast, which is rated in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. He is cofounder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a thinking studio dedicated to helping businesses conceive and design new ways of adding value to their economic offerings. In 2020 Mr. Pine and his partner James H. Gilmore re-released their groundbreaking book The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money with many new ideas, frameworks, and exemplars plus a new Preview to their best-selling 1999 book The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater; Every Business a Stage. The book demonstrates how goods and services are no longer enough; what companies must offer today are experiences – memorable events that engage each customer in an inherently personal way. It further shows that in today's Experience Economy companies now compete against the world for the time, attention, and money of individual customers.

What will it take for in-person retailers to remain successful in a world increasingly dominated by Amazon? In two words: Transformative Experiences! In this episode we offer predictions and guidance for retailers who are ready to earn the economic power of guiding their customers on meaningful and impactful transformational journeys. In This Episode: [02:00] What exactly is the Transformation Economy? [03:32] Where Transformations fit within the Experience Economy as described by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore [04:36] Dave reflects on an article he co-wrote called The New You Business: How to Compete on Personal Transformations for the Harvard Business Review. [06:20] How does understanding people's wish for transformation influence how companies think about jobs to be done? [09:50] Which retailers are currently doing well with Transformations? [16:57] We make suggestions for ways Home Depot could successfully compete in the Transformation Economy. [33:43] What it is going to take for in-person retail to stick around in the world of Amazon. [34:05] Here is a video Dave and Aransas made with Joe Pine to help you dig deeper into the concept of transformational jobs within the retail industry. https://www.stonemantel.co/hbr-article Key Takeaways: 77% of consumers tried new shopping habits in 2021. Experiences drive a greater economic value. People are more willing to invest in them. Retailers need to know what role they are going to play to help people transform their customers' lives. Companies that focus on the progressive journeys of their customers rather than just the spending aspect tend to build more trust with their customers.

Veteran researcher and pharmacist Kevin Asher knows the pharmaceutical industry inside out. Today he joins us to discuss innovative digital solutions that were born during the pandemic, industry breakthroughs, and the patient data powering the most valuable patient experiences. In This Episode: [03:49] How has the pharmaceutical industry's focus shifted over the last sixteen years? What has changed? [06:58] Kevin shares what he believes is the biggest area of growth for the pharmaceutical industry. [07:55] An industry breakthrough for treating chronic musculoskeletal pain has just been licensed by the FDA. [09:00] How can patient care be improved through digital solutions? [10:01] What is inspiring Pharma to make these shifts after many years of the same approaches to patient care? [15:00] Dave touches on how regulated our healthcare system is and how technology is challenging the system. [17:47] Kevin answers the question, "Why would pharma need to collect data about patients using their products?" [27:01] How have collaborative studies on patient experience affected how new clinical trials are being designed? [33:00] How has the pandemic challenged the status quo of the patient experience? Key Takeaways: The thinking behind patient care no longer focuses on a magic pill or magic injection, but rather on collaborative studies on patient experience. Digital interventions are meant to create more access to resources for patients and consumers within the healthcare industry. The pandemic has opened up many doors for the healthcare system to rethink some out of date regulations and systems to help modernize the patient experience. Bio: Kevin Asher Kevin Asher is a UK registered pharmacist who has spent the last 16 years in the Pharmaceutical Industry, primarily in the Medical departments of the business focused on generating, interpreting and communicating clinical data. Since 2019 he has been focusing on how digital solutions can improve patient care and result in better communications with healthcare practitioners.

Our homes are getting smarter! The more technology understands our unique needs and modes, the more it can make our lives easier and more meaningful. Today we are joined by Tanseela Molani, the Senior Manager of Experience Research at the Chamberlain Group, to discuss how experience insights are shaping the future of smart home technology. In This Episode: [1:14] What is experience research? [3:06] How Chamberlain Group is working to benefit their consumers in current times. [5:30] Identifying consumer needs. [7:28] How do consumer trust and convenience come into play when companies are designing new technologies and services? [19:45] Tech companies rely on consumer intelligence for innovation [22:33] Connecting micro moments of our lives can drive technological advancements. [33:40] How companies can measure customer experience return on investment (ROI). [37:33] Final thoughts. Key Takeaways: Our needs and motivations change throughout the day, and smart products, technologies, and services should reflect those changes. When we move from one "mode" to another, we are moving through a threshold, even if just for a moment. These thresholds are the moments tech companies need to study to better understand customer needs. As a consumer, companies providing a service or experience through smart technology need honest feedback. This will allow them to upgrade and adapt their technology to further serve customers. Strategists should focus on digging deeper into what drives behaviors, thoughts, trends. Bio: Tanseela Molani Tanseela Molani joined Chamberlain Group in 2017 as Sr. Manager, Experience Research. Prior to Chamberlain Group, she led the design research team at United Airlines and Motorola Mobility. During her tenure at these companies she drove meaningful growth by gaining a deep understanding of underlying customer needs and motivations, such as resetting the tone of the disrupted traveler notifications, to creating new mobile phone experiences when mobile phones were still a new technology. Professionally, nothing is more fulfilling for Tanseela than uncovering the motivational nugget that can lead to innovation, a better product or a new service. Tanseela is a graduate of University of Calgary, where she majored in Industrial Design, with a sub-focus on design management. She resides in the Chicago metro with her husband. Outside of work, Tanseela enjoys a good TV binge, baking and working out.

There is an undeniable increase in demand for more convenient healthcare. In today's episode, we are joined by thought leader and Chief Scientist for the Health and Human-Machine Systems Group at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Michael McShea, to talk about the why and how of making healthcare more convenient and helpful for patients. Join us for Part 2 of our series on Digital Innovation in Healthcare as we discuss how technology is helping healthcare providers work better, and patients heal better. In This Episode: [02:10] Introducing Michael and his thoughts on how consumer demand and expectation for virtual offerings have shifted. [05:34] Value-based healthcare, how it relates to experience strategy, and the role convenience plays. [08:31] Some of the key trends Michael has his eye on. [16:36] How close are we to having our own personal healthcare digital assistants? [19:47] The convenience and efficiency of moving more care to the home environment. [25:55] Competent data collection and using data effectively. [31:05] How Covid has prompted automation in healthcare. [36:21] Key experience strategy takeaways. Key Takeaways: Technology is not ready to take over for your doctor, but a big trend is happening towards combining digital and human elements to make healthcare a better experience. Healthcare has historically been slow to innovate, but they've gotten a powerful nudge from the world as consumer needs and expectations shift. The increase in demand for more convenient healthcare, COVID, and a shift towards value-based care make up a trifecta driving healthcare changes right now. We are finally seeing some headway in digital-first primary care, not entirely unlike the Netflix model. Bio: Michael McShea Michael McShea is a Chief Scientist for the Health and Human-Machine Systems Group at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) supporting the National Health Mission Area. In this role, he works with the Military Health System, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and other Academic Medical Research Organizations and federal agencies on population health, precision health, telehealth, decision support, AI, and digital health initiatives. In addition to his APL position, Mr. McShea joined the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Board of Directors in 2016 and serves on audit and compliance, service quality and operations, and cybersecurity committees, as well as the CareFirst Holdings board which oversees CareFirst's venture arm HealthWorx. He is also an industry advisor to the Digital Health Collaborative, a cross industry consortium advancing research in personal digital health engagement, and has been a strategic advisor to multiple early stage digital health companies. Prior to APL, Mr. McShea was a product management executive in the population health business group at Philips Healthcare, where he managed product portfolios including the eICU Tele Critical Care platform, remote patient monitoring, population health, care management, and other digital health solutions. Before Philips Healthcare, he worked in mission critical infrastructure technologies in the satellite, financial services, and aviation industries.

In part 1 of our series on Digital Innovation in Healthcare In today's episode, we're discussing why now is the moment for healthcare to look at patient journeys through fresh eyes. Joined by Tom Donnelly, Ph.D., who has a background in psychology and leads the MedTech group at Branding Science, we look at how digital interventions can lead to better health outcomes and other ways technology can improve the patient experience. In This Episode: [01:50] Introducing Tom, what he's been focusing on these days, and what drives him. [03:30] Patient journeys and how that relates to the work that Tom has been doing. [04:42] How healthcare companies should be thinking about patient journeys. [11:15] Shifts in patient journeys related to COVID. [18:25] Examining consumer expectations around healthcare and how they relate to consumer habits. [22:07] The Stupid Dumb Smart Genius Framework and Tom's own journey with healthcare tools. [32:30] Focusing more on better outcomes and removing friction with technology. [33:35] Key experience strategy takeaways. Key Takeaways: Covid has accelerated the availability of home healthcare, but the industry has to look at that experience in its new context, and get a full understanding of the experience, if they want it to work. Observational research is a powerful way to understand how people and environments interact with med-tech in their real lives. Whether you're examining the patient or customer journey, it's essential to step back and think about journeys in an integrated and holistic way instead of just moment to moment. Genius solutions will help people take healthcare actions by using data to make the experience meaningful and help get us all in a better place. Bio: Tom Donnelly, PhD Tom leads the MedTech group at Branding Science where he provides marketing research consultation and human factors using approaches informed by social science. He also leads their Inclusion Team in an effort to help people feel they belong and are included, as well as to help the industry become more diverse. Tom is involved in various industry organizations. He leads Intellus Worldwide's Clear Health Communication Taskforce that focuses on how health literacy can improve healthcare outcomes. He is also a founding member of the Digital Healthcare Collaborative [a collection of thought leaders from Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Solutions Providers, Medical Systems and Health Insurance Companies conducting several rounds of research as part of an innovation process]. Prior to his 16 years in industry, Tom was a Visiting Professor at Rutgers where he taught psychology and statistics. He received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from NYU. Tom hosts MedTech Chat podcast where he discusses the latest healthcare tools, device technology, as well as research approaches. You can find his podcast on Spotify or at WWW.MedTechChat.Com