Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Anthony Coombes

There is so much choice and availability for consumers. They’re easily distracted and can be fickle.

When asked what they want, customers will often say “just keep it simple” or “make it easy for me” but this sounds more like a desire to cut to the chase. People are either not feeling invested or have a short attention span.

There is also fatigue around marketing and traditional channels. A shift to online, social media and the proliferation of digital products has captured our attention. Ever-present connectivity has created always-on, multiple touch points throughout a customer journey. Resulting in a lack of patience and frustration when there is a disconnected experience.

Design helps product and service owners articulate an offer. Good design can establish a trust between providers and consumers. Great design, however, is about making it all look easy. Anticipating and satisfying people’s needs, functional, emotional and social. How well something works, how it makes them feel and the value we attach to it.

Rather than ask what do customers want, designers ask themselves what we ideally want an audience to think, feel and do. Establishing a current state and then thinking about what an ideal state might look like. Measuring the gap between the reality of today and where we want to go next.

Being able to visualise an ambition is why design thinking has become so important to businesses. Using design concepts as a platform to stretch and innovate, map out new ideas, explore and test stakeholder as well as consumer motivation. Driving change, designing the nudges, communicating the benefits and creating rewarding experiences.

What do customers really want? was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What do customers really want?

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