Splendid Unlimited

As digitisation has grown, customers expect interesting content, products and services that are relevant to what they’re doing at any given moment, and on the device of their choosing. That’s why brands must adapt to meet the demands of today’s market and design experiences that are truly valuable to customers in the present moment. So, how exactly does experience design elevate branding? Read on to find out.  

Paving the way for quality design experiences 

Experience design is a holistic approach that can be applied to any experience that solves a problem, drives behaviour, and creates an emotional response. From marketing messages to web builds and new products, experience design is an entire ecosystem that includes strategy, user experience, implementation, and maintenance.  

Quality experience design means every customer touch point is considered. The best businesses can sell an entire experience to audiences, rather than just their products or brand identities. Design experiences can be a competitive advantage because today’s consumers are always seeking more meaningful interactions with brands. There’s a variety of brands that have continued to improve their customer design experiences to convey their core messages and principles:

• Nike boasts an array of in-store, product, and digital experiences, all of which are focused on the customer. Nike’s immersive “Rise” store, based in Seoul, is a high-tech shopping experience that combines the digital and the physical to create an immersive branded experience that connects customers to the store. Ultimately, Nike has positioned its brand as expressive and forward-thinking, to create a positive perception and bring in new customers.  

• When it comes to customer-centric experiences, there’s been few brands more effective than Apple, which has positioned itself as a highly innovative company. Apple has continued to build products that are more advanced than previous iterations. The brand has become synonymous with technology and its products are a crucial part of people’s daily lives.

• The BMW brand has also continued to evolve over the years. BMW launched a new magazine that focuses on feature stories, with issues focusing on a single theme. In this way, BMW is providing their customers with further value to keep audiences inspired and connected to the brand. The idea was born out of a desire to engage audiences that are interested in stories focused on innovation and future changes in society. By creating a magazine, BMWis providing customers with a bespoke experience that aims to leave them feeling inspired about a positive future of technology. 

Experiences have always played a key role in the automotive sector. Today, the car driving experience is the most advanced it’s ever been. Carsare no longer just hardware-driven machines, instead, they serve as a platform for digital products, apps and services. The modern car now offers on-demand and customer-centric features that provide a highly personalised vehicle experience. For example, many BMW models have an integrated personal assistant that drivers can speak to and ask questions. 

While an in-car intelligent personal assistant creates a more comfortable driving experience, it also creates a stronger connection between the customer and the brand. Again, customer expectations are changing, and car features are beginning to reflect that, but more importantly, higher quality, ever-evolving customer experiences make brands like BMW that much stronger. 

The business value of experience design 

In the customer journey, every touchpoint should reinforce the principles and personality of the brand. Since today’s consumers have so many options, a brand’s customer acquisition strategy needs to be well-defined, meaning that the brand needs to be distinctive. Why? Because a well-crafted brand experience differentiates a business from competitors. So, the biggest value of experience design is improving the performance of a brand and enhancing the customer journey.  

The purpose of user experience is to keep customers engaged and loyal to the brand or product and to create a meaningful experience. According to research, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. This shows just how valuable user experience is for generating interest and engagement and developing a business’s online performance.  

Quality experiences are extremely important for inspiring customers and driving results, as it forms the foundations on which the values of the brand are built and delivered to the digital world.Experience design is about driving products, features, and environments to meet the needs of the customer across the buyer’s journey, which leads to more sales for the brand. 

What’s the future of experience design?

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, experience design is only going to become more advanced. Experience design enables brands to take visitors on a journey that showcases their values and personality. The experience itself becomes a part of the brand and allows a customer to connect more deeply with its products and services. In the future, experience design is likely to become even more personalised and immersive.

Studies have shown that 66% of consumers expect companies to understand their unique needs, indicating just how important personalisation is for keeping customers engaged. Today’s customers no longer want generic marketing, but individually personalised, unified experiences. Moving forward, brands will need to shift to personalised design experiences that fit customer needs.

At Splendid UNLIMITED, we have a deep understanding and knowledge of experience design. We’re experts in helping to establish and promote brands through creative digital experiences. Splendid has worked with Broadwick Hotel and many other platforms, like Yoti, to create unique brand identities and user experiences. We create genuine value and business advantages for our clients. It’s what we call Digital Made Human. 

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you, contact our New Business Director, Stuart Hobbs.