Human-Driven Experience

7Bringing Technology and People Together in a More Human-Centric Way

I like to think of ideas as potential energy.

They're really wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action.

—Mae Jemison

I hope by now you realize that the ideas I talk about in this book aren't just pie in the sky—they are actionable, attainable. Unfortunately, it's putting ideas like these into action where the majority of organizations consistently get stuck. We extol the virtues of building a better experience. We tell everyone to be transparent. We explain to organizations that they don't own their brand—that today, their brand is what customers tell them it is. We focus on all the tactical practicalities of upgrading the digital experience. But what we don't do is map out the strategic things that need to be done to make change stick.

An effective organizational strategy for humanizing digital begins with a top-down, bottom-up acceptance that we're going to do business differently. In addition, you need to have a roadmap for where you're going to go and how you'll get there.I have found that a particularly effective roadmap for humanizing digital in an organization has five steps:

1. Define the problem—walk a mile in you customer's shoes.
2. Understand the value of the moments that matter.
3. Prioritize and create the business plan for needed change.
4. Understand the implications and empower the organization to make changes.
5. Orchestrate, measure, and refine iteratively.

The cycle ...