User Experience (UX) and Customer Experience (CX)

Definition and scope of UX

UX (User eXperience)  refers to the quality of the interaction between a user and a product, service or system, whether digital or not. It encompasses two essential dimensions:

1. Usability: the ease with which a person can achieve their goals through an interface or system.
2. The emotional feeling: the psychological and emotional impact of the experience, which contributes to overall satisfaction.

This integrative vision was popularized by Donald Norman in the 1990s, who defined UX as “a person's responses and perceptions resulting from the use or anticipation of the use of a product, service or system.“

Today, UX extends far beyond digital interfaces, applying to any “human-machine” interaction or service design. This versatility has led to the development of complementary disciplines, such as:

• UX Design: focused on the design of optimal interfaces.
• Service Design: focused on improving user journeys across all touchpoints.
• Design thinking: a creative and iterative approach to solving problems centered on user needs.
   

Customer Experience (CX)

Customer experience refers to the set of interactions that a customer has with a company, whether it is a direct exchange (such as a transaction or a visit to a store) or an indirect interaction (such as an advertisement seen on television or a discussion on social networks). This experience includes all the perceptions, impressions and emotions that the customer feels before, during and after the purchase or use of a product or service.

With the advent of digital technologies and their integration into our daily lives, the customer experience has become more complex and demanding, transforming into a resolutely omnichannel dynamics. Customers now move effortlessly between a multitude of touchpoints—whether physical, digital, or social—forcing businesses to design a smooth, consistent user experience adapted to each context.

The emergence of new technologies, such as connected objects, artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis tools, has profoundly changed customer expectations. Customers are increasingly looking for personalized experiences, a immediate reactivity, and a simplicity of interaction which meets their need for convenience and efficiency.

A strategic challenge for businesses

In a hyper-connected world, delivering a quality user and customer experience is no longer a simple competitive advantage: it is a strategic necessity. A successful CX requires a perfect synergy between the different departments and skills of the company.

To meet these challenges, UXOP offers specialized expertise in UX, enabling the quality of digital interactions to be optimized and the overall customer experience to be improved.

The ultimate goal is to building an omnichannel ecosystem where every touchpoint is aligned with user and customer expectations, contributing to a unified, enriched and memorable experience.

By investing in UX and CX, companies can:

• Strengthen their customer loyalty.
• Drive engagement and referrals.
• Creating sustainable added value in an increasingly competitive market.

Strategic unification between UX and CX

In today's economy, user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) must be viewed as two sides of the same coin. While UX focuses on optimizing interactions with digital systems and products, CX encompasses the entire customer journey, from initial contact to after-sales.. A winning strategy relies on the ability to integrate these two dimensions in a fluid and coherent manner. This requires not only investments in user research and data analysis, but also rigorous coordination between the different departments of the company.

A unified approach helps exceed customer expectations while driving loyalty, and this, thanks to emotionally positive and technologically efficient interactions. Thus, by converging UX and CX, companies build a global experience where every point of contact becomes an opportunity to create value and leave a lasting mark.