In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, where consumers are inundated with choices and empowered by technology, crafting customer-centric experiences with a personal touch has become the cornerstone of achieving and sustaining digital success. By placing the customer at the heart of every digital interaction, companies can forge meaningful connections, foster loyalty, and flourish in the dynamic digital realm. But what does that really entail?

Immersive journeys that resonate with customers are no longer extraordinary; they’re the nugget that get the influencers posting and the dinner conversations going. It’s a must-have, without which bad reviews follow. So, businesses must shift their focus from a product-centric approach to one that revolves around understanding, anticipating, and fulfilling the unique needs and desires of their customers. Product design often forms an integral part of a successful customer experience (CX). It involves creating user-friendly digital interactions that enhance satisfaction and efficiency. When integrated into CX strategies, product design ensures optimised touchpoints, fostering brand loyalty and customer advocacy. Prioritising product design demonstrates a commitment to customer needs, vital for thriving in a user-centric business landscape.

As industry leaders in custom software solutions, BBD has a dedicated product design team that offers user experience design, user interface design, analysis and mobile development, enabling their clients to deliver customer-centric solutions to their end users.

Because BBD understands the bigger picture and is dedicated to supporting their clients over the long term, they have recently expanded their strategic services to include CX strategies. They now offer their clients a guiding roadmap for improved business success by contributing towards ensuring alignment with shifting consumer behaviour and evolving business trends.

Crafting digital success through a customer-centric approach

Where does this roadmap begin? “We start with what we understand. We know that engaging in the intricate technological puzzles our clients entrust us to solve is vital. Through utilising all the tools in our creative toolkits, our team ensures a deep understanding of user needs and fosters innovative thinking,” explains Jana Barclay, Product Design and CX Lead at BBD. User research plays a vital role, helping to uncover unmet needs and minimise the risk of design failures. She goes on to explain that the team doesn’t merely recommend actions; they envision themselves implementing them, standing alongside clients. “We immerse ourselves in our clients’ customers, becoming their confidants, prioritising their wants and needs. We conceptualise alongside them and experience their journeys through their eyes.”

Through this approach, businesses benefit from a partnership with BBD that goes beyond traditional service providers. BBD becomes an extension of your team, helping you understand and serve your customers better, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and business growth.

Mastering the journey from idea to reality

BBD excels in delivering results. The software development journey encompasses defining, refining, sizing, planning, and executing. At BBD, we believe that crafting customer experiences should follow the same principles. “We break down the essential building blocks of a well-crafted customer experience, which include personalisation, empathy during testing, and dedicated time and effort. Success becomes tangible when you define the qualitative and quantitative values associated with it. BBD achieves this by providing early, frequent, and transparent reports,” says Barclay. “We take an agile approach to our work, applying client feedback into the product to iteratively improve it. This often makes the end result better than the original idea.”

Integrating user-centricity into design

BBD seamlessly weaves user-centricity into its design process. This approach recognises that effective digital solutions go beyond functionality; they must resonate with users. By mapping user journeys, analysing data for insights, and conducting user testing, BBD ensures that each digital interaction is purposeful, intuitive, and aligned with evolving audience needs. This translates to higher user engagement, increased conversion rates, and improved user retention, all of which directly impact the bottom line.

Guided by a comprehensive CX strategy

At the heart of BBD’s success in creating customer-centric digital experiences is its robust CX strategy. Rather than an afterthought, CX principles inform every design decision. This strategy covers both surface-level design aspects and the emotional connections users form with a brand. BBD’s CX experts collaborate seamlessly with designers and software engineers throughout the project to align each touchpoint with the brand narrative. This holistic approach ensures that the end product resonates with users on multiple levels, leaving a lasting impact beyond the screen. This translates to long-term success and market leadership.

Empowering design systems for differentiation

BBD leverages the power of efficient design systems to empower businesses to stand out. Barclay explains that by establishing design guidelines, principles, and reusable components, BBD enables clients to create consistent, visually appealing, and user-centric interfaces across platforms. This streamlines development and ensures a harmonious user experience regardless of the context. Design systems serve as a blueprint for innovation, allowing companies to experiment while staying true to their brand identity.

Strategic thinking for sustained growth

Beyond short-term objectives, BBD excels in achieving long-term growth for their clients through strategic thinking. When designing digital solutions, BBD anticipates how each element contributes to sustained client success. “By aligning design choices with our client’s business objectives,” explains Barclay. “BBD creates solutions that address immediate pain points and lay the foundation for continuous evolution.” This strategic approach empowers BBD’s clients to adapt to changing market dynamics, securing a position of strength in the digital arena.

Tangible impact: Measuring success

In a project with Shyft, a Forex and global investment client, BBD’s product design team elevated the existing mobile designs into fully responsive journeys fit for all web platforms, while pinpointing areas of improvement. Facing a major challenge along the way, the team had to seamlessly extend the minor mobile design enhancements to tablet and desktop interfaces.

The primary objectives were clear:

  • Forge visual consistency across platforms
  • Enhance user experience with a focus on accessibility
  • Implement modern design practices, including auto layout, a robust design system, and scalable components

The project resulted in a comprehensive, scalable design system; a consistent dark mode experience; user-centric designs for mobile, tablet, and desktop; a commitment to accessibility; and a meticulously tailored web app designed for all devices.

Glynn Allen, Shyft’s Head of Digital Solutions, says, “Having worked closely with UX experts for over a decade, I can wholeheartedly say that BBD is amongst the best. Working with BBD has delivered a customer-centric, research-based product that has been nothing short of transformative for our business. Their work is incredibly well thought out and always delivered professionally, creatively, and with ample time for the product team to make the best decisions for our customers.”

Dani Morley, Shyft’s Head of Platform Growth, adds, “It’s a privilege to work with a team of intuitive UX specialists that design as the customer, and not just for the customer. Their experience, intuition and considered approach ensures every single click, tap and drop down is simple and seamless. They have built a future-proofed customer hub for Shyft’s global citizens – travellers, shoppers and investors – to learn from, share, and be inspired to visit again and again.”

By placing users at the core of its design philosophy, guided by a comprehensive customer experience strategy, empowering design systems, strategic foresight, and measurable success, BBD has established itself as a driving force in shaping digital success stories. In an era of evolving user expectations, BBD’s approach surpasses those expectations, creating digital experiences that deliver lasting business impact.

Are you ready to harness the power of innovation and drive lasting business impact? Contact BBD today to begin your journey towards elevated customer experiences!