What does it mean to craft an exceptional user experience? How we can create magical moments?

We don't talk a lot about the user experience in our sector. But we should. Especially as we know that Newcomers, like all of us, are looking for frictionless access to information and progress in their Settlement journey, and expect exceptional service from us all. And why wouldn't they? They, like all of us, experience frictionless digital and other service experiences elsewhere. They increasingly expect it from sector service providers. But what does it mean?

There are a couple of folks who have talked about this in the non-profit as well as for-profit context. I think their perspectives are worth reviewing.

Anil Patel

Anil Patel has worked on creating better nonprofit service experiences for many years, focused especially on the digital user experience. In an article he co-wrote before leaving GrantBook, Anil outlines what it means to create magical moments.

"Magical moments are flashes of surprise and delight that happen when our clients and partners awaken to possibility, unlock a fresh perspective, or uncover a new approach for achieving their strategic vision...

A team favourite is the illustration of our master baker, whose skill at combining the right ingredients to bake delicious goods for his diners serves as an analogy for creating software recipes that integrate right-sized tools for grantmakers. Ever a metaphor fan, Anil likened software integration to baking: both require combining the right ingredients in the right measures to please your stakeholder."

(image from article on Grantbook site)

That same year, Anil took some time to look at what the future of non-profit work could look like. That conversation is captured in a podcast interview. Questions he addressed include: What does the future of work look like? Is it already here? How do we equip our organizations to meet the changing workplace? What do we need to do today?

In the podcast he outlines five essential questions he asked to guide his research:

1. What industries are undergoing substantial and rapid change?
2. Which organizations are leading this disruption?
3. How are they attracting and building their teams to build top talent?
4. What are the types of skill sets and competencies that they are building in to surprise and delight their stakeholders?
5. What are the implications that we could learn and borrow from for the benefit of civil society?

It's a good listen.

Brian Solis

In this useful 2021 article, he asked: "How do you design the ideal experience? Is it possible to over-engineer this?

Any experience should be natural, desirable and sought after – I don’t think you could over-engineer something that matters to people if you understand what’s important to them.

What we’re seeing at the moment is people who are trying to create something that woos you, engages you or entertains you – we are witnessing the age of manufactured engagement.

Every experience has to begin with ‘what does the individual prefer and value?’ in order to work."

In this 2017 keynote he outlines his take on Customer Experience (CX) and how most companies miss the real opportunity because they don't actually think about experiences from the perspective of the people they want to reach. Customers are evolving. Business processes and mindsets are not keeping up. As a result, they're limited in the ability to design experiences that matter to an increasingly evolving generation of connected customers.

I also found this 2018 presentation very insightful, from the Senior Living Innovation Forum - The Experience when Business Meets Design. It's a 45 minute presentation, and you should watch it all. But I've queued up the video to start where he discuses and defines what he means by experience. You can also read a fully summary of his presentation here.

What does all of this mean for our sector?

It means we need to have this conversation. What it means for us. More importantly, what it means for the Newcomers we serve and seek to serve? How we can craft an exceptional user experience and create magical moments for Newcomers before and after they arrive in Canada.

Just like the conversation we need to have about defining innovation in the immigrant and refugee-serving sector, we need to define what we mean by a Newcomer user experience.