Episode 57 | September 12, 2022
Design smarter by zooming out: uncovering key customer moments
Discover how focusing on key customer moments can transform service design and drive better experiences. Featuring insights from Patrick Quattlebaum.
Design smarter by zooming out: uncovering key customer moments
Most organizations obsess over efficiency, yet overlook the most human parts of the customer experience—those emotional, often fleeting, but highly impactful moments that define relationships with a brand.
In a recent episode of Insights Unlocked, we sat down with Patrick Quattlebaum, CEO of Harmonic Design, to explore how identifying and designing for these moments is essential to building authentic customer experiences. From his work with libraries to Fortune 500 companies, Patrick breaks down why organizations need to think bigger—and slower—if they want to create experiences that matter.
The power of a well-placed moment
Rather than trying to design for every possible interaction, Patrick recommends focusing on the key moments where human need and organizational purpose intersect.
“Moments can serve as a design target,” he said. “They’re architectural elements—observable, measurable, and full of rich context.”
These moments aren't always obvious. They could be the anxiety of a first-time homebuyer navigating mortgage paperwork or the relief of finding support at a public library. Understanding these moments requires qualitative research, empathy, and curiosity—qualities often lost in fast-paced, metrics-driven environments
GUIDE
Proving the ROI of UX research
Human insight as a team sport
One of the most actionable ideas Patrick shared is that customer experience design isn't the sole responsibility of designers or researchers—it's a team sport.
“Reduce the degrees of separation between decision-makers and the people they impact,” he urged. “There will never be enough researchers to do all the research. Equip others to gather and act on insights.”
By democratizing UX research and using storytelling to share findings, teams can build shared empathy and drive alignment across silos. Insights become tools—used to craft better services, policies, and communication.
From shadow to substance
Patrick likens over-reliance on metrics to Plato’s cave: data often shows only shadows of the real experience. To truly understand your customer, you need the full picture—stories, context, emotions. This is where qualitative insight and customer storytelling shine.
Designing better services starts with shifting your organizational lens from outputs to outcomes, from dashboards to people. And that shift begins by recognizing the value of those small but mighty human moments.
As Patrick put it, “A moment is an experience in which you create a value exchange. It’s a human key that can unlock smarter decisions across your organization.”
Episode links:
- Making the case for content testing in your organization: Bobbie Wood, CEO of UX Content Collective, and Lynne Robertson, UserTesting’s Manager of UX Writing, share strategies for advocating content testing within organizations. They discuss how to demonstrate the value of content testing to stakeholders and integrate it into the design process.
- The complete guide to user interviews: This guide explores how user interviews can enhance the product development lifecycle. It covers different types of user interviews, when to conduct them, and how to run successful sessions to gather valuable customer insights.
- Customer journey mapping and storytelling at G2: Dane Howard of G2 discusses the importance of customer journey mapping and storytelling in design. He shares insights on how G2 uses these techniques to enhance customer experiences and drive conversions.
- How to create customer journey maps to increase conversions: This blog post provides a step-by-step guide to creating effective customer journey maps. It emphasizes the importance of understanding customer interactions to improve experiences and boost conversions.
