CHAPTER 3
The blind spot of user-centric design
Content Summary
Not all customers are the same for you, some customers are more strategic than others. User-centric design traditionally focuses on the needs and desires of potential customers. However, for successful innovation, strategic priorisation of customers and grouping them based on that is critical.
The lecture starts with an argument that user-centric design tends to forget the goals of company. When we know these goals, we can also determine which customer group is more strategic for the company than others. This is essential in the early stages of creating a product or service as we need to first choose who are customers we start with. This is a lot easier with smaller customer groups (not large segments). Also, focusing on the strategic customers at this stage is highly beneficial as they are the ones who have better potential to fulfil the organisation’s goals. The lecture further introduces a variety of practical ways how to group and segment customers.
Further readings
- Nadler, D.A. and Tushman, M.L. (1997) Competing by design: The power of organizational architecture. Oxford University Press.
- Janićijević, N. (2011). Methodological approaches in the research of organizational culture. Economic Annals, 56(189), 69–99.
- Schein, E. H. (1990). Organizational culture. American Psychological Association, 45(2), 109–119.
