Experience-centric development
Written by Simon Clatworthy
I have received a lot of positive feedback recently about the post describing the experience centric organization (here and here). Some of the companies I am working with are now exploring what it means to be an experience centric organization, and what it means for project teams.
Since Steve Jobs has been on my mind a lot recently, I have been going through some very old YouTube videos of him describing his vision for Apple in 1997, because I think my idea of experience centricity (as something different, but related, to customer centricity) appeared about this time. I remember reading a quote from the Harvard Business Review from that time saying that:
As products become more and more alike technologically, the experience a product gives will become crucial in peoples choices
Well, I came across this video on YouTube, where Steve Jobs answers a pretty scathing question from the audience in a very good way.
He explains the way he wants Apple to develop products and how this means balancing multiple aspects around the customer experience. At about 1:52, he says:
You have got to start with the customer experience, and then work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology, and figure out where you are going to sell it
So, I guess its fitting to say that way back in 1997, Steve Jobs described the experience-centric organization. He didn’t say it exactly in that way, but I think its a fitting tribute to the man to say that already 15 years ago (almost), he had the vision of an experience-centric organization. The surprising thing, is that very very few organizations have managed to follow him there. Now, I wonder why that is? Its obviously a source of competitive advantage, but for some reason, organizations just cannot manage to get there.