Stop designing CX for the average customer

Why good customer experience is not universal

The Research Agency’s (TRA) Aussie Minds research shows why customer experience leaders need to look beneath averages and design for the different ways people experience value and want to engage.

There is no universal definition of good customer experience. People judge the same experience differently depending on whether they value speed, support, control, familiarity or reassurance, so organisations should combine consistent foundations with meaningful choice.

Fast. Easy. Seamless. Personalised. These ideas have become shorthand for a good customer experience. They are useful north stars, but they can also create the impression that there is one ideal experience organisations should work towards.

The problem with that assumption is that people do not always agree on what good feels like. Different groups systematically place different value on speed, support, control, familiarity, reassurance and novelty.

Aussie Minds shows that good is relative. Self-service can make one person feel capable and in control, while making another feel unsupported. A highly guided process can reassure one person and frustrate someone who wants to move quickly. Innovation can feel exciting or introduce unnecessary risk.

Why customer averages make a weak design brief

Customer experience leaders need ways to manage complexity. We build journeys, create principles, track headline scores and identify the experience that works best for the greatest number of people.

Averages are useful for understanding overall performance and identifying broad cohorts, but they are much less useful as a customer experience design brief. The resulting experience may appear reasonable overall while failing to fully meet the needs of the different people using it.

What Aussie Minds reveals about customer experience preferences

Aussie Minds data provides a good example. When asked about banking services, Australians are almost evenly divided: 52% prefer dealing with a real person, while 48% prefer doing everything online or through an app.

Dive deeper and the picture becomes clearer. Around 62% of Anchors prefer dealing with a real person, compared with 43% of Chasers, the MindSet least likely to prefer human interaction. Keepers also lean towards human interaction, while Mavericks and Chasers are more comfortable completing the experience digitally.

Chasers are much more digitally fluent: 93% feel quite or very confident using technology, compared with 78% of Anchors. They are also more positive about emerging technology: 46% of Chasers are excited about AI, versus only 28% of Anchors.

The interesting point is that Anchors are not digitally incapable. Nearly 8 in 10 are confident using technology. Their preference for dealing with a person therefore appears to be about more than ability.

Anchors are defined by a community orientation and place greater emphasis on warmth, fairness and dependable care. Chasers are more likely to embrace new products and services, with CX preferences centred on speed, self-service, personalisation and control.

For Anchors, human contact can signal care and reassurance. For Chasers, digital self-service can signal freedom and control.

IKEA is a great example. Customers can plan themselves using digital tools, book an online or in-store planning appointment, use Click and Collect or delivery, and assemble furniture themselves or pay for assembly. The outcome is consistent, but customers can decide how much effort, expertise and support they want to bring to the journey.

Design consistent foundations, then flex where needs diverge

There are still foundations that should work for everyone. Experiences should be reliable, clear, fair and accessible. Customers should understand what is happening, feel confident that the organisation will deliver and be able to get help when they need it.

Consistency matters in these fundamentals. Flexibility matters where people’s needs begin to diverge.

For customer experience leaders, that means making three practical shifts.

1. Identify where definitions of good diverge

Not every part of an experience needs to flex. Focus on the moments where different needs could materially change how the journey is judged.

This may include the balance between human support and self-service, speed and reassurance, or simplicity and detail. In banking, for example, applying for a new product such as a term deposit or credit card might be straightforward digitally for one customer, while another may want the reassurance of speaking to someone before deciding.

2. Create meaningful routes through the experience

Start by asking what someone needs to feel for the experience to be successful.

Customers might choose between a fast digital route and a more guided pathway. They might access a quick summary or explore detailed information. Human help might remain visible without being forced into every interaction.

The aim is to be intentional at the moments where different definitions of good matter most.

Airbnb, for example, presents the total reservation price while still allowing customers to access the underlying breakdown, including fees and taxes. That gives people a simple headline number without removing the detail for those who want to understand exactly what they are paying for.

3. Treat choice as part of the experience architecture

Choice is usually treated as a feature. It could instead be a design principle.

Rather than trying to predict perfectly whether someone wants speed, support or detail, design experiences that let people express that preference naturally. For example, a customer could choose whether to continue independently, see more information or speak to someone without having to abandon the journey and start again.

How Aussie Minds can improve customer experience design

Aussie Minds gives organisations another lens through which to answer these questions. It can help teams design moments that reduce friction, build confidence and meet people where they are, rather than assuming everyone arrives with the same expectations.

Demographics tell us what people look like on paper. Behaviour tells us what they have done. MindSets help explain what they might need the experience to deliver.

Aussie Minds is built on a rich dataset exploring how Australians think, feel and make decisions. Download the guide to explore the MindSets in detail, or talk to us about applying the data to your category, customers and brand.

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