Once we scoped our Customer Playbook to the small business segment, it was time to form teams to understand these customers. — Once we scoped our Customer Playbook to the small business segment, it was time to form teams to understand these customers. In the understand phase, we wanted to uncover the following insights in order to lay the foundational groundwork for the design and content of the Customer Playbook.

As researchers, we often get asked, “Who is/are the [insert descriptor]?” This could be: — As researchers, we often get asked, “Who is/are the [insert descriptor]?” This could be: Segments Archetypes Personas People believe knowing who these design targets are is the golden ticket to success because that is what we’ve been taught. Step one is to understand the people you are designing for. Do…

I smile so hard inside when I think about each and every person my team. What makes this team so incredible? I thought you would never ask. — It’s cliché to say there are no assholes on my team, but when I write it with passion and purpose and truly mean it, it feels ok to leave it right here on the interwebs. It feels ok to just let it sit here and simmer. Bozoma “Boz” Saint John…

It seems like yesterday when I walked off the elevator on the 29th floor at One Penn Plaza and looked out the window to see all of downtown… — It seems like yesterday when I walked off the elevator on the 29th floor at One Penn Plaza and looked out the window to see all of downtown Manhattan smiling back at me. …

Learn about Brandon Mosley’s design philosophy, where he seeks inspiration and what impact he hopes to make at Valley — Learn about Brandon Mosley’s design philosophy, where he seeks inspiration and what impact he hopes to make at Valley Apply to work with Brandon! Can you tell us a bit about yourself Brandon? Growing up in the ‘burbs of Westchester, NY, I became a curious learner. I always had artistic inclinations (still do) and I was fascinated by the…

When people think about your brand, they think about all of their interactions with your brand, not just the good ones. — When people think about your brand, they think about all of their interactions with your brand, not just the good ones. Your customer service is exceptional but at the same time your store layout is confusing so people can’t find anything. Your price point is low but also your product…

Our team is growing and I would love to talk to you if you are a researcher or designer looking to help us grow a team from the ground up. — It has been one year and 7 months. I know that because LinkedIn tells me this not because it feels like one year and 7 months. It feels more like 6 months. When I reflect back on my post about building a research and service design practice inside a 90-year…

If you never ship, you’ll never learn what works once your Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) is out in the wild. — When I learned we had a 76 percent completion rate on membership signups, I was beyond excited. The first recruiting push for our new research opt-in program, the Valley Bank CX Co-Lab, was a success. Our community was growing and we were closer to our 2020 goal of 1000 members. …

We need to spend less time planning research and more time doing research. Join us and help us do just that. — On Day 3 at Valley Bank, at about the same time I got my laptop, I met Stuart. He had just joined Valley as well as the head of Digital Product and was in Week Zero of a discovery sprint. We started to chat and he asked me, how do…