Applicazione del Design Thinking all' Experience Design: A Case Study from the Banking Industry

Two decades ago, we entered the experience economy. Nowadays compelling customer experience is the necessary condition to sustain competitive advantage. More and more firms turn to design thinking – a way how designers think and work – to design customer experiences inside their organizations. This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of adaptation of the design thinking methodology in the banking industry and the implications it has for customer experience design. This master thesis builds on an empirical desk research and interview study in an Italian bank, which implemented design thinking. The case study shows that design thinking can also be applied by non-designers, but it is challenging from the organizational and management point of view. The employees must receive the necessary instruction and project owners and managers need to change their mindset, to accept that real customer needs cannot be known in advance. Despite these complications, the study revealed that design thinking had immense value and high potential for creating excellent customer experience designs.

Two decades ago, we entered the experience economy. Nowadays compelling customer experience is the necessary condition to sustain competitive advantage. More and more firms turn to design thinking – a way how designers think and work – to design customer experiences inside their organizations. This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of adaptation of the design thinking methodology in the banking industry and the implications it has for customer experience design. This master thesis builds on an empirical desk research and interview study in an Italian bank, which implemented design thinking. The case study shows that design thinking can also be applied by non-designers, but it is challenging from the organizational and managerial point of view. The employees must receive the necessary instruction and project owners and managers need to change their mindset, to accept that real customer needs cannot be known in advance. Despite these complications, the study revealed that design thinking had immense value and high potential for creating excellent customer experience designs.