Moments that matter: from customer journeys to human journeys

As some of you know from last week's newsletter, I'm on holiday, and it made me remember an insight I wanted to share about maintaining desired behaviours. I'll illustrate this with a challenge we worked on for diabetic patients.

Let me begin by stating that not all behaviours are the same. Broadly speaking, we can distinguish between two types: one-off behaviours, like signing up for a pension plan, and continuous behaviours, like taking medication or exercising.

That second type of behaviours can be particularly challenging. We often intend to maintain certain behaviours but struggle to follow through. This isn't because we're weak; it's because we're human, and life gets in the way. No one wants to be unhealthy, face financial problems, live in a polluted environment, be glued to their phone, or worry endlessly about the future. But sometimes, we simply don't or can't take the steps needed to prevent this.

Returning to the work we did for diabetic patients, it highlighted one of the most crucial aspects for successful and lasting behavioural change: Moments. Moments might seem trivial, but there's more to them than meets the eye. It's about recognising the difference between a customer journey and a human journey.

You probably know that diabetic patients must follow a strict diet to keep their insulin levels stable. However, this doesn't always go as planned. From a customer journey perspective, a doctor is a vital touchpoint for providing patients with guidance on what to do and what to avoid. However, our client indicated that health care professionals were very frustrated that patients didn't always follow up on this advice.

We mapped out the human journey and discovered a critical moment when patients often break their routines: the holidays. Like everyone else, diabetic patients want to enjoy their time off and life's pleasures without worry. Understandably, this is when sticking to their diet becomes the hardest.

In moments like these, they don't need their doctor’s information; they need support, particularly from others facing the same challenges. That's why we created a community for diabetic patients, enabling them to connect with other patients during their holidays and help each other through those difficult times.

The key insight I want to share with you is that by adopting a human journey perspective and stepping into the person's shoes, rather than focusing solely on your product or service, you'll uncover new moments that reveal genuine human needs. This will help you develop more relevant solutions.

This leads to the second insight I'd like to share. We often focus on positive moments for people. However, the real key to helping people maintain their behaviour is to support them when times get tough.

These are the crucial "Moments that Matter", the moments when life gets in the way, and someone struggles to hold on. That's when you can truly make a difference.

In conclusion, there's a difference between a customer journey and a human journey. The customer journey maps out all the touchpoints users have with a product or service, while the human journey encompasses all the moments when a person, a human navigating life's challenges, consciously or unconsciously decides to act or not. It also includes when they struggle to maintain their behaviour, even if they wish to.

By considering human journeys and Moments that Matter, you can connect more deeply with your target audience. Moreover, this approach opens up a world of opportunities to develop solutions and innovations that are genuinely customer-centric.