UCE72 Reflection: Understanding Customer Experience
It was really interesting to learn about studies on satisfaction, and that it is both a function of cognition and emotion.
Learning through the topic brings me back to the days where I was coaching debate (for about 10 years). As a debater myself, I made a mistake focusing solely on the analytical side of the game, thinking it was all technical. That could not be further than the truth.
I then realized it's about winning hearts and minds. That resonates with what we learn in this lecture about the psychological workings that derive satisfaction, via the Expectancy Disconfirmation Model(Oliver,1980). (Found a nice illustration of the model here: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Expectancy-Disconfirmation-Model_fig1_230596670)
As a consumer I have never thought about my feelings throughout the consumption experience. As you may see, this model postulates that post purchase satisfaction is a function of expectation, perceived performance, and disconfirmation of beliefs.
In particular, I feel that at the extreme ends, where the expecations are either very (dominantly) positive/negative, the evaluation will require substantial disconfirmation to break the inital effect of expectations. I am quite intrigued by this. Say, for instance, when Apple markets its products through its "evangelists" and creates a huge group of cult consumers, perhaps this is what at play. Or say, when an idol performs badly live, the fans would still enjoy it the same, even though the ticket price is a hefty.
Questions arise:
- How do determine the factors, or the threshold that expectations cross the point at which it then becomes very positive/negative?
- In the instance that a new, unheard company/product, is there a way to instill a very positive expectations in target audience?
For some reason I also thought about my experience during a marathon some years back. Towards the last few miles I was really exhausted, with pain all over my body that I could barely move, thirsty, and hungry. Then I was saved by the energy stop, where I grabbed some energy gel. I could instantly feel the gel dissipated, my body warmed, and energy gushing from within. The satisfaction was immense. In this scenario, would it be possible that I subconsciously developed high expectations before consuming the gel, or the satisfaction was purely based on the effect or performance of the gel? How does one determine ?
Another area that interests me much is the relation between consumption and well being, where the experience and functions from consuming a product/service, and led to positive emotions. While the functions quite rely on the performance, the experience is perceived, and therefore, could be shaped in certain ways. I wonder if there are some case studies in this regard. Further, what happens if a consumer has conflicting perceptions? Say, A loves junk food, but feel guilty about weight, or B loves mink coats, but supports animal rights? What is the psychological mechanics at play?
I have enjoyed this week's lecture. Thanks to Jorg and Margareta. Perhaps subsequent learning will shed more lights on the questions I have. Will review again, when I come across new idea, content or inspiration that may approach these questions.