BREAKING SILOS BUILDING JOURNEYS IN HIGH FASHION LOYALTY
Redesigning Neiman Marcus’ loyalty program by breaking down silos and adopting a journey-centric approach to create a seamless, personalized experience for luxury shoppers.
COMPANY
Neiman Marcus & Capital One
ROLE
UX Research / Strategy Development
PRODUCT
Brand Loyalty Mobile Experience
SITUATION
OVERVIEW
Neiman Marcus and Capital One sought to launch an enhanced multi-tender loyalty program to deepen customer loyalty and strengthen their position in the luxury market. I developed a UX strategy for their mobile experience. Over a six-month period, I delivered a comprehensive and actionable plan that provided clear direction, enabling their teams to move forward confidently into the design and development phases.
NOTE
Details on the certain details may be vague to protect the client’s intellectual property.
OPPORTUNITY
Capital One and Neiman Marcus identified a need to improve their loyalty program by addressing gaps in customer engagement and enhancing the mobile app experience. The lack of integration between their private-label credit card (PLCC) and the loyalty system created usability challenges, preventing high-value customers from taking full advantage of the program. This presented an opportunity to streamline the customer journey and design a more cohesive, user-friendly loyalty experience that would deepen the brand loyalty of their luxury clientele.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
WHO
High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who are either current customers or high-potential prospects for the brand.
WHAT
InCircle, their multi-tender loyalty mobile strategy designed as part of a broader loyalty ecosystem. It integrates omni-channel experiences, leverages underutilized brand assets, and offers exclusive luxury services such as personalized shopping experiences, bespoke lifestyle offerings, and high-end benefits.
WHERE
A mobile experience that provides seamless access to loyalty rewards and services, supporting a cohesive omni-channel journey that enhances both in-store and out-of-store interactions.
WHEN
The strategy was developed over a six-month period, laying the groundwork for Neiman Marcus’ in-house UX and UI teams to begin designing the interface for the experience.
WHY
To redefine loyalty as an integrated ecosystem that aligns with the expectations of HNWIs for convenience, exclusivity, and personalization. The program aims to drive engagement through omni-channel integration, data-driven personalization, and streamlined communication. It also seeks to eliminate barriers for base-level members, support associate engagement, and target high-potential customers. By leveraging underutilized assets and creating a seamless, intuitive mobile experience, the program enhances customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty while reinforcing Neiman Marcus as a leader in luxury retail.
High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), who represent a core segment of Neiman Marcus’s clientele, are not fully engaging with the brand’s loyalty program due to its inability to showcase or integrate its exclusive luxury services effectively. This gap is particularly evident in the mobile experience, where the lack of seamless access to personalized shopping experiences, bespoke lifestyle benefits, and omni-channel engagement reduces the program’s perceived value. Addressing this issue is critical to ensuring the loyalty program aligns with the expectations of luxury consumers, enhances daily engagement, and solidifies Neiman Marcus’s reputation as a leader in personalized, high-end retail experiences.
High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), who represent a core segment of Neiman Marcus’s clientele, are not fully engaging with the brand’s loyalty program due to its inability to showcase or integrate its exclusive luxury services effectively. This gap is particularly evident in the mobile experience, where the lack of seamless access to personalized shopping experiences, bespoke lifestyle benefits, and omni-channel engagement reduces the program’s perceived value. Addressing this issue is critical to ensuring the loyalty program aligns with the expectations of luxury consumers, enhances daily engagement, and solidifies Neiman Marcus’s reputation as a leader in personalized, high-end retail experiences.
ACTION
RESEARCH GOALS
The research sought to understand how high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) engage with loyalty programs, their expectations for exclusive and personalized experiences, and the barriers preventing optimal utilization of Neiman Marcus’s current offering. It also aimed to uncover how competitors address similar challenges, how users navigate the existing program, and what features and interactions could create an omni-channel loyalty experience that aligns with business goals and the brand’s luxury positioning.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Stakeholder Workshops & Interviews
User interviews
Journey Mapping
Competitive Benchamarking
Personas
Synthesis & Analysis
DELIVERABLES
Competitive Benchmarking
Personas
Informative Architecture
Journey Maps
Strategic Recommendations
STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS & INTERVIEWS
Throughout this project, I worked closely with Neiman Marcus’ team for expert insight into the luxury fashion market. It was important to understand the purpose of running a research study, considering that we were on a time crunch. The Neiman Marcus team had done a lot of work on qualitative research but it seemed that they did not close the research loop by making sense of the data to create statements from what they had learned but instead, have individual metrics as they stand.
Collaboration and whiteboarding sessions with Neiman Marcus and CapitalOne teams
STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS & INTERVIEWS FINDINGS
CROSS FUNCTIONAL INTERGRATION
I discovered that Neiman Marcus’ internal teams operated in silos, with each function developing their initiatives in isolation. This approach not only hindered their understanding of the interconnectedness of their efforts but also obscured the value proposition of what they were collectively trying to build.
Stanley app
THE STANLEY APP
Neiman Marcus’ existing app, Stanley, was developed as a product discovery tool, offering wardrobe and outfit matching ideas to guide users to their shop. Initially Neiman Marcus planned on building out their loyalty program here however, our team identified several challenges with this standalone app:
It required users to create a separate account, adding unnecessary friction and barrier to the experience.
Its role within the broader ecosystem was unclear, creating confusion about its purpose and value.
While the app had a strong value proposition, integrating a loyalty component would necessitate redesigning existing features, which Neiman Marcus was hesitant to pursue.
Several bottlenecks, both technical and strategic, needed to be resolved before the Stanley app could effectively support their goals.
These challenges highlighted the need for a thorough evaluation of the app’s feasibility and housing the loyalty program elsewhere.
USER INTERVIEWS
I interviewed current InCircle members and non-members, and Neiman Marcus customers.
The initial interviews attempted to uncover their involvement with the loyalty side of the program and their knowledge about the program. The intention was to get a better idea how they perceived the loyalty app, how they use the loyalty program, and what features they were unaware of.
It was clear that there were a lot of available services that were unknown to these participants. Many of the participants also saw the loyalty program as any other, with your typical point-based system for redeeming rewards. There was a lack of attachment to a personalized experience that Neiman Marcus and Capital One were striving for.
COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING
We collaborated with the CX team to analyze direct and indirect competitors’ customer loyalty journeys, product strategies, visual designs, and interaction designs. This effort emphasized the importance of focusing on the complete customer journey to deliver a seamless, integrated experience rather than addressing design patterns in isolation.
To achieve this, we drafted customer journeys as a foundation for breaking them down further and analyzing the underlying UX patterns. By taking this top-down approach, we ensured that every feature contributed meaningfully to the holistic experience, aligning with Neiman Marcus’ business vision and leveraging their domain expertise to cater to the luxury market.
Competitive Analysis
AND THESE WERE OUR FINDINGS...
AND THESE WERE OUR FINDINGS...
COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING FINDINGS
“DASHBOARDIZATION“ FOR WHAT?
It’s very common for companies to attempt simplifying data reporting by creating components or patterns like dashboards. Often, these rely on BI visuals to display metrics like loyalty points. However, simply showing raw data, such as point totals, forces users to interpret its relevance themselves, adding unnecessary effort and offering little value.
A more effective approach is to connect metrics to user goals and to understand what gaps they fill in the customer journey. For example, dashboards could highlight how many points are needed for the next reward or suggest ways to earn more, turning static data into actionable insights.
This trend, which I call "dashboardization," reflects the overuse of dashboards or dashboard like components that fail to make data meaningful or useful to the user.
BRIDGING SPATIAL EXPERIENCES WITH VIRTUAL CONCEPTS
Neiman Marcus aimed to create a mobile experience that fostered a deeper, more personal relationship with its members—beyond simply redeeming points. They envisioned the InCircle app as a concierge for users’ daily lives, leisure activities, and business ventures. To achieve this, it was crucial to explore ways to immerse users in the app, creating an emotional feedback loop through meaningful interactions.
We decided to look into the different patterns that helped create a more realistic experience. One that stood out were interactions that bridge the gap between real-life spatial experiences and virtual concepts. An example of this was the draggable point system, which allowed users to engage with milestones and achievements in a tactile, intuitive way. This interaction added a sense of immersion and connection, making the experience feel more engaging and helping users prioritize their goals within the app.
EMOTIONAL ARCS
To elaborate on creating meaningful interactions that foster an emotional feedback loop between the mobile experience and its users: the most impactful experiences go beyond simple transactional interactions. They build deeper emotional connections by guiding users through an emotional arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end, engaging them and encouraging sustained interaction with the app.
This is achieved through gamification, but only when it is defined in a way that considers elements beyond basic delight. Incorporating aspects such as urgency, enjoyment, and a well-designed reward feedback loop gives gamification more depth and dimension. These elements transform gamification into a tool for creating richer, more engaging experiences that emotionally resonate with users.
PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY
One of the most fundamental items to focus on when creating a meaningful experience that is ubiquitous in a customer’s journey is perceived interactivity. To form an experience where the user feels connected and at times reliant on what the product has to offer meant that we needed to develop emotional feedback loops where micro-interactions, adaptive content, temporal design elements and gamification give our users a sense of active presence in their journey.
An example of this is the temporal implementation of a daily count down timer for a user to reap the benefits of some type of offer. A temporal item like this is a reminder to the user that the app is not a static experience but rather an ephemeral one.
A journey-centric approach becomes the more practical option for operating model when holistically designing an omni-channel experience.
Loyalty program access point buried within a bottom footer accordion
OUTSTANDING ISSUES WITH
EXISTING EXPERIENCE
Striving to turn this loyalty program into something similar to an assistive concierge throughout someone’s day meant that we had to conduct more longitudinal studies. We analyzed the current system and realized that a lot of the touchpoints were developed in isolation of the rest of the mobile experience but also the other aspects of their online brand.
TOUCHPOINTS AND ACCESSPOINTS
The existing loyalty program suffered from limited access points and poorly integrated touchpoints across the digital ecosystem. Users could only interact with loyalty features through a single access point, creating friction for accessing offers and services.
Additionally, their loyalty program (InCircle) was buried within a bottom footer accordion, making it difficult to discover and engage with. This highlighted a larger issue: the need to embed loyalty touchpoints seamlessly across multiple access points, creating a more intuitive and cohesive omni-channel experience.
A great example of well integrated touchpoints and prominent accesspoints.
The loyalty program had limited access points, with offers and services only accessible through the dedicated loyalty page. The InCircle App was also hidden in a bottom footer accordion, reducing visibility and creating barriers for discovery. This lack of integrated touchpoints hindered accessibility and user engagement.
UNCLEAR VALUE PROPOSITION
The loyalty program struggled with an unclear value proposition that was not effectively communicated or integrated into the mobile experience. The bespoke, personalized, and assistive concierge vision Neiman Marcus aimed to deliver was not reflected in how loyalty features were presented. Key elements, such as the "InCircle Concierge," were deprioritized in both visual and content hierarchy, diminishing their perceived importance. This highlighted the need for a deeper evaluation of the program’s value proposition and a strategic approach to embedding it consistently throughout the mobile experience to align with the brand's promise of personalization and exclusivity.
“InCricle Concierge” listed as a last item on their sales sheet
Through competitive benchmarking and collaboration with the Neiman Marcus team, I identified key focus areas to align the loyalty program with business goals and luxury customer needs. I recommended integrating touchpoints across digital and physical channels for seamless accessibility, refining the value proposition with clearer content and visual hierarchy, and replacing static metrics with actionable insights like progress toward rewards. Additionally, I proposed immersive interactions such as milestone-driven features to deepen emotional engagement. These targeted suggestions ensure a cohesive, user-centered experience that drives both customer loyalty and business growth.
PERSONAS
In our research, we discovered that categorizing high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) was more nuanced than expected. The luxury industry consists of multiple tiers of HNWIs, and not all interactions with the experience come directly from the customer—assistants or team members often handle tasks like shopping, travel, or planning on their behalf. We also learn that the first MVP, Neiman Marcus did not intend to target that segment of HNWI, only the first tier of their HNWI spending category.
The personas were developed based off user interviews and other stakeholder interviews providing insight to experience with customers.
As part of evangelizing UX design to the team, we emphasized that personas are:
a) Not a one-time source of truth
Personas need to be routinely revisited and updated to ensure they align with the evolving customer base.
b) A starting point
Personas offer a general direction and framework to work from but should not be treated as absolutes.
The following three personas were created to represent generalized behaviors, goals, and needs of this audience segment, drawing from user interviews, stakeholder discussions, and external CX and HCI research.
How do you build a holistic and unified experience if all the departments lack visibility into each other’s purpose, goals and progress?
One of the main challenges was navigating Neiman Marcus’ siloed structure, where departments operated independently with little visibility into each other’s purpose, goals, or progress. This created fragmented priorities and misalignment, which were further complicated by all disciplines of the loyalty program starting at the same time—resulting in many “horse-before-the-cart” situations. Timing constraints meant we couldn’t cascade findings and work between teams to develop more accurate parts of the program. To avoid as many unforeseeable challenges as possible, we had to remain flexible and adaptable, using any frameworks impartially and prioritizing only the most effective parts.
OUR APPROACH
CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK LOOPS
Design or developing anything at these stages required a lot of reality checks, asking ourselves if all the constituent parts worked together, whether we had enough alignment on our core principles and being clear on our findings and what they meant. We had to maintain an almost routined pattern of open communication with all constituents and stakeholders. Designing or developing anything too far in a silo would have meant a lot of backtracking and work regarding realignment, which would have cost us time that we didn’t have for the project.
FLEXIBLE JOURNEY CENTRIC APPROACH
In anchoring my design process in user journeys rather than static requirements, this allows for the interconnected aspects of features and ideas to be tested as a whole. This is important considering flexibility and adaptability in this project was a priority. In doing so, the features and elements that were being developed would seem less like frankenstein parts of the experience and would seem more holistic.
I designed user journeys that took into consideration the omni-channel interrelationships and had placeholder ready entry points for anything that was could be an opportunity for future expansion. This was almost a modular approach to creating the user journey. There would be different parts of the journey that we would save or use as placeholders as we developed the journey.
RESULTS
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
One of the most critical approaches for this omni-channel experience was adopting a longitudinal customer journey management strategy. This approach takes a holistic view of the customer journey over an extended period of time, allowing teams to focus on the broader experience rather than isolated interactions. By emphasizing this method, development and design teams can align on overarching goals while understanding and considering all the interconnected components of the experience. This ensures that individual parts of the product don’t operate in isolation but instead integrate into and better reflect real customer use cases.
Christina’s customer journey aligns with her busy lifestyle and love for personalized shopping. Features like Stylist inputs and tailored wishlists make her experience curated and shareable, while reward tracking and exclusive events build trust and excitement. By addressing pain points like slow responses, the journey feels efficient and personal, making Christina feel valued and connected to the brand.
Amelia’s journey integrates into her email-driven workflow, introducing updates and prompts that align with her tasks. Tools like the dashboard, calendar, and milestones help her stay organized and efficient, making the program a reliable assistant that supports her productivity without adding to her workload.
Joanna’s journey supports her role as a family-focused shopper, offering tools like family syncing and trackers for organization. Features like wishlists and birthday reminders simplify planning, while seasonal rewards and tailored recommendations make her feel appreciated, helping her stay in control and enrich her family’s experiences.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
For consumer applications focused on leisure, shopping, or entertainment, learnability is critical. Unlike enterprise apps, users aren’t obligated to engage and have the freedom to abandon the experience if it feels confusing or time-consuming. Their attention spans are shorter, and they expect the app to be intuitive without effort, especially during downtime.
To meet these expectations, commonly used and accurate taxonomy, along with an understanding of customers’ language mental models, was prioritized. Understanding the specific language and mental frameworks of the target audience made navigation easier and reduced cognitive load, lowering barriers to adoption. The app’s language was designed to align closely with how customers thought and spoke, ensuring a smooth and familiar experience.
METHDOLOGY
Open Card and Closed Sorting
Unmoderated
Remote
30 minutes
Usertesting.com for recruitment
Recorded on platform
WHO
15 InCircle members
(Luxury department store shopper and loyalty app experience criteria)15 Non-InCircle members
(Luxury department store shopper and loyalty app experience criteria)
FINGINGS
THREE CORE CATEGORIES
The card-sorting exercise revealed three primary categories: Services/Special Services, Membership/Members Only, and Exclusive/Amenities, which served as the foundation for organizing features and offerings. Participants grouped topics such as valet parking, stylist services, and spas under Services. Features like points redemption, member-only sales, and exclusive products were consistently placed under Membership, while concierge services, expedited shipping, and lounges were categorized under Exclusive/Amenities.
IMPLICATION
The navigation model will reflect these categories as distinct sections, simplifying the user experience and ensuring users can quickly access relevant features.
Motivation = Desirability + Relevance |
Motivation = Desirability + Relevance |
MOTIVATION ALIGNMENT
Participants found Membership/Members Only services the most desirable, driven by features such as points accumulation, exclusive offers, and savings opportunities. Services/Special Services were considered secondary priorities, as participants viewed them as situational or luxury add-ons. The least motivation was associated with broader service categories that did not directly tie into loyalty or convenience.
IMPLICATION
The architecture prioritizes Membership at the top level of navigation, with complementary features in Services and Exclusive Amenities arranged as secondary levels.
TERM AMBIGUITY
Participants struggled with terms like “Coffee Bar” (did it mean complimentary coffee or an actual store feature?), “Sales Associate Match Program” (confusion about digital versus in-store), and “Gift Advisory.” These unclear terms hindered understanding and required additional clarification.
UNDERSTANDING MENTAL MODELS AND INTERPRETATIONS ALLOW US TO DESIGN MORE EFFECTIVELY
UNDERSTANDING MENTAL MODELS AND INTERPRETATIONS ALLOW US TO DESIGN MORE EFFECTIVELY
IMPLICATION
The architecture will incorporate labels and microcopy that clarify these terms in context, using tooltips or detailed descriptions where necessary.
PROPOSED INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE MODEL
INSIGHTS & IMPLICATIONS FROM INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
We learned that users prioritize features directly tied to earning and redeeming points, exclusive member benefits, and concierge-like services, which should be central to the MVP design. Lower-priority features, such as spa services or monogramming, present opportunities for future iterations once core loyalty mechanisms are in place. This insight shapes our design by identifying where users expect loyalty integration—like point collection in checkout flows or account dashboards—and where educational prompts or contextual nudges may be needed for less familiar services.
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION
For the feature prioritization matrix, we collaborated with Neiman Marcus teams, including CX and loyalty consultants, to align business goals with insights from customer journey management.
Technical feasibility was evaluated with Neiman Marcus' development team. For instance, while cross-channel integration was achievable, it required moderate effort to synchronize in-store and online purchases. This input allowed us to balance user needs with realistic implementation timelines.
These features were chosen based on their high scores in our feature prioritization matrix (average priority scores ranging from 4.00 to 4.67) and alignment with user needs and business objectives.
CORE MVP FEATURES
Neiman Marcus planned to have a 6 month design and development schedule after we hand off our feature prioritization. Due to this tight timeline, we selected 4 core features:
Personalized Loyalty Hub,
Concierge Services,
Tier Progress Tracker,
and Rewards Marketplace.
QUANTIFYING FEATURES
Features were scored based on Customer Impact, Business Value, and Feasibility using a structured rubric informed by research. Customer Impact was evaluated through user interviews, surveys, and usability testing to determine how well each feature addressed key persona pain points and motivations. Business Value was assessed through stakeholder discussions, analysis of business KPIs like retention and revenue potential, and industry benchmarking. Feasibility was measured through collaboration with developers to evaluate technical complexity, timelines, and resource requirements. Each feature was scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with the total priority calculated as an average, ensuring that the most impactful, valuable, and feasible features were prioritized for the MVP, aligning the program with both user needs and business goals.
ROADMAP
We developed a roadmap that balances a tight timeline with user journey management by prioritizing early alignment, delivering high-impact MVP features like real-time loyalty tracking, and integrating usability testing for iterative improvements. A controlled beta launch ensures real-world feedback informs refinements, enabling scalability. By aligning technical feasibility with user needs, the roadmap delivers quick wins while supporting long-term growth and a loyalty program that integrates naturally into the user journey.
KEY THEMES
Personalization
Implement user-centered features like loyalty dashboards, progress tracking, and contextual rewards.
Integration
Ensure the loyalty program is embedded seamlessly across digital and physical touchpoints.
Scalability
Build foundational features with future expansion in mind, such as exclusive event invitations and advanced concierge capabilities.
OVERALL STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on our research and artefacts, we derived the following four strategic pillars, which based on all findings and insights while aligning to business goals.
PERSONALIZED CONCIERGE SERVICES BASED ON USER LIFESTYLES AND OMNI-CHANNEL TOUCHPOINT CONSIDERATION
The loyalty program must adapt to the different lifestyles and motivations, giving it a personalized and bespoke experience while ensuring a consistency across all touchpoints.
FUNCTIONAL AND ASSISTIVE EMOTIONAL FEEDBACK LOOPS
We recommended that Neiman Marcus focus on features and interaction patterns that provide functional value and provide some form of assistance to the customers’ lifestyles. For example, dashboards should help users interpret specific metrics rather than just display them, and interaction patterns should bridge spatial and virtual concepts to encourage further engagement. Incorporating contextual nudges can guide users through the experience, fostering emotional feedback loops that make them feel connected. This approach transforms the platform from a static, task-driven tool into a dynamic, engaging journey—a process I call "breathing life into the experience."
JOURNEY CENTRIC APPROACH TO DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Given the complexity of their target audience’s multi-dimensional characteristics and the added challenges of omni-channel integration, we emphasized the importance of using longitudinal customer journeys as a consistent reference point for design, development, and business decisions. A purely product-centric approach lacks the broader insight needed to address these interconnected factors. We also stressed that customer journeys should not be treated as a one-time exercise; with purchasing habits and trends evolving frequently, ongoing journey management is crucial. This approach ensures their team remains aligned with customers’ mental models, enabling them to understand changing priorities.
Regular journey updates also foster collaboration and empathy across teams, addressing the current lack of communication and clarity—such as development being unaware of design team objectives or motivations. This alignment ensures all teams work cohesively toward shared goals.
MAIN PRIORITIES ALIGNMENT
When we began working with the Neiman Marcus team, their roadmap included several future initiatives that lacked proper validation or substantial reasoning, leading to undesirable financial impacts—one of the key reasons they sought our help. This provided an excellent opportunity to advocate for an iterative approach to validating ideas and concepts. We also emphasized the importance of focusing their design and development efforts for their MVP on features and patterns aligned with the three categories identified in our IA model, as these formed the foundation of the core needs customers expected.
RESTROSPECTIVE
One of the biggest challenges was Neiman Marcus’ siloed team structure, where departments worked independently, resulting in misaligned priorities and a fragmented approach to the loyalty program. Adding to this, all disciplines on our end began working simultaneously, creating a “cart-before-the-horse” situation—ideally, the loyalty program mechanisms should have been established first. This lack of sequencing made it difficult to validate our work and hindered progress.
We addressed this by adopting a journey-centric approach as a unifying framework. By grounding design and decision-making in the customer journey, we provided a shared reference point for all teams, fostering alignment and collaboration. This foundational strategy bridged the gaps caused by fragmented efforts, ensuring that the loyalty program’s development started with a cohesive vision that could evolve into a more integrated and impactful solution for their customers.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Initially, we were tasked with incorporating the loyalty mobile experience into the existing Stanley app, a decision that was revised later in the project. This shift cost us significant time upfront, as we had already begun strategizing and ideating within the context of the Stanley app. While clients may advocate for building on an existing product, as was the case here, the lack of validation and customer journey consideration can lead to higher development efforts, integration challenges, and execution risks. In some cases, a simpler solution, like a web app, can be more effective.
Had we conducted a more thorough analysis of the Stanley app before initiating research, including stakeholder and domain exploration, we might have avoided this misalignment. Stakeholder input, while valuable, often reflects biases and assumptions, particularly when existing products like Stanley lack validation.
This project highlighted the importance of assessing the UX maturity of the client at the outset and emphasizing the need for foundational validation work before taking on such initiatives. Without this preparation, solutions like standalone apps, while seemingly dedicated, can introduce unnecessary friction and barriers if not rooted in a clear understanding of the customer journey.