From Expert Execution to Experiential Transformation: My Journey into True Customer Experience!

Introduction

In one of the strategy board meetings, of a fintech start-up, which I was a co-founder, in Mumbai India, heated discussions were filling already hot and humid room; on how to “enhance” the risk & surveillance back-office product we offered to the premier derivatives clearing corporation giving some unique financial modeling features!

My mentor and advisory board member abruptly stood up from his chair and commanded me to shut my eyes. “Visualize you are playing table tennis (BTW I do okay in this game which he had experienced firsthand ☺) and you are taking your favorite forehand SLAP shot, for some strange reason time stops. Once it gets off PAUSE button you find yourself on a huge Lawn Tennis Court holding the tiny Table Tennis bat”!

He added “This is exactly what happens when you are overtly focused on digitalization of business processes focusing on features, efficiency, scalability, and reliability in the industry driven by tight timelines, data security, and regulatory compliance.”

That was my aha realization that nirvana is in reimagining the way financial services were delivered, by crafting human-centered, seamless and personalized experiences at every touch point using technology and process transformation just as an enabler.

I guess that was the moment of my metamorphosis from an Execution Expert to Experiential Transformation Strategist moving beyond execution to experience. Fast forward almost two decades, now Design Thinking has become my second nature!

Section 1: The Foundation – Lessons from my experiments in Digital Transformation for Financial Services, Building Ventures and Crafting Talent Solutions

A. Digital Transformation initiatives top the corporate spending in almost every financial services firm. Forbes reported that out of the $1.3 trillion spent on digital transformation in 2018, roughly $900 billion went to waste as the digitization as cost optimization, efficiency, asset optimization and supercharged automation remained the focus instead of true transformation as core (targeting experience outcomes leveraging human centered design thinking) by crafting superior Customer Experience (CX).

B. New Business set-up either as an intrapreneur and/or entrepreneur – Juxtaposing design thinking with entrepreneurship is well established in recent years by entrepreneurs, practitioners (and vetted by scholars) from the design and business and management disciplines. McKinsey Report October 25, 2018 “The business value of design” found that top-quartile firms which has matured Design Thinking increased their revenues and total returns to shareholders (TRS) substantially faster than their industry counterparts did over a five-year period—32 percentage points higher revenue growth and 56 percentage points higher TRS growth for the period as a whole.

C. Disrupting the talent space – According to a commonly cited statistic its 2% of employees make outsized contributions in every business. My body of work in HRTech space taught me three-point mantra (1) are we recruiting the right people (2) do we have a better sense of predicting who will leave (3) Have we got a better sense of who create value within organizations. Nurturing top design talent is the most important dimension for any successful enterprise. Took me decades of life lessons to realize what the 20-year-old book The War for Talent by Dominic Barton, Ram Charan and Dennis Carey summarizes – “The scarcest resource is talent!”

Section 2: The Pivot – Why Morphing from Execution to Experience is Core for True Transformation

So, my further evolution was characterized by continued shift from simply delivering a product or service to creating an experience that resonates deeply with users, customers, or stakeholders. This transition wasn’t just about improving how something is done (execution) but about reimagining why and how things are done to deliver lasting impact and engagement (experience). Least to say that this was easier said an done. I crafted an individual methodology I called my personal OEM “Open Eyes Meditation” by shamelessly and iteratively asking Please define the Purpose? at every step.

Engagement over transaction became core litmus test when I recruited, trained, groomed my teams curating experience-driven mindset not treating business as series of transactions, getting job done et al. but creating memorable emotional connection with the customers. This transformed the customers to advocates which resulted loyalty as happy accident! Example – Video Job Description by hiring manager created 18X candidate pull as the candidates met (virtually) the manager whom they will work for even before being interviewed and flip side isn’t the hiring manager best person to sell the position!

Once we started to focus on experience, we created space for creative problem-solving, experimentation, and design thinking—key ingredients for innovation. Example – At Eidiyas Interactive we didn’t just sell Direct Mailing Platform we shifted to experience-focused approach with Campaign Meet-ups, Personalized content and LeadGen team dinners!

Execution is often short-term focused – getting a product out the door, meeting quarterly targets, etc. however transformation through experience turned out to be long-term, clearly client churn started to decline rapidly. Example – At Monjin.com we didn’t just deliver interviewed candidates we provided ecosystem that’s convenient, intuitive, and delightful thru our Video Platform, engaged information triggers driven by dedicated Talent Advisors implanted at client locations .

Lastly creating meaningful value products become more than just utilitarian—they become vehicles for delivering value. Example – earlier alluded risk & surveillance back-office product evolved into what we called PRISM a parallel computing platform which handled trillions of complex financial risk modeling transactions as core thru hundreds of cheap Linux based blades powering PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) giving nano second surveillance triggers thru APIs and state-of-the-art rendition of huge and constantly changing data points.

Section 3: Bridging the Gap – Merging Business Domain with Design Therapy

Bridging the gap between the business domain expertise and Design Therapy means integrating strategic business goals with a human-centered, therapeutic approach to design. This blend focuses on creating solutions that not only address business needs but also prioritize emotional well-being and user comfort. By considering the psychological and emotional impact of products, businesses can develop offerings that nurture deeper connections with users, foster trust, and enhance user satisfaction. The result is a more compassionate, user-friendly experience that supports both business success and the mental well-being of customers.

What happens when we combine the power of business acumen with the empathetic, problem-solving approach of Design Thinking? The result is a dynamic synergy that drives business success while creating meaningful products, services and experiences for customers.
The future of business isn’t about choosing between strategy and creativity; it’s about merging the two. When businesses bridge the gap between business objectives and the empathetic, user-driven approach of Design Thinking, they unlock a powerful engine for innovation, growth, and sustainability.

Section 4: Lessons Learned and Actionable Insights

Here are the four fundamental principles that define a true experiential transformation:

• Emotional Intelligence – Experiential transformation requires empathy. Period.
• Lead with Design – Prioritize the USER over features, efficiency and processes
• Simplicity and Accessibility – Not oversimplifying the products, processes & services but leverage Design Therapy for presenting complex information with ease of consumption. Diverse and constantly evolving user base necessitates accessibility as fundamental need.
• Visionary Thinking – Experiential transformation is about anticipating future trends and consumer expectations ahead of the curve, leveraging technology advances such as Metaverse, Web 3.0, AI with human in the loop!

Conclusion:

Design Therapy transforms business from a transactional approach to a more human-centered, innovative, and customer-centric model. By fostering collaboration, nurturing creativity, and keeping users at the core of the business, companies can not only meet their goals but surpass them. The result? A future where business strategy and design work in harmony, creating lasting value for both the company and its customers.
Merging business domain expertise with Design Therapy is a transformative journey that goes beyond efficiency and scalability. It’s about creating meaningful, human-centered experiences that resonate deeply with users.
As my own journey evolved from an execution expert to an experiential transformation strategist, I learned that true business success is not just about meeting targets—it’s about fostering emotional connections and delivering value at every touchpoint.
When businesses prioritize empathy, innovation, and collaboration, they unlock sustainable growth and long-term customer loyalty.
Ready to bridge the gap in your own organization? Let’s explore how embracing Design Therapy can fuel your next big transformation.