If you want to deliver brilliant customer experiences, start by understanding what really matters to your customers. Matt Watkinson’s bestselling book The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences is a great place to begin.

At Understood, we believe in turning great ideas into real-world impact. These ten principles underpin The Understood Experience, and we use them to help our clients create experiences that truly resonate.

Here’s our take on how to bring each principle to life.

1. Reflect the customer’s identity

Customers gravitate towards brands that reflect who they are, or who they aspire to be. The most powerful experiences feel personal and affirm a customer’s self-image.

• Know what your brand says about your customers

• Focus on ‘brand reality’ rather than image, authenticity builds trust

• Clarify why customers should choose you

2. Satisfy the customer’s objectives

What are your customers really trying to achieve? It’s rarely just about the product, it’s about the outcomes it enables.

• Identify the super-objective, the ultimate ‘why’ behind a purchase

• Understand goals at every stage of the customer journey

• Think beyond function: consider aspirations, emotions, and context

3. Leave nothing to chance

Every detail counts. Even seemingly minor moments can shape how a customer feels about your brand.

• Map the entire customer journey

• Analyse every step to identify areas to refine or reimagine

• Design seamless, joined-up experiences across every touchpoint

4. Set and then meet expectations

Customer satisfaction often comes down to one thing: expectations. Set them clearly, then deliver.

• Be transparent about what you’ll do and when

• Keep your promises every time

• If something changes, communicate early and clearly

5. Make it easy

Convenience is king. Customers have little patience for friction, and they shouldn’t need it.

• Simplify language, steps, and processes

• Reduce effort and save time wherever possible

• Prioritise intuitive design and accessibility

6. Remove stress

Life is stressful enough. Don’t let your product or service add to it.

• Eliminate unnecessary decisions or complexity

• Design error-proof processes

• Keep customers informed, uncertainty fuels anxiety

7. Indulge the senses

Every customer experience is a sensory experience. Great brands delight the senses as well as the mind.

• Consider how your brand looks, sounds, smells, and feels

• Create aesthetically pleasing, tactile, or atmospheric moments

• Beautiful experiences are not just memorable, they’re usable

8. Engage on a social level

We’re wired for connection. Social engagement can transform a transaction into a relationship.

• Deliver one standout personal moment and you’ll gain a loyal advocate

• Empower and support your frontline teams, they’re your brand in action

• Use staff insight to build empathy and continuously improve

9. Put the customer in control

Autonomy matters. People want to feel in control, especially when they’re parting with their money.

• Make sure customers feel in control at every stage of the journey

• Offer flexibility, but don’t overwhelm with options

• Focus on giving control over when, where, how, and how much

10. Consider the emotions

We don’t just remember what happened, we remember how it made us feel. Emotions shape loyalty.

• Define how you want customers to feel at each moment

• Identify emotional pain points and resolve them

• Apply emotional insight across product, service, and comms

The Understood Experience

These ten principles fuel The Understood Experience, our unique approach to customer experience design. We bring together strategy, empathy, and creativity to create human-centric experiences that connect, convert, and endure.

Want to bring these principles to life in your organisation?

What’s next?

Putting principles into practice takes expertise and collaboration. That’s where we come in.

Talk to us, explore our website, read our blog, and follow us on LinkedIn to learn more and discover ways to grow a more successful business.