UX and CX: Same Language; Different Dialects

UX Strategy with Jared Spool, a Center Centre — UIE newsletter focused on bringing UX to a strategic level inside your organization.

The Difference is in Their Origin Stories

Some people will tell you that the difference between the customer experience and the user experience is whether we’re talking pre-sales or post-sales. These people believe the CX is what happens before the product or service is purchased. The UX is everything that happens after the purchase.

Other people will tell you that UX is a subset of CX. These people believe the UX only includes when users are interacting with a digital product or service. The CX is the overarching experience, including any non-digital activities users engage in.

And still other people will tell you that CX is a subset of UX. These people believe CX only embodies the experience paying customers have, while UX includes everyone, whether they made the purchase decision or not.

If senior leadership believes one of these differences, they’ll use that belief structure to dispense responsibilities throughout the organization’s CX and UX teams. However, none of these beliefs seem to determine what makes successful CX and UX teams.