Customer experience is a priority for everyone...or is it? - part 1

When was the last time you tried using your own product like you were seeing it for the first time? Or tried buying it like an average customer would?

That’s exactly what we did on a recent project, and we concluded that things we often take for granted as product owners can turn out to be real challenges for users.

You know it by heart, we tried to understand it

John, the PO on the client side, brought us in to analyze their digital product, let’s call it “Piggy Bank”. Our goal was to improve the user experience (CX) and boost conversions.

At the first meeting, all the focus was on the product, including its features, specifications, pricing, and performance. I went along with the flow because, as a PO, that’s a familiar mindset.

When we got the green light to begin the project, the team was ready to dive straight into usability testing. But previous experience has taught me that sometimes the most important first step is... pause.

So I suggested we step back, not just look at the product but understand its world. None of us had ever used “Piggy Bank” before, and that was a gift. It meant we could explore it with zero bias. I knew if we skipped this stage, we’d lose the chance to see it with “fresh eyes” ever again.

We concluded that we’ll act like real first-time users, no insider info, no shortcuts.

Sounds simple. Spoiler: it wasn’t.

If Google can’t find you, neither will users

Since our client was well-known on the market, I assumed users could easily find and buy this specific product. I mean, online shopping is second nature by now, like buying bread in a bakery — tap, swipe, done. Honestly, I thought the real challenges would come later (bugs, clunky UI, missing features, etc.), because the client had another company build his product, so I wasn’t sure about its quality. 

But, to our surprise, we couldn’t even find the product at first. We searched like everyday users: opened Google and typed what someone might naturally search for—no brand name, just general keywords.

Result? “Piggy Bank” didn’t show up on the first page. Barely made it to the bottom of the second. If I were a real customer, I’d already be gone. (Confession: I rarely even scroll to the bottom of page one.)

The question was: How many potential users have never even reached the “Piggy Bank”? If users can’t find the path to your product, it doesn’t matter how beautiful, smart, or fast it is. You need to remember, CX doesn’t start inside the store; it starts on the sidewalk.

You don’t need to convince, just don’t be in a way

To me, the moment of purchase is the moment of truth. That’s when the user decides: Do I trust you enough to click “Buy”? It seems like a small step, but it’s actually incredibly delicate. If there’s any hesitation or friction, most users won’t ask questions, they’ll just bail.

So we zoomed in on the key elements that can make or break that moment:

• Clarity of the offer – Can users instantly tell if this is for them? Or do they have to decode keywords, tables, and footnotes?
• Price transparency – Does the pricing build trust, or trigger an inner alarm: What else are they gonna charge me for? (And yes, we were charged with hidden costs.)
• Documentation as support, not sabotage – Can users find answers when they need them? Or are they expected to dig through a 14-page PDF?

Many people think CX is all about good design and nice images. As a PO, I’ve heard that more times than I can count. But real CX is how the user feels in the moment they decide whether to trust you or walk away. That feeling comes from the details: how clearly you explain things, how simple your pricing is, how easy it is to find help when needed, no stress, no hunting through PDFs.

Great CX doesn’t shout. It quietly says: “You’re in the right place.” And that’s all most users need.

Assumption is the mother of all missed opportunities

Later on, our analysis confirmed that “Piggy Bank” is actually a solid, high-quality product. The assumption that it needed fixes wasn’t wrong, but it was incomplete. Had we received the product straight from our client John, without going through the actual journey, we would’ve missed crucial insights that seriously boosted the value of our work.

There was this one conversation with John that stuck with me. He didn’t mean to explain anything, really, he was just proudly sharing his vision of “Piggy Bank”. But that’s exactly when I understood why the CX side had been overlooked. Not due to a lack of care, but because he believed that a great product automatically delivers a great experience.

It’s a common trap: equating CX with product quality. But CX starts long before the first click and lasts long after the last one. 

It’s everything the user sees, feels, understands, and everything that delights or frustrates them.

The invisible bridge everyone walks on

A PO’s job isn’t only about managing the team, it’s also about connecting the dots between the user and the client.

On this project, that meant building a bridge between John’s deep passion for the product and the user’s experience, which lacked that same context or insight. I saw it as my responsibility to bring those two worlds together.

Through open conversations, analysis, and testing, we shifted the focus together from the product to the entire experience.

John saw the value in investing extra effort into CX, and it paid off. Real improvements, better results. More importantly, he walked away with a valuable insight: A great product is just a stage. CX is the whole performance.

If users say it was easy, someone did a great job

A PO’s role isn’t just to build a working product. It’s to make sure that the product lives, can be found, understood, used, and even loved.

A great experience works on every level, the visible and the “obvious” parts. And let’s be clear: what feels obvious is usually where users get stuck.

But CX doesn’t just happen. It’s built. Intentionally. Stubbornly. Often with way too much coffee. In every click, every screen, every tiny “unimportant” detail.

So no, a PO’s job doesn’t end with writing user stories. It means looking at the product through the user’s eyes. Again and again. For as long as it’s alive. Because the difference between a product that exists and one that thrives usually comes down to its leader.

What’s your biggest CX challenge?

Tell us, we are listening. 

And if you want to know HOW we helped John specifically, stay tuned because it’s coming next :)