The One Where I Make Sure Everything Goes Smoothly

In this second post about my job, we'll zoom in on my current work at the bank.

My official job title is "IT Analyst." According to LinkedIn's standard definition:

An information technology analyst or IT analyst is a highly technical and skilled professional who works with computer systems and software to improve efficiency in an organization. They are critical in managing and maintaining a company's information technology infrastructure and ensuring smooth technical functioning.

But, honestly, that's not really what I do.

I studied Software Engineering in college, so I could have gone down that path. However, I realized I wanted to interact more with people and help them in a more direct way. That's when I discovered UX, or User Experience. It's all about understanding how people interact with products, systems, or services. For example, imagine making your bank's app on your phone way easier to use. Here's a cool visual example:

Source

Initially, designs are made based on specifications - a straightforward path from A to B. But after doing some research and testing with users, we can enhance it to make it better for them. The key is to ask people what they need, not just build something we think they'll like.

Moving into Customer experience

Now, I'm also getting into CX, or Customer Experience. It's a bit broader than UX and includes every interaction between a customer and a company. Think of it like mapping out every step someone takes when they're dealing with a brand - from buying a product to getting support.

In my role, I create personas (think of them like detailed profiles of different customer groups), map out customer journeys (basically, tracking each step a customer takes when interacting with us), and collect feedback on our products and processes. This is where I feel like I can really make a difference. With all this information, we can improve our services, make them easier to use, and ultimately make our customers happier.

I feel like this post has been already quite educational, so,I'll just add example of persona and customer journey to illustrate the concepts.

Spotify customer journey (Source)

Persona example (Source)