Sohrab Vossoughi, Founder and President of ZIBA Design, writes in BusinessWeek that "It’s all About About Experience".

Many businesses understand that being "new" or "different" is no longer a differentiator. Countless companies are elbowing their way to the top with designs that are also "feature-rich" or "patent pending." Innovation in product design has lost its meaning and, therefore, its value.

Read more on BusinessWeek: "It’s All About Experience" by Founder of ZIBA Design…

In May 2007 Microsoft introduced the concept of “Surface Computing” (see article here) and it has become pretty quiet since then regarding the first installations of this system. Speculations have been that the first installations will be in restaurants, hotels, retail locations or casino resorts but until today no announcements have been made.

Read more on Microsoft Surface Coming To AT&T Stores In April…

One company that is frequently mentioned as a best practice example for great customer experiences is the Hard Rock Hotels and Cafes Chain. In order to design remarkable customer experiences the metaphor of staging service experiences is commonly used. The story about John Resnick, the vibe manager at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, is a perfect example of a company that focuses on staging remarkable experiences.

Read more on Do you like the atmosphere in the Hard Rock Hotel? Thank their "Vibe Manager"…

Bruce Nussbaum, who is responsible for coverage of design and innovation at BusinessWeek, recommended in May 2007 that Cerberus, the company that acquired Chrysler, should not just focus on cutting costs but use its long tradition of design to reshape the company.

Read more on Can designers rescue Chrysler?…

As a teaser for their upcoming CRM Summit, Gartner published a short article on seven initiatives to improve the customer experience.

Targeting, attracting, and retaining new customers will remain a top priority for chief information officers (CIOs) in 2008, according to a worldwide survey of 1500 CIOs by Gartner Executive Programmes (EXP). CIOs will need to help sales, marketing and customer service to enhance the customer experience to meet this goal.

The seven initiatives that they introduce in the article are:

Read more on Seven initiatives to improve the customer experience…

Adam Greenfield, author of “Everyware: The dawning age of ubiquitous computing”, talks about the increasing trend to see products and services being combined in a way that focuses on the customer’s experience when using the product/service bundle. In his article titled “On the ground running: Lessons from experience design” he explains some of the underlying design principles of some well-known products.

Read more on Adobe Think Tank: On the ground running: Lessons from experience design…

“Design Serving People“, an article written Elizabeth Sanders and published in the working paper series “Cumulus” by the University of Art and Design Helsinki, describes a major shift in the mindset of designers when designing new products or services. Consumers become creators when the designer’s mindset shifts from a perspective where people consume a service to a perspective when organizations support people in reaching their goals and creating value. The products and services offered by a company are merely resources that help the customer fulfil its needs and dreams.

Read more on Design Serving People: Turning consumers into creators…

Everyone likes to talk about delighting customers and how to create remarkable experiences. Only a few people get actually in a position when they have deliver these experiences. Paul Hemp, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, stepped into the role of a Waiter at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston and tells the story of his experiences when delivering world’s best service.

Read more on Harvard Business Review: My week as a Room-Service Waiter at the Ritz…

Jesse James Garrett, Director User Experience Strategy, Adaptive Path published an articles in the Design Management Review in Winter 2006 titled “Customer Loyalty and Elements of User Experience“.

He stresses the importance of emotional bonds for building sustainable relationships and explains the considerations that go into creating great user experiences as a set of five planes along a continuum from abstract to concrete.

Read more on DMR: Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience…

Cap Gemini published a study in 2007 titled “Future Consumer: How Shopper Needs and Behavior Will Impact Tomorrow’s Value Chain”.

The vision report titled “2016: The Future Value Chain,” published in late 2006 by the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), Capgemini and Intel, describes the trends and developments that will impact the consumer products and retail industry over the next 10 years, with consumer behavior being a key driver of these changes.

Read more on Future Consumer Study by Capgemini…