Beyond ‘Eat-Pray-Love’: Designing transformative CX for self-discovery in extended service encounters

• Consumers are increasingly demanding accessible opportunities for self-discovery. • Services can facilitate consumer transformation using a cumulative three-stage design. • Discomfort can enable transformation and is a feature that should be made explicit. • Opportunities to trial multiple possible future selves reduces transformative risks. • Novelty dispersed throughout the extended service encounter supports self-discovery. Transformative experiences are considered to be the most impactful of all customer experience (CX) types. Many consumers seek service experiences that facilitate extraordinary personal revelations, like those depicted in the ‘Eat-Pray-Love’ self-discovery pilgrimage. However, there has been limited research on the design of transformative CX in more accessible, long-term services. Using a service co-design method of three workshops (n = 36), we develop an empirically-based framework for the design of transformative CX in extended service contexts (e.g. fitness, tertiary education, aged care, employee onboarding). Three stages were identified: the Foundation stage, Fortification stage and Fruition stage. This study makes a theoretical contribution presenting the criticality of designing discomfort into the service for transformative CX, and evidences the importance of ordinary, frequent moments (rather than peak-end intense moments) to support self-discovery over time. Managers involved in the design of extended services must highlight the relationship between involvement and expected degree of transformation.