Walk a mile in my shoes: how design ethnography catalyzes service design and customer experience management

Purpose This study aims to introduce design ethnography, the process of conducting observation and participation in the context of the focal business, such that the lived experience of customers gets introduced into the organization, as a methodological approach which can catalyze a connection between a design for service perspective and customer experience management. Design/methodology/approach Design ethnography is used at a family medicine clinic, identifying best practices and areas for improvement with implications for theory and practice. Subsequently, a conceptual model is developed through the integration of the findings from the empirical study and literature on service design and customer experience management (CXM). Findings First, this research demonstrates how design ethnography can diagnose best practices and opportunities for CXM improvement. Second, this research develops a conceptual framework of how design for service and customer experience management theories can be catalyzed by design ethnography. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by being conducted at one family medicine clinic. This research provides evidence of how design ethnography can inform service design and CXM dynamically, positioning design ethnography as a catalyst of this relationship. Practical implications Academic and practitioner researchers are offered a five-step guide for using design ethnography to (re)design services to enhance CXM initiatives. Originality/value This research empirically demonstrates and conceptually models how design ethnography can catalyze organizational CXM performance. A qualitative, design ethnographic approach is advanced as a useful tool for future research.