Customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct concepts with notable differences. In short, CX takes a big picture view of the overall customer journey and requires cross-functional collaboration to optimize end-to-end experiences, while UX zooms in on specific touchpoints through hands-on research, design and testing.

Defining Customer Experience (CX)

Customer experience refers to the overall experience a customer has with a business and its products or services. It encompasses every touchpoint and interaction a customer has with the business, across all channels and phases of the relationship lifecycle.

CX is focused on the customer’s perceptions, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors related to using a company’s offerings. Common measurements are customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

CX requires a cross-departmental, omnichannel perspective. It is the responsibility of the entire organization, not just a single team. CX initiatives may involve investments in change management, improving business processes, adopting new technologies, and aligning employee incentives and training.

The goal is to provide a seamless, frictionless, and emotionally positive experience at each touchpoint, across all customer journeys. Excellent CX leads to loyalty, word-of-mouth marketing, and growth.

Defining User Experience (UX)

While CX focuses on the big picture customer journey, user experience zooms in on the individual interactions a customer has with a product or service.

Specifically, UX refers to a user’s perceptions, emotions, and responses when interacting with a product or service. It arises from detailed research, and includes aspects like interface design, usability, accessibility, navigation, content, visual design, and motion.

UX design employs qualitative and quantitative research, develops representative personas, defines intuitive interactions, prototypes concepts, and conducts iterative usability testing. The outputs of UX work often include wireframes, visual comps, prototypes, and design specifications.

CX vs. UX: Key Differences

While CX and UX are complementary disciplines, there are some key ways in which they differ:

Customer Experience

User experience

Focus

Broad, customer-centric approach that requires enterprise-wide coordination

Product/service interactions

Key elements

Brand perception
Customer service interactions
Sales process
After-sales support
Touchpoints across the customer’s journey

UX strategy
User research
Interface design
Interactivity
Usability
Accessibility
Information architecture

Sample metrics

Overall satisfaction and loyalty

Usability, conversions, and engagement

Scope

Owns the entire customer journey

Owns specific touchpoints within the journey

Execution

Requires organizational change

Requires hands-on design and research

Timeline

Time horizon is long-term

Operates in agile, iterative cycles

Key partners

Cross-functional business leaders

Product and engineering

Supporting technology

CRM systems; Voice of Customer Platforms; Data analytics capabilities

Research, wireframing, interaction design, and prototyping tools; user testing platforms

Why CX and UX Go Hand in Hand

While their focuses differ, customer experience and user experience are mutually reinforcing. CX provides the big picture vision and strategy. UX executes on delivering excellent experiences at the ground level.

That’s why world-class companies invest in both CX and UX. They take an expansive, outside-in, customer-first approach to CX. This provides the foundation for UX designers and engineers to then optimize specific touchpoints.

By aligning CX and UX, companies can ensure they deliver consistently excellent, human-centered experiences at every interaction. This drives loyalty, satisfaction, and growth over the long term.