Just about 20 years ago, desktop computers were selling like wildfire, and the internet was booming. Then a few years later everyone had smartphones that had access to the internet. If someone decided to order food for delivery in the early 2000s, then they would have to call the store and make an order. Now, there are apps like DoorDash and Postmates that grant people an end to end experience of viewing the menu, placing their order, and visibility into the items being delivered. Life as we knew it changed right before our eyes, and it will do it again.

Currently, examples like DoorDash and Postmates show that consumer behavior is changing rapidly and it is shifting to more personalized experiences. Resulting in businesses and institutions to look at these experiences through two main lenses which are the user experience (UX) and the customer experience (CX).

User experience is the way users interact with a product, website, app, or service. Some elements of UX can be defined as the usability, the way the information is displayed, and the intuitiveness of the app. The purpose of UX is to meet the end users needs and provide them with delightful experiences.

Customer experience is a more holistic view of a customer's journey and their touchpoints with the brand. The purpose of CX is to meet end users needs with a consistent brand experience throughout every interaction with the business.

Think about the last time you used or bought a product or service. What was the experience like for you? Did an advertisement catch your attention? How was the sales process? If you had any questions or issues, were the customer service associates able to provide excellent customer support? These are the times when people decide how they would like to spend their precious time and money.

The most significant distinction between CX and UX is that UX is just one element of CX. Customer experience is the many different touchpoints along the customer journey, and each touchpoint has its own user experience tied to the brand.

Many companies try to complement their CX with great UX principles, but most companies don't do it better than Apple. Apple has built its business around the focus of having a great user experience no matter where you are in your customer journey of their brand. Whether you are looking at products online or purchasing a product in the store, the user experience is set to the highest standards. This enables the Apple brand to have a robust end-to-end customer experience. More recently, the company put a stronger emphasis on the CX by making an unconventional branding push to call their stores "Town Squares."

Apple Stores get a tremendous amount of traffic, and it is a primary channel for revenue generation. Not only is it suitable for revenue generation, but it is perfect for building relationships with their customers. The idea of calling Apple stores "Town Squares" is a unique way to cater to the customer experience by creating a community that consumers can do work, learn and have fun.

If Apple is the cream of the crop for CX + UX in today's businesses, then imagine the future. More likely than not people will experience life in a brand new way in the next ten years. The typical things we do like walking down the street with our dog, shopping with friends, cooking for your family or even at a concert of your favorite music artist will all have brand new experiences.

I predict the next significant shift will be immersive experiences becoming ubiquitous. An immersive experience is an imaginary environment that completely surrounds you such that you feel that you are inside it and part of it. The way in which these experiences are designed is entirely different, and require a new level of complexity. We are still in the early stages of exploring what this means for society.

I expect to see a mixed reality that might only be thought of in sci-fi films. Many of the breakthrough technologies like artificial intelligence and IoT will merge to create innovative approaches to experiencing the world. The capabilities that 5G will bring to our networks, the billions of sensors that will be connected to almost every aspect of our lives and the availability of virtual & augmented reality are coming.

Examples of immersive experiences are already available like watching an NBA game in a VR headset and the most popular of all, Pokemon GO! Picture an immersive experience at work while being a car mechanic and having a digital layer to diagnose problems, give part information, and guided repairing.

Of course, it can be a bit interesting to think of adding a new layer to the life we currently live in, and that is why we need to begin to look ahead to better prepare ourselves for what is to come.

Comment below and share what immersive experiences you think will enhance our daily lives in the future? If you need some inspiration check out this blog by AT&T.