Human-Centered Design Definition

An observational research framework developed at Doblin that structures field observation around five categories: Activities, Environments, Interactions, Objects, and Users. Where frameworks like the 5E map the arc of an experience, AEIOU structures the upstream research that generates the insights feeding into that mapping. Its direct Doblin lineage gives it a close connection to the ID tradition.

A strategic innovation tool developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne as part of Blue Ocean Strategy (introduced in Harvard Business Review in 2000). Maps buyer experience stages—Purchase, Delivery, Use, Supplements, Maintenance, Disposal—against six utility levers including productivity, simplicity, convenience, risk, fun/image, and environmental friendliness. More a strategic market analysis tool than an experience design framework, but relevant to teams working at the intersection of experience and business model innovation. See Blue Ocean Strategy for full documentation.

A research and communication artifact that documents the actual experience of a real or representative user across touchpoints over time. Unlike the 5E Framework, which is a normative framework for designing experience, journey maps are descriptive—capturing what is rather than prescribing what should be. Widely used in conjunction with the frameworks above.

A practice, rather than a single framework, of articulating the qualities an experience should have before design begins. Experience Principles give cross-functional teams shared criteria for evaluating design decisions throughout a project. Used in conjunction with frameworks like the 5E and Compelling Experiences, they bridge strategic intent and design execution. Sometimes called Design Principles, though the latter term is broader.

Developed by Clayton Christensen and colleagues, Jobs to Be Done focuses on the functional, emotional, and social “jobs” that people hire products and services to accomplish. Sits upstream of experience design frameworks—helping teams understand why people engage with an experience before mapping how that experience unfolds. Practitioners in the Doblin tradition have used Jobs to Be Done alongside experience frameworks in innovation strategy work.

A concept originating with Jan Carlzon at Scandinavian Airlines in the 1980s and later developed by Procter & Gamble into the First, Second, and Ultimate Moment of Truth model. Focuses on identifying the critical touchpoints that define an experience rather than mapping all phases sequentially. Useful for prioritizing design effort within frameworks like the 5E.

A principle from behavioral economics, developed by Daniel Kahneman, describing how people judge experiences based on their most intense moment and their ending rather than an average of all moments. Not a design framework, but directly relevant to how designers prioritize within frameworks like the 5E—particularly which stages (Exit, Extend) deserve outsized attention.

An extension of the original 4Ps marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), expanded by Booms and Bitner in 1981 to address service businesses with three additional Ps: People, Process, and Physical Evidence. Primarily a marketing and service operations framework rather than an experience design tool, but relevant to teams working across both disciplines—particularly the People, Process, and Physical Evidence dimensions, which overlap directly with experience design concerns.