The Experience Edge

Jochem van der Veer

5.0 (2)
MARKETING
UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosted by Jochem van der Veer, customer-obsessed founder of TheyDo, this weekly podcast dives into conversations with senior professionals, pioneers, and industry leaders at the forefront of CX. Guests openly share their experiences on customer journeys, voice of the customer, customer-centric transformation, journey management, and best practices for lasting impact.

3D AGO

Ep. 63 - How H&M aligns 79 markets around one customer journey - Anne-Kathrine Nissen -

Anne-Kathrine Nissen is a seasoned user experience leader who has driven customer-centric digital transformation across global brands like Airbus and Electrolux, and today shapes omnichannel experience at H&M across 79 markets. In this episode, she joins TheyDo co-founder Jochem van der Veer to unpack what it really takes to run experience-led transformation at global scale, where hundreds of journeys, cultures, and systems collide. Together, they explore why customer journeys work best as an organizing principle rather than a static artifact, how vocabulary and storytelling create alignment across silos, and why experience leadership is ultimately about trust, influence, and long-term change management. The conversation challenges the idea of “simple journeys” and offers a grounded view on coherence over consistency in global CX. Guest Bio Anne-Kathrine Nissen is a User Experience and Journey Leader with extensive experience driving large-scale digital and experience transformation in global organizations. She has held senior design and experience roles at companies including Airbus and Electrolux, and currently leads product design and journey work at H&M, spanning digital, retail, and customer service. Known for her systems thinking and collaborative leadership style, Anna-Kathrine focuses on building coherence across complex ecosystems through trust, storytelling, and cross-functional alignment. Key Takeaways There is no single customer journey at scale. Global organizations operate hundreds or thousands of journeys that need shared principles, not rigid maps.Customer journeys are most powerful as an organizing principle to align teams, language, and priorities across silos.Experience leadership requires speaking multiple vocabularies. Sales, tech, marketing, and design all need to hear the story in their own language.Consistency comes from shared principles and narrative, not identical experiences across markets.Insights do not die. They fade away unless actively evangelized, interpreted, and embedded into everyday decision-making. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and introductions 03:30 Why there is no such thing as a simple customer journey 05:40 Customer journeys as inspiration vs execution 09:10 Vocabulary, storytelling, and cross-functional alignment 12:30 Templates, coherence, and change management 18:00 Strategy, agility, and journey ownership 24:40 AI, agentic commerce, and the future of channels 27:20 Consistency vs coherence across global markets 38:00 From marketplace to brand: rethinking H&M’s experience 43:30 Driving transformation through journeys and insights 50:45 Making sense of a sea of experience data 57:15 Keeping insights alive inside large organizations 01:05:10 Where to connect with Anna-Kathrine LinkedIn Profiles Anne-Kathrine Nissen Jochem van der Veer 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐄: / @TheyDoPodcast

58 min
5D AGO

Ep. 65 - Power users hate magical experiences - Adam Towne

Adam Towne, Director of Product for Skilled Analytics and Funds at LSEG, began his career on an 11-hour help desk shift before moving into account management and ultimately product leadership. Now building analytics and API products for asset managers, banks, and hedge funds, he brings a rare perspective: customer support is not a cost center, it is a growth engine. In this conversation, Adam reframes customer experience for sophisticated power users. Instead of chasing “aha” moments, he argues for monotony, reliability, and invisible excellence. From role-based access control pitfalls to the “tiny dot” reality of product in a larger ecosystem, he explores how product leaders can own CX without creating more silos. Guest Bio Adam Towne is Director of Product for Skilled Analytics and Funds at LSEG, where he leads data analytics and API products serving institutional clients including asset managers, banks, and hedge funds. He previously spent seven years in fixed income analytics at Citi, transitioning from help desk to account management and product management. Adam is a CFA charter holder and holds an engineering degree from Cornell University. His expertise spans power-user product design, financial analytics, and building reliable systems for high-stakes environments. Takeaways Customer experience is not a department, it is a product in itself and a shared responsibility across the organization.Power users do not want “aha” moments. They want reliability, monotony, and infrastructure they never have to think about.Good friction can exist in setup and onboarding for sophisticated users, but integration friction must be minimized.Feature creep for power users should be managed through primitive building blocks, not endless configuration options.Product leaders should own customer experience by aligning product decisions with support, sales, and operational metrics, not just revenue.Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Adam Towne and LSEG 02:09 Lessons from starting on the help desk 03:55 Why customer experience is a product 06:18 What real customer centricity looks like 10:23 Designing for power users vs classic CX 13:34 Good friction vs bad friction 15:10 Trade-offs of focusing on power users 19:32 Enabling the broader organization around product changes 23:48 Visualizing cross-user journeys inside a customer 33:55 The “tiny dot” reality of product in a larger ecosystem 39:27 Who should own customer experience? 44:33 Product culture vs additional management layers 50:54 The measurement gap between product and CX LinkedIn Adam Towne Jochem van der Veer

55 min
FEB 25

Ep. 64 - Why product teams keep missing the real journey - Steve Cleff

Steve Cleff, product design leader and founder of Prismatic Vision, has led product and design at Comcast, Barclays, and Siemens, helping global enterprises move beyond feature factories toward experience-led growth. In this episode, he shares how his background in UX, engineering, and fine arts shapes his belief that customer experience starts long before someone touches your product. In conversation with Johan, Steve unpacks the tension between product and CX, why shared goals matter more than ownership, and how AI can accelerate - but not replace - human judgment. From RICE frameworks to agentic workflows, he challenges leaders to protect creativity and empathy while offloading structure and repetition. Guest Bio Steve Cleff is a product design leader with over 15 years of experience building software that improves people’s lives and strengthens how companies engage customers. He has led product and design initiatives across organizations including Comcast, Barclays, and Siemens, and has partnered with brands such as JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Target, and Vanguard. Now the founder of Prismatic Vision, Steve helps organizations gain a competitive edge through experience-led strategy, multi-agent AI workflows, and cross-functional collaboration between product and customer experience teams. Takeaways Customer experience begins before someone becomes a customer - from the first problem or “sniffle” to post-purchase advocacy.Product teams often drift into “feature farms” when roadmaps aren’t anchored in real customer journeys.CX and product don’t need strict ownership boundaries - they need shared goals and mutual reinforcement.AI should accelerate structure, synthesis, and distribution, but creativity, empathy, and strategic leaps must remain human-led.The future of roles may shift from titles like “PM” or “CX manager” to value-driven specialties like adoption and engagement.Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Steve Cleff and Prismatic Vision 02:25 What product gets wrong about customer experience 05:39 How CX and product can work better together 10:42 Where CX should sit in an organization 13:41 Making product more experience-forward 16:25 Marketing, value perception, and product failure 18:06 Who owns the customer journey? 22:49 Why journeys rarely exist before you build them 24:20 What AI changes - and what stays human 33:00 What to offload to AI vs. keep human 40:01 From AI skeptic to AI advocate 47:40 Preventing AI from amplifying bad CX decisions 50:01 The future of product and CX roles LinkedIn Steve Cleff Jochem van der Veer

57 min
FEB 11

Ep. 62 - The CX trends that matter in 2026 - Insights 10

What if 2026 isn’t the year of the agentic enterprise? Most predictions paint 2026 as the moment AI suddenly takes over customer experience end to end. Autonomous agents. Self-driving journeys. Overnight transformation. In this Insights video, Jochem challenges that narrative - and argues the real shift is quieter, slower, and far more operational than the hype suggests. The risk for leaders isn’t moving too slowly - it’s aiming their CX strategy at a future that hasn’t arrived yet. In this video: Why 2026 is about agent adoption - not agentic transformation How narrow agents quietly reshape CX work at the edges of journeys Why data validation becomes the real bottleneck for AI in CX How CX teams shift from insight production to stewarding trust When asynchronous AI work changes the pace and depth of decision-making If speed is no longer the advantage, what does it mean to scale trust instead? Follow Jochem on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer Learn more about Journey Management with TheyDo:https://www.theydo.com #CustomerExperience #JourneyManagement #ServiceDesign #ExperienceDesign #CXLeadership #AIinCX #DecisionMaking #OrganizationalDesign #SystemsThinking #ProductStrategy #ExperienceStrategy

9 min
FEB 4

Ep. 61 - Why executives nod at journey management - and then do nothing

Why executives nod at journey management - and then do nothing Leaders rarely push back on customer centricity - it sounds sensible, even obvious - yet that agreement is often exactly where journey management quietly stalls. In this Insights video, Jochem reflects on why the issue isn’t resistance but misunderstanding: journey management is still framed as a belief or a set of maps, when in reality it represents an operating model shift that changes prioritisation, coordination, ownership, and metrics. The moment those implications become clear, the nodding stops, and that gap between agreement and impact is where most journey work dies. By reframing journey management as a coordination system rather than a CX deliverable, this reflection shows why a single pitch never works - and why connecting the language to what different leaders actually care about is the only way to move from concept to practice. In this video: Why customer centricity is easy to agree with but hard to operationalise How journey management shifts decision-making, not just documentation Why functional leaders and P&L owners need fundamentally different translations How journey management reduces chaos for teams - and reveals growth constraints for the business What “executive empathy” really means when pitching customer journeys If journey management keeps getting polite agreement but little traction, what are leaders actually hearing when you explain it? Follow Jochem on LinkedIn Learn more about Journey Management with TheyDo:https://www.theydo.com

10 min
JAN 28

Ep. 60 - The storytelling skill business leaders underestimate - Suchitra Parikh

Suchi Parikh is a creative director and storyteller with a rare blend of design craft and business fluency. After a decade at Apple leading global sales content, she now serves as Director of Storytelling at PayPal, where she helps bring complex product innovation to life across agent commerce, Venmo, and global payments. Her work sits at the intersection of empathy, clarity, and persuasion - translating complexity into stories that move people to act. In this conversation with TheyDo’s Jochem van der Veer, Suchi unpacks why every presentation is an act of persuasion, how teams unintentionally dump complexity on their audience, and what it really takes to transform someone from awareness to action. Together, they explore practical frameworks for simplifying stories, designing for emotional shifts in customer journeys, and building trust through intentional storytelling. Guest Bio Suchi Parikh is a creative leader and Director of Storytelling at PayPal, where she shapes how product innovation is communicated across global payments and commerce experiences. Previously, she spent over 10 years at Apple as a Group Creative Director, leading global sales content and executive storytelling. With a background in animation, design, and business, Suchi specializes in helping organizations clarify their thinking, reduce cognitive load, and communicate ideas with conviction. She is known for bridging creative storytelling with strategic business outcomes, and for mentoring teams to become more confident, intentional storytellers. Key Takeaways Every presentation is an act of persuasion, even routine business updates.Complexity is the storyteller’s responsibility, not the audience’s burden.Great business stories start with one clear intention, often anchored in a single word.Emotional state matters as much as functional clarity in customer journeys.Trust is built through simplicity, sequencing, and empathy, not more information. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and background 01:32 From design to business storytelling at Apple 04:28 Why business presentations fail despite good data 07:13 Every presentation as an act of persuasion 09:56 A simple structure for clearer business stories 12:58 Removing cognitive load and the one-word anchor 19:50 Why having a point of view matters 25:10 Audience Context Transformation (ACT) framework 28:50 Emotional states in everyday customer journeys 35:30 Operationalizing storytelling in large organizations 40:24 Why energy matters more than logic 44:10 Practicing storytelling in safe environments 47:25 The role of a Director of Storytelling 48:56 Rules, frameworks, and when to break them 50:55 Learning from unexpected great storytellers LinkedIn Profiles Guest - Suchi Parikh Host - Jochem 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎𝐒: • Why Journey Management Is Really Organizat... • Why Collapsing CX Into Customer Service Br... • Organizing CX around what matters. - Angel... • Reflections 6 Why CX teams may be erasin... 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊: https://www.theydo.com/podcasts/subsc... / @theexperienceedgepodcast Thank You For Watching

54 min
JAN 21

Ep.59 -Why CX team might be erasing the moments customers remember - Reflections 6

What if removing friction is ruining your customer experience? Everyone in CX wants to make things effortless. Fast. Smooth. Seamless. But in this Reflections episode, Jochem explores a provocative idea from his conversation with Sam Stern (Service Design Lead at LinkedIn): not all friction is bad - some friction creates memory, meaning, and better decisions. We unpack the difference between good friction and bad friction, with real examples from LinkedIn, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, IKEA, nightclubs, and Todd Unger’s work at the AMA. The goal isn’t to eliminate all effort - it’s to design effort where it matters most. In this video: Why some friction helps customers think clearly and choose better How friction creates emotional contrast and memorable moments When organizational drag ruins customer experience The 4 types of customer journeys and how friction plays a role How to tell if your friction serves the customer - or your org Follow Jochem on LinkedIn: @jochemvanderveer Learn more about Journey Management with TheyDo:https://www.theydo.com #CustomerExperience #FrictionDesign #JourneyManagement #CXStrategy #ExperienceDesign #ServiceDesign #DecisionMaking #EmotionalDesign #OrganizationalDrag #MemoryDesign #CustomerCentricity #BehavioralDesign #ExperienceArchitecture #SamStern #TheyDo

14 min
JAN 14

Ep. 58 - Why Journey Management Is Really Organizational Design - Reflections 5

Are journey maps just artifacts or operating systems in disguise? In this episode, Jochem reflects on his conversation with Dan Sullivan, Director of Journey Management at CHG Healthcare, to explore how journey management becomes true organizational design. Dan's team didn’t just improve customer journeys - they restructured how decisions get made across teams. From building a “Journey Atlas” as a shared schema, to using immersive experiences to rewire executive thinking, their work signals a deeper shift: journey management isn’t about prettier maps. It’s about embedding customer thinking into the operating model. In this video: Why journey management = organizational design How CSG created a decision-making nervous system The role of schema, structure, and centralized governance What 500 people experienced inside the “journey museum” Signs your journey maps are shaping strategy—not just workshops Follow Jochem on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer Learn more about Journey Management with TheyDo: https://www.theydo.com

10 min

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Hosted by Jochem van der Veer, customer-obsessed founder of TheyDo, this weekly podcast dives into conversations with senior professionals, pioneers, and industry leaders at the forefront of CX. Guests openly share their experiences on customer journeys, voice of the customer, customer-centric transformation, journey management, and best practices for lasting impact.

Creator

Jochem van der Veer
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

73
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Jochem van der Veer
Show Website

The Experience Edge