In this white paper, Apala Lahiri, HFI’s Global Chief of Technical Staff, explains how great user experience has propelled innovative companies to the top. Using examples from visionary leaders in highly successful organizations, Apala shows how companies can fuel their growth with good customer experience. She discusses: The importance of having a vision that focuses on good customer experience How strategic UX roadmaps are the way to track progress How UX research shapes effective design, especially in culturally diverse usage scenarios How to model the future to shape today’s decisions “If one defines user experience in a narrow and constrained manner as something to do with just the design of a product or service, then that kind of user experience may not actually lead to long-term differentiators.On the other hand, if one defines UX more broadly as the strategy, innovation, and design of compelling, delightful, and persuasive user experiences, then there is bound to be long-term differentiation and success.” About the author Apala Lahiri MA, MSc, CUA, CXA, is Global Chief of Technical Staff for Human Factors International and CEO of HFI's Institute of Customer Experience. Apala and her team have helped designers, marketers, product managers, and ethnographers in Fortune 500 companies apply her innovative techniques to develop exciting new concepts and products. She is co-editor of the book, Innovative Solutions: What Designers Need to Know For Today's Emerging Markets. Apala is an award winning designer (International Audi Design Award) and specializes in the area of Cross Cultural Innovation and Design. She is active on Twitter @FuturistApala.