Karine Cardona-Smits

Senior Analyst, Customer Experience

Karine-Cardona-Smits portrait

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Auto Manufacturers Need Better Design To Stop Failing Customers

Karine Cardona-Smits October 27, 2022
The 2022 Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l’Automobile) disappointed, both because of the absence of major manufacturers but, above all, because of the lack of a long-term strategy that looks beyond ownership of a vehicle and explores sustainable solutions. While Electric Cars Are Greener, They Are Not The End Solution With the ban of fossil-fuel […]
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Europe Leads The Way In Re-Empowering The Consumer In The Digital Era

Paul McKay July 14, 2022
The EU has overhauled the legislative environment for digital services in Europe. Learn what this means for tech and marketing.
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European Union Ruled: Shady Design Practices Are Illegal

Karine Cardona-Smits July 8, 2022
The EU has adopted a set of regulations that condemn misleading techniques such as dark patterns. In doing so, the EU sets new standards, catching digital businesses that over-focus on conversion funnels and possibly use deceptive design techniques red-handed. The user experience (UX) community that has been advocating for ethical design for years without getting […]
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You Are Missing Out On Customer Feedback, And It’s On You

Karine Cardona-Smits June 13, 2022
Customers share their experiences in multiple ways. Are you capturing it?
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The Connected Car Of The Future Is The One Open To Third Parties

Karine Cardona-Smits May 11, 2022
With its revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), Europe aims to make payments safer and increase consumers’ protection, integrating new digital players into its market and requiring financial institutions to open their data and services to third parties. Doing so enables competitors to offer their own clients innovative digital experiences that would radically shake up traditional […]
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Great Solutions Compete For The Best Mobile Innovation For Accessibility And Inclusion Award

Karine Cardona-Smits January 28, 2022
I have been part of the Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO) jury for several years and have each year discovered inspirational competitors. This year, I judged one of the Tech4Good categories, and I found it particularly difficult to come to a final ranking. The three finalists illustrate perfectly how technology can be a powerful driver for […]
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Auto Manufacturers: Love Them Or Hate Them, Human Touchpoints Aren’t Going Away

Karine Cardona-Smits December 2, 2021
With Zaklina Ber, Senior Research Associate, Forrester In 2021, we surveyed customers in five European countries about their experiences with auto manufacturers during both the purchase and service experience. To understand and ultimately improve the quality of their customer experience (CX), auto manufacturers need to understand why the industry ranks the way it does. Fifty-five […]
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European Banks Still Struggle To Balance App Functionality With User Experience

Karine Cardona-Smits October 22, 2021
Mobile apps have become the channel of choice for millions of Europeans. Forrester’s data shows that some 40% of French, 54% of Italian, and 54% of UK online adults have done their banking on a smartphone in the past month. We have been evaluating mobile banking apps for over a decade through our Forrester Digital […]
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Service Design’s Cocreation Principle: The Secret Sauce For Success

Karine Cardona-Smits September 28, 2021
Co-creation is the service design principle that transforms successful CX initiatives into game changers for organizations.
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Service Design ROI And Operating Model

Karine Cardona-Smits May 25, 2021
In 2020 more design teams used service blueprints compared to 2019. But is service design visible and demonstrating value within organizations?
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Figma Improves Collaboration And Workflows With Branches And Version Control

Karine Cardona-Smits May 4, 2021
I recently attended the Config 2021 design conference, and my big takeaway from its opening keynote is the introduction of branches and version control capabilities that will allow design teams to benefit from all the comfort that version control systems such as GitHub, Subversion, CVS, or Bitbucket have been offering to software engineers for decades. […]
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The Scrum Guide 2020 Aims For Focus And Inclusivity But Might Scare Designers Away

Karine Cardona-Smits January 27, 2021
I attended the Scrum Guide 2020 Update event that also celebrated its 25th anniversary. And while this new edition intends to provide more focus, be simpler, and be more inclusive — recognizing that Scrum is widely used outside the software development world — some choices might be counterproductive and even scare designers away. Here are […]
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UK Banks’ Mobile Apps Have Stalled In Terms Of Functionality

Karine Cardona-Smits November 23, 2020
Mobile apps have become the main touchpoint of banking relationships for millions of people and the starting point for many financial decisions and activities. Forrester data shows that 53% of UK online adults have done their banking on a mobile website or app in the past month. And mobile experiences impact business results: A good […]
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European Banks Must Deliver Better User Experience On Their Mobile Apps

Karine Cardona-Smits November 23, 2020
Mobile apps have become the main touchpoint of banking relationships for millions of people and the starting point for many financial decisions and activities. Forrester data shows that 52% of Italian and 42% of French online adults have done their banking on a mobile website or app in the past month. And mobile experiences impact […]
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Design For Change: Uncertainty Can Lead To Positive Outcomes

Karine Cardona-Smits November 6, 2020
2020 is a year of change. Change affected all of us in similar ways, but our ability to adapt to change varied. Discover how to design process and principles for change and resilience.
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Still Considering Mobile Experience As A Reduced Web Experience? Wake Up!

Karine Cardona-Smits August 24, 2020
As we're reviewing mobile banking apps for our upcoming European Digital Experience Review™ research, there's a noticeable gap between leaders and laggards on both user experience and functionalities offered in-app. The main reason that keeps laggards behind resides in their mobile experience strategy — or, rather, the lack of it.
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Apple Takes An Inspiring Stand On UX, Privacy, And Diversity At WWDC 2020

Karine Cardona-Smits June 24, 2020
Apple revealed major announcements for the new iOS 14 system during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020. What is coming to the iPhone demonstrates a deep understanding of our behavior and use of our devices in mobility. It also makes a clear statement on privacy and diversity principles. UX Is All About Use In Context […]
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Service Design: Five Principles To Improve CX, EX, And Business

Karine Cardona-Smits March 11, 2020
Every customer journey, as simple as it looks, happens in a more and more complex ecosystem. Think about your last online purchase: You interacted with an online store, on your computer or your mobile, and got your order delivered at home as planned. Simple? Well . . . on the front stage, yes. But if […]
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Strategic Design Is Finally Recognized In Agile Frameworks

Karine Cardona-Smits February 28, 2020
Designers joining Agile teams often complain about feeling like misfits. The importance of good design is mentioned in Agile principles, but designers are nowhere in the picture. The only individuals that Agile principles mention are business people and developers. How do you fit in, then, when you are a user experience, customer experience, service, or […]
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No Matter How Different Your Business Is, You Are In CX

Karine Cardona-Smits February 10, 2020
When I describe what customer experience (CX) management requires to be able to transform a CX vision into reality, I often hear from my audience, “This is interesting, but we are different.” The nature of that difference is then often stated as one of the following: We are operating in B2B, not B2C; we operate […]
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