Summary
Mastercard is in the middle of a shift in how decisions are made throughout the product development lifecycle, with data-informed design at the center. A suite of measurements have been developed to quantify the quality of products and the resulting experiences at points across the product lifecycle, so teams can have customer-centric conversations about opportunities and risks. Hear more about these CX Metrics and how we’ve infused them into the product development lifecycle to exert influence across dozens of products across the company.
Key Insights
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MasterCard's CX metrics are being shared publicly for the first time to drive transparency and accountability in product decisions.
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Data should speak both the language of business and align with the values of design to improve product offerings.
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Measuring customer implementation and user engagement is more indicative of success than merely launching products.
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Shifting from a sales-led to a customer-led approach can sometimes lead to over-customization and bloated products.
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Concept Desirability Score helps evaluate multiple product ideas early in the development process, identifying best opportunities and risks.
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Design Quality Score focuses on the usability and emotional experience of a single, targeted product idea during prototype stages.
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Ownership of product quality metrics fosters accountability among product teams, encouraging actionable insights.
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Cross-functional collaboration is essential for successful product implementation and user experience.
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Product onboarding standards improve time to revenue by ensuring customers have what they need to succeed with new products.
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Collecting quantitative and qualitative data ensures decisions are informed and reduce the risk of 'vibe-based' decision-making.
Notable Quotes
"We've found a way to use data to speak the language of business."
"We only make money when our products get used."
"Historically, we've been very sales led, but we need to refocus on meaningful indicators of product success."
"The concept desirability score helps us determine what to design based on unmet needs."
"There's only 300 designers spread across MasterCard, and there's 10 times that in terms of product managers."
"Product success needs to be about more than new features and go to market; it’s about helping customers be more successful."
"We’re manufacturing data that highlights the values we've agreed are important to the company."
"This is not the time that you should be building the plane while you’re flying it."
"The scores are a means to an end, aiming to encourage behavior change."
"It’s about the learning and the iteration."
















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