Better Design: How Herta Fixed the Home Experience
Market leaders cannot afford frustrated customers. This guide shows how we used in-depth observation (Ethnography) and Design Thinking to find the small, unseen friction points that were sabotaging the at-home experience for Herta’s customers.
The Challenge: Losing Loyal Customers Over Small Problems
Herta, a major food brand, knew some customers were getting frustrated with their pizza dough, but they didn’t know why. The challenge was not the product itself, but an experience gap that led to consumer frustration and brand leakage.
The Constraint: Traditional surveys and focus groups failed to uncover the subtle problems that happened when people were actually cooking at home.
The Goal: Identify the root causes of failure during the user journey (from kitchen counter to oven) and translate those findings into simple changes that fix the entire experience.
Identified & Solved 3 Critical Failure Points
in the core user journey (e.g., cooking time).
Developed Simple Product & Packaging Features
to eliminate those observed pain points
Gained Unreachable Insights
that standard surveys or focus groups missed (the real behaviors)
The Playbook: Using Design Thinking to Fix the Customer Experience
Step 1: In-Home Observation (Finding Unseen Problems)
We go beyond the survey. By observing people making pizza in their own kitchens (Ethnography), we discovered that small mistakes in handling the dough caused customer disappointment. This approach pinpoints the exact moment and mechanism of customer dissatisfaction.
Step 2: Testing and Validation (Making Sure We're Right)
We utilized videos and user testing to validate our hypotheses regarding consumer errors. This data gave Herta’s internal teams the clear evidence they needed to align quickly on necessary changes to product design and instructions, moving past internal assumptions.
Step 3: Fast Prototyping (Simple Fixes, Quick Wins)
Insights are useless without action. We ran quick, collaborative workshops that brought R&D and Marketing together to rapidly create simple, physical solutions. We immediately redesigned the critical touchpoints, ensuring the product was easier, more enjoyable, and virtually error-proof for the average consumer.
Ready to Find the Hidden Friction in Your Customer Journey?
The Herta case proves that transforming a product often starts with fixing the customer experience first. Stop guessing why customers abandon your product—start knowing. Let’s discuss how we can apply this deep observational methodology to unlock your next phase of customer loyalty.
Stop guessing why customers abandon your product. Start knowing.
Let’s apply deep ethnographic techniques to unlock your next phase of customer loyalty and growth.
