Designing for impact: from UX to CX

What happens when design, AI, and customer experience collide? In the latest episode of The Experience Edge, Thomas Caliman, Chief Experience Officer at Adeo, dives deep into how design can drive business performance, how AI is reshaping the design process, and why customer journeys are more critical than ever.

With a career spanning Microsoft, Amazon, and now Adeo, Thomas brings a unique perspective on how businesses can bridge the gap between design thinking and business impact—and why AI is changing everything for designers and CX leaders alike.

Why you should tune in

This episode is packed with insights, strategies, and real-world examples that every design and CX leader should hear. Here are some key moments:

• The role of design in business performance (04:37)

  Design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about driving alignment, business outcomes, and customer loyalty. Thomas shares how design acts as the glue between business goals and customer needs.

• The secret to business-literate designers (07:09)

  Many design teams struggle because they only advocate for the customer—but fail to speak the language of business. Thomas explains how his teams stay close to P&L, financial metrics, and business operations to drive real impact.

• Amazon’s press release trick for better product design (12:43)

  Before Amazon builds anything, they write the press release first. Thomas shares how this method forces teams to define value upfront, ensuring that every design decision is rooted in business and customer impact.

• Gen AI & the future of design (17:33)

  A year ago, people thought AI would replace designers. Now? It’s transforming how designers work. Thomas shares how AI is speeding up research, generating insights, and even acting as synthetic personas to scale user testing.

• Prioritizing CX & UX together (31:09)

  One of the biggest challenges in large organizations is getting CX and UX to work together instead of fighting over territories. Thomas explains how Adeo uses customer journeys, opportunity maps, and structured conversations to align teams around a common goal.

• Customer journeys & business buy-In (50:28)

  How do you get non-design leaders to actually care about customer journeys? Thomas reveals how his team keeps things simple, speaks the right language, and connects journeys to business strategy.

• The worst customer journey ever (1:01:05)

  Ever had a taxi driver track you down for paying with the wrong credit card? Thomas shares his wildest customer experience fail—and why businesses need to rethink friction in payments.

• His best digital experience? ChatGPT (1:03:27)

  Thomas explains why ChatGPT is fundamentally changing how we interact with technology, breaking down barriers between humans and digital interfaces in ways he never imagined.
  
  Want to hear the full conversation? Listen now:
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