We have all read the Harry Potter books or have seen the movies. Some have even been to the HP museum in England or the amusement park in the US. For that reason, certain events in the Harry Potter universe may bring out strong emotions in us. I don’t know what it was for you but there are a few standout scenes that always make me emotional. From Peter Pettigrew’s first betrayal to his second betrayal (you really got me crying there, J.K.) there were a few things that were a bit annoying for me. As a man who has dedicated his life to customer experience, I must say some of the CX in the HP books is terrible.
There are a few ways Rowling could have done it better for the young wizards and witches:
1. Why Be So Physical? Get Rid of Gringotts!
I loved the big blind white dragon. I did, I really did. I even felt bad for him. Why hold him down there, all sad and alone, with only the memory of past abuses to keep him company? I suggest – let him go earlier. Much earlier. Destroy Gringotts from the begging – replace it with something more useful!
Why go all the way to London from anywhere in the country if you want to buy a soda? Instead, the Wizarding Community should open the the first online bank. We can also take it to our world – many banks are trying to open internet sites for themselves and for their customers, but it must become a bigger phenomenon (if you’d like to have reasonable CX).
2. Where is this Place?! The Ever-Moving Hogwarts Stairways
We all know what to do if we want to go somewhere in Hogwarts. Whether you are heading to the dining room, the dormitories or the Shrieking Shack, you need the stairs to get there. The problem with the Hogwarts interface is simple: they are basically unusable.
You can never get to the same place the same way twice – and that is the exact thing we must learn from the Hogwarts CX. Imagine the marauders map was in the Hogwarts website – wouldn’t that be easier to get to the places you want to get? A map, available online, to explain the geography very complex place known as Hogwarts – and even the stairs won’t be able to beat the power of the internet.
3. Who Do They Think They Are?! The Knight Bus and the Horrifying CX
Remember that horrible ride bus ride you had once, that made your stomach ache? Multiply it by one thousand – and it won’t be as bad as the knight bus. Definitely, the knight bus is one of the least favorable rides in the magical world. The driver knows that – so why are they keep making the ride so bad? Well, it is quite simple, really – they don’t have to. First, Not like in the real world, they don’t have the obligation of customer retention. They will always have new and old customers, ready to roll. Plus, they don’t really seem to care about how many customers they have. They don’t work for profit, but for fun. In our world, those are two are completely different ideas. We do care about our customers, and about our profit. For example, we would like someone using our application, to use it repeatedly. That is the exact thing we should learn here. We must know, as opposed to the knight bus drivers, how to identify our problems, how to solve them, and how to become the best at what we do. We need to know what the customer wants, likes, hates or feels ignorant about. Sadly, we can’t live in Rowling’s amazing fairy tale. But if we could you know I would be first in line to help make it better.