Customer Experience (CX)
The outermost layer of experience, encompassing every touchpoint a customer has with a company—from marketing and sales to product use and support. Broader than UX, which focuses on product interaction.
Definition: The outermost layer of experience, encompassing every touchpoint a customer has with a company—from marketing and sales to product use and support. Broader than UX, which focuses on product interaction.
Customer Experience (CX) is the outermost, macro-level layer of experience. It encompasses every single touchpoint a customer has with your company: marketing impressions, sales interactions, product usage, customer support calls, physical store visits, and everything in between.
CX vs. UX
User Experience (UX) is a subset of Customer Experience. While UX focuses specifically on the interaction with a product, system, or service, CX spans the entire customer journey regardless of touchpoint.
A problem at the CX level—like a marketing promise that the product cannot deliver—spans multiple touchpoints and requires cross-functional solutions. A problem at the UX level is typically contained within the product itself.
Why the Distinction Matters
Understanding this hierarchy prevents scope confusion. Research focused on a checkout flow (UX) cannot make claims about the overall customer relationship (CX). Conversely, CX research that ignores product-level UX problems misses critical detail.
CX Research Methods
CX research examines the end-to-end journey and often uses methods like:
- Journey mapping across touchpoints
- Shop exit interviews (interviewing customers leaving retail stores)
- Mystery shopping (trained observers as test customers)
- Large-scale satisfaction surveys
- Support ticket and complaint analysis
The underlying research goal is the same as UX—understanding needs and friction—but the scope is broader.
Related Terms
User Experience (UX)
Per ISO 9241-210: a person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use and/or anticipated use of a product, system, or service—including emotions, beliefs, preferences, and behaviors before, during, and after use.
Layers of Experience
The scope hierarchy from macro to micro: Customer Experience (CX) → User Experience (UX) → Micro-UX (scenarios/goals, tasks/steps). Defines where to focus research inquiry.
CX Research
Research that examines the entire customer journey across all touchpoints—not just the product interface. Covers every interaction from first awareness through support and renewal.
Mentions in the Knowledge Hub
This term is referenced in the following articles:
Understanding Research Scope: Layers of Experience
Before you begin any study, you must define its scope. This involves identifying the Layer of Experience you will focus on, from broad customer journey down to individual task steps.
The Business Case for UX Research
UX research is not a luxury or a checkbox, it is a systematic process for reducing uncertainty and driving measurable business outcomes. Here is how to frame its value.
Research Disciplines: A Practitioner's Map
Market research, UX research, CX research, product research, are these different things? At their core, they are all related methods for gathering data to reduce uncertainty. The key is understanding what each is best suited for.
The Applied Research Framework: How Everything Fits Together
Research disciplines, methods, and principles are not isolated concepts, they form a unified system. Understanding this framework is what separates scattered activities from strategic research practice.