Recently at an IKEA store in the US, I noticed something that made me realize that someone at IKEA had very deeply considered the total customer experience. The moment came not when I was perusing all of the perfectly designed room vignettes, or when I was trying to walk through the house-wares section without emptying my bank account, but it came after I had loaded my car with boxes and was pulling out of the parking space planning to get back on the interstate toward home. It was at that moment while still inside the IKEA parking garage that I looked and saw a sign giving me directions to the interstate.

Until that second I didn’t know I would need a sign to the interstate. I don’t think I need to point out how helpful it was for an out-of-town guest to have a sign pointing them to their desired destination from literally within a couple hundred feet of starting their journey.

This sign’s existence shows several things. First, we see that IKEA knows their audience. They realize that people may not have a need to purchase IKEA goods very often and a business model of huge, warehouse-style stores is likely to attract a large portion of guests from out of town. These guests may not know the local roads very well, if at all.

Second, we see that IKEA considered and anticipated the needs of this audience. Someone thought deeply about the situation and considered that a large percentage of guests leaving the store might be asking themselves which way to exit to get home. Maybe this area of town is particularly confusing. Maybe it is better to exit one side of the property for north-bound guests and the other for south-bound, but whatever the reason behind the need, they thought about it and how to meet it.

Third, we see that IKEA decided to prioritize the guest experience, considering every aspect of it all the way until someone leaves their property and maybe even beyond. They could have just said, “People will figure it out. The local department of transportation has signs. People will use their phone or GPS anyways. They’ll be fine.” But they didn’t. They put up the sign, ensuring that last bit of the guest’s experience is smooth and enjoyable.

Keep in mind this is after guests have parted with their money. Creating a good guest experience doesn’t end when someone gives you their credit card. IKEA continued solving their visitors' needs well after they made a transaction. Even if guests don’t think twice about the sign and how someone considered their needs before they knew them, they leave the store smoothly, without any confusion.

The experiences we design, whether digital or physical, should exhibit this same level of knowledge of our customers and care about their experience. We should consider and anticipate their needs with the same depth of thought shown here. And by prioritizing the people who use our products or go through our experiences we will provide the value and reinforce the trust that keeps them coming back.