Brand, UX, and the Power of Systems Thinking

Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing a candidate for the position of Brand Creative Director. Having spent a good chunk of my career on the branding and marketing side of the fence, our conversation eventually landed on UX, specifically how it relates to the brand.

At the front end of my career, I did a lot of branding and a lot of product launches. Nearly every time, I saw a big disconnect between the product and marketing teams. It never made sense to me. As a Creative Director launching a brand, my creative strategies always looked beyond the product, the packaging, or the campaign.

Since the 90s, my philosophy has always been a holistic view of the brand. Every touchpoint a customer has contributes to their opinion and feeling toward the brand, which is critical to understanding how to paint the entire picture.

There wasn’t a name for it yet. Still, before I ever jumped to the product side of the fence, I was deeply involved and practicing what I would later realize was UX—not simply how a user experiences a product but how an imperfect, emotional human being experiences your entire brand.

UX as a Brand Experience

When I transitioned into product design, the same principles I used in marketing still applied. A brand’s identity is shaped not just by its logo, colors, ad copy or a clever campaign, but by the entire end-to-end user experience with the organization. Every interaction a customer has with the company—whether it’s through marketing, customer service, or the product itself—forms part of the brand's story. The idea that you can separate these experiences into distinct silos never made sense to me. The brand is not just about the promise a company makes; it's about how a human experiences that promise being delivered through the product, services, email, meetings, trade shows, social media, the interface, and beyond.

Systems Thinking in UX

This brings me to the concept of systems thinking in UX, which resonates deeply with my approach to branding. Systems thinking helps us view UX as a broader, interconnected system. Just like a brand is not defined by one moment but by many, UX is a complex ecosystem where every interaction influences the user’s overall experience.

When we fail to see the big picture—focusing only on product or UI—we miss opportunities to craft a cohesive and compelling user experience. Systems thinking is about recognizing those relationships and understanding how one weak link in the chain can create ripple effects across the entire brand experience.

Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement

The feedback loop is at the core of systems thinking. Like in marketing, where we test and adjust strategies based on consumer response, UX benefits from continuous feedback. Every touchpoint a user has generates valuable information that should inform the evolution of the product and the brand experience.

For example, if users have a great experience with the product but face challenges with customer support, their overall perception of the brand can suffer. We can identify these friction points early through feedback loops and make necessary adjustments across the entire system. This interconnected view allows us to refine not only the product itself—but the entire customer journey.

Designing for the Whole System

This is why I believe that UX design must focus on the entire experience ecosystem. In branding, I used to say that every detail matters because it all adds up to how people feel about your brand. The same applies to UX. A seamless experience isn’t just about a polished interface; it’s about ensuring every interaction is aligned, from first impressions to long-term engagement.

UX is more than a series of disconnected touchpoints—it’s an entire system of experiences that together form the brand's perception. By applying systems thinking, we ensure that every interaction, from marketing to product use, contributes to a cohesive and meaningful user journey. This approach creates brand loyalty, builds trust, and ultimately shapes the brand in the user’s mind.