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The Umami Strategy. Stand Out by Mixing Business with Experience Design
Creating a unique value for your customers is crucial if you want to differentiate in an overcrowded market. To do so, you need to define a powerful strategy that determines consistent action across your organization to deliver your unique flavor. Szóstek describes this strategy as umami, which is the fifth category of taste (besides sweet, sour, salt and bitter), and gives an exceptional flavor to your food.
How do you build a powerful yet actionable strategy, and successfully implement it across your organization? Many leaders, marketers and designers try to answer these questions. The Umami Strategy proposes a novel approach that will help you build and execute an experience strategy. The model used in the book allows you to (a) find out what stories your customers are telling today; (b) uncover motivators and demotivators that guide these stories; (c) envision the ideal future experience you want to deliver; (d) define the actionable measures that will ensure progress toward that vision; and (e) evaluate that progress through future customer stories.
Enjoyable, practical and full of hidden gems and tips, this book will help you get your organization to align with building a unique market value through delivering memorable experiences to your customers. Because to be noticed, you need to stand out of the crowd.
How do you build a powerful yet actionable strategy, and successfully implement it across your organization? Many leaders, marketers and designers try to answer these questions. The Umami Strategy proposes a novel approach that will help you build and execute an experience strategy. The model used in the book allows you to (a) find out what stories your customers are telling today; (b) uncover motivators and demotivators that guide these stories; (c) envision the ideal future experience you want to deliver; (d) define the actionable measures that will ensure progress toward that vision; and (e) evaluate that progress through future customer stories.
Enjoyable, practical and full of hidden gems and tips, this book will help you get your organization to align with building a unique market value through delivering memorable experiences to your customers. Because to be noticed, you need to stand out of the crowd.
- GenresDesign
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2021
20 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Aga Szóstek
4 books30 followersAga Szóstek, Ph.D. is a strategic designer and author of the books "The Umami Strategy" and "Leadership by Design". For the last two decades, she has worked with leading companies combining design, technology, and business. She also mentors leaders and management in the field of strategic change.
In addition to consulting, Aga designs tools to support the delivery of unique experiences as well as undergoing personal and professional transformations and co-hosts a podcast: Catching The Next Wave .. She is also the founding partner of the World Experience Organization.
In addition to consulting, Aga designs tools to support the delivery of unique experiences as well as undergoing personal and professional transformations and co-hosts a podcast: Catching The Next Wave .. She is also the founding partner of the World Experience Organization.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 10, 2020
Aga Szóstek did something extraordinary: she wrote a short, insightful and practical book on the experiences for business folks: sponsors, business owners, product managers and product owners.
Her book has got firm ground in science (over 250 references!) and is based on the work of such authors as Marc Hassenzahl, Noam Tractinsky and Daniel Kahneman. Luckily, she knows and how to explain complex and complicated ideas in a simple and engaging way.
The book consists of three main parts. In the first part she explains how to discover a competitive advantage basing on experience design. The second part describes how to implement a strategy for product experiences and how to build metrics for them. The last one shows how to maintain and improve experiences over time.
I find the second part the most insightful. It is stuffed with techniques and almost ready-to-use templates for workshops and meetings.
If you are a product or business manager, I definitely believe you will find this book invaluable.
Her book has got firm ground in science (over 250 references!) and is based on the work of such authors as Marc Hassenzahl, Noam Tractinsky and Daniel Kahneman. Luckily, she knows and how to explain complex and complicated ideas in a simple and engaging way.
The book consists of three main parts. In the first part she explains how to discover a competitive advantage basing on experience design. The second part describes how to implement a strategy for product experiences and how to build metrics for them. The last one shows how to maintain and improve experiences over time.
I find the second part the most insightful. It is stuffed with techniques and almost ready-to-use templates for workshops and meetings.
If you are a product or business manager, I definitely believe you will find this book invaluable.
June 4, 2024
Ciekawa i napisana w prosty, zrozumiały sposób, ktoś napisał, że ta książka sprawia „poczucie udziału w mądrej konwersacji” i też tak to odczułam. Cała książka podparta dużą ilością innych źródeł i znanych autorów co też
wywarło na mnie pozytywne wrażenie.
Dużo praktyczniej wiedzy i de facto template, jak zaimplementować tą strategię w swojej firmie ale wydaje mi się, że równie dobrze odnosi się do marki osobistej 😊 mam o wiele więcej zrozumienia czym jest dobre doświadczenie i z czym się go je 😜 loved it! I napewno będę jeszcze do niej wracać
wywarło na mnie pozytywne wrażenie.
Dużo praktyczniej wiedzy i de facto template, jak zaimplementować tą strategię w swojej firmie ale wydaje mi się, że równie dobrze odnosi się do marki osobistej 😊 mam o wiele więcej zrozumienia czym jest dobre doświadczenie i z czym się go je 😜 loved it! I napewno będę jeszcze do niej wracać
September 24, 2021
เป็นหนังสือธุรกิจที่อ่านง่าย เข้าใจง่าย และนำไปปรับใช้ได้เลย เหมาะสำหรับคนที่เริ่มทำธุรกิจไปแล้ว หรือกำลังหา core business ที่เหมาะในยุค globalization แบบนี้ เพราะคอร์ธุรกิจที่แข็งแรงจะทำให้เราปรับตัวได้ไม่ว่าในยุคไหนก็ตาม
หนังสือมีการพูดถึงหนังสือเล่มอื่นพอควรเช่น Thinking fast and slow, Purple cow, Nudge มีมั้ยนะ จริงๆก็อีกสองสามเล่มแต่จำไม่ได้ หลักๆก็มี Thinking fast and slow แหละ โดยในเล่มเขาจะปรับทฤษฎีให้เข้ากับธุรกิจซึ่งทำให้ง่ายต่อการเข้าใจแล้วเอาใช้หรือเทียบกับธุรกิจของตัวเองได้เลย
รูปเล่มหนังสือสวยมากๆ กราฟฟิกก็เข้าใจง่ายด้วย เป็นอีกหนึ่งเล่มที่ถ้ามีใครถามเรื่องปรับตัวคงแนะนำให้อ่านเล่มนี้อีกเล่ม แต่กำลังคิดอยู่ว่ามันอาจจะคล้ายๆ กับ Makoto Marketing ด้วยมั้ย เดี๋ยวอ่าน Makoto Marketing จบแล้วจะเอามาเหลาแล้วกันค่ะ
หนังสือมีการพูดถึงหนังสือเล่มอื่นพอควรเช่น Thinking fast and slow, Purple cow, Nudge มีมั้ยนะ จริงๆก็อีกสองสามเล่มแต่จำไม่ได้ หลักๆก็มี Thinking fast and slow แหละ โดยในเล่มเขาจะปรับทฤษฎีให้เข้ากับธุรกิจซึ่งทำให้ง่ายต่อการเข้าใจแล้วเอาใช้หรือเทียบกับธุรกิจของตัวเองได้เลย
รูปเล่มหนังสือสวยมากๆ กราฟฟิกก็เข้าใจง่ายด้วย เป็นอีกหนึ่งเล่มที่ถ้ามีใครถามเรื่องปรับตัวคงแนะนำให้อ่านเล่มนี้อีกเล่ม แต่กำลังคิดอยู่ว่ามันอาจจะคล้ายๆ กับ Makoto Marketing ด้วยมั้ย เดี๋ยวอ่าน Makoto Marketing จบแล้วจะเอามาเหลาแล้วกันค่ะ
December 27, 2020
Umami is the name of a flavor described first about a century ago in Japan. It is something that adds extra taste to food. The idea of the author is to add such an extra motivating flavor to the design of products and services so it stands out.
In my opinion the book elaborates on the work of the "Blue Ocean Strategy" by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim. The added value of the Umami Strategy is that the author gives more practical explanation how to investigate product satisfaction and how to find and define the extra "umami cherry" on top of the cake.
The book is imho useful for bachelor and master level design and marketing. I can imagine this book becomes mandatory read in these educations.
Another important group that might benefit from the book are the people in startups that create new products by technology push. These are typically found on crowd funding platforms. The book will help startups to see how to explicitly differentiate their product from the competition. As consumers get less interested in underlying tech, which has become a commodity, the difference between a good and an amazing product or service will be essential for startups to bridge the gap to larger markets.
As a non native English speaker I find the book very readable and accessible. The examples given are well worked out and the graphics although simple do support the story. Like the book so much I already bought a copy for a friend.
In my opinion the book elaborates on the work of the "Blue Ocean Strategy" by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim. The added value of the Umami Strategy is that the author gives more practical explanation how to investigate product satisfaction and how to find and define the extra "umami cherry" on top of the cake.
The book is imho useful for bachelor and master level design and marketing. I can imagine this book becomes mandatory read in these educations.
Another important group that might benefit from the book are the people in startups that create new products by technology push. These are typically found on crowd funding platforms. The book will help startups to see how to explicitly differentiate their product from the competition. As consumers get less interested in underlying tech, which has become a commodity, the difference between a good and an amazing product or service will be essential for startups to bridge the gap to larger markets.
As a non native English speaker I find the book very readable and accessible. The examples given are well worked out and the graphics although simple do support the story. Like the book so much I already bought a copy for a friend.
December 15, 2020
A philosophy that every entrepreneur should use as his base to build on.
This is one of the most valuable books I have read and worked with recently. This book is setting the tone for the new standard. 'Just' selling a product is since long an outdated concept.
The client wants to know more, feel more, being part of a story, being part of an amazing experience. The customer wants to get inspired and belonging to, the book is guiding you to find the right recipe for your organisation.
I can recommand it for everyone who wants to formulate an aligned strategy for nowadays business. As we all know that the values of customers are shifting and companies have to think beyond their established standards to convince their target.
Umami Strategy is bringing you back to some ground principles of how I can not only replying to a customers need, also to excel in every field and he gets an outstanding experience in the end. Umami Strategy is for all people who are interested to rethink their own business or setting up a new one. The book is easy to understand for translating the theory into a practice case. That makes this book so unique in the way it bridges this and why it helps me so much.
This is one of the most valuable books I have read and worked with recently. This book is setting the tone for the new standard. 'Just' selling a product is since long an outdated concept.
The client wants to know more, feel more, being part of a story, being part of an amazing experience. The customer wants to get inspired and belonging to, the book is guiding you to find the right recipe for your organisation.
I can recommand it for everyone who wants to formulate an aligned strategy for nowadays business. As we all know that the values of customers are shifting and companies have to think beyond their established standards to convince their target.
Umami Strategy is bringing you back to some ground principles of how I can not only replying to a customers need, also to excel in every field and he gets an outstanding experience in the end. Umami Strategy is for all people who are interested to rethink their own business or setting up a new one. The book is easy to understand for translating the theory into a practice case. That makes this book so unique in the way it bridges this and why it helps me so much.
August 18, 2022
I have both language versions of this book. This is the original one. It's excellent. I recommed you to read it if you are into service design or user experience design. This is one of these rare books that'll actually help you in your career. Aga is a fantastic storyteller and a skilled professional. And she delivers quality.
November 30, 2020
I recommend Aga's book to everyone who has any interest in strategy, not only experience strategy, but business strategy in general. The book balances the amount of theoretical knowledge with great actionable tools. It certainly will make me come back to it often in the future. At the same time it is very rich and well written. Excellent work.
June 6, 2021
I think this book is excellent at least for beginners who want to learn about experience design. And even if experience design does not raise your interest, still the book reveals many interest things at least I did not notice before about brands and what makes me love certain brands.
July 4, 2022
I found this one by accident. Good that this happened.
The book is well written; it says that it consists from 3 Parts but I can find 4 :)
1. Introduction - A lot of researches and great conclusions, observations and use cases from both - personal Aga experiences and other companies. The chapter about The Experiencing Self vs. the Remembering Self is brilliant, I didn't know the concept. It is simple, probably won't change much how You behave, but I think it will change the way You create things for other people - even in Your personal life. Aga lays great foundation for the next part which is:
2. The Umami Strategy. Here Aga actually writes about 5 steps which form the umami. The next steps combine to form one extraordinary whole at the end. I believe in that "whole", Aga convienced me and I hope to use the things I learned to not only create unique experiences but also help to create brand identity which follows a vision.
3. Tools that can help You in creating the umami strategy. This is the extra part that I can see. At the end of the day tools are just tools - if You can find different way to achieve the same outcome - then who cares about the tool :) Also I feel that sometimes people blindly follow the tools and forget about the philosophy behind them. This is why putting the tools into single dedicated area in the book is something I appreciate.
4. Umami Attitude. Thanks god it is there! The chapter about promises is F*CKING AWESOME. The one about fighting resistance in orgs also leaves You with "call to action". Hedonic adaptation, endless game - also great stuff.
I'm working in IT but the book describes concepts that can be used in any industry. I recently finished Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres. Great Combo! :D Make sure You will read both of them.
The book is well written; it says that it consists from 3 Parts but I can find 4 :)
1. Introduction - A lot of researches and great conclusions, observations and use cases from both - personal Aga experiences and other companies. The chapter about The Experiencing Self vs. the Remembering Self is brilliant, I didn't know the concept. It is simple, probably won't change much how You behave, but I think it will change the way You create things for other people - even in Your personal life. Aga lays great foundation for the next part which is:
2. The Umami Strategy. Here Aga actually writes about 5 steps which form the umami. The next steps combine to form one extraordinary whole at the end. I believe in that "whole", Aga convienced me and I hope to use the things I learned to not only create unique experiences but also help to create brand identity which follows a vision.
3. Tools that can help You in creating the umami strategy. This is the extra part that I can see. At the end of the day tools are just tools - if You can find different way to achieve the same outcome - then who cares about the tool :) Also I feel that sometimes people blindly follow the tools and forget about the philosophy behind them. This is why putting the tools into single dedicated area in the book is something I appreciate.
4. Umami Attitude. Thanks god it is there! The chapter about promises is F*CKING AWESOME. The one about fighting resistance in orgs also leaves You with "call to action". Hedonic adaptation, endless game - also great stuff.
I'm working in IT but the book describes concepts that can be used in any industry. I recently finished Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres. Great Combo! :D Make sure You will read both of them.
July 1, 2024
I read "The Umami Strategy" by Aga Szóstek for the first time, treating it as a book that perfectly organizes knowledge, provides arguments, and broadens the perception of design with the entire spectrum of events and emotions that appear not only in contact with the product but also with the entire brand and its context.
I was waiting for the right moment when the client-partner would be experienced enough and aware of his service, as well as reflective and open to change, to look at his products not as points on a map, but as a spectrum of user experiences. And I found it!
For a month now, the "Umami Strategy" has been accompanying me as a textbook and a non-living, but very active consultant who helps me design a service where the digital product itself becomes only an element of shaping user experience, and not a goal in itself.
I highly recommend purchasing this book, even for people who are just starting their path in design. There will come a moment when it will shine on your bookshelves and illuminate more than one problem.
I was waiting for the right moment when the client-partner would be experienced enough and aware of his service, as well as reflective and open to change, to look at his products not as points on a map, but as a spectrum of user experiences. And I found it!
For a month now, the "Umami Strategy" has been accompanying me as a textbook and a non-living, but very active consultant who helps me design a service where the digital product itself becomes only an element of shaping user experience, and not a goal in itself.
I highly recommend purchasing this book, even for people who are just starting their path in design. There will come a moment when it will shine on your bookshelves and illuminate more than one problem.
December 21, 2020
It used to be enough to create a fairly good product, mix it with a competitive price and tell the marketing department to shout out.
Times have changed - nowadays you are not selling a product anymore. You sell an experience with your product, the product changes the customer, inspires and elevates her and lets her be part of another story. This is soo much more than product selling.
This book shows you how to combine your business and the experience for the customer. It builds bridges to connect fields that have seldom been connected before - but the traffic over these bridges will be enormous in the future.
This book will be an eyeopener if you want to align your strategy with todays business. It will help you to connect back to the shifted values of the customers and in the end make your company more successful than others.
Times have changed - nowadays you are not selling a product anymore. You sell an experience with your product, the product changes the customer, inspires and elevates her and lets her be part of another story. This is soo much more than product selling.
This book shows you how to combine your business and the experience for the customer. It builds bridges to connect fields that have seldom been connected before - but the traffic over these bridges will be enormous in the future.
This book will be an eyeopener if you want to align your strategy with todays business. It will help you to connect back to the shifted values of the customers and in the end make your company more successful than others.
May 4, 2022
Aga's book is refreshing the mindset about the experience design and experience strategy. The experience strategy is looking beyond the product, brand or the customer journey. It is focused on building the stories that our clients want to become a part. The book includes practical tools ad tips how to reveal customers' motivators and demotivators, define experience differentiators and build appealing stories. The book also shows how to make the transition of the experience vision into actions and measures that the organization can take to shape the successful customer experience.
I think the book is a great position recommended to experience strategists, product managers, product owners, designers and many more who care about their customers.
I think the book is a great position recommended to experience strategists, product managers, product owners, designers and many more who care about their customers.
February 2, 2022
A mind-opening approach to experience design: the book provides not only valuable references to behavioral and neural science but also translates them into organizational context, providing numerous business examples of how customer experience can be shaped effectively. Advocates for experience-centric approach – I think very relevant for both start-ups as well as well-established organizations. I particularly liked ready-to-use tools that allow the companies to measure – and track - their own umami baseline and progress (a seamless transition from theory to practice). Easy to read, imaginative, inspiring.
May 4, 2022
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in strategy. I think this book is an excellent read for beginners and experts alike, but beginners who want to learn about designing experiences will be the ones for whom this one is a "must read". Design strategy practitioners, with actual "hands-on" experience will gain impactful and important insights into Aga's way of thinking and with that into working in the field itself. Everyone can find some bits of knowledge for themselves.
May 22, 2022
The book is very practical. It has simple and powerful tools to put the experience design mindset into practice in business. Aga brings a synthesis of all that is most advanced in relation to the experience. In a clear, concise and direct way through the lens of business and impact. So even if you are just getting to know the concept of experience, you’ll be able to put it into practice and empower you as a leader to structure businesses effectively and with relevance.
December 15, 2020
Learning to see our everyday world with fresh eyes is one of the most difficult challenges we can ask of ourselves. Aga's writing profoundly and permanently shift my perspective. These pages contain that same magic - a special invitation to see the splendor of this reality through Aga’s extraordinary lens.
September 19, 2025
This is my favorite strategy book. It’s easy to understand and implement. Very beautiful and easy to read. Clearly wrote by someone who care about the reader. Aga not only wrote an inspiring book on experience design, but she also kindly hosted an online session for us when I reached out to her on LinkedIn — all the way from Poland. Truly generous and insightful, both in her writing and teaching.
April 27, 2022
A book worth attention and recommendation - also for experienced designers. It allows to go beyond designing based on "ordinary" needs and pains and consciously look for "a better version of ourselves". This is what I value most in this book :)
December 15, 2020
An excellent book for design strategy practitioners.
March 13, 2023
Honestly dont feel like it brought much new to the table.
July 1, 2024
Pozycja MUST READ dla każdego UX designera. :)
July 4, 2024
Like umami, this book is a 5-star delight, blending experience design tools to enhance business strategy. It's a must-read for anyone looking to make a significant impact!
December 11, 2025
Absolutnie wspaniała książka. Poszerzająca horyzonty na temat prowadzenia biznesu, kwestionująca utarte przekonania, zmuszająca do myślenia inaczej.
July 2, 2024
That book changed my thinking about how customer experiences should be designed—a great combination of strategic design and psychology knowledge. I highly recommended to read.
December 11, 2021
I’ve finished ‘The Umami Strategy’ by Aga Szóstek and I rate it five stars. It’s an insanely customer-centric strategy book.
The book is split into three parts; discovering the competitive advantage of experiences, defining your umami strategy and keeping the umami mindset.
The book is highly original and it’s very thought provoking. I like the division of Basics (Functionality, Reliability, etc) and Motivators (Fun, Empathetic, etc) in the value proposition and I also wonder how organisations became trapped in overpromising and under-delivering in the pressures of the Positive Adaptation cycle.
The book is split into three parts; discovering the competitive advantage of experiences, defining your umami strategy and keeping the umami mindset.
The book is highly original and it’s very thought provoking. I like the division of Basics (Functionality, Reliability, etc) and Motivators (Fun, Empathetic, etc) in the value proposition and I also wonder how organisations became trapped in overpromising and under-delivering in the pressures of the Positive Adaptation cycle.
February 26, 2025
Dear UMAMI Strategy,
From the moment I learned of your existence, I knew I needed to meet you. That was a challenging year, and reading about you rekindled memories of aspirations I had. I am glad I did. Upon delving into your pages, I found you to be everything they told me you were and more:
- Methodical yet engaging
- Expert yet approachable
- Well-informed with an enduring approach
After all, experience design "is all about adjectives."
Your teachings, delivered with clarity, were immediately applicable to my practice:
- Framework to work with: Not just theory, but practical applications through examples and exercises
- Vocabulary that helps to name it: Empowering me to communicate effectively
- Additional resources: Tools to facilitate my own #StrategyDesign workshops, simplifying the process.
Implementing your insights was both straightforward and effective. This experience has elevated my confidence, enabling me to embrace new challenges and collaborate on projects with others.
Truly yours,
A Devoted UMAMI Practitioner
From the moment I learned of your existence, I knew I needed to meet you. That was a challenging year, and reading about you rekindled memories of aspirations I had. I am glad I did. Upon delving into your pages, I found you to be everything they told me you were and more:
- Methodical yet engaging
- Expert yet approachable
- Well-informed with an enduring approach
After all, experience design "is all about adjectives."
Your teachings, delivered with clarity, were immediately applicable to my practice:
- Framework to work with: Not just theory, but practical applications through examples and exercises
- Vocabulary that helps to name it: Empowering me to communicate effectively
- Additional resources: Tools to facilitate my own #StrategyDesign workshops, simplifying the process.
Implementing your insights was both straightforward and effective. This experience has elevated my confidence, enabling me to embrace new challenges and collaborate on projects with others.
Truly yours,
A Devoted UMAMI Practitioner
April 23, 2022
The ability to stand out in using the umami taste and flavour metaphors is a real game changer not just for designers but for business executives at large. Experience Design as a value driver in business for both sides of the equation is powerful . Aga Szóstek doesn't only write about it, she does is in daily practice. If you are in business or in experience design, both in strategy and execution, I recommend this strategy approach wholeheartedly.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews