Marginally Better

Marginally Better

By Joe Taylor Jr.BusinessTechnologyManagement
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Marginally Better episodes

  • Breaking Things, Returning Things, and Getting Things Right
    “Move fast and break things” might’ve been the startup mantra of the early 2000s—but in 2025, it’s costing companies customers, credibility, and billions in returns. In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. unpacks how the speed-at-all-costs philosophy is being replaced by something smarter: thoughtful design, seamless returns, and customer-first decision-making. From Zappos' billion-dollar bet on free returns to IKEA’s cinnamon roll-powered strategy, discover how today’s best businesses are building loyalty by slowing down, listening up, and getting things right. If you’ve ever cursed a broken update or fallen in love with a handwritten thank-you note, this one’s for you. 

    Episode Links:
    • UX Design - The Fastest Gun in UX: Why Your Team is Telling the Wrong Story 
    • Reddit r/The10thDentist - "Move fast and break things" is terrible advice
    • LeadDev - Why You Shouldn't Move Fast and Break Things
    • Harvard Business Review - The Era of "Move Fast and Break Things" Is Over
    • Retail Dive - How Retail Can Navigate $816B in Returns and Rising Reverse Logistics Challenges
    • Spark Holyoke - Zappos: The Profitable Pursuit of Customer Satisfaction
    • Bustle - L.L.Bean's Lifetime Return Policy Is Ending
    • UPS - How We're Making Customer Returns Easy: Happy Returns x UPS
    • Retail Dive - UPS Acquires Happy Returns
    • Medium Design Bootcamp - UX Lessons from the Very Intentional Design of IKEA
    • Supply Chain Dive - IKEA Taps Optoro for Returns Support
    • Baymard Institute - UX Awards 2024
    • Forbes Business Development Council - 20 Strategies To Personalize The Customer Experience
    • AmericanTrucks - About Us
    • Crutchfield Corporation - Wikipedia
    • The Daily Progress - 50 years in business: Bill Crutchfield founded 'a company to last'
    • Crutchfield - The Crutchfield Story
    • Crutchfield - Seriously Into Audio Since 1974
    • Much Better Adventures - Certified B Corporation
    • Much Better Adventures - About Us

    27 min
  • The Screen We Ignore, The Skills We Discard, and When Organizations Forget Why They Exist
    Struggling to check out on your phone? You’re not alone. In this episode of Marginally Better, host Joe Taylor Jr. uncovers why most mobile experiences still fall flat despite making up the majority of web traffic. From jaw-dropping statistics on e-commerce conversion gaps to the dramatic downturn in UX hiring, Joe explores the widening disconnect between user needs and business decisions. Plus, a personal story about a beloved Philadelphia music venue reveals what happens when organizations forget their purpose — and what it takes to rebuild from the inside out. If you care about customer experience, workplace culture, or the future of digital design, this episode is a must-listen.

    Episode Links:

    • Mobile UX Trends 2025: 9 Common Pitfalls & Best Practices 
    • The UX Reckoning: Prepare for 2025 and Beyond 
    • Why is the UX Job Market Such a Mess Right Now? — A Comprehensive Explanation 
    • 2025 Looks Like Another ‘Meh’ Year for CX 
    • The crucial role of UX in CX strategies 
    • The Historical Context of UX, UI, and Product Design 
    • The We built UX. We broke UX. And now we have to fix it! 
    • World Cafe Live workers walk off the job at Philly venue, protesting “hostility” from new leadership 
    • WORLD CAFE LIVE’S TOWN HALL / DOWNFALL 
    • Philly’s Strike Is Over But World Cafe Live’s Labor Problems Persist 
    • World Cafe Live CEO assures success in a tense town hall full of skeptical attendeees 
    26 min
  • Small Is the New Smart: Why Simplicity Wins in Customer Experience
    Is your small business secretly holding the upper hand? In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores why the tiniest companies are winning big in a world of sky-high customer expectations. With 88% of consumers demanding Amazon-level convenience from every brand they encounter, the pressure is on—but small businesses might just be built for this moment. From punk rock accounting to handwritten thank-you notes, discover how lean teams are outpacing giants by delivering faster, simpler, and more human experiences. Plus, what Steve Jobs' legendary "no" can teach you about growth, focus, and saying goodbye to feature bloat. If you're looking to win on experience—not size—this episode is for you. 

    Episode Links:
     
    • Frictionless Customer Experience: Why Now and What's Next  Journey-Centric Design 
    • The Cost of Poor CX: Why Businesses Must Rethink Customer Journeys to Survive 2025    
    • Can Small Businesses Excel as CX Champions?  
    • 10 Things to Know About Measuring and Improving CX for Brand Growth    
    • Key CX Metrics That Shape Customer Loyalty and Business Success     
    • Steve Jobs' Greatest UX Rule That Most Designers Ignore   
    • Stop Building Features, Start Solving Problems   
    26 min
  • When Customer Experience Goes Wrong: AI Promises, Survey Fatigue, and Subscription Traps
    AI gone rogue, broken feedback loops, and cancellation nightmares—this episode of Marginally Better exposes how even well-intentioned CX efforts can backfire. Joe Taylor, Jr. unpacks why 64% of customers want AI out of customer service, how survey fatigue is killing Net Promoter Scores, and why the subscription economy may finally be forced to clean up its act. From chatbot fails to $881 million algorithm mistakes, this episode explores what happens when technology outpaces empathy—and what brands must do to regain trust. 

    Episode Links 
    • AI Must Solve Real User Problems 
    • Contact Center AI is triggering customers 
    • AI in the Workplace 
    • Effect of Declining Response Rates 
    • Click-to-cancel rule 
    • Predatory Subscriptions 
    • Dark Pattern Examples 

    Additional Resources 
    • Zendesk - CX Trends 2025 Report 
    • Vistio - AI in Customer Service: Risks & Challenges     
    • FullStory - How AI is Transforming Customer Experience      
    • Microsoft - How Real-World Businesses Are Transforming with AI     
    • Quidget - Top AI Chatbot Fails and How to Prevent Them    
    • Hotjar - What is Net Promoter Score (NPS) 
    • Qualtrics - Net Promoter Score (NPS): The Ultimate Guide      
    • Wikipedia - Net Promoter Score  
    • Malewicz Method - Welcome to the Era of "MEH"    
    • Customer Thermometer - 125 Survey Fatigue Statistics    
    • FTC - Action Against Adobe for Hidden Fees   
    27 min
  • The Experience Revolution: From Broken Systems to Billion-Dollar Opportunities
    What do a $13 trillion market, a groundbreaking government initiative and viral customer service disasters have in common? They're all reshaping the future of customer experience. In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores how accessibility, government innovation, and the delicate balance between UX and CX are redefining what it means to serve customers in the digital age. From Fortune 500 companies ignoring basic accessibility to New York’s bold move toward citizen-centric design, this episode offers powerful lessons on why designing for everyone isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.

    Episode Links: 
    • Forrester Research on Inclusive Design ROI. 
    • CMSWire - Digital Accessibility Drives Customer Loyalty. 
    • Baymard Institute Accessibility Statistics 
    • Qorus Global - Chase Bank Accessibility Approach 
    • GovTech - New York's Customer Experience Report 
    • CX Dive Interview with Tonya Webster (November 2023) 
    • New York Experience (NYX) Website 
    • Nielsen Norman Group - UX vs CX 
    • CMSWire - Bad Customer Service Examples 
     
    Additional Resources: 
    • Governor Hochul Announces Webster's Appointment (October 2023) 
    • Digital Spy - Virgin Media Deceased Customer Bill
    • United Breaks Guitars (Wikipedia) 
    • Marketplace - United Breaks Guitars Analysis 
    • StateScoop - Meet NY's Chief Customer Experience Officer  
    • HelpCrunch - Customer Service Horror Stories  
    • Spokal - Social Media Customer Service Examples 
    21 min
  • From Feedback to Fallout: What 2025 Teaches Us About Customer Experience
    Why are customer loyalty scores plummeting—even when satisfaction metrics are strong? In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores the disconnect between Customer Experience data and tangible business results. From the surprising collapse of TGI Fridays to the 20% of companies connecting feedback to revenue, this episode unpacks what it really takes to drive customer retention in 2025. Plus, Joe shares a pivotal childhood lesson in user experience from his very first (and very failed) drive-thru business. 

    Episode Links:
    • The Wall Street Journal explores how and why TGI Fridays fell. 
    • Customer experience is trending downward, putting many brands in a vulnerable position. Forrester’s 2024 U.S. Customer Experience Index shows that overall CX quality has dropped to its lowest point on record. 
    • Top 5 customer experience trends to watch in 2025. 
    • Predictions of how CX will evolve and how we can lead the charge into the future. 
    • Five steps to running the Wizard of Oz Method in UX. 
    • How the first drive-thru at McDonald’s came to be. 
    22 min
  • Experience & Excellence: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of Customer-First Companies
    Join host Joe Taylor Jr. as he explores the fine line between customer experience triumphs and costly missteps. From Starbucks’ turnaround to Walgreens’ recent struggles, Joe breaks down what happens when businesses lose sight of what truly matters—delivering a great customer experience at its core. Tune in to hear how plexiglass barriers and impersonal service can drive customers away and why Zappos is still more than just a shoe store. Let’s take a sharp, insightful look at where companies go wrong and how they can course-correct before they lose touch with their customers.

    Episode Links

    • Explore what factors are at play when Walgreens shutters close to 1,200 stores over the next three years.
    • Find out just how badly the plexiglass move affected Walgreens.
    • Walgreens’ Executives admit that the shoplifting threat was ‘overstated’ as they grapple with the customer fallout. 
    • Walgreens' CEO discusses the flip side of investing in increased security.
    • Cal Newport shares his TikTok experience.
    22 min

About Marginally Better

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Marginally Better is a thought-provoking business podcast from Joe Taylor Jr., a Master Certified User Experience consultant and customer service veteran. It explores how investing in exceptional…