Customer Domain

The Customer domain focuses on the people and organizations that consume an organization's products and services. It provides a structured approach for modeling customer segments, personas, journeys, and relationships, enabling a customer-centric view that drives strategic decisions and operational excellence.

Schema: customer.schema.json
Specification: JSON Schema Draft-07

Overview

What is the Customer Domain?

The Customer domain extends the Stakeholder domain by providing deeper insights into customer behaviors, needs, and interactions. The domain covers:

Customer Segments — Distinct groups with similar characteristics and needs
Customer Personas — Fictional representatives of typical customers
Customer Journeys — End-to-end experiences across touchpoints
Customer Relationships — Ongoing connections and their management

This domain enables organizations to design more effective products, services, and experiences based on deep customer understanding.

Purpose and Value

The Customer domain enables architects and planners to:

Align capabilities with needs — Connect organizational capabilities to customer expectations
Map customer journeys — Link journeys to internal value streams for better experience design
Support targeting decisions — Enable data-driven customer segment strategies
Drive product development — Base product and service development on customer insights
Measure customer success — Track satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value

For Data Engineers

The Customer domain maps directly to customer data concepts:

Customer Segment → Customer dimension /cohort
Customer Persona → Customer archetype
Customer Journey → Event stream /customer timeline
Customer Relationship → Account /relationship entity
Lifetime Value → CLV calculation

Core Components

The Customer domain uses interconnected elements:

Customer Segment: Distinct group with common characteristics
Customer Persona: Representative fictional character
Customer Journey: End-to-end experience mapping
Customer Relationship: Ongoing connection management

Domain Attributes

Customer Segment Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`customerID`	String	Unique identifier for the customer element	✓
`title`	String	Name or title of the customer segment	✓
`description`	String	Detailed explanation of segment characteristics	✓
`customerSegmentType`	Enum	Classification of segment
`orgUnitTitle`	String	Organization unit responsible	✓
`orgUnitID`	String	ID of the organization unit named in `orgUnitTitle`
`orgUnitRoles`	Array[String]	Roles that manage this segment
`customerNeeds`	Array[String]	Primary needs, wants, and pain points
`customerValue`	String	Value proposition offered to this segment
`acquisitionChannels`	Array[String]	Channels used to acquire customers
`retentionStrategies`	Array[String]	Approaches to maintaining customers
`customerLifecycleStage`	Enum	Current position in lifecycle
`customerLifetimeValue`	Object	Expected or measured customer value: `value`, `currency`, `timespan`, `calculationMethod`
`performanceIndicators`	Array[Object]	Metrics for segment success: `metricName`, `metricDescription`, `currentValue`, `targetValue`, `unit`
`dependencies`	Array[Object]	Dependencies on other domains: `dependencyType`, `domainType`, `entityID`, `description`
`relatedCustomerSegments`	Array[Object]	Related segments: `segmentID`, `relationshipType`, `relationshipStrength` (1–5)
`improvementOpportunities`	Array[String]	Areas for experience enhancement
`strategicAlignment`	String	Alignment with strategic goals
`customerEmpathyScore`	String	Strategic empathy: customers' perception of the organization's empathy
`customerJourneyEmotionalMapping`	Boolean	Strategic empathy: whether customer journeys are mapped to understand emotional touchpoints
`clientTrustIndex`	String	Strategic empathy: level of trust clients have in the organization
`feedbackLoopForEmotionalInsights`	Boolean	Strategic empathy: whether mechanisms capture and act on emotional feedback from customers
`crossDomainRelationships`	Array[Object]	Directional relationships from this record to entities in other domains (see Cross-Domain Relationships)

Personas, journeys and relationships are separate elements, not nested in the segment record. Each one names its segment in customerSegmentID.

Enumeration Values

Customer Segment Type (`customerSegmentType`)

Value	Description	Example
`demographic`	Based on demographic attributes	Age, income, location
`behavioral`	Based on behavior patterns	Usage frequency, purchase history
`valueBased`	Based on customer value	High-value, growth potential
`needsBased`	Based on customer needs	Problem-solution fit
`lifecycle`	Based on stage in the customer lifecycle	New customers, long-tenure customers
`industry`	Based on industry (B2B)	Financial services, healthcare
`geographic`	Based on where customers are	Region, urban or rural
`psychographic`	Based on attitudes and values	Lifestyle, preferences
`technographic`	Based on technology use	Digital-first, legacy-system users
`other`	Any other basis, described in `description`	Organization size (enterprise, SMB)

Customer Lifecycle Stage (`customerLifecycleStage`)

Value	Description	Example
`awareness`	Becoming aware of the organization or offer	Campaign reach
`consideration`	Potential customer evaluating options	Lead, opportunity
`purchase`	Being acquired; first purchase or contract	Contract signature
`onboarding`	Initial setup and first value delivery	First value realized
`usage`	Regular use of products or services	Active accounts
`growth`	Expanding relationship	Upsell, cross-sell
`retention`	Maintaining the relationship, including customers at risk of leaving	Renewal, loyalty, declining engagement
`advocacy`	Active promotion	Referrals, testimonials
`winBack`	Re-engaging lost or lapsed customers	Former customer campaigns
`other`	Any other stage	—

Segment Relationship Type (`relationshipType` in `relatedCustomerSegments`)

Value	Description	Example
`parent`	The related segment contains this one	Affluent customers → Affluent Professionals
`child`	The related segment is a sub-segment of this one	Affluent Professionals → Young Professionals
`complementary`	Segments that are served together or reinforce each other	Business owners and their households
`competitor`	Segments competing for the same offer or resources	Price-sensitive vs premium buyers
`influencer`	The related segment influences this one's decisions	Financial advisers
`progression`	Customers typically move from one segment to the other	Mass affluent → High net worth
`other`	Any other relationship	—

Customer Persona (`customerPersona`)

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`personaID`	String	Unique identifier for the persona	✓
`title`	String	Name of the persona	✓
`description`	String	Detailed profile	✓
`orgUnitTitle`	String	The organization unit responsible
`orgUnitID`	String	ID of the organization unit named in `orgUnitTitle`
`customerSegmentID`	String	ID of the segment this persona belongs to	✓
`demographicAttributes`	Object	`age`, `gender`, `location`, `incomeLevel`, `occupation`, `education`, `householdStatus` (all strings)
`psychographicAttributes`	Object	`values`, `attitudes`, `interests` (arrays of strings) and `lifestyle` (string)
`behaviors`	Array[String]	Typical behaviors and preferences
`goals`	Array[String]	What the persona wants to achieve
`painPoints`	Array[String]	Challenges and frustrations
`influences`	Array[String]	Decision-making influences
`purchaseDecisionProcess`	String	How decisions are made
`technographics`	String	Technology usage patterns
`quotations`	Array[String]	Representative quotes
`narrativeScenario`	String	Day-in-the-life scenario

Customer Journey (`customerJourney`)

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`journeyID`	String	Unique identifier for the customer journey	✓
`journeyTitle`	String	Name of the journey	✓
`description`	String	Overview of the journey	✓
`customerSegmentID`	String	ID of the segment this journey is for	✓
`personaIDs`	Array[String]	IDs of the applicable personas
`orgUnitTitle`	String	The organization unit responsible
`orgUnitID`	String	ID of the organization unit named in `orgUnitTitle`
`journeyStages`	Array[Object]	Sequential stages (see Journey Stage below)

Journey Stage (`journeyStage`)

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`stageID`	String	Unique identifier for the journey stage, so other records can reference it
`stageName`	String	Name of the stage	✓
`description`	String	What happens in this stage
`touchpoints`	Array[String]	Interaction points with the organization
`customerActions`	Array[String]	What customers do at this stage
`customerThoughts`	Array[String]	What customers think or feel
`customerPainPoints`	Array[String]	Challenges at this stage
`customerOpportunities`	Array[String]	Experience improvements
`relevantCapabilities`	Array[String]	Supporting capabilities
`relevantCapabilityIDs`	Array[String]	IDs of the capabilities supporting this stage
`relevantValueStreams`	Array[String]	Value streams involved
`relevantValueStreamIDs`	Array[String]	IDs of the value streams involved
`performanceMetrics`	Array[String]	How success is measured at this stage

Customer Relationship (`customerRelationship`)

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`relationshipID`	String	Unique identifier for the customer relationship	✓
`title`	String	Name of the relationship	✓
`description`	String	Detailed description of the relationship	✓
`customerSegmentID`	String	ID of the segment this relationship applies to	✓
`orgUnitTitle`	String	The organization unit responsible
`orgUnitID`	String	ID of the organization unit named in `orgUnitTitle`
`relationshipType`	String	Nature of the relationship
`relationshipStrength`	Integer	Quality of the relationship, 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)
`engagementLevel`	String	Degree of active engagement
`loyaltyStatus`	String	Current loyalty or retention status
`relationshipHistory`	Array[String]	Timeline of key relationship events
`relationshipValue`	Object	Current and potential value: `currentValue`, `potentialValue` (strings)
`relationshipRisks`	Array[String]	Threats to continuity
`growthOpportunities`	Array[String]	Expansion opportunities
`engagementModel`	String	How the relationship is managed

relationshipType, engagementLevel and loyaltyStatus are free text. Typical relationship types are transactional, contractual, advisory, partnership, self-service and dedicated (key account management); typical engagement levels run from inactive through low, moderate and active to highly engaged.

Domain Relationships

The Customer domain integrates with other metamodel domains:

Target Domain	Relationship Type	Description
Stakeholder	Extension	Customers are external stakeholders
Products	Consumption	Customers consume products
Services	Usage	Customers use services
Capabilities	Alignment	Capabilities aligned to customer needs
Value Stream	Experience	Customer journeys map to value streams
Strategy	Focus	Strategy focuses on customer segments
Performance	Measurement	Customer metrics track success
Channel	Interaction	Customers interact through channels
Organization	Service	Org units serve customers
Information	Data	Customer data informs decisions

Examples

Example 1: Retail Banking Customer Segment

Customer segment

{
  "customerID": "CUST-SEG-001",
  "title": "Affluent Professionals",
  "description": "High-income professionals with complex financial needs and limited time for financial management",
  "customerSegmentType": "valueBased",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Premium Banking Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-001",
  "orgUnitRoles": [
    "Segment Manager",
    "Relationship Banking Lead",
    "Product Specialist"
  ],
  "customerNeeds": [
    "Time-efficient financial management",
    "Wealth preservation and growth",
    "Personalized advisory services",
    "Seamless digital and in-person experiences"
  ],
  "customerValue": "Comprehensive financial management with personalized service and premium digital capabilities",
  "acquisitionChannels": [
    "Professional referrals",
    "Executive events",
    "Digital targeting"
  ],
  "retentionStrategies": [
    "Dedicated advisor",
    "Quarterly portfolio reviews",
    "Premium service level"
  ],
  "customerLifecycleStage": "growth",
  "customerLifetimeValue": {
    "value": 25000,
    "currency": "USD",
    "timespan": "Annual",
    "calculationMethod": "Risk-adjusted revenue minus servicing costs"
  },
  "performanceIndicators": [
    {
      "metricName": "Relationship Depth",
      "metricDescription": "Average number of products per customer",
      "currentValue": "3.7",
      "targetValue": "4.5",
      "unit": "Products"
    },
    {
      "metricName": "Net Promoter Score",
      "metricDescription": "Likelihood to recommend to others",
      "currentValue": "42",
      "targetValue": "60",
      "unit": "NPS Points"
    }
  ],
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "dependencyType": "critical",
      "domainType": "capability",
      "entityID": "CAP-001",
      "description": "Wealth Advisory Services capability"
    },
    {
      "dependencyType": "important",
      "domainType": "service",
      "entityID": "SVC-003",
      "description": "Portfolio Management Service"
    }
  ],
  "relatedCustomerSegments": [
    {
      "segmentID": "CUST-SEG-003",
      "relationshipType": "progression",
      "relationshipStrength": 4
    }
  ],
  "improvementOpportunities": [
    "Enhanced mobile investment capabilities",
    "Proactive life event planning",
    "Integrated business and personal banking"
  ],
  "strategicAlignment": "Core focus segment for 2025 growth strategy, driving 40% of total profits",
  "customerEmpathyScore": "7.8/10 in the 2025 premium client survey",
  "customerJourneyEmotionalMapping": true,
  "clientTrustIndex": "High: 82% of clients rate trust 4 or 5 out of 5",
  "feedbackLoopForEmotionalInsights": true
}

Persona

{
  "personaID": "PERSONA-001",
  "title": "Michael Chen",
  "description": "42-year-old technology executive balancing career advancement with family needs",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Premium Banking Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-001",
  "customerSegmentID": "CUST-SEG-001",
  "demographicAttributes": {
    "age": "42",
    "gender": "Male",
    "location": "Urban",
    "incomeLevel": "$250,000+",
    "occupation": "Technology executive"
  },
  "psychographicAttributes": {
    "values": [
      "Achievement",
      "Security",
      "Family"
    ],
    "interests": [
      "Technology",
      "Travel",
      "Investing"
    ]
  },
  "behaviors": [
    "Researches thoroughly before decisions",
    "Prefers digital interactions",
    "Values efficiency"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "Build wealth for early retirement",
    "Fund children's education",
    "Minimize tax burden"
  ],
  "painPoints": [
    "Limited time for financial management",
    "Complex tax situation",
    "Information overload"
  ],
  "influences": [
    "Peer recommendations",
    "Expert financial advice",
    "Industry trends"
  ],
  "purchaseDecisionProcess": "Gathers options online, consults advisor, then makes decision",
  "technographics": "Early adopter, mobile-first, uses financial management apps",
  "quotations": [
    "I need financial solutions that work around my schedule, not the other way around"
  ]
}

Journey

{
  "journeyID": "JOURNEY-001",
  "journeyTitle": "Wealth Management Onboarding",
  "description": "Process of transitioning high-value clients into comprehensive wealth management",
  "customerSegmentID": "CUST-SEG-001",
  "personaIDs": [
    "PERSONA-001"
  ],
  "orgUnitTitle": "Premium Banking Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-001",
  "journeyStages": [
    {
      "stageID": "JOURNEY-001-S1",
      "stageName": "Discovery",
      "touchpoints": [
        "Website",
        "Advisor referral"
      ],
      "customerActions": [
        "Research wealth management options"
      ],
      "customerThoughts": [
        "Will they understand my complex situation?"
      ],
      "customerPainPoints": [
        "Generic information",
        "Unclear differentiation"
      ],
      "customerOpportunities": [
        "Personalized content",
        "Early advisor contact"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stageID": "JOURNEY-001-S2",
      "stageName": "Needs Assessment",
      "touchpoints": [
        "Initial consultation"
      ],
      "customerActions": [
        "Share financial goals and current portfolio"
      ],
      "customerThoughts": [
        "Concern about whether needs will be understood"
      ],
      "customerPainPoints": [
        "Repetitive information gathering",
        "Complex paperwork"
      ],
      "customerOpportunities": [
        "Digital pre-collection",
        "Streamlined forms"
      ],
      "relevantCapabilities": [
        "Financial Needs Analysis",
        "Client Profiling"
      ],
      "relevantCapabilityIDs": [
        "CAP-011",
        "CAP-012"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stageID": "JOURNEY-001-S3",
      "stageName": "Solution Design",
      "touchpoints": [
        "Advisor presentation",
        "Digital tools"
      ],
      "customerActions": [
        "Review proposed strategies"
      ],
      "relevantCapabilities": [
        "Portfolio Management"
      ],
      "relevantCapabilityIDs": [
        "CAP-013"
      ],
      "relevantValueStreams": [
        "Wealth Advisory Value Stream"
      ],
      "relevantValueStreamIDs": [
        "VS-020"
      ],
      "performanceMetrics": [
        "Proposal acceptance rate: target 85%"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stageID": "JOURNEY-001-S4",
      "stageName": "Implementation",
      "touchpoints": [
        "Account setup",
        "Portfolio transfer"
      ],
      "customerActions": [
        "Complete onboarding steps"
      ],
      "relevantValueStreams": [
        "Wealth Advisory Value Stream"
      ],
      "relevantValueStreamIDs": [
        "VS-020"
      ],
      "performanceMetrics": [
        "Time to complete: target 5 days"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Relationship

{
  "relationshipID": "REL-001",
  "title": "Premium Advisory Relationship",
  "description": "Comprehensive wealth management with dedicated advisor",
  "customerSegmentID": "CUST-SEG-001",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Premium Banking Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-001",
  "relationshipType": "Advisory",
  "relationshipStrength": 4,
  "engagementLevel": "Active",
  "loyaltyStatus": "Loyal",
  "relationshipValue": {
    "currentValue": "$15,000 annual revenue",
    "potentialValue": "$25,000 annual revenue"
  },
  "relationshipRisks": [
    "Advisor turnover",
    "Competitor offers",
    "Market dissatisfaction"
  ],
  "growthOpportunities": [
    "Trust services",
    "Business banking integration",
    "Family office services"
  ],
  "engagementModel": "Quarterly in-person reviews, monthly check-ins, dedicated support line"
}

Example 2: B2B Customer Segment

{
  "customerID": "CUST-SEG-B2B-001",
  "title": "Enterprise Data Platform Customers",
  "description": "Large enterprises seeking comprehensive data platform solutions for analytics and AI",
  "customerSegmentType": "industry",
  "orgUnitTitle": "Enterprise Sales Division",
  "orgUnitID": "OU-005",
  "customerNeeds": [
    "Scalable data infrastructure",
    "Enterprise-grade security and compliance",
    "Integration with existing systems",
    "Self-service analytics capabilities"
  ],
  "customerValue": "End-to-end data platform with enterprise support and proven scalability",
  "customerLifecycleStage": "growth",
  "customerLifetimeValue": {
    "value": 2500000,
    "currency": "USD",
    "timespan": "5 years"
  },
  "performanceIndicators": [
    {
      "metricName": "Annual Contract Value",
      "currentValue": "$500K",
      "targetValue": "$750K"
    },
    {
      "metricName": "Net Revenue Retention",
      "currentValue": "115%",
      "targetValue": "120%"
    }
  ],
  "strategicAlignment": "Primary revenue driver for enterprise business unit"
}

Implementation Guidelines

Customer-Centric Design Best Practices

Start with research — Base segments and personas on real customer data
Validate regularly — Update personas and journeys based on feedback
Map to capabilities — Connect customer needs to organizational capabilities
Measure outcomes — Track customer metrics alongside business metrics
Close the loop — Use customer feedback to improve experiences

Customer Journey Mapping

OpenMetadata Integration

For Data Platform Teams

When integrating with OpenMetadata, map Customer entities as follows:

Triodian Element	OpenMetadata Entity	Notes
Customer Segment	Glossary Term	Customer vocabulary
Customer Data	Table	Customer tables
Journey Events	Topic	Event streams
Metrics	Dashboard	Customer dashboards
Persona	Tag	Customer tagging

# Example: Create customer segment as glossary term
def create_customer_glossary(customer_segment):
    """
    Map Triodian Customer Segment to OpenMetadata Glossary
    """
    glossary_term = {
        "name": customer_segment["customerID"].lower(),
        "displayName": customer_segment["title"],
        "description": customer_segment["description"],
        "glossary": "customer_segments",
        "synonyms": [],
        "relatedTerms": [
            seg["segmentID"].lower()
            for seg in customer_segment.get("relatedCustomerSegments", [])
        ],
        "tags": [
            {"tagFQN": f"LifecycleStage.{customer_segment.get('customerLifecycleStage', 'unknown')}"},
            {"tagFQN": f"SegmentType.{customer_segment.get('customerSegmentType', 'unknown')}"}
        ],
        "owner": {"name": customer_segment.get("orgUnitTitle", ""), "type": "team"},
        "references": [
            {
                "name": "Lifetime Value",
                "endpoint": str(customer_segment.get("customerLifetimeValue", {}).get("value", ""))
            }
        ]
    }
    
    return glossary_term

Schema Reference

Repository: Triodian/Triodian_Metamodel
Schema: customer.schema.json
Specification: JSON Schema Draft-07
License: Apache License 2.0

Previous: People Domain | Next: Market Domain

Overview​

What is the Customer Domain?​

Purpose and Value​

Core Components​

Domain Attributes​

Customer Segment Attributes​

Enumeration Values​

Customer Segment Type (customerSegmentType)​

Customer Lifecycle Stage (customerLifecycleStage)​

Segment Relationship Type (relationshipType in relatedCustomerSegments)​

Customer Persona (customerPersona)​

Customer Journey (customerJourney)​

Journey Stage (journeyStage)​

Customer Relationship (customerRelationship)​

Domain Relationships​

Examples​

Example 1: Retail Banking Customer Segment​

Example 2: B2B Customer Segment​

Implementation Guidelines​

Customer-Centric Design Best Practices​

Customer Journey Mapping​

OpenMetadata Integration​

Schema Reference​