Design is about the details. It is about being intentional with every tiny aspect of what you are trying to create. Think about this: when someone gives you a gift and it is a generic box of chocolate…that’s cool and all. But when someone gives you a gift that is so special, so specific, so well-thought out that it could only have been made for you…it rocks your world. It is the same when designing for the masses, except now you are taking into account the intricacies of human behavior vs individual personality. This is where we move into empathetic design. If your design lacks empathy then it also lacks excellence. If you are happy on the road the mediocre, please stop here.

There are a number of levels to human behavior, all of which need to be factored in at some point. Each of these levels also needs to be run through your overall vision. The reason these are three separate levels is because basic human psychology does not account for the fact that a banker in New York City and a farmer in Kenya have very different understandings of the world, societal training and foundational knowledge.

Levels:

Basic Human Psychology: fears, needs, desires, etc.

All humans have the same basic needs. When it comes down to it we all want the same things. At a very basic level, all humans need to feel loved, supported and important. What makes us so different is our method for achieving these things! If you can make most people feel even one of these things at your event, in your marketing or through your product — you have won a customer for life.

Social Habits of Target Market

This is when you start thinking specifically about who your target market is. Are you targeting 40-55 year old women in the suburbs or 25-35 year old males in urban areas? And even more specific than that! This is where your market research comes in and you must factor in what is SPECIFICALLY important to this demographic of people. The specific experiences that people seek out are primarily dependent upon their lifestyle. Burning Man may either be horrifying or electrifying. The Blackberry (when it was new), either the greatest thing since sliced bread or unnecessarily complex.

Use Cases: habits of intended users

This is beyond the question of what potential users want or seek, it is about what they already do. What are they used too? What already makes sense to them? Going against user habits is basically the curse of death. But if you take advantage of habits, you can easily drive people to want what you offer. Make their habit easier, incorporate it into your offering or tweak their experience just a little.

I find it so much easier to apply these principles to specific circumstances, but I attempted to make them universal for these purposes. If you have an event, product or service you would like me to specifically address, leave it in the comments below!