Shifting focus: from things to experiences
And what that means for user experience design

Could your grandma have ever imagined people today have so much stuff is becoming a problem?
Things
Society today is coming from a time where materialism was the key to a happy life. Things would define who you were and they would measure your success. They where the social currency to buy yourself status and acceptance.
People would go to work so they could spend the money in the nice things they could afford. The new bikes for the kids or that shiny new car they have been looking at for a while. It was ok to make sacrifices to increase your possessions and climb the social ladder.
Then the internet happened. Material things are now accessible to everyone and they are not exclusive anymore. New generations have accumulated so many things to affirm their social status they struggle to keep track of them all. It has become increasingly difficult to use material possessions as a social currency.
Younger people are struggling to get the reward they are looking for from material things. They are starting to make lifestyle changes and more and more people are embracing a minimalist approach. They own less things, but the best they can get for each one of them.
This approach works out great especially for people living in big cities where space is expensive and there is no room for all the clutter. It also works out great for people looking not to settle, but to explore the world, travel and move around.
If people are starting to leave material possessions behind, how does this fit with the social competition?
They are shifting focus: from things to experiences.
Experiences
People spend their time and money doing non-material things. Going to the ultimate festival. Skydiving in the canyons. Adventures in the desert. Watching the northern lights. Discovering new things and places. Experiences make them happy.
It’s difficult to replicate them once you’ve missed out, they are less accessible to a wider public and are thus a more valuable social currency.
This way of looking at things has already changed in many ways how people go about their lives. It has changed for example the meaning of work: where they work and how they work. Company culture today is key to attracting and retaining talent. Work/life balance, personal development, no holiday count, flexible working hours, office slides, remote working and healthy free meals are important parts of a workplace.
This shift of focus is starting to take place and younger generations will value experiences way more than material things. There will be an impact on many aspects of everyday life, from the cars we drive to the places we live in, from the way we travel to the food we eat. Experiences will become our social currency and define our social status.
“We will have more fun, and spend less time, at work. We will live in smaller, more flexible, and better-designed homes. We will have better connections with more people, and create better communities.“
— James Wallman
Companies in the tech scene have been investing in user experience design for a while. Non-tech companies are also starting to understand the power of experience. They have begun to invest in the so-called service design to better their end-to-end user experience. Cars are now clever and can drive themselves. Smart home systems can foresee our needs and make sure the temperature in the house is spot on. Public events like festivals and concerts are carefully designed to impress from start to finish.
User experience design
A human centred design approach is to become the way all things are thought and planned. Buildings for example will be designed from the inside out, catering for every user need. Hospitals and care facilities will be built around the people in need. Schools will be increasingly child friendly and will focus on the children development. Office spaces will be optimised for the employees, finalised to maximise the quality of the output. They will include all sorts of on-site services, like canteen, gym, doctor, dog care and nursery.
In a not too far future user experience design will be covering a space a lot wider than the digital and service design ones.
It will become about going the extra mile, making the service stand out and the experience unique and memorable. Not just about keeping the right temperature at home, but also about the home itself. The spaces we live in, how we interact with them and how can they make us feel good. It will be about redefining the experience of luxury goods, like private jets and yachts, to suit all our personal needs and wishes. It will be about going above and beyond the five stars rating. About making something to share with your friends. About making people happier.
