I got stuck in an elevator and that taught me a valuable UX lesson
I got stuck in an elevator, and that got me thinking, I know, it is normal, right? But did it happen to you? Did you get stuck in a 20-year-old elevator with the buttons not working? Well, it was not a normal elevator, you see, and well, I panicked!
And yes, we were saved, and I am alive. Thank you for asking. But then, all this got me thinking: How is panic good for business?
A few days back at NCPA Mumbai, eight of my coworkers and I got trapped in an elevator (which was at its maximum a 3' x 3' box). The lift got stuck while we were descending, and a soft bump told us that something was wrong. And guess what? Neither the bell nor the emergency button were functional. What did we do? We were extremely calm and patiently waited for help to arrive. Kidding! We all started panicking in our ways. Some showed, while for others it was an internal struggle. I started banging and pressing all the buttons in the magical hope for something to work. On failing to secure help I started opening the door of the elevator by forcing it open from the middle. That is when we realised that the intercom in the elevator is working and called for help.
We were saved when the phone finally started functioning after several tries, allowing us to dial for assistance. After waiting for ten long minutes, two security guards helped us and we were able to breathe clean air once more. Let me tell you, 10 mins might seem like a short time but being stuck in an elevator for 10 mins completely helpless felt like an eternity.
While the panic broke in and the sinking feeling of no help coming our way kicked in, the panic taught me an important lesson, and I dare you to listen to me.
Pain makes you selfish
Panic or the thought of pain, which is an integral part of our life comes in the most random times. Panic creates conscious thoughts and actions. The first stop gate that breaks is the sense of self-awareness. Panic makes you conscious of your surroundings and allows you to concentrate all your thoughts into one single action — the urge to survive. Thinking about the implications of failure is the break that follows. Your mind works wonders (in bad ways) by thinking of the ill fate that lies in front of you no matter how small they are. Both failure and achievement have repercussions. Your mind is like an ex — it keeps coming back with mental images of the absurd and repulsive consequences of failure while you strive to reach that point of success.
What did I understand as a UX designer?
When somebody is not in the right frame of mind the only two things that play a fencing match is the thought of ‘What’ will success be like versus ‘How’ can failure affect them at that point? This is where the trigger comes into play. If a trigger can create enough heat to panic, it serves the purpose, which is sadly what a lot of marketing tools implement today. The panic of a lack of abundance in the life of an individual creates FOMO and propels users to invest in things they might not even ‘need’. Here the ‘need’ based model needs to be relooked at as the definition of ‘need’ and ‘desire’ is ever-changing. ‘Need’ and ‘desire’ of a user are extremely circumstantial and change from one moment to another, even during the day. If a platform can capture the emotional model of an individual, it will be of great value.
However, a similar model of a ‘safehouse’ can be a positive trigger that bridges the gap between panic and pain by inducing inclusive CTAs that assure the consumer rather than destructive ones, which can be of great help to the emotional journey that a consumer goes through. These CTAs are friendly, hold on to the customer's ethos, provide heavy backups, and assure consumers of safety at any given step.
Panic reduces your capacity to think clearly
You might think of 100 possible outcomes when you are in a comfortable environment with a stable mindset, but those attempts get lost in their treks when you are panicking. You attempt to behave in ways that someone in a relatively safer environment would never even consider. You feel alone, you are in a constant fight with yourself, and that makes you wonder about the consequences for yourself. Panic makes you do things you never thought you are capable of.
What did I understand as a UX Designer:
Well, unethical practitioners love this. Creating enough panic to get one to do things they would not have done before helps gain negative traction. From ad campaigns to fraud calls, creating hyper panic is the Call-to-Action in the present age. The lines of right and wrong often get blurred here, with brands creating promises that are too far-fetched yet highly aspirational. Think about it: Have you ever fallen for an ad outside a showroom that read ‘50% OFF’ without really seeing the word ‘up to’ written in a small font size shoved up at the top somewhere?
Understanding emotions, however, has undoubtedly become one of (if not the most) crucial components of user experience strategy, and it has more advantages than disadvantages put together. What if there was a system that could guide you and support you through difficult times? What if there was a system that could analyze your scrolling habits, determine your mental state at the time, and support you? J.K. Rowling once said that “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Our digital systems have evolved into beacons that must comprehend individual user behavior in order to curate material for that user based on a balanced consumption of that user plotted against other data centres with similar attributes. The systems of today can be looked at as programs that can detect addictions like social media usage and help users lead healthier life. Today, our digital presence is so strong that it leaves a lasting impression on us.
Understanding triggers has become a very important aspect of User Experience Strategy. The right trigger at the right time in the right moment, while a person is going through emotional turmoil, becomes extremely important. Positive triggers can bring together the right attributes to help users in their daily journey by creating a more pleasant environment. This experience created a boarding pass for me to take an emphatic journey to understanding human beings a little better.
Icons:
<a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/dont-panic" title=”don’t panic icons”>Don’t panic icons created by Freepik — Flaticon</a>
<a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/thief" title=”thief icons”>Thief icons created by Freepik — Flaticon</a>
