Part 3
Create Meaning
5 Ways to Create Revolutionary Experiences
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
Experience Design is about the way we make people feel. Research shows that emotional experiences are remembered better than non-emotional experiences. As designers, makers and producers, we are responsible for truly understanding the psychological and physiological state of the audience we are designing for — empathy is a key element of UX.
What influences the way a person feels? What they touch, see, taste, smell and hear all play a factor in the way someone feels before, during and after an experience. With even a small amount of UX research, we can uncover insights that equip us with the empathy required for designing emotional experiences.
Let’s complete a quick exercise together. To practice applying insights to design solutions, we’ll go over 5 “People Insights” and their applications for creating meaningful experiences.
People Insight #1
People are always distracted. We have to tell our story in less than 8 seconds.
It doesn’t take much time looking into human behavior to find out that we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. In fact, the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds versus an 8 second attention span for humans.
One experience that catches our attention instantly is Netflix. The streaming service offers a meaningful experience to users by featuring personalized content that is unique to each member. By observing and tracking behavior, Netflix makes recommendations that match each viewer’s tastes without requiring the user to put forth any effort. The premium screen real estate on each user interface displays content that is specifically recommended for each user.
By displaying contextually relevant content instantly, Netflix is able to capture and retain a user’s attention for extended periods of time. A Netflix subscriber is left with a sense of delight and appreciation when her favorite content is displayed. She also feels a sense of appreciation because Netflix is paying attention to what she likes and adjusting content to match.
People Insight #2
People are forgetful. We need to remind them that they are interested in our brand, products and services.
When shopping online, customers often get distracted and abandon their shopping carts. As we now know, humans have a very short attention span, especially when easily distracted by cute photos of kittens.
ModCloth has created a meaningful experience by using cleverly designed emails to remind their customers of abandoned items. Look at the title of the email pictured above. Warning: Unattended items in your bag may be eaten by gnomes. The word “Warning” is tricky and catches your attention. It is likely that the user was planning on purchasing the dress but got distracted during the buying process. The email is personalized with the customer’s name, adding a touch of individualization. The Get It Now button serves up a very visible call to action that captures the shopper’s attention and makes it easy for her to complete the transaction.
People Insight #3 People are constantly searching for information.
We need to connect them with content as fast as possible.
If we were to begin to search for our local weather, Google will display the weather as we begin to type our city name. It is no longer necessary to go to a specific website to obtain this information. People can find flight information, read restaurant menus, and check their bank balance all without leaving Google’s search interface. If users are finding the information they need without having to visit a website, websites will need to find a way to remain useful and relevant.
Google has created a meaningful experience by providing people with information as quickly as possible and by cutting out the middle man. If a website, such as weather.com, wishes to maintain web traffic it will need to offer information and experiences that cannot be found elsewhere. This requires the creation of moments that are worth experiencing. Google has made people feel rewarded by saving them time and helping them find information more quickly.
People Insight #4
People run out of essential home products on a regular basis.
We should meet people needs before they occur.
Products like detergent, paper towels and shampoo run out often enough for Amazon to predict when a customer needs to re-up. Amazon has created a meaningful experience with the Dash Button. A consumer can stick a branded button wherever she desires and then all she has to do to reorder is just give it a press once she is running low on a product. Amazon Prime customers can effortlessly restock household supplies such as Tide, Bounty, Greenies, ZipLock and Olay, among many others.
People Insight #5
People desire personalized brand experiences.
Research shows that personalization plays a role in 86% of purchase decisions. We can personalize experiences by using contextual information like the person’s previous behavior and search history.
Advanced contextual data — like location, time, and weather — can also be used to create more personal experiences. Google Now displays different modules (called cards) to users, based on their location, weather, and previous email history (reservations, flights, calendar, etc.).
Google Now features contextual cards such as Google Maps, OpenTable, weather, connected door locks and Lyft. Every card is designed in a way that allows all elements, text, images and buttons to switch out based on what we know about the user. Google Now knows when you leave work each day and can display the quickest route home at 5pm everyday.
The next level of contextual personalization is the integration of beacons into the shopping experience. These magical transmitters will notify brands of a customer’s exact location in a store. This allows for the creation of a seamless experience that puts the customer in control of the shopping experience.
For example, a customer could walk into a store and get a mobile notification that the shoes she has been admiring for weeks are on sale. She can then be guided to the exact shoe rack and receive personalized recommendations based on her selection. When she is ready to leave, she can exit the store with her new shoes in hand without ever having to speak to a sales person or get our her credit card. She will be automatically charged for the shoes and she can continue with her day.
The brands that understand how to capitalize on context will retain customers, gain new ones and ultimately win. -Tari Haro, SIM Partners
While brands can (and will) capitalize on personalization for their own capital gain, our goal as designers will be to deliver personalized solutions that add value and deliver meaning to the lives of real people. If we truly care about who we are designing for, we should build products and services that make this human experience better.
This is the Part 3 of the series ‘5 Ways to Create Revolutionary Experiences’.
Check back next week on Struck’s Greater Than collection for Part 4, or to read Parts 1 and 2.
