3 Lessons in Experience Design
What I learned at the Milan EXPO
Earlier this summer, I visited the Milan EXPO, the latest in the series of World Fairs that have introduced such wonders as the Eiffel Tower and the Ferris wheel as well as more practical innovations like the telegraph and the electric light.
World Fairs have since transitioned their focus from introducing new products and technologies to hosting an immersive experience around a common theme. This year’s theme, “Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life,” brings attention to global food issues and the future of food. Each country’s pavilion presents a different perspective, from the UK’s ode to the honey bee to Kuwait’s journey of sustaining life in the desert.
As a designer who works with clients to create new services and experiences, I was excited to visit a large-scale undertaking like the EXPO. How users engage with an experience, whether it’s an exhibit, product or digital service, is the moment of truth. It’s your chance to win advocates or lose them entirely.
Here are three things I learned from the EXPO that can be applied to experience design:
1. The “landing page” exists in both digital and physical experiences. Make sure the message there is your most important one.
Standing at the entrance to the EXPO, Pavilion Zero serves as the “landing page” of the experience. You trust that it’s important, or else it wouldn’t occupy such a prominent position.
You’re also likely to go in — or “click”, to continue with the metaphor. The EXPO is so vast at 3.6 million square feet, it’s easier to walk into Pavilion Zero than figure out how to navigate to somewhere else.
What did the EXPO’s landing page tell me, and what happened after that first click? It told me to start by going inside the Pavilion, which housed a beautiful exhibit on the history of agriculture. And how did I feel? I felt relieved and confident, because it was abundantly clear what I was supposed to do.
Questions to consider:
- What is the most important thing to communicate on your “landing page”?
- If users never get past the “landing page”, what have you accomplished?
- What’s the one thing you want users to do when they first arrive?
2. Avoid information overload: focus on what your user needs at that moment.
One of the most talked about exhibits is the Future Food District, a concept grocery store produced by MIT’s SENSEable Lab, Carlo Ratti Design Studio and Italian grocery chain COOP. The futuristic store’s main attraction is smart, scannable products (aka Internet of Things for food). When you hold up a product to a nearby display, the screen presents a comprehensive set of data, such as price, nutrition, and provenance.
It’s fun to do a few times (not to mention amazing that it worked each and every time!), but it did make me wonder: Do we actually want to shop like this?
The answer: It depends.
Do we need to know the nutritional profile and origin of fresh broccoli at the grocery store? Probably not. Do we want to linger and find out more about a $50 bottle of wine? Possibly.
Sharing the right information is NOT sharing all of the information. There are so many possible things to share: a product benefit, a proprietary engineering process, an interesting backstory. But what’s actually necessary for the user to know at that moment and what we feel is important as designers are often two different things. Understanding this distinction can turn an average experience into a great one.
Questions to consider:
- What is the most critical bit of information for a user to know?
- How might you quickly test these assumptions?
- When is the right (and wrong) moment to encourage efficiency? Discovery?
3. Breaks are a critical part of an experience. Design them, don’t ask your users to.
Nothing really prepared me for the sheer size of the EXPO. From the enormous entrance to the endless walkway through the pavilions, the EXPO is an overwhelming experience. It’s like walking into Disneyland for the first time — there is a LOT going on.
After visiting several pavilions, I was desperately seeking a break. I wanted something easy, something familiar, something to help me relax for a few moments.
The EXPO totally delivered. Beautifully designed kiosks, booths, and seating dotted the space, offering up everything from a cup of espresso to a shady place to rest. Coffee in hand, I took a few minutes to myself before heading further in.
While the EXPO offered a literal break, this notion applies to digital environments as well. Planning moments of relief for your users prevents fatigue and drop-offs. It’s a chance to say, “Thanks for sticking with us, you’re awesome. Let us know when you’re ready for more.”
Designing a break doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a pause, a small reward, or even a simple page-break in a lengthy online process. If you decide not to design a break, your users will design one for you: their departure.
Questions to consider:
- When are users likely to experience fatigue?
- How do you design a break that’s a break and not an exit?
- How do you reward people throughout the experience?
Well-designed experiences seem easy and intuitive because that’s how we feel when we’re experiencing them. But when you dissect them, you find that there are those few things that make all the difference. For me, it wasn’t until I was resting with a cup of coffee that the EXPO’s theme “Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life.” and its call for global solutions really hit home.
What’s the signature detail that makes your experience a great one?
Thanks to @rohinivibha for her help on this article.
