”Curiosity Takes You to Unexpected Places”
Get to know Mikha from Forward31
Mikha Makhoul is a designer, formerly part of the experience design team at Porsche. He recently joined Forward31, the company builder of Porsche Digital, with a new mission — to set prominent stages for new ventures.
In our interview, Mikha speaks about the importance of Experience Design, his daily work at Forward31 and his perception of time.
Hi Mikha, can you describe what you do at FWRD31?
Our main goal as a team is to build and grow new businesses through different expertise, mine is through design and imagination. I strongly believe that unique and thoughtful experiences create a strong bond between people and a brand, a crucial element for the success of digital businesses. Experiences that cause frustration will push people away from your product. We should provide convenience rather than frustration and magic moments instead of obstacles. In the end, we are designing for humans, not machines.
Remarkable experiences carry three elements at its core: convenience, surprise, and memories. It goes like this: you provide people with simple steps to achieve their goals while creating magical moments that evoke emotions, in which it enhances the level of engagement and strengthens the relationship between a brand and their audience. Eventually, this experience will act as a functioning tool for your business where brands can leverage on for offering new services. And in the end, we all know that good life experiences turn into memories, that’s why people would talk endlessly about that one time they drove a Porsche — because it’s not about the destination but the journey. So as a designer, I keep asking: how can we create an experience that turns into a meaningful story?
My practice consists of two stages: Thinking and Creation. Initially, I start by developing an experience strategy aligned with business goals, through research, vision, and storytelling. Creation is the second segment of my work, in which I design a digital manifestation of the envisioned experience while ensuring a high degree of aesthetic sensibility.
What do you find fascinating about Experience Design?
I have always been interested in the arts and sciences of human behaviours. And so I find my practice to be a fitting match as I have to investigate people’s needs and reactions in different contexts. When you’re sitting in a car, you behave differently than when you’re sitting in a living room. And that’s what I find really amazing, this whole phase of “explore and discover”; especially if you are a curious person, experience design keeps feeding that hunger.
In short, it never gets boring.
Which skill is essential in your job?
Curiosity.
Where do you have your curiosity from?
Humans are born curious. You know.. kids ask questions like “Why is the sky blue?” — and while growing up, they learn to fit in a certain system or environment, and eventually, they lose the curiosity and imagination that makes us human. So by not fitting in, your mind will see no boundaries, and that’s when curiosity can nurture itself. I find this quote very intriguing as Ralph W. Emerson writes: “To be great is to be misunderstood”.
During your career, which project was your favourite so far?
What comes to mind is two distinctive projects which had a profound experience in my practice. “Better than Live”, a project I was involved in at Telekom Design Gallery with the objective to stream live sports events in virtual reality. The learning was immense. From understanding human vision, to how the body reacts in regards to motion sickness while exploring new ways of interacting with an imaginary yet existing world.
Then in 2017, I worked with an amazingly talented team at Porsche on what has to become the “Mission E Cross Turismo” an electric model which was displayed at Geneva Motor Show (2018). With virtual reality, the world is your canvas, with cars it’s a different story. The space is different as you have more restrictions, the context may change from one second to the other and your destination is never the same. This project gave me the chance to challenge those facts and expand the experience beyond driving — by creating an interconnected ecosystem that serves every single touchpoint, from the moment you plan your trip, to choosing a suggested road with a complimentary playlist, all the way to sharing your stories and road memories at the dinner table.
What’s your advice towards people who want to start their own business?
Life’s short, have fun. Listen and keep an open mind with a welcoming attitude. And remember, it’s all about the people. One hand doesn’t clap. Be aware of the ones involved in your business, their feelings and their talents. If you empower them, they empower you back.
Last but not least: Which activity makes you lose a sense of time?
Might sound a bit contradictory, but photography helps me slow down. By observing the world slowly, you’re more aware and conscious of your surroundings. You’ll notice things. Especially nowadays, where we live in an age of interruptions and constant distractions. And so by capturing moments in time, my present is prolonged with a beautiful sense of reverie.
Thank you for the interview, Mikha!
If you want to learn more about the faces behind Forward31 by Porsche Digital, make sure to read our interview with Ann-Kristin, who helps developing startups into successful businesses.
About this publication: Where innovation meets tradition. There’s more to Porsche than sports cars — we’re tackling new challenges, develop digital products and think digital with a focus on the customer. On our Medium blog, we tell these stories. It’s about our #nextvisions, smart technologies and the people that drive our digital journey. Please follow us on Twitter (Porsche Digital, Next Visions), Instagram (Porsche Digital, Next Visions, Porsche Newsroom) and LinkedIn (Porsche AG, Porsche Digital) for more.
