Coffee Makes the World a Better Place

I have always been fascinated by human behaviour, understanding why we see and do things the way that we do. The first time I actively reflected on this was when I was attending a marketing training and was told that the sound made when you bite into a Magnum Ice Cream bar is patented. “Emotional Ergonomics” they dubbed it.

All the memories of Pavolivan conditioning and Skinner’s Pigeons came rushing back to my head. It dawned on me, the multi-sensory dimensions that humans operate on when interacting with something as simple and mundane as an ice cream bar — and what impact these tiny subtle, nuanced interactions have on your overall experience.

It was at that moment that I had decided, that I was going to leave my job as a marketer, and find a way to further my understanding of why people behave the way that they do. I was curious, intrigued even. I might go so far as to say that it was in this instance that I had an epiphany. I have always wanted to help create an impact on people’s lives — even try to make them a little better. However, the rigours of thinking through business cases and mulling over growths of arbitrary numbers felt meaningless to me. Therefore I decided to pursue design.

That said I have always been able to see patterns where none exist, but then so can all humans. I believe the clinical psychology term for this is ‘apophenia.’ And so I drew parallels between economic theory and design practice, and consumer behaviour and human factors. And while pursuing my Master of Interaction Design, found it highly strange how people did not seem to see the same. Therefore I decided to take on a PhD (a lifetime goal of mine) in trying to understand, and even if I may be so bold — quantify — the value of design.

And so we are here today. A few thousand kilometers away from my home of Pakistan, where I was a marketing and design professional — in search of understanding people and their values and learning a little bit more about design each day.

I also play chess, paint, doodle, and strum guitars from time to time.