Designing for
Meaningful Experiences
IxDA November 17, 2010David Kozatch
DIG
• Since 1998• Combining marketing
research & user experience research
• Focus on development of new services and technologies
• Web, mobile and beyond
Technological Innovation
Technological Innovation
Meaning
“Combining and integrating the power of invention, design, and marketing to create meaningful experiences for customers provides a blueprint to achieving sustained, stable growth.”
Frog ‘Design Mind’ Blog : Wanted: Chief Meaning Officer By Tim Leberecht
“Trust and reputation are no longer enablers for the exchange of goods, services, and information, they are replacements for them. Values are the new value…
Meaning is succeeding customer satisfaction.”
How do we define
“meaning?”
“Interactions that go beyond their basic functionality to provide a more complex
emotional experience.”
MEANING “Being green”
… it’s connecting with your users in a way that
recognizes their own experience
The Pizza Box Paradigm
“Conventional Authoritative Voice”
3 most powerful words?
“You
get me”
How does this translate to online experience?
A brief history lesson
• One way communication from “conventional authoritative voice”
• No real “listening” to user• Objective: design a “clear channel” -- no speed
bumps or obstacles• About companies
Web 1.0
Company Website Users
• Multiple levels of cross-communication
• Greater collaboration and sharing• More dynamic experience• About communities
Web 2.0
The semantic web:
Web 3.0
About the individual and context
So, what effect does this have on
users?
In this new open-sourced world, consumers are increasingly taking ownership.
We better be prepared …
What effect does this have on how we design for and measure user experience?
Nielsen’s usability heuristics …
Peter Morville’s “honey comb” …
The Pyramid
The PyramidBased on model by Stephen P. Anderson: http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/the-conversation-gets-interesting-creating-the-adaptive-interface
The Meaning/Technology Dynamic: Online
So, how do you design an interface for a meaningful experience?
3 possible ways …
1.Emotion (or “building a bridge”)2.Polite interfaces3.Adaptive interfaces
1.Emotion2.Polite interfaces3.Adaptive interfaces
Bridge
offline and
online world …
• User reviews
• Crowdsourcing
• Folksonomies/User tags
• Games/quizzes
• Rewards (points, levels, “random acts of kindness,” etc.)
Participation …
A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. It is a representation of the surrounding world, the relationships between its various parts and a person's intuitive perception about their own acts and their consequences. Our mental models help shape our behavior and define our approach to solving problems and carrying out tasks.
Transparency
1.Emotion (or “building a bridge”)2.Polite interfaces3.Adaptive interfaces
• Forgiving:
• Helpful:• Offers multiple ways of
nav/non-intrusive• Interested:
• Simple and clear:
• Recalls last choices made by user, sets up defaults
• Minimal use of text
• Respectful:• Doesn’t hold back
info, declares itself
• Can “undo” a mistake, provides user confidence
Adapted from: http://susanavilaca.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/polite-computing-and-adaptive-interfaces/)
•Helpful/non-intrusive
•Interested•Simple and clear
•Respectful•Forgiving
SHOW YOURSELF TO ME!
Anticipate user intention
Make suggestions based on my needs
3. Adaptive Content1.Emotion (or “building a bridge”)2.Polite interfaces3.Adaptive interfaces
An adaptive interface …
•Improves with user interaction
•Develops a model of the user's behavior
•Is constantly being refined
•Responds with an interaction that fits the behavior
Recommendation engines …
Oops – I already own these!
Missing:
•Real transparency
•Deeper level of participation
Adjust interface based on … • User style• Demographics • MAC/IP address info
An outdated construct?
Online Bill Pay promo???
Now you get me.
What we learned
The experience bar has been raised …
Users will expect and DEMAND …
… greater personalization/engagement
… greater transparency
… greater cross platform integration
… but your
users will ultimately decide what is meaningful
Meaning can be communicated in many ways …
What should you do?
Be a facilitator of interactions – not the “conventional authoritative voice”
SHOW, DON’T TELL
Make it more of a conversation …
Encourage user participation …
But be careful how you do it!
Engage people early …
Try to match users’ Mental Model
Artist: Ian Webster
Build meaning into design personas:
Kenneth Parcel, age 29
Native of Stone Mountain, GA.
Typical Day: 20 hours of paging at the Top of the Rock, saving co-workers from certain angst and humiliation.
Motivators: Getting online tasks done quickly so can get back to cheering everyone up.
Values/Meaningful experiences most likely to respond to: Harmony, Duty, Truth
“Being Nice can get you EVERYWHERE!”
Test and listen for emotional language …
The Pyramid
• Was the (interface) helpful?• Define value of the (interface) in terms of how
it made you feel• Did you get a sense that the (interface) was
listening/responding to your needs as you completed each task?
• How does this (application) fit with how you perform related activities in your life?
Q:
… after satisfying “core” requirements of UI/UX
Look for ideas outside of your own GUI
Share ideas between departments/disciplines
Appoint a
“meaning representative” on the design team
LET’S GET MEANINGFUL!
Contact Information
David Kozatch, Principal
Ph 212.727.7966
Susanna Kirk, Senior Analyst
om
Web: www.digsmarter.com
Blog: blog.digsmarter.com
