Just over 10 years ago, Apple reminded us that design counts. The iPod, then the iPhone … products that are beautiful, not just functional, are products that attract.
Yet it’s more than just the esthetic of product design. It extends to the user interface. Designs that make user-interaction simple and intuitive are designs that engage. Take it one step further: the user/brand interface. Apple boldly swam against the current by opening retail locations at a time when other companies were doing the opposite. The physical layout of the stores as well as the service experience (think Genius Bars) was designed to create a compelling user/brand interface.
So where are we today? What should we look to next?
Designing the customer’s emotional experience. Focusing on the emotional outcome we want to evoke. Happiness. Wonder. Curiosity. Relief. Excitement. How we want the customer to feel. And we can do that only if we truly empathize with the customer – see through their eyes, think in their minds, and feel with their hearts. If we start by understanding the customer’s world then we can design an emotional experience that resonates with them. And connect at a much deeper level.
It’s not about what you do. It’s about what they experience. Emotionally.
Your thoughts?
Michael
The Future of Design: Here’s What’s Next
