7 Engage Emotionally
To engage emotionally may very well be the holy grail of all business aspiration…that is, with one clarification, we must engage positively. In truth, every consumer experience creates an emotional response. And the negative emotions generated by a bad consumer experience can have as much or more impact than the positive ones. The old adage about restaurant patrons holds true. Consumers will tell one person about a good experience and ten about a bad one. Technology has only increased this viral effect; a compelling consumer horror story can reach millions of people virtually overnight.
The power of emotion-fueled communication is at the heart of our Psycho-Aesthetics® mantra: “It’s not how you feel about the design, it’s how it makes you feel about yourself.” This guiding principle keeps teams focused on the true cause-and-effect relationship your offerings have with the individuals who interact with them and empowers you to create the positive emotional connections required to generate market leadership.
A beautiful design does not automatically translate into meaningful consumer experiences. Emotional engagement is built through carefully scripted and developed interactions. And the deep understanding of the emotional triggers and unmet desires of your target personas can guide you through the process of bringing a concept to market successfully.
Emotional engagement is the pivotal factor in driving adoption of any new concept, regardless of the industry or facet of life. Fashion, cosmetics, and cars are just a few types of products known for eliciting deep loyalty and emotional attachment. These are areas where consumers have a huge range of choices and view their selections as a means of self-expression. But the relevance of looking at emotional engagement can be understood even more clearly in “forced adoption” settings such as healthcare. The world of medicine offers some of the richest (and perhaps most counterintuitive) examples of design making a huge impact on adoption and compliance and, by extension, long-term health and well-being. The obvious assumption is that nothing is more precious to people than their own lives and those of their loved ones. Logically, adoption would be based almost completely on efficacy and ease of use.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. In segments in which fear is commonplace, unraveling the underlying emotion inherent in the user experience can be the key to driving adoption. The high stakes of health, well-being, and vanity actually amplify this reality rather than diminish it. Design can help both patients and healthcare providers cope with the often tedious and overwhelming task of managing chronic illness. It can also motivate people to address issues that are not life-threatening but the cause of embarrassment and discomfort. Creating empowerment in a setting characterized by anxiety can be a source of sustained competitive advantage. It’s one more reason that design and innovation need to deliver both emotional and rational benefits.
The Importance of Belonging
It is difficult to turn on the TV today without seeing an ad for a product related to managing diabetes. In the United States, an estimated 24 million people live with the disease, and the incidence in the global population is expected to grow rapidly. Although many cases of Type 2 can be controlled through medication and lifestyle changes, Type 1 relies on proper dosing of insulin.1 Through the years, awareness of the disease has increased, but there is still no cure. The consequences of leaving the condition unchecked are dire—blindness, amputation, and even premature death.
In the mid-1990s, any therapy delivering lifesaving insulin in a timely manner represented a huge leap in the management of Type I diabetes. The founders of the MiniMed insulin pump created just such a revolutionary technology. The device had FDA approval, and its effectiveness was not in question. Moreover, the pump was not cumbersome, and it could improve patient lives by giving them more timely treatment while increasing their freedom. Yet, after a few years of initial rapid growth, adoption and compliance tapered off. All the while, the incidence of diabetes kept growing.
A competing (and technologically inferior) product was eroding MiniMed’s market share. Executives realized that MiniMed’s growth depended on finding a way to increase adoption. The original pump had been designed to communicate its effectiveness and safety; it was housed in a cold, “medical” white plastic that referenced hospitals. MiniMed and RKS created a joint study to identify the problem. To understand the user experience, the designers wore the pump (administering saline) for several days to get at a visceral understanding of what a “Day in the Life” of a real user was like. The verdict was that the pump was reliable and fairly easy to use. But every time the designers used it in public, people would stop and stare. Using the pump in restaurants where it is medically necessary to compensate for food intake was emotionally deflating. The designers realized that this feeling of self-consciousness was potent enough to make people take drastic risks with their health by skipping insulin doses. As this insight was shared with the executive team, a clear mission emerged: Eliminate the social stigma of wearing the pump.
When MiniMed was analyzed alongside the main competitor, we could clearly see why it was capturing the market. It looked less like a medical device and more like a lifestyle product. This explained why patients chose it when it was placed side-by-side with MiniMed’s superior product. We needed a design that would allow MiniMed to reconnect with the consumer. Although the mechanical guts of the pump remained intact, the outer appearance went through a radical transformation. Making the device invisible was not possible given the technology at the time. An alternative approach was developed that centered on improving the perception of the device. Pagers were common at the time and even seen as a desirable status symbol. By changing the association from medical device to a cutting-edge mobile communications device, we amplified the perception that the MiniMed was technologically superior and the most durable, reliable, and rugged product. We also created a design that eliminated any stigma and made the users feel empowered.
Due to these Psycho-Aesthetics-driven design decisions, people regardless of age could wear the pump without fear of negative attention. Instead of furtive glances, it served to foster dialogue about managing diabetes. The results were almost immediate. Sales grew from $45 million to $171 million in only 3 years. Shortly thereafter, MiniMed was acquired by Medtronic for $3.8 billion. Medtronic remains the leading maker of insulin pumps today.
Beyond First-Mover Advantage to “First-Connector” Advantage
MiniMed regained its footing when executives understood that innovative technology wasn’t all that was needed to get patients to use a device and adjust to all the lifestyle changes required to manage disease. Although the emphasis on innovation has meant that most companies have a robust process for developing new ideas, the embedded belief in “first-mover” advantage can lead companies astray. A more useful frame is the idea of “first-connector” advantage.
When you address the needs of consumers along with the anxiety inherent in adopting something new, an emotional connection can be built. Psycho-Aesthetics is a powerful driver of those connections.
Even with well-designed products, positioning can make the difference between a tepid response and an emotional connection. It is also important to understand the basis of the connection changes over time. For example, many tech gadgets sell on the basis of new functions and features when they enter the market. In later stages, they may appeal to consumers because they represent a replacement for several separate devices. Accessories and service may extend the appeal further.
Becoming a first connector requires carefully auditing every touch point and evaluating where the company can do more. Is the packaging difficult to open? Amazon.com formed a consortium of companies to address this issue when it introduced Frustration-Free Packaging. How clear are the receipts? Target receipts are printed to identify items that may be eligible for Flexible Healthcare Spending Accounts (FHSAs). Every consumer wouldn’t necessarily know or notice these initiatives. But companies that look at how to help their consumers on such a deep level tend to find ways to connect again and again. Target and Amazon would certainly be well-placed on lists of companies that are trusted, design-centric, and high-performance.
The Hero’s Journey
The path to empowering consumers depends on you and your ability to guide them past hesitation and doubt and into a rich, inviting series of experiences that leave them feeling great about themselves. To do this, Psycho-Aesthetics employs our interpretation of the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. The Hero’s Journey is a classic story-telling narrative used in stories ranging from to Homer’s Odyssey to Star Wars. In this methodology, the Hero’s Journey is used to frame the process by which consumers bond with the products and experiences they seek out in the marketplace.
Joseph Campbell was an eminent philosopher of the twentieth century, who combined a deep study of both Eastern and Western religion with his knowledge of human psychology, including study with legendary figures such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. His basic premise was that humankind not only needs heroes, but also that individuals can become Heroes through the mastery of their trials and circumstances. He traced the mythic traditions of a range of cultures and identified a set of similarities that were common to all. He famously observed, “I don’t think we are looking for the meaning of life. We are looking for the experience of being alive.”2
Campbell identified three major phases in the mythic traditions around the globe: a) separation/departure, b) initiation, and c) return. Each of these phases has multiple steps, but the cycle involves the Hero being called to action by events around him and first refusing the call before accepting and being drawn into the adventure. Along the way, there are trials, but the Hero receives aid and guidance and ultimately can endure and conquer. The final step is his return to the previous world where he shares his victory and newfound knowledge.
Why We Still Need Heroes
The value of the Hero’s Journey stems from the fact that the use of stories is universal and begins at a young age. Stories are the shorthand “headlines” we use—often without thinking about it. They inspire those charged with delivering innovation and the intended audience. Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, highlights some recent efforts at quantifying the impact of stories. If storytelling is assumed to be a component of half of the efforts of professions involving persuasion (such as consulting, counseling, and advertising), its value could approach $1 trillion to the U.S. economy.3 He goes on to explain the power of the Story succinctly: “When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and deliver them with emotional impact.”4
In a consumer context, the word “choices” could easily be substituted for the word “facts.” It is the job of both the design and its presentation to people to create the context and emotional connection. The urgency to this task is mounting because the design war is often won on nuances—not huge differences in function and price points. Categories such as laptops, which were once driven on memory, speed, and price points are now driven on style, eco-friendliness, battery power, and “touch experience.” And they cost less today than they did 20 years ago. Realizing the rewards from design depends on more than a provocative new concept. The execution of ideas must please not only the individual, but also the critics, bloggers, and social networks as well.
The Hero’s Journey builds on much of the work that goes into creating personas. Carefully crafted personas can do more than fuel the design process. The stories and narratives that are created can also be leveraged to drive adoption. Today, the story a company tells is often more of an invitation to a dialogue. However, the way choices are framed can change the way people evaluate all offerings in a category. Everyone may not want to drive a hybrid car, but the entire auto industry now needs to have a story about what it is doing to make its products less polluting.
It’s the story the consumers remember, and it’s also the way that they communicate their experience to family and friends. It provides the reference points that allow us to evaluate our options and reflect on our values. In the most successful cases, we connect emotionally with the company mission or brand and see parallels with our own lives. The Hero’s Journey enables the magic of design to be delivered in a way that is predictable, yet still compelling to consumers. It makes our choices feel natural rather than threatening by drawing a parallel between what we know and the unfamiliar. For established categories and brands, the story reminds us of why we should stick to the brand and draws on a bank of shared experience. In both cases, the story amplifies the impact of the design. When deployed effectively, the use of the Hero’s Journey can help to articulate the benefits of a new offering, motivate behavior change, and boost memory and recall.5
Calling Out the Benefits of a Design
The Hero’s Journey is often used to call out the benefits of a design. Although people are enticed by new items, the force of habit must also be taken into account. A good story can help to reframe choices and create new associations by referencing the choices people already make. Many of the concepts rejected because they were “ahead of their time” also lacked a story to call out the benefits and relevance of the offering in a meaningful way.
Motivating Behavior Change
In the case of new products, a story must create a motivation for adopting a new idea. The first cars, after all, were billed as horseless carriages, and zippers were marketed as hookless fasteners to help consumers understand their purpose. The overused idea that “form follows function” in design is often irrelevant in the digital world, as fundamentally new functions are being created. Designers can create cues for new products that reference familiar items (such as the pager look for the insulin pump), but the story is also needed to help motivate behavior change.
Boosting Memory and Recall
In a world of abundant choices, stories can help people to remember the design and why they are making the choice. Simple messages help people make decisions and give them a way to explain their purchases to others. The allure of the Hero’s Journey is also about sharing the discovery with others. A shared story creates connections and answers to what writer Rob Walker calls the Desire Code: the need of consumers to feel like individuals while also belonging to part of something bigger.6
At every stage, it is critical that the experience affirms the qualities and emotions that initially attracted the consumer. Otherwise, the buyer’s remorse can also be amplified virally—with disastrous consequences. The Hero’s Journey works only when it is attracting attention to features that actually perform as promised. The diabetic who no longer feels self-conscious develops deep emotional connections as much as the child who is thrilled with a new toy.
It’s critical that you think beyond the purchase decision. The creation of brand evangelists today demands that the “story” includes contributions from the consumer. People are taking a more active role than ever before in seeking out information prior to purchase from a variety of channels, and making them feel like a Heroes at every stage is key to building long-term relationships and dialogue. Everything from packaging, manufacturing methods, customer service, and recycling policies play a role in how our choices make us feel about ourselves. A recent study by McKinsey reported that up to two-thirds of the touch points are actually controlled by the buyer rather than the seller. (Touch points are interactions where consumers learn about a product.)7 These include information gathered through word-of-mouth, web research, and in-store displays.
Most important, the Hero’s Journey does not describe a linear process. It accounts for the hesitation, doubt, and trials that go along with embracing something new and experiencing the satisfaction of conquering those trials. The best designs empower people to take on new challenges. The accompanying stories can whisper encouragement.
The Creation of Heroes
In our adaptation of the Hero’s Journey, the stages are broken down to five essentials, beginning with attraction and ending with the creation of viral demand, as shown in Figure 7.1.
© RKS Design
Figure 7.1 The stages of the Hero’s Journey
The stages of the Hero’s Journey are broken down as follows:
• Attract—Attraction is that moment in which we first become aware of something that connects with us. It can be through the scent of cooking wafting through the air outside an eatery, the sight of a crystal clear big screen TV, or an appealing sound that piques curiosity and demands investigation. It can be gained though any or all of the senses.
As we identify and identify with our consumers or audience, we can see that the attraction phase of the journey can vary for the different personas. This forces us to develop a palette of attractions that “facilitate” interaction as opposed to “prescribe” it.
It is well understood that creating an initial attraction is essential for any offering. Although attraction was once seen as the goal of design, today it’s just the beginning. Furthermore, the channels through which consumers learn about new offerings have expanded rapidly, creating new demands and opportunities for dialog.
Designs that create attraction can change industries far outside their own. Pepsi’s famous redesign of its packaging was inspired by the spare aesthetics of the iPod.8 Dyson vacuum cleaners were initially rejected by many retailers but embraced by consumers who enjoyed both the design and the founder’s story. Although the high price tag of Dyson products places them out of reach for many consumers, they have powerfully shaped aspirations. As a result, the price points and level of design for entry-level vacuums have risen considerably, and the industry now offers a wide range of colors and features in what was once considered a utility purchase.
• Engage—When attracted, your audience responds to the invitation. They touch, smell, or interact in varied ways with the offering…testing to see if the promises made in the attraction phase are kept.
Today, engagement is likely to begin in the home more than a retail setting. Regardless of whether a purchase is made online or in a store, people turn to their computers to learn about what they want. Companies have to create ways to interact and have experiences long before a purchase is made, using methods such as contests, games, special offers, and online tools. In an extreme example of the trend, Volkswagen released its latest marketing campaign for a new car model via an iPhone game.9
It is important that the communication in various channels is matched by the store experience as closely as possible. The basis for engagement can be reinforced or lost entirely depending on follow-through. When consumers are happy, they sometimes continue their research and check reviews after the purchase to learn more, communicate with other users, or validate their choices.
• Purchase—When the buyer reviews the competition, the value proposition should be matchless. The advantage of the Psycho-Aesthetics developed product can make it easy to differentiate between the offerings and make the decision clear.
About 36 percent of people research a purchase online prior to making a decision.10 Consumers studies also reveal that people will spend from 20 percent to 50 percent more (depending on the category) based on the ratings different products and services received.11 Despite the research that takes place prior to actual purchases, the experience at the point of purchase can cause up to 40 percent of consumers to change their minds.12 It’s further evidence that the story and design must reinforce each other.
• Moment of Truth—The Moment of Truth comes after the purchase, when the consumer interacts with the offering. When it makes the consumer feel empowered, they’ll feel compelled to share their experience with others.
By the time someone has completed a purchase, they have already demonstrated their faith in the brand and look to see if their trust is well placed. This is the point in the journey in which people either embrace a brand and become evangelists, or suffer disappointment. The post-purchase experience has a profound effect on future decisions and brand considerations. More important than the design itself is whether it makes the consumer feel as though they made a wise choice, reinforcing a sense of empowerment. Even in cases of “budget” items, comments and reviews reveal that most people have realistic expectations, taking into consideration the price that they paid in their judgments.
• Heroic Evangelist—When consumers actively promote their experience, they become evangelists for the brand.
Although much of the research leading to purchases is conducted online, the impact of live conversations still looms large. Eighteen to 24 year olds, for example, use social networking sites more frequently than any other age group (16 percent versus 4 percent), but they’re also more likely to rely on conversations with friends and family than other adult age groups (33 percent versus 21 percent).13
The creation of Heroic Evangelists is an incredibly complex process, but the payoff is worthwhile: People out there are willing to spread the message for you, less expensively and more credibly. They make suggestions that help you improve your offerings. Seeing the impact on the lives of others inspires your teams to continue innovating.
What It Takes to Make a Hero
Although the steps in the Hero’s Journey are the same, the touch points needed to create Heroes must be understood in the context of the category. Although the designs to convey an appropriate message in each quadrant must be created on an individual basis, people are searching for some basic emotions. (Quadrants are depicted in Chapter 3, Figure 3.4.)
Basic Quadrant (Lower Left)
In the Basic quadrant, the Hero’s Journey depends on providing reliability and consistency. These qualities need to be conveyed in a short amount of time because the purchase decision is made quickly—and is often driven by price. Although many of these items may be default choices (detergents, household products, and so on) even small interactions that engage the senses can help to motivate change. Touching a product, testing a new scent, or watching a demo increases consumer’s sense of ownership and control and can drive adoption. The benefits need to be designed into the product and called out in the packaging. The advantages of the offering need to be visible fairly quickly (for example, that new spot cleaner has to work right away)—because the Hero’s Journey tends to be a shorter experience for basic products than any other.
This is in some ways the most exciting and challenging area to work and represents large opportunities. Because the category is driven by volume, and is intensely competitive, products must appeal to a wide variety of personas and perform under more exacting conditions and usage scenarios. Innovations here are difficult but present huge opportunities to create market disruption.
Artistic Quadrant (Upper Left)
Heroes in the artistic quadrant seek out what is unique and different and want to learn more about the tiny details of an offering. Here, extending the attraction phase is important. This person enthusiastically seeks out information on how something was made, for example, or plans for the arrival of a limited edition product or traveling art exhibit.
Here, aesthetics are highly prized—whether it’s for a product, service, or experience. Because these preferences are subjective, they often need to be explained to be fully appreciated. The sour taste of an artisanal cheese or cloudy appearance of seeded glass becomes appealing when the process and its value is understood. Exclusivity and bragging rights are also important to the appeal of designs in this quadrant.
Versatile Quadrant (Lower Right)
In the Versatile quadrant, Heroes are created by engaging consumers on an intellectual level and must take them though a series of carefully architected engagements and touch points that convinces them of the design’s efficacy. Here, the consumer must feel that his adoption conveys that he is the most educated and informed person on a particular topic. Heroes in this quadrant, notably doctors, teachers, and technicians, seek out the most advanced options available. Many of these products and services are aimed at the professional markets more than the consumer ones.
Reliability, durability, and technological superiority are needed to create Heroes in this quadrant. Professionals may also need assurance that the supporting players can use the product or service effectively, allowing them to focus on a task at hand. Each of these groups must have a set of attractions and touch points that create a rich and fulfilling experience, one that you could bet someone’s life on often times, in the case of medical devices. In a simpler example, this is where we can see the experience of an Apple store creates Hero’s of its staff and the consumers by creating a highly interactive “Apple experience.”
Enriched Quadrant (Upper Right)
The Enriched quadrant consists of aspirational products and experiences meant to signal status and identity such as watches, cars, or travel. When design is used to enhance items from other quadrants and create rich, immersive experience, it may migrate into the Enriched quadrant. For example, a Chanel handbag or a luxury car are more than fashion or transport to those who buy them. These are the purchases that have rich touch points and brand experience, giving the consumer a sense of arrival and self-actualization. Enriched offering are generally the most highly prized by the consumer—these are the things that consumers seek out to reward themselves with.
In the words of Joseph Campbell, “If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.” Great companies keep finding a way to change the game and create value. They also need to find the Heroes and stories to help them spread the word.
Winning Through Creating Heroes
Stories have a vital role to play in communicating the benefits of design. They maintain their power when they reinforce our own experience. When there is a clash, people will share their own experience. The emergence of so many new channels for communication has also put some natural limits on the claims that companies can make, and what has emerged in its place is a dialog. And many purchase decisions are guided by our own desires, as much as a desire to share. As Rob Walker sums up, “What the Joneses might think is really, little more than a rationale at best. Because what you are really doing is telling that story to yourself.”14
The importance of Heroes needs to be considered at every stage of the chain in bringing a concept to market. How many Heroes are built through your product or service? To what extent do your dealers, suppliers, and other partners win? Are retailers proud to carry your product or provide your service? Who wins from the association with your company?
Emotional engagement is a key predictor of your company’s future growth. Ultimately, Psycho-Aesthetics is not about creating products or experiences alone. It’s a methodology for creating Heroic Evangelists. Understanding how to create design that turns consumers into storytellers drives the emotional and viral connections that fuel a company’s growth.