In a sea of options online, I scroll back and forth gasping for air; everything looks and feels the same!
How can I choose where to eat, what to watch, what to share, click or buy when nothing stands out, when everything is reduced to a template?
Are we settling for templates calling them industry standards? are we using scalability as a shield or are we too scared to jinx the metrics? maybe all the above.
Templates work, why reinvent the wheel, I hear. But, everything is not the wheel, it cannot be. What is the wheel, let’s start there and how can the wheel be better? A cookie-cutter delivers on the clean lines, but it’s the flavour not the shape that makes it enjoyable.
WHAT IS THE FLAVOUR OF AN EXPERIENCE?
When I walk into a physical store, a restaurant or a theatre, I can feel the personality of the place, the vibe, the flavour, even before I get to the product. Quiet stores, dim lighting, items placed 1 ft from each other on designed pedestals versus Vibrant walls, bright lights, items stacked tight…. both show a different personality and give a different flavour.
Digital counter parts squeeze everything into the same grid with little wiggle room, “functionality” takes front seat pushing out experiences without personality.
But, personality has a core function – it creates beauty and evokes an emotion; if that is not enough in an AI-driven world, emotion drives choice. Without emotion, we are stuck in a loop of endless scrolling, feeding our brains the same GMO feed everyday.
EMOTION DRIVES CHOICE.
Same is true for things on the other end of the spectrum, all flavour and no shape to hold is hard to satisfy a craving.
So what’s the right amount of flavour for a digital experience?
Only way to know is to try! One frame at a time, pushing for flavour – adding brand personality to components, taking risks with typefaces and ux copy, adding chewy bits of interactions and toasting some with sound.