I recently attended the experience design focused INFOCAMP event in Portland, OR. The ‘un-conference’ attracted a mix of UX practitioners, tech entrepreneurs, and library sciences devotees all excited about connecting people with information.
Jason Sack, UX Lead at Wieden + Kennedy, opened with a keynote exploring how we can better connect digital experiences with user emotions. This is an exciting topic, and a delicate balance between understanding emotion and making assumptions about our users that are not founded in research.
Sack believes that experience design today is unbalanced in favor of information and transaction. He advocates that data has no relevance without use or context. In his view, information is energy and experiences are validated when we give them context through personal interpretations informed by our emotions.
Different users react in very different ways to digital experiences. While one user may think “This data is pointless, it isn’t telling me anything,” another may think “OMG! I never realized I was burning 2400 calories a day just by chewing gum. That’s awesome!” The second user has internalized the experience, and converts data into information.
Jason’s talk reminds me that desire is a crucial component of an experience. Does this mean all experiences must acknowledge – and speak to – our emotions? If routine, transactional experiences are not desirable and we have choice, we will not repeat them? These questions have big implications in the way we think about designing experiences that build loyalty with our customers.
Sack also explored the neuroscience behind designing with – and for – emotions. Since our instinctive brain behaviors happen so fast, and are so powerful, he explained why it is necessary to design to this behavior.
I was a bit surprised to hear that in just one second of exposure to a visual element, our brain triggers so many things simultaneously:
- Unconscious visual perception – 5 ms
- Fight or flight reflex – 80 ms
- Event perception lag – 100 ms
- Identify an object – 250 ms
His key takeaway for the talk? Simplify.
Information design should work to remove unnecessary elements in order to reveal what’s at the core of an experience – a path with heart. I agree with this sentiment, but the heart of an experience is a complex organ. Facebook, for example, embraces that complexity through allowing us to compose, monitor, comment, play, and much more.
I had a great time connecting with the UX community in Portland, and left with plenty of inspiration. Thanks to all the Infocamp speakers, organizers and sponsors for putting on such a great event.
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