Humane Experiences
“People ignore design that ignores people.”
― Frank Chimero
It is estimated that a modern user will spend 41% of their life interacting on screen, that is 8000 days or 21 years. And it is up to us as designers, developers, agencies and businesses etc. to decide whether to make it monotonous, superficial and robotic or to make it memorable and something that connects on the deep human, emotional and psychological level.
In a way it is no longer a choice, it’s rather a responsibility to have a humane user experience because it not only affects the sales and customer loyalty of a brand, it also affects the mental and emotional health of an individual when they spend so much time interacting with digital products on their devices.
How to get someone immersed in an interaction with a product should be our concern, isn’t that what we all want? To gaze into the eyes of another person, to be wrapped in their arms, to be lost in a dream, to be lost in a conversation, to be one with the beat of the music?
Everything from plays and epics to movies and binge-watching Netflix, are opportunities to get immersed and involved in the present moment through the power of emotions and storytelling. That’s what we need to bring to the table when it comes to user experiences.
Now more than ever before people have begun to see technology as a limiting crutch, especially after Covid19 and subsequent lockdowns. And in such times it is so necessary to design products that make people feel empowered by technology not crippled by it. This makes it essential to align business goals to a user interaction that is soulful and humane.
Here is an excerpt from a discussion on this topic that I had with a friend on social media whom I shall refer to as Lana here.
Lana asks (on the topic of humane experience) :
I work in media and hear a lot about the ‘customer experience’ or the ‘user experience’? Perhaps shifting the parameters around the language used to describe the ‘user’ is a good place to start
What would the ‘humane experience’ look like? Rather than identifying you as a data-driven user, the humane experience understands you?
Rather than providing people with reasons to engage with and buy said product, the humane experience provides a progression of engagement that improves people’s lives? Great article Krupal!
Krupal:
A lot of businesses have teams or individuals dedicated to User Experience Design or Human Centric Design but they have it only because their competitors have it
In truth, most businesses do not understand why it’s valuable to focus on a pleasant and Humane Experience that connects to the customer on a deeper and more human level in each and every interaction that the customer is going to have with the business.
Many of the digital products are not even designed to be accessible i.e. people with special needs can’t even access them.
A humane experience could be created or enhanced by using simple things like when you’re not connected to the internet Google Chrome shows you that dinosaur game to keep you engaged, it’s kinda cute and funny.
It’s a simple thing but you feel cared for and looked after. But it could be a lifesaver if someone is stuck in a confined space and have no signal and they’re a little claustrophobic.
It might give them just enough distraction to survive that situation.
Or when you load Amazon they say “Breathe in! Breathe out! instead of “Loading”.
Sometimes changing an image or word or colour of a button or font type or size could significantly shift people’s perception and moods and hence could also potentially improve sales.
This could also be seen in physical products.
For example, going in a lift or elevator with a stranger could be uncomfortable, even daunting to some but by adding mirrors people get enough distraction to avoid that uncomfortable silence and it also serves another purpose.
People can adjust their dress or tie or hair one last time to make the perfect first impression as they step out of the lift.
Sometimes it could be quite a complex design challenge that may require the business as a team to contribute to the design.
Suppose you’re a writer or an editor you might have many problems, views and ideas that the designer might not even be aware of.
Once someone told me to design a website without a menu.
So we created an immersive experience in which the user is immersed in what they’re seeing at the moment by giving just enough content, visuals and subconscious cues to influence them to scroll and as they scroll things unfold like a story.
Generally speaking, instead of creating a humane experience what most companies and designers end up doing is “Usability Testing” which is performed at last to see if the product is useable or not.
So the emphasis is on functionality with minimum focus on the experience.
Lana:
Interesting…I was thinking something similar the other day.
I was getting an ultrasound for something and found myself staring up and around at stark, clinical white walls and ceiling and thinking ‘this isn’t helping my anxiety.
I’m associating this bland, clinical aesthetic with medical procedures and medical settings. I’d love to be looking at some nature or something.
Krupal:
Exactly! It could significantly improve the experience, make people comfortable and get a better reputation compared to other labs.
And most people wouldn’t know why they felt better but they’d recommend that particular medical lab/facility to their mates.
Lana:
You’re right – usability is usually centred around functionality.
The next time I’m asked to sense check a new website or product, I’m going to focus on experience instead of functionality when I give my feedback.
This conversation explores the idea of “Humane Experiences” in a nutshell. Hence I found it necessary to embed it here.