As user-centered designers, we value the functionality of something highly: it has to deliver on being useful and understandable. We know that we need also to value the aesthetic and its contribution to our feelings of well-being. But perhaps sometimes it is harder to tap into those other little parts of the experience of using a product or moving through an environment.
On the BBC website this week there is a piece about a new wine cork that screws into the bottle. Experts tell us that the modern screw cap is the best way to keep our wine tasting at its best for when we open it. But as drinkers we miss the action of opening a bottle with an old fashioned cork - the squeaking sound followed by the satisfying pop. As the BBC article points out, this triggers positive associations in our mind that go far beyond the utility of opening a bottle and having a drink.
The world that CCD works in is more about the design of work spaces and public environments. The question for us is how do we capture these little moments in the user experience and keep them? A challenge!Labels: design, design methods, Design thinking, human behaviour, human factors, user experience