Creating Experiences that Bring About Change - Part 1

When Experiences Must Do Something

I feel it is important to start with a simple hypothesis - that what we are able to think of is constrained directly by what we are able to imagine.  So if we can't imagine different futures beyond the present situation, then we can't effectively explore new ideas, cover new ground or innovate.

Now imagine we are on a project with a large team and our role as a planner or as a UX person is to help the group frame the challenges and opportunities facing the client/organization. Some would say this is our only role.  Here I turn to a much needed conversation going on between Matthew Milan and Adrian about the overlap and state of affairs within planning and UX.

"As a planner I saw my job as creating new possibilities. I wanted to always be on the side of providing an opening for my brands and my colleagues to explore and play within a completely different and unexpected context."  Adrian

I agree and feel quite strongly that we have to "change" the audience so that they have the ability to "see" different realities in a world where few people spend time imagining things differently.  How we accomplish this is the "black art" of our field.  Do we draw a picture, create a powerpoint or tell a story?I

I propose that we must do what they are asking us to do - create an experience that has the potential to involve the viewer and enable the change to occur.

A Model For Creating Change
Hillis spoke some time back (2004) at the Long Now Foundation about the "Progress on the 10,000-year Clock".  Hillis is attempting the impossible by many accounts.  He is looking to change how we see the world, the future and - by extension - what is possible.

37 minutes into his presentation, he stops presenting what has been built to date and begins talking about how the clock is more than a thing - how it is an experience designed to change the viewer/visitor. 

He presents a model for the stages of an experience that can change the participant. (I was surprised to find out that he had spent time at Disney focused on creating experiences.)

• Picture:  we require a picture in our mind of what it is we are going to accomplish. 
• Commit:  the moment where we choose to engage - to commit.
• Glimpse:  a glimpse of something that pulls us forward - the "weenie in front of the dog."
• Trial:  a period of confusion where we leave behind our old ways of thinking - where we are unsure and even frightened enough to look for something different or new.
• Arrive:  we achieve what we set out to accomplish.
• Payoff:  the "high". A moment of reflection.
• Secrete Payoff: secret and personal payoff that only the people who have the experience can realize.
• Return:  start over at the beginning.

((Rituals appear to share many of these.  Future article?))

7 simple stages to think about in crafting an experience (or series of experiences) with a loop back to the beginning.  For this article, I want to call our attention to the very first step.  To have a picture.  A step so very often overlooked and yet so critically important.

It seems simple enough.  We paint a "picture" of what the experience is going to be like and use our media people to get this picture in front of everyone that matters.  If only it was that simple.  Going back to the opening hypothesis, our audience has to believe something is possible and be able to imagine it before they can even have a hope of "seeing it" let alone believing it.  So what do we do when we are trying to invent something "out of the box" or "new/different"?

Role of Comics
I've spoken about comics a few times now and I've been using them as a prototyping tool in a variety of situations.  This has been great, but it is becoming clear that comics are applicable for far more than just prototyping. 

They excel at the first step in the Hillis model.  They not only present a picture, they give the user the tools to imagine a different world and slowly change their perception to the point they can consider an idea.

There's been some high profile and really amazing uses of comics recently in just this context.

Google Chrome: Google wanted to introduce a new browser into the market that redefined a whole slew of protocols, technologies and methods used to build a browser.  They needed to generate awareness and buy-in on the concepts and why a new browser is needed - topics generally beyond most people's interest or ability to comprehend.   Yet critical if one were to imagine a new standard for browsers.  Their initial launch idea?  A brilliant comic by Scott McCloud.

Akoha: Akoha is attempting to bring "pay it forward" into a social networking environment.  This requires that people be engaged in learning what "pay it forward" is and then to be interested and willing to explore how Akoha works.  A lot of work when the goal is to create sign-ups and growth in the usage of the site.

 

I'm interested in what others in the field have to say about experiences that can bring about change, the Hillis model and/or the role of comics in this context.  Join in!

Comments

[Simon Law]

I'm Simon and I work for Akoha.

We were pleasantly surprised that Google used comics in a way we were using too!

The comic is a great way to show something to a diverse audience. Not only do you have the depth of text and dialog, but you're also able to tap into people's imaginations with pictures of real things. And that's really powerful!

We hope you'll check out Akoha!

[Eli McIlveen]

One bit that intrigues me from the Hillis talk is the bit about the "postcard" - that the Taj Mahal sees more visitors than the Ellora Caves not because it's a more interesting experience but that there's an iconic image of it that people can hold in their minds... the user-experience equivalent of the "elevator speech" or the "plausible promise". People want some kind of essential kernel they can build their mental model around. For some, the model doesn't get much more complicated than that kernel.

I run into this at work now and again - it's a bit involved trying to explain our mandate to someone who's unfamiliar with the territory. So I think I'll have to bear these ideas in mind as we go through the process of redesigning our website. Comics may not be quite the right fit for us, but stories certainly are...

[Sean Howard]

Strange... I thought I had responded to this but something seems to have gone wrong.

@Eli: Great points. I wonder now about just how we build the "elevator speech", "plausible promise" or the "vision" for an organization or project. Do we use language that is visual? Are there stories that we could tell? I wouldn't shrug off comics so quickly. Mostly for your organization (Evergreen). Imagine a comic book that teachers could use to set the context for a project with their students. I would guess that you would find this same comic used over other materials to explain it to staff, board and parents...

[Eli McIlveen]

Hmmm. Now you put it that way, a comic made by students about their experiences could be a great piece for schools considering a planting project...

[Vernon Lun]

Sean,

An amazing post, I'm going to give this a shout on my blog.

Look forward to seeing the next few parts.

Vern

[Sean Howard]

@Vern: Thanks Vernon! I checked out your post and I really like what you did to remap this to VC's launching online communities. I urge people to check out: http://www.theideadude.com/2008/10/user-experience-of-change.html