Rewind.
Giving a little sneaky peek into the past, remember when new products were booming in the market and experiences were a passion of the game changers? In the design world, change isn’t always gradual, it happens in an instant and we need to be prepared for it.
I leaped from designing products to meaningful service experiences just when I felt a void in my career choices. We no longer see innovations as unique, what’s rare here is to know whether we are designing these for the right audience, in the right way. With time, it is becoming more and more important to focus on these service-based touch points and innovations.
Having said that, we need to think laterally, we need to design for the gaps between these touch points. Mid July shenanigans - It’s a long sunny day, picture yourself standing in a long queue outside Chipotle (such a bummer, right?), what would you do while you wait to order? I already see you pulling out your phone and look through 9gag and Instagram posts (I never said you wouldn’t open FB, but let’s cut it out for now). Am I wrong when I say that these social media players have designed their offerings for such unintended gaps in the service touch points? What they offer is at your fingertips (literally!) and meant for such crisis situations.
What if, waiting in the queue was to get more interesting? Think about it. What if that very unproductive time became worth the wait (of course the food is worth the wait when you’re starving)? What if the product here is just a bundled offering to their holistic in-outlet service experience? The product is only as good as the service you back it with. Will we be willing to pay more for experiences vs what we pay for products? Worth a thought, they are offering you a service through these products as a medium and not vice-versa. This is exactly the change I am talking about. Wait for the time when you’d become so greedy for experiences, you’d reject unbundled product offerings because they will not be worth your time, money, maybe yes.
I can’t wait to see what lies ahead, while I try to visualize my future sitting on my thinking chair (JK, it’s a regular office chair).
Above: Long lines being a bummer. Mid July Shenanigans - Chipotle always makes you hungry!