Understanding behaviour to create better products and services encourages a stronger connection. Business to the user and vice versa.
To stand any chance of someone buying into you and from you, there has to be a connection to the very heart of what you believe in and what you do. Customers are people and we have to understand them, not forget them.
Digital strategist, Dave McRobbie highlights a future shift from attention driven design (a focus where attention is on persuasion to drive conversion) to one that leans into connection driven design. Dave says, “Connection driven design has a focus on a business respecting people visiting, signing up and spending and recognising ways to build a rapport with their customer base. For instance, what starts as respecting someone’s data and privacy, as a relationship forms there can be a willingness to provide more.”
As Dave highlights, connection driven design is led by interaction and trust. Trust is becoming a priceless commodity.
A good measure of this is the Edelman Trust Barometer. Since 2001 world-renowned PR consultancy, Edelman, has reported the global measurement of trust (related to business, the government and the media). At the start of each year, the report analyses findings from research that takes in 34,000 people from 28 countries. The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer concludes with the need to do the right thing, to partner and to lead. It has never been more important to balance competence with ethical behaviour (you can read the report here)
Ali Carmichael, Experience UX MD says, “Businesses have a responsibility to lead and assess the experiences from a customer’s perspective, and then make adjustments, or redesigns, to help the end-user, regardless of what the competition is doing. There has never been a more critical time to be clear and consistent.”
The ability to trust and find a connection with those who interact with us lays the path for a considered future, rather than being distracted by shiny objects and not giving users options. According to a report from Pew Research, consumers trust tech but feel conflicted. A third of respondents predicted that harm to well-being will outweigh the positives overall in the next decade.
Success is attainable for businesses that are sticking to what they believe in, know their audience, and can express themselves in a captivating and sincere way.
In a world that is encouraging us to delve further into AI and automation, to stand out is to explain what a product or service is doing and encouraging people to opt-in, rather than quickly opt-out. Design and transparency lead to connection. Trust is about being honest with someone who visits you for the first time, to those people who are familiar with you.
