design
The more connections you can give a new memory to things already remembered in your brain, the more likely it is your are going to remember that new memory. I call these Brain Hooks. Think of it as Velcro for the brain. The brain is a natural pattern making machine. When you can tap into the pattern it is easier to recall something “without thinking.” That is why it is easier for an adult that cooks to remember items on a common recipe when at the grocery store as opposed to their teenage son who hasn’t cooked or shopped much at all. The adult can recreate the cooking and shopping experiences and “recall” the item stowed tidily in their head. They are pulling from various connections and patterns whereas the teenager hasn’t yet built those connections.
But, when the teenage boy sees the cute girl in the store, a different pattern emerges. When this happens, he’ll surely have to text mom for the items he’s already forgotten. To learn more on what we know about the brain, check out the book, “Brain Rules,” by John Medina. Building brain hooks is the subject of Recipe #46 in Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall in my book, “The Experience Design BLUEPRINT: Recipes for Creating Happier Customers and Healthier Organizations.” If you want to design more remarkable experiences and then make them come true, check out the book. It is chock full of 25 examples, 56 recipes, and 78 images that will guide you or your team toward creating a better tomorrow.
Category : Blog
The old thinking has it that you need to create a burning platform to get others to change. You know, “this oil rig is on fire and we must jump together or die.” That thinking is inspired by a true story. But we like more modern thinking, like that proposed by Robyn Waters the mastermind behind getting Target to be a brand cognizant of good design. Being a master of positive emotions, she helped others to find the feeling of what was possible. She made product comparisons to colorful iMac computers and Paris boutiques that knew how to arrange clothing to suit buyers senses and emotions.
If you are leading others through change you will be more successful if you help others to see the Big Picture and then help them to remain true to the plan that unfolds. Not surprisingly, we successfully use these tools in change efforts and think you can too. Read more about Robyn Waters and Target on page 123 of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.
Category : Blog
