Do we really need to talk about feelings in digital?
When creating a new digital product or service, there are lots of questions we ask ourselves. What personas can we create to meet user needs? What language, functions, placement and colors have the best conversion rate? How can we use data to eliminate UX-pitfalls? We even question others in interview upon interview to make sure our content makes the most impact. But how often do we ask ourselves what emotions we want to trigger? And do we really need to?
Yes, because emotions drive sales
Do you remember the time when a computer was just a big, nicotine-colored box? A thing so out of place with other interior decor that it was best hidden away in a closet? I loved what that box helped me create. I loved the worlds I could imagine through it, but the thing itself was just a tool, and an ugly one at that. Then came 1998 and Apple launched its iMac with bold colors, blistering white contrasts and matching keyboard and mouse. The crowd went wild. People started displaying it as the apartment centerpiece, got matching curtains, dusted it regularly and became emotionally attached. Of course, critics claimed that as a computer it was no better than others, and no work tool should be in a color named “Blue Dalmation.” And they were right. It wasn’t a better computer. But we didn’t care, and what Apple proved is that emotional attachments — even digital ones — drive sales, capture attention, engender trust and are long lasting. Emotional attachments boost more sales, create more advocates and build better brands over a longer period of time than conversion tactics. Just google “iMac aquarium” and you’ll see what I mean.