Why creating "synch" will become the most significant design goal of your Experience Design strategy

Emotion based research has accelerated in the area of product development and design, signaling a turning point in the pursuit of functional, or purely usability driven research approaches. At the heart of emotion design techniques is a desire to tailor deeper connections between users and experientially designed products and services.

As product design becomes increasingly competitive in the age of the iPhone, designers are required to create products that “synch” with users, maintaining the emotional bond with users as they complete their tasks, achieve pleasurability (Jordan 2000; Cayol and Bonhoure 2004) and user satisfaction (Han and Hong 2003).

This seminar is an updated presentation of the paper "Synch With Me" presented by Frank Spillers, MS at Design and Emotion 2008 in Hong Kong.

Topic: 
This seminar presents on one of the biggest, yet little known, usability research findings in the past decade: Rhythmic interaction is at the heart of every successful product interaction. How products and users "dance" and the quality of that dance influences how users think about and reflect on positive product experiences.

Rhythm is an under-looked area of usability, emotion and product research, yet as this seminar will show, it represents a key element in emotion design and user-product interaction.

This seminar will explore a central element of successful emotionally engineered designs: rhythm. You've heard of "flow"…this presentation takes you beyond flow as an intellectual idea and shows you what else is happening when users feel products have a high degree of usability and pleasurability.

This seminar introduces you to the key concepts of rhythm and synchrony in product design. You will learn how “synch” in its forms of resonance, flow and entrainment are at the heart of every successful product interaction. We will explore questions such as:

• What factors bond users to products?
• What is ‘synch’ and how you can use it as a design differentiator?
• How do create greater ‘flow’ in your user experience?
• What creates loyalty or positive appraisal?

Agenda

1. Why do you love your iPhone or BlackBerry?
2. Six design criteria for improving product "synch"
3. Beyond aesthetics and appeal, what is responsible for the persistent engagement that sustains user interaction?
4. What unifying characteristic do successful designs employ?
5. Q & A

Who should attend: 
Anyone interested in new research topics in usability and emotion design; product managers; industrial designers