From digital creative to experience designer
By Alex Christian, creative partner at Cypha
For the entire history of digital, we have experienced its magic through a screen. But as we propel deeper into the 21st Century, digital has become a more integrated, more fluid part of our lives. It now requires a more holistic understanding of the environment and consumer we create for.
We all know that today’s audience is becoming immune to sneaky sales tactics, gimmicky promotions and ‘placed’ media. The hard sell has lost its effectiveness. The consumer doesn’t want to be entertained; they want a better life. And it’s our role to deliver on these aspirations.
A lot of creative agencies don’t put this expectation to their creative teams. They require them to simply conceive clever concepts, without considering a multi faceted solution based experience.
This has been the way things have traditionally worked in the ‘agency’ model. But because we’re now required to demonstrate a high level of understanding and purpose across every detail, we are forced to think more about the whole experience of the end user as opposed to just consummating a creative concept.
I believe that Digital Creatives should start to behave more like Experience Designers. They should be focusing on how each detail will resonate with the end user and how an experience will live beyond the screen.
What is the difference between a Digital Creative and an Experience Designer? It’s not about their title, in fact, it’s not even about their skill set. It’s about their mindset.
The Digital Creative is working towards an outcome, hoping that their creation will hypnotise the consumer with their visual mind tricks and inspire them to fill out a form, connect with Facebook or, heaven forbid, click a banner ad. The Experience Designer wants to tell a story and take their audience on a journey through the internet, onto their phone and all through their life.
The Experience Designer isn’t just designing how something should look, they’re designing how it should be used, how it will make people feel and how it can live in an environment where there is no single way to consume digital media.
Essentially, they see the whole picture. I don’t mean they’re doing focus groups and tissue sessions. It just means they acknowledge the shift in interactive behavior and have begun to tailor their creations to a quickly changing environment.
11 Comments
Alex, the last work you and Cypha actually made was a desktop only experience that gets people to fill out an online form using Facebook connect…?
It also doesn’t work on mobile.
http://defend.seashepherd.org.au
http://www.campaignbrief.com/2013/11/sea-shepherd-launches-get-behi.html
Ummm, yeah, people do want a better life, but this hasn’t changed since the dawn of man. And I think sneaky sales tactics have also been around for just as long. Sorry, I don’t agree that people don’t want to be entertained. Entertainment is what helps people connect emotionally with brands. Doesn’t have to be via a 30 second commercial, but anything surprising, funny, deep – whatever – if you lose the entertainment factor, we may as well pack up and go home.
For me, we just have to become smarter at entertaining down may different avenues. Perhaps we’re simply not good enough at doing it…yet. Look at the first ever ads on TV. They were, compared with how we tell stories today, delivering flat information. But it evolved. The art evolved.
Same with the whole digital world. It’ll get better and stories will be told in new and incredible ways as time goes by.
As for people not wanting to be entertained – nup, I don’t buy it.
Cheers
Interesting read. Good work Alex.
Great article Alex!
completely agree,
nice one Alex
I do not agree with the entertainment point.
However, It would be great if you could offer some kind of insight into how you are approaching this kind of thing, it’s a valid subject – thinking about the consumer journey, how to add value – but you’re only telling us it exists.
Really? We’re really still debating what an experience designer really is? The whole world except Australia has moved on.
Plus, the difference between an experience designer and a ‘traditional’ creative is a whole lot of technical know-how. Most creatives couldn’t be bothered with Axure, user testing or learning how to code.
Try again.
This is what we want
Great article Alex, there are obviously some agencies who refuse to acknowledge the changing market and the demands which that brings, but thanks for raising the subject and best of luck with Cypha.
Spot on. excellent piece.
Agree with this direction Alex, and believe brands are beginning to embrace that a potential customer is just as important as the customer of the moment.