Design smarts, relationship smarts: Same/same

IDEO is a pretty great place to work if you like a bit of variety in your day. Over the past ten years, I’ve been lucky enough to tackle challenges in just about every industry under the sun — health care, hospitality, food and beverage, retail, government, wellness, technology, media, apparel…the list goes on.

You’d think design solutions across these categories would be radically different. But the funny thing is, they’re not.

Sure, the products or services we design are different for each industry. Hotel-y stuff for hotels, retail-y stuff for retail. But the design principles behind the solutions are often shockingly similar.

Turns out, one of the most important things we offer our clients is a crash course in interpersonal relationships. Because succeeding in business is a lot like succeeding in life: People tend to like you more when you’re kind and thoughtful.

Now hold the angry comments — I’m not saying our clients aren’t kind and thoughtful. Quite the opposite — we work with people who inspire us every single day. I am, however, telling you this: As companies get big, they can sometimes lose sight of what could easily be classified as common sense.

I present for your consideration the following design principles. Design principles are guidelines that help you stay true to your intentions as you develop new ideas.

• Be transparent.
• Speak like a human.
• Meet people where they are.
• Surprise and delight your customers.

Some versions of these principles have appeared in countless presentations at IDEO. They’re not exactly mind-blowing when you read them in black and white, but their thoughtful application has turned out to be game changing for many organizations.

Let’s take them one at a time.

Be transparent.

In other words, be honest. Tell people what’s really going on with your products, your services, your ingredients, all of it. In relationships, we expect nothing less. A lack of transparency leads to fights, breakups, and divorce. (Ashley Madison, I’m looking at you!) But companies often have a tough time with this one, which is something that annoys their customers. A little bit of honesty goes a long way with people. It’s disarming. It’s charming. And frankly, it’s the right thing to do.

Speak like a human.

Financial services companies, health care organizations, government entities — sadly we’ve come to expect dense language from all of them. But they’re certainly not the only ones guilty of spattering incomprehensible jargon. Speak to me in terms I can understand, and then we can have a real relationship. In fact, I’ll view you as smarter and kinder than the rest of your competitors just because you made the effort to make things understandable for me.

Meet people where they are.

Imagine it’s way past your normal dinner hour and you’re getting really, really hangry. Then your mom calls, and insists on discussing your cousin’s upcoming wedding. Do you care about your cousin’s dress choice at this moment? Or do you want to throw your phone through a window so you can get some quiet and stuff something in your face?

This overly personal example demonstrates the way that some companies think about relationships. The conversation is all about their agenda, not their customer’s. Here’s where a touch of empathy does the trick. If my mom had come over with some Thai food, then sure. Let’s talk lace. (And yes, I’m a petulant brat sometimes. But aren’t we all?)

I’m joking to make my point, but this is actually serious stuff. Especially when it comes to organizations that deal with behavior change. But that, my friends, is a whole other article.

Surprise and delight your customers.

“You don’t bring me flowers, you don’t sing me love songs…” (Shout out to Babs and Neil!)

All relationships run the risk of turning stale if you don’t put in a little effort from time to time. Those that revolve around products and services are no different. It’s easy to be lost in the sea of sameness out there, but not so tough to stand out from the pack by providing a bit of a wink. So make me smile. Elevate every day moments. Remind me how special you are. It’s the little things that make us fall in love. Playful design nudges make all the difference, and they keep customers coming back.

So here’s to all the therapists I’ve had over the years, all the exes I’ve learned from, and the infinite patience of my mom. You’ve taught me how to be a better person. And as it turns out, a better designer.