Creating Hygge in the Digital Experience

By Martin Pedersen, CEO, Stellar

The Danish lifestyle known as hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”) has received a lot of attention in the last several years, and has become a worldwide phenomenon. As a Dane, I feel hygge is literally in my DNA, and a defining feature of my cultural identity. When I came to the U.S., hygge came with me and is a part of my everyday home life and work. As a fellow Dane aptly said, “hygge is to the Danish what freedom is to Americans.”

So what is hygge? It’s a reflection of the art of creating intimacy and forming bonds and feelings of wellbeing and togetherness; it’s a state of mindfulness. It means creating a warm atmosphere, enjoying the good things in life with good people and living in the moment. For example, the warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Watching a movie or reading a book with a loved one – that’s hygge, too. Sitting around with friends and family, discussing the big and small things in life is hygge. Taking a long walk with a companion and letting your conversations meander is hygge. You can also make your home hygge by looking at what you really need, and asking yourself if an item makes you feel cozier, more relaxed. If not, think about eliminating it.

Hygge is why the Danes are known as some of the happiest people in the world. Many books have been written about hygge. Articles on getting your hygge on have been featured in such publications as the New York Times and the New Yorker. You can now purchase candles labeled hygge. In fact, Denmark uses more candles per capita than any other country. Candles provide natural light, which make us feel better than electric light. In Danish, candles are called “levende lys,” which means living light – a contrast to the harsh strip lights and spotlights found in many offices and now in a lot of homes.

Indeed, interior designers are now incorporating hygge into homes. While it may sound appealing for your home to look like a magazine cover, what most people realize is that the hygge is missing. The idea behind hygge is for someone to walk into your home and immediately get the “I love to live here” vibe.

At Stellar, we’re also bringing hygge to our environment and the work we create for our clients. We call this “digital hygge.” Hygge is embedded in the relationships we create with our clients, the personal service we provide, the trust we earn and the lengths we go to make our clients feel comfortable, delighted. It’s also about everyone on our team wanting to do great work, loving the work we do, being genuine, remaining curious, and innovating so we can help our clients connect with their customers in a meaningful way. This means listening, digging deeper, bringing empathy, and appreciating the target consumer’s motivation to truly find the right balance in the journey and memorable experience we create, including the language (content), shapes, and colors we use when designing and developing a client’s digital and social platforms. It’s about infusing emotion into the digital experience so that our clients’ customers are left with a warm, inspired and fulfilled feeling – and want even more of that experience, whether it’s staying connected via social media to engage, get educated or just have fun; asking for more information about a specific service or product; or purchasing a service or product and becoming a longstanding client and advocate.

Stellar is a team of digital professionals with a passion to help our clients create meaningful connections with their customers, partners and employees. We invite you to learn more about us at https://stellaragency.com/.