How to apply Dieter Rams' "Ten principles of design" to the Customer Experience

Could we adapt the “Ten principles of design” when working on the customer experience? If we did, what specific aspects of CX design should we keep in mind? How would they affect the design of spaces, objects, or attention models that enable user experiences in the physical spaces?

These are some of the questions I've been asking myself these days. The lockdown has given us more time to read those books or watch those movies that we never seem to have time for. Those of us who are involved in design always miss a little more time for reflection, a hiatus in our daily work in which to gather our ideas, absorb those of others and put them in the mixer to see what juice we get. 

One of those opportunities has been provided by Gary Hustwit, who is sharing some of his films. In two weeks in a row I have seen "Objetified" and "Rams", two good documentaries that focus on design discipline, in which Dieter Rams' thinking has a particular prominence, starting from his "less but better" and developed in his 10 principles of design.

For those not familiar with them (or for those who may want to remind them), here they are:

1.       Good design is innovative.

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

2.      Good design makes a product useful.

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

3.     Good design is aesthetic.

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4.     Good design makes a product understandable.

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

5.      Good design is unobtrusive.

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6.     Good design is honest.

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7.      Good design is long-lasting.

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8.     Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.

9.     Good design is environmentally-friendly.

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10.  Good design is as little design as possible.

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.

Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Dieter Rams is recognized as one of the masters of industrial design applied to consumer objects, but these principles are also valid for other areas of design.

Those of us involved in designing experiences and the supports that make them possible, what can we learn from these ten principles? Can we adapt them and define ten principles for the design of the customer experience?

This is my approach:

1.       Good experience design is innovative.

Digitization in general and each new technological development in particular (augmented reality, virtual reality, the Internet of things, facial recognition...) offer a new opportunity for innovation in the experiences provided at physical contact points. A truly innovative design relies on these opportunities that technology offers to provide a personal and valuable experience. So let's use technology as a stepping stone, not as a goal.

2.      Good design makes an experience useful.

One of the biggest misunderstandings we constantly face is the idea that an experience is an event, something extraordinary that happens only once in a while to remove the monotony from the customer's experience. Something like a functional add-on, which at best encourages and at worst disturbs the ordinary experience and service. A good experience design must facilitate the achievement of the user's functional, emotional and social objectives, assist them in leaving with the best response to their needs, to feel better and to be recognized by their peers.

3.     Good experience design is aesthetic and pleasant.

When we design experiences that take place in physical spaces, we should not only focus on what we want the user to see, but we have the opportunity to leverage the rest of their senses. In the age of Instagram it is difficult to avoid the temptation to fill the space with photogenic corners, or to disseminate photocalls where people make selfies to share on their social media. A fluid and fulfilling experience, developed along well-connected points of contact, equipped with supports whose sensory expression (the colours, the finishings, the music, the scent...) emerges from the values and personality of the brand will provide incomparable aesthetic and sensory pleasure.

4.     Good design makes an experience understandable.

Dieter Rams used to say that his wish was always that products could come without an instruction book. The best experience will be one that is self-explanatory, free of invasive hosts, free of endless directories. A comprehensible experience in all its flow, in which it is the user who feels in command and who decides when and where to start and finish.

5.      Good experience design is unobtrusive.

When we design an experience and create the space in which it takes place, as well as equipping it with the rest of the necessary supports (objects, messages, people and attention models), we must not fall into the temptation of treating users as hostages of our brand, putting them in the centre of a golden cage. It' s not the time to talk about us but about the clients, to benefit from their presence to understand their needs and desires, to satisfy their expectations through an experience where the user is the central character.

6.     Good experience design is honest.

An experience shouldn't promise more than it can deliver, just to attract more users who will then be disappointed. We must always keep it above expectations. Let satisfied customers talk about it and let them become brand's advocates.

7.      Good experience design is long-lasting.

It's hard not to be pulled by the flood of endless change. More and more seasons in a year, more and more trends come and go. Each change we implement must bring more value, the purpose of the change must be the improvement of the experience.

8.     Good experience design is thorough down to the last detail.

We do not know where our clients will need us and may feel well-attended or disappointed. We must pay attention to every place they move, every object they handle, every message sent, every person they interact with and the way they are served. Whoever is hosted in the store today will phone tomorrow, and whoever contacts us on Twitter today may visit us tomorrow.

9.     Good experience design is environmentally-friendly.

Every resource is precious, let's eliminate the expendable so we can offer more with less. Let's ask ourselves if we are making the best use of every cent invested, every gram manufactured, every bit shared, every square meter filled, or every hour spent. Let's focus on ROE (Return of experience)

10.  Good experience design is as little design as possible.

Less, but better.

With a good design of experiences in all phases of the relationship we will be able to know more about every client and every time he will know more about us. We will be able to attract them by offering what they are looking for. We can guide them by solving their doubts and allowing them to evaluate how we satisfy their needs in return for an adequate investment of their time and money. We will be able to help them enjoy our services and products and close the sales that our business model demands. We will build customer loyalty through a consistent and sustained experience over time. We will make our customers the main advocates of our brand.

Let's eliminate the surplus and stick to the essential points of contact, focusing on making them connect with us in the most fluid way possible. Let's implement only the supports that bring the greatest value to the experience.

Let's listen to the users, understand their needs and desires. Let's fulfill their expectations and never stop improving.

Let it flow.