Closure Experiences. Why a simple goodbye could help climate change.

Closure Experiences

Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod @ClosureExp www.closureexperiences.com

IXDA Helsinki. March 2016

http://www.closureexperiences.com

WhatWhat a Closure Experience is Why the customer life cycle is biased What created this situation How it has impacted us Good and bad Closure Experiences Techniques and models

“The satisfactory conclusion to a product or service relationship. Each party feeling satisfied with the completed transaction, it being a fair, just conclusion without negative consequence.”

Closure

The Consumer Experience

1. 2. 3.

Any consumer experience can be broken down into 3 stages

On-Boarding Off-BoardingUsageThe stable, committed relationship between the user and the service they use, or the product they own.

It is the effort it takes to get the customer to commit to the

product or service relationship. The start of the relationship.

It is the effort it takes to neutralise the effects of the engagement. To complete the agreed engagement. It is the conclusion of the relationship.

enga

gem

ent

time

Starting Experiences

Closure Experiences

Fuelled by commerce Fuelled by societyLanguage of self actualisation Language of safety and security





Joe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

Packaging

Advertising

Marketing

enga

gem

ent

time

Examples include…

T&Cs

Inactivity / dormancy

Break the contract

Examples include…

Recycle


Closure Experiences







enga

gem

ent

time

The interest gap

Packaging

Advertising

MarketingExamples include…

T&Cs


Break the contract

Examples include…

Recycle


Closure Experiences







enga

gem

ent

time

The interest gap

Packaging

Advertising

MarketingExamples include…

T&Cs


Break the contract

Examples include…

Recycle


Closure Experiences







The customer life cycle is biased

There is a gap of interest

Consumers and industry in codependent denial


servicesproducts

digital

…the consequences we see in


The Social context of Closure

Life was hard,

El Ángelus. Jean-François Millet. CCJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

death was familiar,

Ars Moriendi. Meister E.S.Joe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

heaven was an attractive reward,

Belshazzar’s Feast. John MartinJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

religion owned the rule book to get in.

A Burial at Ornans by Gustave Courbet. CCJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

Comfort came with industrialisation,

Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph MenzelJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

and Heaven emerged on earth for many.

Luncheon of the Boating Party. Pierre-Auguste RenoirJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

Medicine learnt to control death,

Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross. Thomas EakinsJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

and hid it away.

Gross Clinic on display at the Army Post HospitalJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

Freeing us to indulge Heaven on earth without end.

Chanel Shopping CentreJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

Heaven was after life

Death was controlled and managed by religion

Death was an expected part of life

Heaven is life

Medicine now controls death

Death is hidden from life

So…


Closure was respected, familiar and expected.

Closure is distant, alien and avoided

…and consumer experiences have mimicked this.


The Consumer Lifecycle.A short history of unbalancing

Waste and Closure

Waste and closure were actionable and attached

to consumption.

15th century

A simple world view.

Consumer experiences


15th century

life death

rebirth

use


Industrial Revolution. 1760

Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph Menzel

Lose control of work waste

Consumption becomes easier Waste becomes less actionable. Closure becomes more difficult.

Products produced at scale


Department Stores. 1796

Lose control of work wasteI can buy all my things in one place




Dr John Snow. Cholera. 1854

Lose control of work wasteI can buy all my things in one place I can spread invisible germs




Modern Advertising and Marketing. 1850


I can live my dreams through products




Progressive Obsolescence. 1929


I can live my dreams through productsI can throw things away




Bank of America launch BankAmericard. 1958

Rolando Pujol



I don’t need money, just credit




Silent Spring. 1962

Linda Lear Center for Special Collections & Archives



We can impact the food chain





Apollo 8. Earthrise. 1968

NASA



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole Earth





Public Internet services. 1980

www.thinglink.com



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole Earth

A new infinite landscape to create inI don’t need money, just credit




http://www.thinglink.com

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 1988

British Library



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole EarthWe are heating the Earth





Amazon.com introduce “1-Click" 1999



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole EarthWe are heating the Earth



1 click shopping



Global Financial Crisis. 2007-10

Occupy Wall Street



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole EarthWe are heating the EarthToo big to failA new infinite landscape to create in



1 click shopping



1.8 billion photos each day in 2014



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole EarthWe are heating the EarthToo big to failA new infinite landscape to create in



Ease of sharing1 click shopping



Right to be forgotten. 2014



We can impact the food chainWe can impact whole EarthWe are heating the EarthToo big to failI cant undo sharing



Ease of sharing1 click shopping



Consumer experiences are fluid Waste and closure are distant and less actionable

21st century

Waste and Closure



This imbalance in the customer lifecycle has developed a psychosis that is represented in all of us by 2 selfs.

Waste and Closure


Consumer Self Civil Self


The Two Selves

Actionable waste


Consumer Self

Civil Self


The Psychological Impact of Closure

Ernest Becker Denial of Death

Terror Management Theory

“most human action is taken to ignore or avoid the inevitability of death”


Terror Management Theory

We are all in denial that things end.


Terror Management TheoryKasser and Sheldon 2000

Researchers attempted to connect consumption to Terror Management Theory

Liberation. M.C. Escher 1955Joe Macleod. Closure Experiences.


“suggested that concerns about mortality, although sub-conscious, strongly influence our behaviour and aspirations about material goods and economic status”



“suggested that concerns about mortality, although sub-conscious, strongly influence our behaviour and aspirations about material goods and economic status”

this impacts our relationship with consumption


Peak End Rule

“people judge experiences based on their Peak (an intense moment of the experience) and at their End”

Daniel Kaheman 1990


time

feeling

in-different

agony

joy+peak

end-peak

Peak End RuleDaniel Kaheman. 1990




Closure is a powerful memory moment



A good Closure Experience will be…

Visibly Connected to the rest of the experience through Emotional Triggers that are Actionable by the user in a Timely manner.

A good Closure Experience will be…


Visibly ConnectedClosure is Visibly Connected to the rest of the experience through Emotional Triggers that are Actionable by the user in a Timely manner.

Canon fail to link the starting experience, and the closure experience - despite having all the bits.

Nearly 500ml of redundant space in Canon packaging.

A printer pioneer, having operated a cartridge recycling program since 1990.

Users don’t understand what ‘benzisothiazol’ means and therefore can’t action anything about it.

On-Boarding Off-Boarding

Fill in form, sign T&Cs - 2300 words.

Usage

Canon Ink Cartridge


Zombie Apps Zombie App is an app that doesn’t appear in the top three hundred of any of Apple’s twenty three different genres lists. Adjust

Last year zombie apps doubled from 657,778 to 1,136,5021. Out of 1.4 million on the app store.If you don't see it on the

App Store, it isn't there.

Over 80 percent of Apps on App Store are Zombies


Pensions

Pensions need to connect a Starting experience and a Closure experience over decades.

1 in 4 of these pension pots goes missing through lack of contact. Age Concern

Average of 11 employers in our lifetime. Department for Work and Pensions UK

20s 65s40 years of v i s i b i l i t y

lifespan


CCO by Ryan Stone

Epson’s PaperLab

Keeps closure visible to the user. Makes them responsible for it.

Recycle paper on site. Put old printed documents in one end - new paper comes out the other end.


Emotional TriggersClosure is Visibly Connected to the rest of the experience through Emotional Triggers that are Actionable by the user in a Timely manner.


Starting Experience= 98% Closure Experience

= 2%

Starting Experience= 90%

Closure Experience= 10%





Starts to have emotional meaning

1972

1995

2006

2012

30% on front, 90% on back

All brand elements removed - colour, typography, logo. Positive emotional message gone

Emotions can be triggered to recognise closure

Plain Cigarette Packs

Research shown plain packaging makes the packets less appealing and helps reinforce health messages. BBC

Darker colours - olive green is proposed - are favoured ahead of white, as they are perceived to signify more harm.”

Marie Kondo Tidying Technique

New York Times

Questioning: does a product ‘bring you joy?’ helps the owner understand the meaning if ownership and responsibility.

Encourages emotional endings with the clutter in your home

‘Goodbye, and thank you for teaching me what doesn’t suit me’


ActionableClosure is Visibly Connected to the rest of the experience through Emotional Triggers that are Actionable by the user in a Timely manner.


Sharing and Right to be Forgotten?

Article 17. European Union Right to be forgotten and to erasure 1. The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data relating to them

BUT… “This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.” Facebook Terms and Conditions.

Share…Share… Share…



HTC One Mini Packaging

Some packaging mis-places closure

Starting experiences wrapped up as long term responsibility

Closure experience overlooked as important or actionable


Reference the product’s life in its form.

Collapsable water bottle

The end of the product’s life is inherent in its form. It shows potential. Encourages the user to consider and engage in the closure experience.


Terms & Conditions

T&Cs that only allow the user to fail cannot end amicably

20,000 words 12 mentions of “Termination” 6 mentions of “Until” 2 mentions of “Opt out”

All reference Apple as decision maker in any situation. User has no apparent power

Closure should be a… fair, just conclusion without negative consequence.


An antisocial photo-sharing app

Anonymity makes closure simple, secure and automatic

Rando—an app where serendipity rules the day and users send and receive random photos to and from random people all over the world.

Closure Experiences. 8.1.2016

Rando


TimelyClosure is Visibly Connected to the rest of the experience through Emotional Triggers that are Actionable by the user in a Timely manner.

Carbon off-setting on flights. As part of the customer lifecycle worked.

Carbon off-setting for flights was part of the customer purchase lifecycle. Sadly it has moved into the background, and airlines do it as part of their Social Responsibility.

Carbon off-setting for your flight

A perfect moment to ask about a Closure Experience


Snapchat

A video capturing app that has timed access

Timed closure helps people feel in control.

Enjoy fast and fun mobile conversation! Snap a photo or a video, add a caption, and send it to a friend. They’ll view it, laugh, and then the Snap disappears from the screen – unless they take a screenshot!


A commitment to the perceived lifetime of the product

CCO by Ryan Stone

Traditional approaches of warranty aim to reassure against failures in the product. KIA aims to deliver assurance to the lifetime of the product.

Kia

KIA 7 year warranty disrupted the market when it first launched.


Sony’s robot dog, Aibo

Sony no longer repairs broken Aibo dogs. Owners have a strong bond with the robot.

75

Make robots last as long as real pets.

Owners are now looking at the death of a beloved household robot pet. Similar emotions to real pet death are being experienced.


Mortgages

Jameslwoodward

There should be a period of reflection and celebration.30 years of

payback shouldn't end in a moment

Sadly debt is only celebrated, when more debt is added. Paying off debt is not celebrated, avoiding a Closure experience for the user.


DNR. Do Not Resuscitate

Jameslwoodward

Occasionally resuscitation takes place despite the existence of a DNR. Prompting many elderly people to get their first tattoo.

DNR is over burdened as an interface.

A DNR document is a humble A4 piece of paper that informs medical staff about the life and death intentions of the user.


Techniques and Models

lifedeath

rebirth

Usage

customer life cycle

system life cycle

reclaiming resources dis-assembly neutralise

distribution of resources

assembly, position, develop

design

Closure Experiences



customer life cycle

life death

On-Boarding Off-BoardingUsage

Packaging

Important points in the customer life cycle

First time use

Transaction point

SERVICES

PRODUCTS

DIGITAL

Time out

Credit out

Task /Event completion

Withdrawal

Lingering

Broken

Paused

Forgotten

Undead

Giving

Stolen

Fear

Bullied

Context change

Exit

Forgotten

Closure Experiences


Obsolescence is to industry endings. Closure is to user endings.

They both bring the end, but from different points of view.


Closure Experienced by the User Obsolescence created by industry

Broken Paused Forgotten Undead Giving Stolen Exhausted

(functional)

Outdated

(technical)

Contractual

(service)

Uncool

(stylistic)

Snapped heel on a shoe, engine blown on a car.

Product not in use but can be used. Books on bookcase. Suitcase stored in loft. Christmas decorations.

Item at the back of the cupboard. Miscellaneous bits and bobs in a drawer. Not used, not remembered.

E-Waste. Complex to dispose of. Has some perceived value. Parts under monopoly from manufacture.

Am intending to give this item away at some point.

Bike left at train station is not there any more.

Batteries dead, toilet roll used up. Jumper has holes in it. Fruit is now rotten. Diary from previous year.

Betamax tapes. SLR cameras. Polaroid cameras. Yellow Pages Phonebook

Mobile out of contract. Car lease up.

Wide leg trousers when straight leg ones are in.

Has close links to Branding

82

Closure model: ProductsThere are 6 main types of closure experiences the user has with products. And a further 4 of Obsolescence driven by industry.



Time out / limited duration

Credit out Task/Event completion

Withdrawal Lingering Exhausted (functional)

Outdated (technical) Uncool (stylistic)

2 week holiday, 3 year degree, 1 year software subscription,

Pay As You Go, Points on your driving license

Parcel delivered, boiler fixed, car serviced, concert watched, operation successful, money transferred

Break the contract, leave the film early, end the relationship,

A pension that you no longer pay into. An unused gym membership

a number of visits to the osteopath granted by your doctor. 3 year degree has come to an end, Coffee loyalty card used up.

PPI, Hovercraft, Blockbusters, Film processing, Travel agents

Myspace,


83

Closure model: ServicesThere are 5 main types of closure experiences the user has with products. And a further 3 of Obsolescence driven by industry.



Fear Bullied Context Change

Exit Forgotten Exhausted (functional)

Outdated (technical)

Contractual (service)

Uncool (stylistic)

Paranoid that the digital service provider knows too much about you, that too much personal information has been disclosed to them.

Trolled off, individuals in the community have attacked the user.

User’s context has changed, which has an impact on what digital services they use. Having kids, moving home, changing jobs.

Provider has shut down, sold out, gone bust. A more successful product has superseded it.

App deleted off phone but account still active, unused email accounts that you have forgotten about.

Gems in Clash of Clans, PAYG credits. Game completed.

Bit Rot’ - out dated computer applications and their offspring files. ‘Vint Cerf, the Vice President at Google’ Flash, Silverlight.

T&Cs. Ending the provision of a service at the completion or termination of a contract.

Skeuomorphic GUI interface versus flat.


84

Closure model: DigitalThere are 5 main types of closure experiences the user has with digital. And a further 4 of Obsolescence driven by industry.


So…

Balance the l i f e c y c l e


value life, in death.


for every start,


design an end


every emotional


HELLO!

deserves


a

grateful


GoodbyeJoe Macleod. @ClosureExp @mrmacleod www.closureexperiences.com

http://www.closureexperiences.com

Closure Experiences. Why a simple goodbye could help climate change.

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