Systems Can Be Environments: Part Two
Earlier this week, I talked about something a friend said this summer that is still echoing through my mind. What Meri said rearranged my thinking. Remember what she said?
“Systems can be environments.”
In my world and in my mind, that is a huge statement. It means environments are no longer just physical spaces, environments can be processes and steps we ask people to take. It means systems can be environments.
Systems are how we do things. Oftentimes, they are how we have people move through our world. Systems are things likes…how someone signs up for something, the phone chain you go through when you call your cable company, how a volunteer gets onto your team, how people report an IT need, how someone enrolls their child for a class or sports league, etc.
Systems don’t really involve physical space (they can), but people still walk away from our systems feeling something. And we should care a whole lot about what they’re feeling. Just as much as we care about the feelings people have after experiencing our physical space environments, we should care about the experience people have before, during, and after interacting with our systems.
What in your world is a system that your customers have to go through? How do you view this system? How do you measure the experience people have with your systems? Is it just something people have to do in order to interact with you? Or is it something you care about and maximize to its fullest so people walk away feeling good about the experience?
I’m sure this won’t be the last you hear from me on this subject. Thanks, Meri!
great couple of posts. I’ve thought about that sitting in starbucks listening to the well trained “friendly Baristas” give what felt like a 20 second schpiel to the guy going through the drive through.
Starbucks is supposed to be about environment and experience. So when they try to give the guy going through the drive through (what star bucks expects to get out of drive through service i don’t know) … the same experience as the person sitting in their store, they are just confused.
when i go in, i expect good atmosphere, good music, friendly baristas.
when i drive through? – I don’t need to know your name, just give me my $4 Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino® Blended Coffee extra whipped cream, extra sprinkles thanks.
Hey Darryl! Good point. I’d never thought about that experience. I think both inside and outside customers are there for the product, but the outside customer is definitely not there for the same experience as the inside customer. When the barista tries to give them some of the inside experience, they may be providing too much for the customer…even though they think they are providing something special.
Casey – I”m not normally a blog commenter; however, this post is worthy of one. I’ll be using the list of questions at the end to shape the interactive systems that I’m involved in creating. Looking forward to hearing more about it in the future.