I’m a little behind on my blogging because we’re smack dab in the middle of the Institute. It’s been great so far… 24 students spending five weeks at Wofford learning the ins and outs of professionalism. We’ve covered a number of topics so when I asked a group of students what I should write about I expected a number of suggestions.

But there was near unanimity… “You have to write about design thinking.”

When I probed further they said that they never thought about design and the user experience like they were forced to think about it at the Institute.

We are in an experience economy that is more influenced by design than ever. And while there are obvious examples of great design – Apple,
Modify Watches, Nike – there are even more examples of poor design. I won’t bother to point them out. But what I will say is that poor design is often a  result of laziness.

If you don’t take the time to understand how the user will experience the interaction, you will not achieve great design. It’s that simple. The problem is sometimes we think all that matters is how *we* like the product. But there’s a big difference in what *you* like and what *they* experience. And a poorly designed experience can ruin a good product.

We took the Institute students to the BMW Performance Center last week and all I can say is… WOW. Of course the cars were awesome. But what was even more impressive was the way the experience was designed and delivered. Everything – the scrumptious lunch, the briefing room that looked out onto the tarmac of shinny new Bimmers, the race competitions, the humorous and engaged instructors – was designed to deliver an experience that leaves you with, as the instructors say, a perma-grin.

Driving a bunch of new high-performance BMWs is one thing. Driving them at the Performance Center is another. The difference is in the design of the experience. It works. One in eight visitors buys a new BMW within six months.

So it looks like it works with products but what about people?

Think about it… what do others experience when they interact with you? Do you make sure that your dress, delivery, and enthusiasm are designed to perfection? Is how you work designed to deliver an exceptional experience each and every time?

I’ll make a prediction. Design a exceptional personal experience for everyone you come in contact with and your success rate will skyrocket.