To answer this question it feels important to kick off with what we consider a good definition of an experience. Everyone sort of knows what you mean when you talk about experiences – if I say I bought my mum an experience for her birthday you know that I mean I bought her something that she could take part in, remember and that it was more than just a thing. You also know intuitively that it’s multifaceted. You may not think of it in terms of the jargon of goods, services, moments, touchpoints and the like but you know that what I hope she gets from it is more than the sum of its parts.
Similarly, if I talk about the experience at Disney Land it’s clear it’s more than just the rides, Legoland more than just some Lego, dinner out more than just the food. So, what is it that makes something an experience rather than a product, service or moment?
Marcus Buckingham in his book ‘Design Love In’ describes an experience as a series of moments affecting memory, meaning, emotion and action (with a moment being a shared part of an experience). He goes on to say an experience is something owned by the person, it’s what they feel inside. It is internalised, registered again and again so that it becomes predictable.
The Experience Economy and Service Profit Chain talk about experiences as memorable events that engage people in an inherently personal way. Referring to the combination of goods, services and moments that shape our holistic, lived perceptions and interactions.
Finally, the Collins Dictionary defines experience as referring to the past events, knowledge and feelings that make up someone’s life or character.
Wherever you search for your definition there are some elements that are common to all of them that we consider key about our experiences:
- They are felt on a personal level, internalised and stays with us.
- They are not just made by a singular moment or thing but the result of a culmination of factors.
- They are logged to our memory in such a way that it becomes a predictor of future experiences and in doing so shapes our beliefs and expectations.
So in summary at Momentum we think of an experience as:
Every aspect of a particular event or intervention from products, treatments and information to the services and sensory touchpoints, to the shared moments of care. All coming together to leave a lasting impression that shapes our future decisions, actions and ultimately outcomes.
With Experience Design being:
The intentional and considered design of every aspect of a given event or experience that determines how someone feels, the lasting impression it makes and their future resulting actions.
So why does it matter?
If we agree with the idea that our experiences form lasting memories and shape our perceptions and beliefs, then we also must agree that they have the power to drive our behaviours and actions.
When we consider what that means in health, how we experience something will determine the choices we make, the care we decide to receive and deliver, our adoption and uptake of a given solution and our adherence to protocols, medicines and interventions.
It’s therefore not a big leap to say that the impact and success of those healthcare solutions, from the medicines we prescribe to the procedures and care we deliver will be in part determined by the experience we design and therefore have of them.
We love the simple articulation by Marcus Buckingham:
Our experiences drive our behaviours which drive outcomes.
So that’s why designing brilliant, memorable experiences is our whole world. Whatever form those experiences might take. Because we know that we can have a real impact for people, organisations, our society and planet if we get it right.
Momentum. Impact through Experience