How to Create Powerful Experiences for Your Audience – Part VII: Be Valuable

1. Useful
2. Usable
3. Findable
4. Credible
5. Desirable
6. Accessible

In this post in our series on the tenets of a powerful user or audience experience, I’d like to discuss the final aspect that shapes and builds an experience. So far in this series, we’ve talked about six tenets of creating powerful experiences: useful, usable, findable, credible, desirable, and accessible. Finally, I am going to talk about the the seventh tenet: valuable.
 
Though this is our final tenet, it will not be the final post in the series. Be on the lookout for a final blog that homes in on how to bring each tenant together to create optimal user and audience experiences.
 
Building on our public transportation metaphor, you found the bus or metro:

• Useful because it gets you from point A to point B and it gets you there fast
• Usable because you were able to easily purchase a ticket or card online and add money to it for fare
• Findable because you could easily navigate the routes and stops
• Credible because you had not heard of any accidents or major delays
• Desirable because the sitting areas were clean and spacious
• Accessible because the stations, platforms, and trains are easy to approach and enter for all individuals

Last but certainly not least, it’s vital to consider whether this transportation method is valuable? Valuable is defined as having monetary worth or qualities worthy of respect, admiration, or esteem. In other words, when thinking outside of our public transportation metaphor, we need to ask ourselves: is the website, one-pager, or other material of considerable use, service, or importance?
 
When thinking about value, you might ask:

• Will traveling via public transportation be beneficial to me?
• Do I have to pay extra for bags?
• Will the train or bus save me more money?
• Does the metro or taxi save me more time getting to my destination?

Like accessibility, value is another tenet that can easily make or break a brand, product, or service. If there is no value, especially when compared to competitors with similar offerings, tenets like usefulness, credibility, and desirability, no matter how high quality they are, can be overlooked by prospective users and audiences. This is because users and audiences always want the highest value for their money, time, effort, or whatever else they’re giving in exchange.
 
Unfortunately, the value of a brand, product, or service is also the hardest concept to nail down and fully realize. What is considered valuable is highly subjective, and that is why it’s imperative to talk to your users and audiences.  You need to hear, first-hand from them, what their goals are, what they need to succeed, and what frustrates them. From that direct, audience insight, opportunities for where your brand, product, or service can be valuable will reveal themselves.
 
To enhance or find your value, or any other experience design needs, contact awillard@signaldc.com.