Hedonics, from a psychology perspective, is the study of emotional highs and lows. These peaks and troughs are most notable in our relationships with one another. Early stages typically include notable (emotional) swings between highs and lows. Eventually, those swings tend to balance out and stabilize within an operable range, or they don’t, and we cut ties and move on. Relationships that tend to last longer with less exacerbated peaks and troughs are those taking longer to develop where the flow of information and interaction is more deliberate and develops steadily over time. In other words, when we take our time to get to know someone before jumping in too quickly and exposing all, the foundation is generally more solidified and as a result, the relationship is longer lasting.
When it comes to digital engagement, a similar phenomenon occurs. Web sites, mobile apps, and online forums that try to do or be too much too soon can overwhelm, turn off, or frustrate users leading to abandonment. For companies that can pull it off well (releasing a feature packed site, app, or experience), they often do so at the expense of not having a meaningful second act, or with significant risk of failure following a major investment.
A far less risky, cost effective approach is to “surprise and delight” users by having a set of “cool” and useful features ready for deployment at pre-defined intervals. Generally, those intervals can be either calendar based, or triggered when the data tells us that engagement has hit a flat line. That approach also allows for incremental, agile changes based on data gathered from user interactions.
The graphic below depicts a typical Gartner Hype Cycle in red, which works well for certain tangible products, but more often than not, has a lasting negative effect for digital engagement. With a physical product, disillusionment can give way to enlightenment over time because there is an intrinsic investment in the product (e.g. personal electronics). But even then, satisfaction plateaus, and humans look for the next upgrade. For digital mediums, disillusionment often leads to permanent abandonment, or a negative sentiment adversely affecting NPS (Net Promoter Score). Optimized Digital Hedonics with a steady, methodical release cycle aims to mitigate those effects, and facilitate perpetual customer engagement.
An optimized Digital Hedonics cycle can help mitigate the effects of a traditional hype cycle
Leveraging this technique allows us to (1) provide users with fewer, more refined features leading to a better, simplified experience, (2) avoid overwhelming them with too much, too soon, and (3) gain invaluable feedback, which informs future releases on our journey to building out the “big idea”.
Lee Haverman is a Digital Transformation Leader, a former Deloitte Digital and IBMiX Partner, and CEO & Founder of ZentFlex.
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