Corvus Consulting

Last month I traded the Olympic experience for the warm sun and waves of the Mexican Caribbean. One of the added benefits that I find in travel is discovering how those in other locales have solved various, everyday problems, and how those innovations might speak to the way we design experiences in software. On this trip, I found three examples that are elegant and worth sharing.

Saying More Without More

The first lesson came from a back-road sign indicating a fork ahead. That kind of sign isn’t unfamiliar, but what stood out as new to me was the way the sign also indicated which side of the fork was a continuation of the main road, and which was the smaller, less-likely road.

Using the thick line to indicate the main road helps drivers, no matter their language, understand which direction the main road will continue in. When they approach the actual fork, they’re likely to already know the direction they want to take.

The lesson: add to what’s already available rather than making new pieces of information to communicate something extra.

Environmental Signs

Part of my stay was in a seaside cabana where the hosts have woven minimal a minimal ecological footprint into almost every aspect of the experience. Some of those choices are very obvious like the lack of electricity in guest cabanas, but others are subtle, like the lack of door hangers that indicate to cleaners when the cabana has been vacated for the day.

Early each morning, the staff make rounds gently rake the sand in front of the door of each cabana. This action removes any unwanted debris, but also sets up the sand to record any footprints coming out of the hut. From that sign, the cleaners know when the occupants are up and about, if not gone for the day, and the cabana ready for cleaning.

The lesson: rather than adding to an environment, we can prepare one to record signs of activity that guide others in their own use of that same space.

On-Brand Policy Postings

Off the beach and in another town, I spent a few days at a hotel that prided itself on being a quiet oasis. Usually we see policies posted in such places starkly, with widely-recognized symbols or with polite but wordy statements. These admonishments often stand out from the experience that a place creates and can feel like an almost parental intrusion.

Hotel Tortuga took a different approach with custom ornamental signs reminding guests to stay on the quiet side, styled in line with the decorative themes that ran throughout the hotel. The reminders feel like part of the overall place, gently communicating the idea that quiet is built into the place, rather than imposed over top of it.

The lesson: non-disruptive reminders of policies and prohibitions are less likely to be interpreted as limits, but rather as natural aspects of an experience.

Why Use Gentle Information Strategies?

People are naturally-sophisticated communicators, able to work with multiple messages coded into seemingly simple expressions. Despite that, designers often resort to additive strategies that turn up the volume of signs and symbols in order to ensure that a message is conveyed.

But doing so out of habit rather than necessity works counter to experience design because adding messages instead of building them into what is already there forms bumps, edges and scars across an experience already in play. For a smoother experience, finding ways to gently convey what people need to know is the road less travelled, and the better one at that.