Object lessons on experience and design can come from unexpected places – in this case an episode of This American Life recorded in a 24-hour period at the Golden Apple diner in Chicago.
Picture a dessert case.
On the day the This American Life crew was in the Golden Apple the motor in the dessert was broken. Desserts that would normally be spinning around and around were stationary. Just sitting there motionless.
And here’s where the lesson comes in: when the desserts weren’t spinning the Golden Apple sold 50% fewer desserts. Think about that for a moment. Take stationary desserts and start them rotating slowly and double your sales. Double.
Details matter. A lot. They matter in retail environments, and they matter in software. But, what details matter isn’t always so apparent. Sure, you can A/B test new copy, new colors, new button placement, but ask yourself: what is the Rotating Dessert experiment I can run?
(a nice source for examples of little details can be found at http://littlebigdetails.com)
