I want to take a moment on this first day of the New Year to publicly recognise a great user experience for a change because we—in general—don't do that enough. It’s a complaint about this or a gruff about that, and I’d know because my Twitter feed is full of it (as both the originator and consumer, I’m sorry!).
It isn’t that all good designs are invisible. Dan Saffer already busted that myth.
I simply think it's easier for us to complain about a discretely annoying experience because we can point it it and go, "See here? This irritates me! Let's not do this."
Consequently, a good design that enabled us to achieve our goals with minimal friction isn’t as easy to screenshot and say what specifically went well. You can draw a circle around a poorly labelled button, but how do you share all of the things that made an entire task flow feel like a breeze?
I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it, so here goes: I bought movie tickets today and I made a boo-boo.
I knew I had done something wrong—and I’ll credit myself with this particular human error rather than the design— when I was reviewing my Events Cinemas booking confirmation email. My wife and I were planning a date night for tomorrow, but I accidentally selected today. What can I say, I live in the present ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (that’s a lie and my future-focused anxiety can prove it).
I needed to get these tickets fixed because the last thing I need is to explain my lack of attention yet again. I’m scatter brained enough [AUTHOR’S HINDSIGHT NOTE: Fun fact, 5 years from now I’ll finally seek an ADHD diagnosis and confirm the suspicions my university guidance counsellor had a decade ago haha]
Seeing the time for these tickets being mere hours away, my first thought was, "S**T!", because of course it was. It was followed by a much less enthusiastic sigh of, "Ugh, I guess I need to call the cinema to get this sorted. I hope they can change it without a fee or being told they don’t do refunds. But what if they're not open yet or don't answer? This is going to be a pain.”
This is what I assumed from past experiences, plus my aforementioned anxieties of life.
It was then that I noticed all the options right below the ticket barcode that I had never consciously read over before, because I guess I never felt the need to (ie. didn’t have a problem to solve beyond making sure I arrive on time). There in all of its helpful glory was the "Change Session" button.
My eyes lit up as I tapped on it and—well—I did have to tap on the option a second time after it took me to the same looking webpage as my email, but there it took me to where I could not only choose a new date or time, but even change movies if I wanted!
How neat! Wow! Who knew?
I got to pick the showtime I had originally wanted in about 15 seconds, and best of all, I didn’t need to make that expectedly troublesome phone call. The cinema staff probably appreciate that fact just as much. Answering the phone between your hundred-and-twentieth and hundred-and-twenty-first scoops of popcorn that evening I’d imagine doesn’t make them jump for joy.
I can’t remember seeing this Change Session option at any other theatre before, but perhaps I simply hadn’t noticed it there either. Regardless, I left pleased and so too will my wife who’s none-the-wiser to the money I otherwise might have lost in careless date selection.
Let’s bring more of this joy into the New Year, what do you say?
What's the most recent product or service experience that you feel really good, even if only for a brief moment? Let’s celebrate the little wins!
Stock image of a Happy New Years note with champagne glasses (courtesy of Hubspot)