I have written before about The iPad. It’s a remarkable device. With the iPad2 setting record sales numbers, my son Kevin decided to get in on the action. He bought the original iPad for 40% off. Shortly afterwards, I started receiving tweets from Kevin telling how thrilled he is with his new iPad.
Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times writes in iPad 2 release spells a bleak 2011 for other tablet makers:
“Producing a computer that triggers an emotional response isn’t something to be ashamed of. Far from it: that should be your actual goal.”
Most technologists don’t get this. They think that the beauty of the engineering or the computer software should be enough. It’s not. Every single purchase decision is an emotional one — made with the heart — not the head.
Apple has always excelled at two things:
- Customer experience.
- Industrial design.
In Apple’s early days the customer experience was all about user interface design. While they are still world leaders at UI design, they have augmented it by focusing on the entire customer experience. First with the iPod and iTunes. Then with the iPad, the App Store, and all those highly integrated applications.
Ihnatko further writes:
“A consumer knows when something feels right and they’ll usually chase that feeling all the way to the checkout line.”
As Kevin and I have discovered, there is a visceral response to using the iPad. An emotional connection to the heft, look, feel, and experience of interacting with the device and its applications. This is an important lesson for people marketing technical products. How can you create a positive emotional response?
