User Experience: A Ketchup story

Over the years, we have seen companies fall behind the curve, thinking that they are safe doing what they have always done. Blockbuster’s for example.

They focused heavily on the product, believing it was the defining feature of their business and they could sit back as it sold itself. Time and history has shown us that is simply not the case and that companies should be focusing on what users can do with their product. Can it make their lives easier or more enjoyable? This is the question that user experience seeks to answer for customers.

Had Blockbuster focused on the user and asked themselves “how can we make movie night easier?” their proposition may have seen the light before Netflix.

We believe a great user experience is fundamental in order to create an effective product.

Going beyond creating a great product.

The user is always at the heart of our process and is the common denominator in all projects we collaborate on.

User experience is not only about wireframes or UI, it’s about understanding a users emotional connections at various touch points with the brand or product.

We make it our mission to find out your needs, but also the needs of the users, allowing us to identify product inconsistencies and user frustrations. Removing unnecessary obstacles and distracting elements is key, when it’s done right, it’s invisible to the user.

There is much value to be had in designing around user needs. Take the squeezy Ketchup bottle as an example.

On the left, the original glass bottle which was designed for the product but always provided a challenge to use when you needed it the most. On the right, the squeezy bottle which was designed for the user, enabling instant Ketchup goodness with just one squeeze.

This new painless experience was the conclusion to many hours of research, design phases and user testing, all with one goal in mind ‘creating a superior user experience’.

When a product or service works smoothly loyalty in that brand will increase as the pleasing emotions and memories are associated with the product. Users become brand ambassadors and tell their friends about it – increasing sales.