Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight

Delighting your customers is a wonderful goal.  Delivering a service that places your customer (not “end-user”) first in mind when making business and product decisions is a lofty ambition, and deserves the highest admiration.  However, much like other some times glib sounding catchphrases, it’s amazing how often and how dubiously that phrase is employed in the world of startups and technology companies.

There is a tantalizing read on EverythingD about how Ben Silbermann, CEO of Pinterest, bet that there was an experience in what they had built that delivered something people truly cared about.  Even though the install base and acquisition #'s didn't seem to support that belief.  But through the hard work of going out and finding those people, and sharing that experience with them (sometimes known as Marketing), Pinterest achieved terminal velocity.  Everyone I know who uses and enjoys Pinterest is incredibly passionate about it.  Silbermann’s belief was validated by the experiences the product delivers.

And yet I wonder…did the Pinterest team ever crafted a deck, outlining how “Delight” was the bullseye target of their “Why”?  Did they get mugs with the words “Delight” emblazoned on it, so that the mission could permeate their company “culture” and being?  Or did they set themselves to the more difficult yet achievable goal of creating an experience / platform that people like themselves (crafty, curious, social) wanted to use?

For some reason, it all beings to mind chain of Butlin vacation camps in the UK during the 60’s and 70’s (amazingly documented in a book of photography by John Hinde, the title of which I borrowed for this post). I see a parallel between those garishly gilded halls; endless Tiki cocktail hours and buffet dinners for thousands served in cavernous expanses of palatial poured concrete -- to the endlessly interchangeable digital offerings on my iPhone and browser, homogenized products devoid of the emotional resonance and clarity of vision that might possibly delight.  Entertain, perhaps.  Amuse, quite possibly.  But delight?  I don't think so.