Is ‘Delight’ the Best UX Design Intention?
UX Strategy with Jared Spool, a Center Centre — UIE newsletter focused on bringing UX to a strategic level inside your organization.
In a fairly ordinary hotel, by the side of the swimming pool, on a wall that would otherwise go unnoticed, there’s a bright red telephone. But the phone isn’t what makes this distinctive. It’s the sign mounted above the bright-red phone.
It’s labeled “Popsicle Hotline.”
True story. The Magic Castle Hotel in Los Angeles has nice rooms, but they aren’t special. The beds are comfortable, but not in any special way. Even the outdoor pool area is like hundreds of other hotel pools. Except for the bright-red Popsicle Hotline phone mounted on the wall.
Picking up the phone engages the magic. A voice answers “Popsicle Hotline. How may I help you?” You tell the voice you’d like a popsicle. There’s a small discussion about the flavor.
Then a moment later, a hotel employee, dressed up in a tux and white gloves, appears by the pool with a silver tray. On the silver tray is your popsicle. You retrieve your popsicle and thank the employee, who promptly disappears back from whence they came.
How do hotel guests describe their experience with the Popsicle Hotline? One word: delightful.
