Last week, we were invited for a dinner at my uncle’s place.

It was a dinner that taught me some invaluable lessons about product design.
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To provide some context here’s his bio in short:

• Self-taught chef
• Learnt everything about cooking by trial and error, and of course, from YOUTUBE
• Doesn’t shy away from experimenting with various cuisines
• Loves inviting others to his place

In short, you will never find anyone as passionate as him, when it comes to food (cooking food, not just eating it 😆)

As you might have already guessed, we had a great dinner that night. Awesome experience. However, it was not just about the delicious meal he had cooked. There was more to it.

What made the experience special, was the effort that went into presenting the meal. Right from the toppings to the vessel in which the food was served, everything was planned in advance and with great detail.

What made it even more special, was the passion with which he arranged everything. The love and care that went into curating the whole experience.

This made me wonder, this is exactly what product experience is all about. We often tend to limit a product’s experience to its usability.
But it is always more than that.

Here’s a simple way to look at it :

Product Experience = USABILITY + AESTHETICS + EMOTION

In this case, the dinner was the product.

What made it an awesome experience, was not just the food. It was also the presentation, the aesthetics. It was also about passion, care and love, the emotions.

Aesthetics and emotion are all about communication.

This brings us to 👇

Product Experience = USABILITY + COMMUNICATION

People love Apple and Nike products, not because of their usability.

The love is for the story, the message that the product stands for.