Customer Experience Library - Tip #4 The MAYA Principle
- Mark O'Brien
- Mar 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2023
The MAYA principle.
The most advanced yet acceptable.
As experience designers, we can all think of amazing solutions to everyday problems, and depending on your level of creativity, some of us can see (or hallucinate) wild scenarios that would be unexpected, delightful, whimsical, and fun. Think of all the amazing concept cars you’ve seen at autos shows in days gone by. AMAZING concepts, but the line to actually buy them is extremely short.
What you need to balance your creativity with is a solid dose of the acceptable level of change. How much can you change the design of a car for buyers to still see it as a useful vehicle – how much can you change the layout of Chipotle, for customers to still know where to go, how to order, and where to remind the cashier for extra quac.
The list of wild innovations that never saw the commercial sustainability or success would fill tomes and volumes. Actually you can see some of them here. https://allthatsinteresting.com/weird-inventions#25
But seriously, there is a level of empathy you need to employ when determine what the most advanced yet acceptable version of creativity is.
This type of a approach can drive designers insane. “If it solves the problem better, why should the customers care.”
“If it’s different, we can market it as revolutionary.”
“They just don’t see the genius.”
Whatever the reason, the true fact is that people need to feel a level of comfort with your product or service, and need to be able to see themselves using it everyday.
If it’s too strange for them to see using in their home – good luck on commercializing appropriately.
A good rule of thumb comes back to the 80/20 rule. 80% similar to existing functionality with 20% radically different. Think of a Tesla Car. 80% looks, drives, operates very similar to an existing luxury vehicle – 20% is completely different with the electric motor, battery system, self driving mode etc… A great use the MAYA principle.
Some visionary designers use as much as 50/50, but we would not recommend anything beyond that.
So think about this when crafting your experience. What is the customer expecting?
How can I make sure that we hit at least 80% of what they are expecting, and then dazzle them brilliantly with an additional 20% of delight.
The MAYA principle in action!
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