Online experiences can be fast, efficient, easy and orderly, which sounds like a good thing, right? Surprisingly, sometimes, that’s a recipe for disaster. We click confirm too soon, confuse important details, or miss a key feature in a product description. Efficient isn’t always effective. Not all experiences need to be fast to be functional. In fact, some of the most memorable and profitable engagements are slow and messy—and that’s just right. Content strategy can identify and support opportunities to control the pace of user experience. We’ll discuss three key features that differentiate slow experiences and uncover the fundamental ways they help users. Presented at MIMA Summit 2013, October 15, 2013, #MIMASummit, in Minneapolis.

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© 2013
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein #MIMAsummit
October 15, 2013
CONTENT STRATEGY FOR
SLOW EXPERIENCES

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anticipation
discovery
delight

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anticipation
discovery
delight
These take time.

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© 2013© Scott A. Miller for Chevrolet

7. These people are waiting
in a line

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10. These people are delighting
in a line:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
discovering,
creating memories.
They’re in the moment.
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 10

11. These people are delighting
in a line:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
discovering,
creating memories
thanks to content.
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 11

12. Content affects experience…
and a user’s perception of an
experience.
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 12

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You wait longer, but you’re engaged
before you get there. You’re invested in
the experience.
Keri Maijala (@clamhead)

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When people have a frustrating
experience, they rate the checkout as
slow.
When we ask people what’s ‘slow,’
it’s the frustrating experiences.
What’s fast? They say delightful
experiences.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)

15. Frustration, not speed, drives
the perception of slowness.
That was horrible
and it took forever,
no matter how fast it was.

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© 2013© jonandallie.blogspot.com

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Efficient isn’t always effective—
or good.

19. Users say frustrating activities
take forever.
But are time-consuming activities
also inherently frustrating?
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 19

20. © Charlotte & Kristian Septimius Krogh

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Is the nature of the transaction so
small and insignificant that it shouldn’t
require a second thought?
Don’t get in the way. Or will the
consumer get to the final transaction
after plenty of preliminary research?
Again, don’t make them rethink it.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)

23. Users can appreciate slow
experiences:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
They discover, learn, and pay
attention to act deliberately.
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 23

24. Why do this?
• Drive exploration & discovery
• Encourage deliberate choices
• Focus users’ attention
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 24

25. How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.

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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.

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29. “Choosing a lens can be a daunting task
for all of the reasons mentioned above,
so I pulled together some info from my
own experiences, as well as those of
other Crutchfield shutterbugs.”

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“Springtime shaded belays at the creek,
predawn starts in the Canadian Rockies
and hut tours in the High Sierra:
Anywhere brisk, the Down Sweater
delivers featherweight, superbly
compressible warmth. The polyester
ripstop shell on this down jacket does
more than look sharp; it’s tear-resistant,
windproof, and made from 100%
polyester.”

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35. How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
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37. Courage in our
convictions
Empirical
proof
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38. ValidationDeliberation
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39. Time & space
to interact
with it
Engaging,
informative
content
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44. How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 44

45. How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
3. Longform content
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• Slow down
• Act deliberately
• Focus

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55. Attention must be paid
© Viking

56. By design, content can
slow down users,
focus their attention, and
help them act deliberately.
It respects them and
the topic equally.
@mbloomstein | #MIMAsummit 56

57. But does it work?

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The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually 2005 through 2011—
during an economic recession when
many sectors contracted.
Outdoor Industry Association
Source: Outdoor Recreation Economy Report 2012;
http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/OIA_OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf

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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REI
industry average
Source: REI Financial Information reports 2005 – 2012; http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html
The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually… while REI averaged
11% year-over-year growth

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Source: http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html and EMS press releases
Store growth supported content
availability
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REI
industry average

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Our content strategy is pretty simple:
we stay as close to our core market as
possible.
Patagonia’s always had a literary,
storytelling component to the brand. It’s
in line with what we say: buy less stuff
and make sure what you buy lasts.
Bill Boland, Patagonia

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On a short-term basis, it doesn’t help
us move product. It doesn’t meet your
weekly sales goal. It’s not about short-
term ROI. It’s something we enjoy and
the people we build clothes for enjoy.
Bill Boland, Patagonia

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BE HERE NOW

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BE HERE NOW

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BE HERE NOW

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Thank you.
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
margot@appropriateinc.com
slideshare.net/mbloomstein
amzn.to/CSatWork
All images property of their respective owners or © Margot Bloomstein as noted.