Ends. Off-boarding in consumer experiences

Ends.
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod @ClosureExp 
closureexperiences.com
Why we overlook endings.
And why we shouldn’t.

1. 2. 3.
Any consumer experience can be
broken down into 3 stages
On-Boarding Off-BoardingUsage
Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

On-Boarding Off-Boarding
Usage
Fuelled by commerce Fuelled by society
Language of self actualisation Language of safety and security
The start of the relationship. It is the conclusion of the relationship.
engagement
time
Starting Experiences Closure Experiences

engagement
time
Advertising
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Lingers forever
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Lingers forever
Denial
Usage

Life was hard
El Ángelus. Jean-François Millet. CCEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Death was familiar
Ars Moriendi. Meister E.S.Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.comEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Heaven a reward
Belshazzar’s Feast. John MartinEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Funerals meaningful
A Burial at Ornans by Gustave Courbet. CCEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Plague arrived
Michelangelo [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Meaningless death
Scène de la peste de 1720 à la Tourette by Michel SerreEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Mis-managed
Raphael's Portrait of Leo X with cardinals Giulio de' MediciEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Protestant uprising
Julius Hübner [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Fasting
Christ in the Desert. Ivan Kramskoi. 1872Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Jobs
Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph von Menzel [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Investment
Peder Severin Krøyer [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

By Lion, Flora [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Work less? Buy more?

Medicine & science
manages death
By Thomas Eakins,American, 1844 - 1916 (1844 - 1916) – Details of artist on Google Art Project [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

We hid it away
Gross Clinic on display at the Army Post Hospital. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Consume Heaven on
Earth without end
American Abundance for allVintage ad Wheaties sweepstakes 1958Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Endings had
value and a
vocabulary
Endings are hidden,
overlooked and
unwanted

Modern endings
hidden, overlooked and unwanted

Hidden ending.
Printer Ink Cartridge
On-Boarding Off-BoardingUsage

Consumer Electronics
Some packaging
avoids the real end.
Starting experiences wrapped
up as long term responsibility
Closure experience overlooked
as important or actionable

Pensions
Pensions need to connect
a Starting experience and
a Closure experience over
decades.
1 in 4 of these pension
pots goes missing through
lack of contact.
Age Concern
Average of 11 employers in
our lifetime.
Department for Work and
Pensions UK
20s 65s40 years of v i s i b i l i t y
lifespan
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Revenge porn
The un-ending
nature of digital
assets expose us.
One in ten young women
have been threatened
with public posting of
explicit images in US.
Data Society and the Centre for Innovative Public Health Research

services
products
digital
…the consequences
we see in

“Endings in narratives attempts to
preserve the moral and social order
which would be threatened by endlessly
erring narratives.”
Elizabeth MacArthur. Extravagant Narratives
Raiders of the Lost ArkEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Richard Neupert. The End, Narration and Closure in Film
“Solid closure in conventional narratives
and histories satisﬁes individual and social
desire for moral authority, a purposeful
interpretation of life, and genuine stability”
Raging BullEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

The Consumer
Experience.
Dividing beginning from end.

Waste and
Closure
Waste and closure were
actionable and attached
to consumption.
15th century
A simple world view.
Consumer
experiences

Quickening Distancing&
A tethering
of identity
of wasteof consumption
A fading of
emotional
endings
++

Industrial
Revolution.
1760
Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph Menzel
Consumption becomes easier
Products produced at scale
Joe Macleod. Closure Experiences.
Quickening

Department
Stores. 1796
I can buy all my things in one place
Quickening

Selling Dreams
Modern Advertising and
Marketing.
1850
I can live my dreams through products
Quickening

Progressive
Obsolescence.
1929
I can throw things away
Quickening

Tethering Identity
Bank of America launch
BankAmericard.
1958
Rolando Pujol
I don’t need money, just credit
Quickening

I don’t need money, just credit
Ease of sharing
Quickening
Personal
Endorsement
95 million
uploads daily to Instagram
2017

Industrial
Revolution.
1760
Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph Menzel
Lose control of work waste
Waste becomes less actionable.
Closure becomes more diﬀicult.
Distancing

Invisible
wasteDr John Snow. Cholera.
1854
I can spread invisible germs
Distancing

Disposable
ConvenienceLawrence Luellen
1907
Distancing
Disposable Paper Cups.

Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate
Change.
1988
British Library
We are heating the Earth
Distancing
We can impact the food chain

Toxic waste to
big to fail
Global Financial Crisis.
2007-10
Occupy Wall Street
Distancing
Too big to fail
We are heating the Earth
We can impact the food chain

15th century
Waste and
Closure
Consumer
experiences

21st century
Waste and
Closure
Consumer
experiences

Waste and
Closure
Consumer
experiences
Consumer
Self Civil Self
This imbalance in the customer lifecycle has developed a
psychosis that is represented in all of us by 2 selfs.

Criticises
consumptions ills
Enjoys consumer
experiences
Consumer
Self
Civil Self

The
Psychological
Impact of
Closure

Role Exit
Helen Rose Ebaugh
“doubts are often ignited from
organisational changes, personal
burnout, a change in relationships,
or the effect of some event. These
doubts are then reflected to peers
or friends as cuing behaviour.”
Becoming an Ex

Role Exit
First doubts
cuing
behaviour
• Organisational changes
• Burnout
• Changes in relationships
• Events
assess following
situations
seeking out individuals
who will reinforce doubts
re-evaluation of the situation
and temporary halting of the
doubting process
negative interpretation
of subsequent events
agreement
of others
reinforcement of
doubts
Seek
alternatives

The End is started with a doubt
Role Exit

Ernest Becker
“most human action is
taken to ignore or avoid
the inevitability of death”
Denial of Death
Terror
Management
Theory

Terror
Management
Theory
We are all in denial
that things end.
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Terror Management Theory
Kasser and Sheldon
2000
“suggested that concerns
about mortality, although sub-
conscious, strongly influence
our behaviour and aspirations
about material goods and
economic status”
this impacts our relationship
with consumption

95millionuploads daily to Instagram
socialpilot.co. 2017
42 billionlikes daily on Instagram

Storage
Source : Matthew Komorowski
Chart Last Updated: March 9, 2014 - This graph of hard drive cost, over 35 years.
$0.043 per giga byte
$0.000043 per photo
Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/average-cost-of-hard-drive-storage/

The three seconds it takes to
choose has become too
expensive for people to use.
Delete.Viktor Mayer-Schonberger
Storage

Digital Hoarding
BMJ. Picture of patient’s living room, published with his permission,
“He had four external hard drives containing
the original pictures and four external hard
drives containing backups. He never used or
looked at the pictures he had saved, but was
convinced that they would be of use in the
future.”

Lingering assets

Terms & Conditions
T&Cs that only
allow the user
to fail cannot
end amicably
20,000 words 
12 mentions of “Termination” 
6 mentions of “Until” 
2 mentions of “Opt out”
All reference Apple as decision maker in any
situation. User has no apparent power
Closure should be a… fair, just conclusion
without negative consequence.

Terms & Conditions
“Apple reserves the right to disband a Family
in accordance with the “Termination” section
of this Agreement.“

Terms & Conditions

We are all hiding
Consumers are denying info requests
Rise of Centenarian - users putting in fake DOB, to
hide personal information.
Digital Entertainment supplier
"People consider VPNs to be a niche tool, but they
are surprisingly widespread. As many as one in four
people use them."
Jason Mander, Head of Trends at GlobalWebIndex
Gratisography. via www.pexels.comEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Government
The only service your born into.
Petr Kratochvil. CC
To leave; vote, move or die

By English: Gerry J. Gilmore [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.
Divorce
Never ending story
£205 Billion
Divorce rates doubled between 1970
(58,239) and 1980 (148,301)
Marriage/Divorce
Marriage ended by husband
by saying “Talaq" 3 times
5 reasons considered
grounds for divorce in UK
1. Adultery,
2. Un-reasonable behaviour,
3. Desertion,
4. Lived apart for 2 years and agreed to
get divorced
5. Lived apart for 5 years without
agreement
UK Government
Divorce with
Blame
Immediate
Divorce
JanVan Eyck.Arnolﬁni Wedding Portrait
Russian revolution in 1918.
• Helped people leave abusive
relationships.
• Lowered the incidents of wives
committing suicide by 8-16%
• 30% decrease in domestic
violence
Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
No Fault
Divorce
• 1 in 11 Muslim women are
survivors of triple Talaq
• Vast majority receiving no
compensation.
Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)

Gyms
Attrition rate of gyms 30-50%.
Even the best gyms are losing 30% each year
www.ptdirect.com
2 in 5 people had trouble canceling contracts.
1 in 4 people had a notice period over 1 month.
1 in 5 found they couldn't leave due to being
tied in for minimum term.
which.co.uk
Gyms deny endings
with contract lock-ins.
Opportunity to create a best in class Closure
Experience - celebrate the ending.

Mortgages
Jameslwoodward
There should be a period of
reﬂection and celebration.30 years of
payback shouldn't
end in a moment
Sadly debt is only celebrated, when more debt is added.
Paying oﬀ debt is not celebrated,
avoiding a Closure experience for the user.

7 day switch
Current Account Switch Service will let
consumers safely and reliably switch their
accounts between banks in 7 days. Sept 2013
Financial Services industry
Big industry ﬁnds it hard to create endings.
So watchdogs have to do it for them.

Ends Enforced
Energy industry
(a) 36% did not think it was possible to change one or more of the following:
tariﬀ, payment, method and supplier.
(b) 34% said they had never considered switching supplier.
(c) 56% said they had never switched supplier, did not know it was possible or
did not know if they had done so.
Competition and Markets Authority
Energy Switch Guarantee is a commitment
that promises a speedy and safe switch from
one energy provider to another. June 2016
Big industry ﬁnd it hard to create endings.
So watchdogs have to do it for them.

History. Single engagement
Bank account.
Average usage 26 years. pre 2008.
Life expectancy 73.Retire at 65Adult at 18 years Employment 45+ years
Mortgage. 20-30 years.
Pension. Entire working life.
Ends were rare in Financial Services.

Future. Multiple Engagement
Bank account.
Engagement driven
through apps / tech
Mortgage.
Remortgage market
Pensions. 11 on average
Ends now common in
Financial Services.
Life expectancy 73.Retire at 65Adult at 18 years Employment 45+ years

A good
Closure Experience
will be…

A good Closure Experience will be…
Consciously Connected to the
rest of the experience through
Emotional Triggers that are
Actionable by the user in a
Timely manner.

Consciously Connected
Timely manner.

CCO by Ryan Stone
Epson’s PaperLab
Visible ending and rebirth.

Emotional Triggers
Timely manner.

Marie Kondo Tidying Technique
New York Times
An emotional goodbye brings reﬂection.

Actionable
Timely manner.

Trov Insurance
On demand
insurance.
Challenging the blanket
time based insurance
commitments

Timely
Timely manner.

A planned death in 7 years,
brings opportunities for Kia.
CCO by Ryan Stone
Kia

Think about it.
!

Talk about it

Do you have
a conscious
ending?
Who is
empowered
from the
moment of
transaction?
How does the
service/
product
descend to
the end?
What type
of ending
do you
have?
How do you
dismantle
the service/
product?
Do you have
an Aftermath
Target?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Audit
Ask yourself some questions.

engagement
time
Reﬂection
Commitment
Last use
Map it
Break up
First use
Projection
Primary narrator
Messages and symbols
Actors and actions

101
5 x 55% of your project time
5 years out
To reveal your products
oﬀ-boarding needs…
Plan it
When developing new products and services
don't forget to plan the end in.

102
Design it
Consciously Connected to the rest of
the experience through
Timely manner.

Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod. @ClosureExp www.closureexperiences.com
End.

Ends.
Get the book on
Amazon.
Get the ebook on
Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod. @ClosureExp www.closureexperiences.com

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