The Preference Conversation (with Effiong Samuel)

Can preference be created or destroyed?

Apple Music or Spotify?

This question leads to a conversation with Effiong Samuel. Here’s my WhatsApp chat with Sam.

Sam: Quick question. Can preference be created and destroyed?

Sam: I believe this is a designer biggest dream and nightmare

Sam: If you check it, we don’t really have a preference, we just love how it makes us feel, etc.

Banji: Hmm… deep stuff

Banji: First, can you shed more light on what you mean by preference?

Sam: You see that it can’t even be defined except by what you like based on how it makes you feel, the ease of use, simplicity, a lot of dependencies.

Sam: So, you find people who love a certain system and once they fine another so called “better” system, they switch preference.

Banji: I think this can be viewed from many perspectives

Sam: Okay?

Banji: The creators’ perspective and the users perspective

From the creator's perspective…for people like us, creating something worthy to be preferred by a group of people is creating to solve a problem, fill a gap, make something happen for people in a different way….etc. an essential part of this process is proper knowledge of the group of people we are creating for…our mistake sometimes, and I’ve been guilty of this too is to overestimate or underestimate the number of people in that category. I think for creators, knowing who you are making a thing for is as important and the thing itself, because if it is for them, they will prefer it.

The other side to that is what I’m guessing brought the question, which is people are always going to port when they find something better or something they think they prefer more… It’s true. Loyalty is overrated but if we find what really makes people show up to prefer what we create, and we find ways to evolve and modify without losing the essence, chances are, they will stick around and if they don’t, then let’s create something else for a group of people again… It’s the life we chose.

People use apple devices for many reasons, one of which is ease. The recent update on the Mac violated that essence and is now stressful for some people. Some of them have changed to a PC.

So I think, yes preference can be created and it can be destroyed and we don’t always have power over what destroys it but we can create again.

From the user's perspective, I think there are many groups, some want cheap, others want ease…. luxury, aesthetic, big, small….it’s just so much and when people find what most fulfill that need, they will change their preference.

The only other side to this is people are scared of change…. mentally

Research shows that what people are scared of is not even the situation that changes, it is the change in emotion and the mental shift that comes with it. That’s why people can get so used to sadness that happiness becomes alien…it actually becomes a threat to their balance so…what this teaches creators like us is that if we are able to maintain the balance that our creation gives, the user is not likely to change the preference.

It’s just perspectives… off my head

Sam: Superbly written

Sam: In all you’ve said. Creators like us can create an algorithm using the one dominant parameter which you mentioned. EMOTION. Right?

Banji: Yes. Functionality that arrives at meeting an emotional need. Solving a problem and connecting it with how someone feels.

Sam: Sounds easy but hard. It’s like creating the solution to a complicated problem and making the solution simple or look simple. Dang!!

Banji: Very true but we can get really close if we flip from our desire to make badassness to a desire to make meaning. It automatically turns on our human side and helps us find what is relatable and what works.

Banji: That is where the boys are separated from the men

Sam: Very true. Reminds me of the outcome vs output spectrum

Banji: That is actually the work

Sam: And they don’t know this part mehn!

Banji: A lot of creators don’t!

The difference is resolving that you have to take ten steps for what you can seemingly take one step for and choosing to lose nine out of the ten steps for the one.

Sam: It has been a long-lived principle from scriptures.

Jesus showed the power of preference in the parable of the lost sheep and coin.

Like, hold up, didn’t they have other sheep or coin, why did they choose to find the missing one? Because they can’t spend the rest of their lives feeling they lost one of something that made them feel more.

Banji: Yes yes yes yes yes yes!

Sam: Mehn. Trust me I don’t know where all of what I said came from man. But I feel creators will have to stop feeling entitled and emotional when it comes to designing for preference because it has never been about us, never, no matter how slick the design is it can be dumped.

Banji: It’s the way forward, it has always been

Sam: Yes chief, this was fun.

Banji: So much fun bro, I enjoyed every bit. We should do this more often

Learned something?

Sam is a Systems Engineer and the Founder/CEO of Bold Animation Studio.