What is Delight? Merria m-Websterdefinesdelight asa high-<legreeof gratification orpleasure. Rooted inthelatinword "delectare,"m eaningtocharm,deti ghtconnotesfeelingsof lighlness,joy, andamusement Delightissurprise,butonlythegoodkind.lthappenswhen expectationsareexceeded,whenservicegoes " aboveand beyond,"whenneedsareanticipatedandcateredtoeven before they are expressed
Design doesn 't need to be delightful for it to work, but that's like saying food doesn' t need to be tasty to keep us alive. - Frank Chlmero via UXPlanet
lJ Why does delight matter? lnCustomerExpe ri ence (CX)design,delight is atried-and-truewaytoincreasecust om er satisfactionandloya tty Delighted customers spend more, are more likely to sha re their positive experience with ot hers, and a re less likely t o switch to a competitor. Like Customer Experience, Employee Experience is a buzzy topic. The workplace conve rsation issaturated withi deasaboutsatisfaction andengagement,butthe notionof employeede hght rece ives lessattention
How can we bring moments of delight to the office? When is the last ti m e you experien ced an un expect ed moment of joy? How a bout at work? Facing unprecedented levels ofst ress , bu m out, andaso-called global perm acrisis,moredelightin2023isa goalwecan reallygetbeh ind lnDecember,ourteamcirculated ashort surveytofindoutwhatpeople arethinkingand feelingat thestartofthe New Year. We received hundred s of responses, many of wh ich expressed anxiety, fat igue, and uncertainty about the futu re.According toa rece ntpoll ,moreAmericansreportedpoormentalhealthand anxiety atthestartof2023 , comparedtoayearago With all this in mind, we t urned to delight: What is it, why does it matter, a nd how might we create more of it in the workplace?
THREE IDEAS ... about delight and Ille employee experience
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phenomenonincognitivepsychology.ltrefers lothefindingthatourreflectivejudgements areshapedbyh owwe felt atthepeakof an experienceandatitsconclusion.DanielKah ne man describesthisphenomenoninhiscaptivating TEDTelk
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t hanposit ive ones.Then, invest infinitebut memorable moments that matter to you r employees. But don't justthrow inping-pongtablesandcallitaday; delightful momentsarebyproductsofempathy,rootedin a realunderstanding ofwhatemployees needandwant Peopletendtorememberand Judge e~pcme= based on how they felt at the peak and endpoints
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st rength between customers a nd organizations. lpsosusesthisframeworktoimprovethe customerjoumey.Wha l ifweapplied thesedimens ions
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teamwork andcontributetoasenseof be longi ng_Un expectedamenitiesorperkswou ld employeesreallyenjoyhavingintheoffice?Couldpin-up wa llsded icated toteam "wins"he lp employeesfeelthat theirworkisrecognizedandappreciated?
The Power of Moments by Ch ip and
In this 15-minute pod cast episode of
Berkeley's Greater Good Science
Dan Heath exp lores the nature of
NPR's Life Kit, Christina Cala
Center suggests taking a 20 minute
memory, hum an expe ri ence, and why
inte rviews the poet Ross Gay about
solo walk outside every day, pa using to
some moments matter more than
finding joy in everyd ay experiences
not ice and appreciate sigh ts , sounds, smells,andsensations that you