Visual Experience — Anchored by Content or BUST
Dun & Bradstreet
Experience is an interesting word, defined in the dictionary as the "process of doing and seeing things, and of having things happen to you." That’s the definition that we all know. But that’s not the only definition. Experience is also defined as the “skill or knowledge that you get by doing something.”
When we create visual experiences, we need to hold both definitions in mind.
A successful experience is not only where a participant has an experience, but also where they gain something from it. That’s why content is critical. Without the right question or topic, the experience will be a struggle for both you and your audience.
Here’s a recent example where the content we started with didn’t fit the audience; but when we course-corrected on Day 2, we had a more successful outcome.
The Setting: Tradeshow Booth
The Goal: Create an interesting activity/display to draw foot traffic.
The Experience: The right question is critical to getting good engagement.
Dun & Bradstreet Data
Dun & Bradstreet Insights
“How is your data driving growth and minimizing risk?”
While it’s a great question that generates great insight for the team, we struggled to find people who would stop and answer it. Even worse, once we asked them the question, they looked at us with blank stares while we tried to repeat the question in different ways.
What insights do you want to uncover with your data?
Getting engagement from the attendees was a real struggle on Day 1. So we added a different question to the right side of the board. I realized that people who were coming to the booth were searching for solutions. They needed help. If they already had a data solution, they generally passed us by.
Our new question addressed personal challenges people were having with data, rather than the solution. This led to more people stopping by to tell us about their data problems, longer conversations, and more quality leads for the client.
The Learning:What does this mean for me? Start with the client. Don't accept creative and cool experience as an answer. That may get you a paid gig but it doesn't fully serve their unknown needs, and maximize the benefit of a graphic recorder. Here are two questions to start your thinking on visual experiences:
What are your goals and objectives? And then ask it again, and again...and in different ways. You’ll start to hear nuances beyond “I want a creative and interesting activity.” There’s always something more but they just don’t know it yet.
What could attendees learn from one another? Providing attendees with insights as they interact with you is a win-win for all.
Share with us your latest experience with visuals.