This elevator button never works
How to create more customer value with little or no money
I hate elevators😑
I’ve never been stuck in one, thank God. But they are my arch nemesis.
Weeks ago, I discovered that one specific button in all elevators rarely does anything. It’s just there for ‘fashion’, as Nigerians say. Can you guess which one?
“Ah ah, when did Google Maps start showing me this one?”
I was still panting slightly from my three minute sprint, so I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I opened my Google Maps app and didn’t understand what I saw.
It was a Monday morning in May this year, I woke up early for work but my stomach wanted to be a weapon fashioned against me. I used the toilet a little longer than usual and it made me late. After getting ready, I started running to the bus stop, but stopped halfway through because I was tired.
So when I opened my Maps app and saw a tiny icon on the screen showing me the exact location of my bus (and that my bus hadn’t passed the stop yet) I was confused. Not because the bus was late, obviously in my favor, but because I had never seen the tiny bus icon before:
Long story short, I got energized to run again and I reached the stop same time as the bus.
Just to clarify, I had always been able to see what time my bus arrives at my stop. I had just not seen the tiny bus icon before, showing me exactly where it was on the road — like in a taxi app.
So why this story?
As someone who wants to stand out in any sphere of life — your place of work, business, as a freelancer, etc. — you must consistently learn better ways of delivering value to your audience. And what I experienced with the tiny bus on the screen is a cheap value creation method called a “psychological moonshot ”.
Steve Bartlett explained it as “a relatively small investment that drastically improves the perception of something”.
This tactic is used among many service businesses worldwide.
The moonshot effect is the reason you see a tiny car in the Uber app when you request a driver. Or why your food delivery app tells you exactly how long it’ll take from the time you order until when your rider gets to you. Yes it changes sometimes, but you see the updates so you know what’s going on.
Moonshots reduce anxiety for your customers and audience, also increasing trust and serving as a layer of transparency.
They’re usually cheap but deliver significant value to an audience. They make a world of difference. Here’s another example:
A typical Nigerian hairdresser’s moonshot (for braids) is the final spray of moose on the head, or asking you if they should tie up your hair or leave it down. Or adding a final touch of oil between the cornrows. You’d think it’s not important, but you’ll notice (and probably be unhappy) if they didn’t do it.
And as Steven noted, they are most effective at the peak of a service, or at the end.
So, back to the elevator question — it’s the ‘CLOSE’ button that doesn’t work. The doors are designed to close on their own after a certain amount of time. As Kevin Brinkman of the National Elevator Industry stated, “the riding public will not be able to make the doors close any faster using that button”
Read more about it here: Illusion of control | CNN
In my opinion, the button exists to give users a greater sense of control, and less anxiety. So they it is also a psychological moonshot. People trust the doors to close because there’s a button for it.
Whether you’re a business owner, freelancer or an employee, how can you add a moonshot effect to your product or service delivery?
I hope you make it impressionable and impossible for your audience to miss.
Good luck!
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