Case Study: Designing for Human Interaction
THE CHALLENGE
A client initially came to me with a request for a business card. Diana is a certified trainer for the B.A.N.K. Code Assessment system, which consists of four personality profiles, and provides a method for determining them in order to improve communication, insight, and ultimately, buying behavior.
It was a challenge to capture and explain what Diana does in the limited real estate that a business card provides. I was, however, intrigued by the idea that certain personalities react differently to different values. So how to underscore how the system works?
Instead of trying to tell what she does, with information crammed into a small space, the cards prompt recipients to ask.
THE SOLUTION
Four different cards, each representing a distinct personality profile via its B.A.N.K color and a list of values. I was curious to see if a potential recipient would be drawn to the card displaying their own dominant B.A.N.K. Code personality values. At the very least, I thought, it might prompt questions about why there are four cards, which to take, and thus spark a conversation with Diana.
In other words, instead of trying to tell what she does, with information crammed into a small space, the cards prompt recipients to ask.
While the front of each card asks the question “Is this you?” the back presents the client’s contact information with the implied responsive, “This is me.”
Diana liked the idea so much she requested retractable table-top banners with the same four designs.
THE RESULTS
The eye catching designs stand out amongst many of the other marketing materials displayed at events. People do gravitate to the card with the values that resonate with them. Sometimes the cards become almost a game, with people swapping them out, matching their primary and secondary values, as if to “try them on.” On occasion, people have taken all the cards, so that they compare them later.
The cards lend themselves to other possibilities. We have discussed how the client could use the cards as lapel or lanyard tags/badges, to be used in an exercise where participants are directed to connect with different colors and values, in order to learn how to communicate better with contrasting personalities.