Today I attended a program called "First Impact" that talked about the first impressions customers have on our space, on us, and our offerings. I thought this was pretty interesting because first impressions don't just pertain to children's museums, but to all businesses, organizations, etc.
Here are a few things Peter B. (Director of the Portland Children's Museum) talked about:
Emotional Imprints - what our first response is to what we see. He spoke specifically about something called the "decompression zone" - that space between the customer entering the building and front desk. He mentioned the importance of:
- Information - what info do they need when they enter and do they get it
- Chromodynamics - colors that set the mood (bright, glossy yellows and oranges seem to agitate people, even cause high blood pressure). Green tends to be more tranquil
- Lighting - oranges and red in a very subdued lighting tends to make people want to spend more for some reason
- Greeting - in the first 7 seconds, customers judge employees in 11 different ways (cleanliness, knowledge, professionalism, friendliness, helpfulness, courtesy, credibility, confidence, attractiveness, responsiveness, and understanding). He also mentioned that the body language you use in those first 7 seconds accounts for 55% of the first impression
- Fairness and Diversity - the 11 ways the customer views the staff person should *never* be reversed
He suggested everyone do a first impact audit to see if the experience the customer faces is truly welcoming and what they want, that we figure out ways to empower our customer, and to work on that decompression zone.
This was a good program with some worthwhile info.
Michelle
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Chromodynamics - it's interesting to see which colors they attribute to different emotions. I wonder if the Atomic Orange on Archibald's children's shelving units "agitates" people in a positive way - making them want to check the books out!
ReplyDeleteI like that word too - chromodynamics. I wonder what happens when people have lived in a space for a very long time and have a certain emotional impression of a place, and then all of the sudden it gets changed up. Like with the Atomic Orange appearing where dull purple and cream used to be. Does a person's impression and behavior change?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the idea of emotional imprints seems to go along with what Gyroscope was trying to get us to focus on in terms of the appeal of the courtyard, the potential bridge, and the entrance. Those things are really important to the success of this project.