Can we truly ‘create’ value?

We often discuss ‘adding’, ‘delivering,’ or ‘offering’ value. Whether in a product meeting, giving a client/stakeholder presentation, or prioritising a feature backlog, we use words like ‘add,’ ‘create,’ and ‘deliver’ interchangeably to describe the outcomes we want to achieve. For example, someone might say, “We’ll add value to our mobile app by introducing new social sharing features for collaboration and networking,” or “Gamification tools, such as virtual badges, points, or levels, will generate value for our website.” Every day, I see the word value used in the same context. Even Quality Management Principle #1 of ISO 9000 and 90001 states, “Every aspect of customer interaction provides an opportunity to create more value for the customer.” Of course, focusing on value is the right approach, but can we realistically ‘add’ value to products, services, or experiences, like slapping a label onto something? <h1>‘Value added’</h1> I recently discovered an interesting perspective on value in a beautiful book called <a href="https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/just-enough-design-pb" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Just Enough Design by Graphic Designer Taku Satoh</a>. He explains through a simple analogy; “If you pick up a stone from the street and use it as a paperweight for the papers on your desk, that stone has become valuable to you, but have you actually added to the value of the stone?” <blockquote> “Brands and designers often race single-mindedly to perfect something as though it’s a work of art. But design has no inherent value.” — Taku Satoh. </blockquote> That got me thinking. Can you ‘add’ or ‘deliver’ external value as though it’s something tangible? The same problem also applies to the user experience of products and services. Again, we discuss ‘adding’ or ‘designing’ the UX. But that’s like saying, “We’re going to create the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours for something.” It seems invalid. <img alt="The image contains a photo of a Nikka Whisky Pure Malt bottle with its brown packaging and label." src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*vJyNIlpLW894LD9JtUHWNw.jpeg" style="height:467px; width:700px" /> Image Credit: Just Enough Design: Reflections on the Japanese Philosophy of Hodo-Hodo by Taku Satoh, published by Chronicle Books. Satoh uses the Nikka Whisky Pure Malt project as an example of how thoughtful design can encourage consumers to repurpose the bottle, demonstrating that people can find value in different ways. <h2>You can’t create or force value, UX, or empathy</h2> The same notion holds with the overuse of the buzzword ‘empathy.’ Debbie Levitt, MBA, CXO of Delta CX, discusses in her new book, <a href="https://deltacx.media/media/customers-know-you-suck/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Customers Know You Suck</a>, that thinking about customers or caring about users does not equate to empathy. “Most of the time someone mentions empathy, they mean, ‘I’m just thinking about our customers,’ or, ‘I care about our users.’ That’s not empathy; that’s possibly sympathy.” Read More