The #2 hotel in Los Angeles cannot compete with the Hyatts or the Hiltons of the world when it comes to expensive amenities. What makes the Magic Castle special is the staff’s ability to design surprising experiences, like a red phone by the pool coined Popsicle Hotline. By breaking the script, the Magic Castle inspires delight in their guests—and consistently ranks higher than high-end, luxury hotels in the city.

How can we follow the lead of the Magic Castle and create a workplace of wonder? How do we design for extraordinary moments with our colleagues and customers?

Today, Jeffrey explores workplace wonder with Chris Flink, Executive Director of the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco, and Chip Heath, the Thrive Foundation for Youth Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and co-author of The Power of Moments. Chip and Chris explain how designing surprising moments for customers can give you a competitive advantage and why it’s beneficial to think beyond simply fixing problems to the architecting of positive experiences. Chip describes why it’s in your best interest to focus on elevating mostly satisfied customers to truly delighted ones, and Chris shares the power of physical experiences to captivate people in a deeply personal way. Listen in for insight around designing for positive, extraordinary experiences that facilitate connection and learn how to surprise yourself, your colleagues and your customers with the exchange of wonder.

Key Takeaways

[7:47] Young Chip and Chris at their best

• Chip with typewriter (passages from nature books)
• Chris building forts and booby traps out of garbage

[10:41] What makes those boyhood moments memorable

• Attempt to make sense of world
• Agency to affect own experience

[13:39] How Chris got into the area of experience design

• Study product design at Stanford, work at IDEO
• Integrate business disciplines in design process
• Foster creative mindset in business collaboration

[17:34] How Chip came to explore experience architecture

• Discuss what makes defining moment
• Family as focus group (i.e.: take idea on road)
• Iteration as integral part of design process

[23:12] Why we should consider experience design

• Mind geared to fix problems vs. create potential
• Magic Castle #2 hotel in LA (e.g.: Popsicle Hotline)
• Opportunities to inspire, bring creative energy

[36:59] The concept of ‘breaking the script’

• Strategic surprise that captures attention
• Design to widen eyes, open to message

[41:18] Chip and Chris’ response to resistance

• Build in elevation, pride, insight and connection
• You ARE designing experiences (add agency)

[46:49] The value of face-to-face, analog experiences

• Physical experiences captivate in personal way
• Power in tangible experience translates to retail

[49:42] How to design experiences for your organization

• Museum staff conceived of Pi Day on 3/14
• Playful community with common mission

[59:23] The social dimension of wonder

• Break script with uncommon conversation
• ‘45 minutes away from close friendship’
• Create context for experience to unfold
• Connection through transformative learning

[1:04:44] What Chip and Chris are pursuing in the next year

• Must be inspired to be inspirational
• Work with social entrepreneurs

Connect with Chip

Heath Brothers

Stanford Social Innovation Review

Connect with Chris

Exploratorium

Resources

TD Bank YouTube Video

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Stanford d.school

IDEO

Bill Moggridge: Interaction Design

Magic Castle Hotel

Theo Jansen’s STRANDBEEST

Larry Shaw

Art Aron’s Interpersonal Closeness Experience

Laura Vanderkam

The Idler

Evelyn Asher

Fateme Banishoeb