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Why Intent Matters in Design Strategy
As we move deeper into more accessible standards — Intent, and how we approach Intent matters most.
Published 2022
The article was particularly interesting as I wrote a theory (and equation) in 2016 called The Theory Of Intent, long before AI was on the rise— or before sensory technologies were playing competing roles with how humans perceive "magic." Other. The space between algorithm and our connection with the natural world, for instance.
The theory unpacks and highlights similar concepts around the change in value felt when we solve problems with different behavioral intent. At the time, I began studying how words, when combined with symbols merge and yield new meanings to simply just the word, or just the symbol. How this combined effect created an entirely new experience (or even product) for the end-user. The viewer. The Client.
An excerpt from my notes that day:
"Each instance of operation is effected by this decision-making, building a network of decisions that the user has access to, as faculty allows."
How do we make a splash? It seems as though Advertising has begun to fall flat since the onset of the pandemic. This was a question I entertained in 2020 in partnership with The UN; how do we contrast systems? How do we create Ad/Marketing that holds value beyond click rates.
There are many breakout brands, today, like Liquid Death and Apple (duh) that continue to raise the bar. Recently, Social Media copy examples like Slim Jim and The National Parks Service feel punchy and new. Most Ads, these day, just don't slap like they used to.
So how does intent play into all of this? If you ask me, this is the core driver behind Ad/Marketing... and honestly, great Brand building.
I believe that the issue with data-driven advertising is that it negates the fact that not every decision is data driven. Humans continue to operate from a space of ambiguity. Question. Gut feeling. Problems like how do we measure and better plan for nostalgia? Impulse? Far exceed even the most advanced data-driven products... even with AI burbles in language spheres. Language models (though this will change as models become more nuanced) still require a prompt. They still require humans with intent.
In fact, without studying the patterns of how and why people make Design decisions (or, as we* have come to know Who We* Are)— The Theory Of Intent wouldn't have taken shape without these indecisive, questioning, gut-based behaviors. Intent, within Ad/Marketing and Branding, is as much about taking the time to study who people are as it is a study of why we feel trust to push the button. To make a purchase. To consider adoption into our lives.
Seeing marked trend towards rounded rectangle-use in 2020—I see this as a growing trend. In fact, many advanced media companies like Hulu have already built rounded edges into their Design language. These key shifts help highlight how presenting intent matters. Though a good start point—presentation of intent goes beyond rounding edges. Local* believes deeper context like language, color value, and things like operating intelligence, or how we* create within pre-existing and new spaces is what truly supports the expansion of individualism within greater natural definitions like intent.
Combining data with theory—granularity of intent is what catalyzes HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) as a growing technology, sales tool, and service offering....
Article by Roundel ↗