Nodding Together

Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users wrote a terrific post the other day about creating products that inspire, "The Nod."

What's, "The Nod"?

Sit in a cafe with a Mac PowerBook, and chances are you'll get The Nod--that acknowledging, approving, knowing, we're-special look. MINI Cooper owners give each other The Nod at intersections. Display GNOME on your ThinkPad and you'll get The Nod. But run Windows on your Dell and you won't. (Never confuse the "I feel your pain" look with The Nod.)

To give The Nod is to recognize and appreciate another person who "gets it", whatever it is. The Nod is NOT simply a "you have something I have" look. I don't get The Nod when I wear, say, my standard-issue Nike Air trainers. But I DO get it when my SmartWool socks are spotted by another SmartWool fan. I never got The Nod using a Pentax point-and-shoot, but when I pulled out my new Nikon D200 on a train, another D200 owner on the train not only gave me The Nod, but greeted me like a long lost friend. I don't get The Nod when I wear a plain white T-Shirt. But slap a Parelli logo on the shirt and I get The Nod from other like-minded horse owners.

The post reminded me of conversations I've had with designers for years. For me, the key to eliciting passionate responses to products/experiences (hereafter to be called "prosperes") is making those prosperes relevant to the user's identity.

Relevant prosperes mean something important to us. They adhere to significant aspects of our identity, of which we may, or may not, be aware. The more complex their connections with our identity, the more meaningful prosperes become (and, consequently, the more significant The Nod.)

By the way, I haven't seen any others carrying one since I got my Nikon D200, but I'm sure give/get The Nod when I do.

The D200 says something about my commitment to photography, a commitment I've made and re-made many times over my life. I've never quite lived up to that commitment, but I keep buying equipment to help myself to do so.

In the language of prospere designers, it's "aspirational." It says something about who I am, and who I want to be (or, at least how I want to be seen, both by myself and by others.)

Now, what aspect of my identity does that camera adhere to? A deep need to create visual beauty. I'm unable to do so in any other medium but doing so in photography feels possible.

So, the D200 might enable me to be the visually creative person I've always yearned to be.

But, that's not all. The D200 is also on photography's technological edge. I like to be involved with things on the technological edge, even if they're sometimes over my head. In fact, I like it best when they are a bit over my head since that keeps me in a learning mode.

But, that also means that I chronically feel slightly behind my technology. For example, I can't use PhotoShop as well as I'd like, nor Garage Band, but I continue to work on both. I rationalize the aspiration/performance gap that exists by saying, "I'm working on ..." which I am, but not always as diligently as I could.

But that's because I'm working on a lot of new things, many of them on the edge, all of which I enjoy, but all of which also result in that vague guilt I get when I promise more than I deliver...

All of which is to say that the D200 was an absolutely perfect prospere for me! It fit every identity requirement I have for a camera.

Oh, and it takes really neat pictures, too.

Tags: Kathy Sierra Creating Passionate Users Nikon D200 Prosperes

Comments

[SALTY D]

DON'T FORGET THE HARLEY WAVE.
P.S. BLAUGRA THINKS IT'S COOL WHEN SHE GET'S TO DO IT TOO.

[Tom Guarriello]

Salt...if you and Blaug read Kathy's post and comments thereto, you'll see that Hog afficianodos (is that phrase OK?) rank very high on The Nod scale.

[Kristin]

I enjoyed the Jeep Wrangler wave too. So sad that Liberty owners don't do it.

I wonder if dogs give each other the nod when they have their poop bags tied to their leashes. That would probably be a different kind of nod; the get this sh#t off my back nod - I digress...

[Tom Guarriello]

Yes, the Wrangler wave/nod...I remember that.

I love the dog nod idea...but the poop bag thing is overthinkin' it a bit!

[Steve Portigal]

The nod is a proxy for an actual conversation. I might want to stop someone and say "hey how d'ya like your D50" (that's my camera). The acknowledgement that you have a similar item lubricates that conversation-with-a-stranger just a bit. But even if you don't have the conversation, the visual acknowledgement is just as good, isn't it?

[Tom Guarriello]

Yes, in fact I think the visual acknowledgement proxy is often all we want, just that affirmation of our identity similarities.

[Marie Rao]

You will be very interested to know that The Nod is not something that women do. And we have many occassions to do so. For example, if I am walking down the street with a white Birken bag on my arm and another woman is walking toward me carrying said bag, she will not Nod, nor will I. Same goes for same dress, shoe, sweater, camera, belt, necklace etc. Women just don't Nod.
Even pulled up at a stop light in the same cars. Never has happened to me, and never will.

[Tom Guarriello]

So, this is interesting, Marie. Some men also do not Nod or receive Nods.

Do we send "Nod/NoNod" signals to one another?

I've recently been watching Cesar Millan ("The Dog Whisperer") and been fascinated by the depth of his understanding of canine language of all kinds. Just like dogs sense of another's "sociability," I bet there's a similar mechanism for humans.

Maybe some form of The Nod only takes place internally for some of us and at different times. It'd be interesting to understand the "when/when not" of The Nod.

I know evaluation of the material expressions of identity takes place among women ("that loser's carrying the same Birken as me!!") but its expression can take lots of different forms.

Thanks for the comment.

[Marie Rao]

Lots of different forms, I agree, but NO NODS.

[blaugra]

So, Biker Salty D. and I talk about the nod/wave thing a lot and I'm thinking now about women using/not using the nod/wave.

Harley to Harley riders on the road get waves -- except when you're at a rally then you have to contain yourself because you're just like everyone else.

Bike passengers usually don't wave. Most bike passengers are women, "along for the ride". And I've never seen a chick on her own hog wave at us. Huh.

I try out the wave/nod but it doesn't feel right. When in my car driving, with a Harley or any biker on my tail or passing me, I nod. As if to say, "I'm in my cage but I'm in your club and I understand your road rules, so I'm not really an outsider even if I look like one."

The rider usually doesn't give a sh*t because the nod of recognition is all about authenticity. Intentions don't matter - either you're riding a harley at that moment or you're not. You can be a newbie rider, or a non-Harley rider, you'll still get connected within the bike community. They aren't as exclusive as one may think, as long as you're on two wheels with a motor.

But you have to ride your bike to an event to be credible. Otherwise, without a bike at a rally, or a name designer's garment at a fashion show, without a tattoo at a rockabilly show, you lack cred.

You have to bring it, don't sing it.

My little story just proves your points. Thanks for a provocative post that brought some excellent work recess time!

[Lisa Mirchin]

Marie and I can both nod to this...
we don't nod!

[Tom Guarriello]

This nodding thing is getting interesting. In "The Devil Wears Prada," the Anna Wintour character's greatest compliment to a designer's work was a nod...well, two nods, actually.

[Ollie Shilling]

I'm a woman

I ride a big motorcycle

I ALWAYS nod!

[Heather]

Where I live and ride anyone on a bike can give you the 'nod' or 'wave' if you're on one, too. It's not exclusive to Harleys (I ride a Kowie Super Sherpa 250 Enduro). It's kind of fun.