Observation Through Experimentation

Delighting users and achieving impactful metrics often start with a simple principle: observation through experimentation. Whether refining a physical environment or crafting a digital experience, deeply understanding customer/user behaviour and making thoughtful, targeted adjustments can yield remarkable results.

Let me share an example from an unexpected setting—a sausage shop.

My task? Improve beer sales in a small but busy store—and how I increased beer sales by 20% and boosted yearly revenue. While the environment was physical, the principles I applied are universal across product and UX design.

The Problem: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The beer fridge was tucked away in a corner, hidden from immediate view. Customers interacted with the cash register first, then truly noticed the beer fridge only after they had paid.

This setup triggered time-loss aversion, a cognitive bias where people strongly avoid actions that feel like "wasting time," even if the alternative ends up costing more time or effort. Paying twice, particularly with other customers in line, felt inefficient and awkward, leading them to avoid it altogether. In many cases, they would even choose the seemingly more productive option of making an extra trip to the convenience store next door for beer, despite it being objectively less convenient. This highlights how the perception of retracing steps can deter behaviour, even when the alternative is objectively less logical.

Spatial constraints ruled out rearranging the cash register or moving the fridge. If customers didn’t see the beer before paying, sales wouldn’t improve.

Observation Through Experimentation

I spent an hour observing how customers moved through the store. Most walked in and headed straight to the sausage counter without pause, almost as if on autopilot. There was almost no exploration—just a straight-line journey, eyes fixed ahead.

I also noticed subtle discomfort in their movements, as if they wouldn’t have chosen that path if they weren’t being directed. This behaviour is tied to reactance bias, where people resist actions that feel forced or controlled. When customers feel their freedom to choose is being restricted—such as being funnelled down a single path—they instinctively push back, sometimes through hesitation or avoidance.

The problem wasn’t just the hidden fridge but the shop's design, which created a linear flow that robbed customers of autonomy and exploration.

The Experiment: Breaking the Path

A table near the entrance created a clear, straight path that guided customers directly to the sausage counter. However, this inadvertently activated anchoring bias, where the initial direction became their mental reference point, leading them to ignore other options, including the path leading to the beer fridge.

Worse, this setup clashed with the path of least resistance principle—people naturally prefer intuitive, effortless routes. While an alternate path to the right existed, it wasn’t compelling; it led to seating and beer fridge, not the sausage counter. Worse still, customers had to backtrack after reaching the fridge to go to the counter, which disrupted their mental map of a smooth shopping journey.

To fix this, I rotated the table by 45 degrees, subtly disrupting the linear flow and opening up navigation options. This small change encouraged customers to pause, scan their surroundings, and choose their own path.

Sometimes, friction is intentional by design, as the most linear experience isn't necessarily the best one.

Results: Attention and Autonomy

The impact was immediate. Customers stopped just after entering the shop, took a moment to look around, and moved forward only when they felt confident. This brief pause triggered the availability bias—their attention naturally shifted to what was most visible, including the previously overlooked beer fridge.

By breaking the automatic flow of movement, we allowed customers to consciously engage with their surroundings. They noticed the beer fridge sooner, leading to more impulse purchases.

Leading with Beer: Facilitating Decisions and Delighting Customers

Who doesn’t love beer? But in a sausage shop, beer isn’t the first thing customers think of—it’s sausages. By flipping this intuitive order, we turned beer into the gateway to a seamless and delightful shopping experience.

Here’s how we did it.

Strategic Pairing to Simplify Choices

Choosing between 30 unfamiliar sausages can be overwhelming—a classic case of analysis paralysis, where too many options stall decision-making. To address this, we applied Hick’s Law, which states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.

Instead of starting with sausages, we made beer the first decision point. Beer choices were fewer and more familiar, reducing cognitive load. But we didn’t stop there: specific beer types were paired with complementary sausages to create a curated culinary experience. For instance, a rich, malty stout was matched with smoky bratwurst, while a crisp lager was suggested alongside a mild Italian sausage.

This pairing system not only guided customers toward 4-5 sausage recommendations instead of 30 but also enhanced the shopping experience by introducing them to thoughtful combinations they might not have considered. It wasn’t just about simplifying the decision—it was about elevating it into a memorable and delicious journey. Customers often commented on how these pairings inspired them to try new sausage flavours they wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

To reinforce this strategy, we placed beer cans and packs along the main shopping path, ensuring visibility and accessibility.

The Result: An Impactful, Memorable, Delightful Experience

This small yet thoughtful reimagining of the store layout not only boosted beer sales by 20% but also elevated the overall shopping experience. Customers enjoyed a more intuitive flow, felt confident in their choices, and often left with a complete, curated meal of beer and sausages.

The vast majority left the shop with a positive experience, thanks to the peak-end rule—a psychological bias where people judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its most intense moment (the peak) and at its conclusion. By ensuring the experience ended on a high note with seamless navigation, decisions and enjoyable pairings, we not only boosted immediate customer satisfaction but also left a lasting impression that encouraged loyalty.

Customers returned more frequently, and positive word-of-mouth began to spread organically, driving new customer acquisition and strengthening the shop's reputation.

In Sum

By observing behaviour, understanding cognitive biases, and designing with intention, we turned a simple task into a delightful journey—proof that even the smallest changes can have a big impact. Whether in a sausage shop or a digital app, the principles of experimentation, observation, and thoughtful design are universal tools for delight and success.

Applying the Principles to SaaS and Apps

The same user-centered principles can seamlessly translate into the digital realm, transforming SaaS platforms and web/native apps into intuitive and engaging experiences:

Break Default Patterns Thoughtfully

Users tend to stick to familiar pathways, completing tasks on autopilot. By strategically interrupting these patterns, you can encourage them to explore under-utilized features and unlock more value. For example, highlighting an overlooked tool with a contextual nudge might reveal a hidden gem.

Simplify Decisions, Enhance Clarity

Minimize cognitive overload by offering users fewer, more relevant choices at key decision points. By understanding user behaviour and the context of their journey, you can present tailored recommendations or shortcuts that streamline their experience. For instance, in a SaaS platform, this could mean displaying the next logical step in a workflow, automatically filling in settings based on past preferences, or presenting the most commonly used tools at the forefront to simplify the decision-making process.

Calibrate Friction for Better Outcomes

While removing friction is generally a great principle in design, it’s important to recognize that friction can sometimes enhance the experience. However, reducing unnecessary friction often leads to smoother, more intuitive interactions and better results. For example, you might streamline account setup to remove barriers, but introduce intentional friction before irreversible actions (like deleting data) to prompt users to pause and reflect. Finding the right balance between ease and thoughtful engagement is key to optimizing the user journey.

Encourage Exploration Through Micro-Moments

Design interfaces that foster curiosity and discovery. Use progressive disclosure, empty states, or playful micro-interactions to invite users to pause and engage more deeply. Much like the beer fridge placement, the goal is to create a moment where users stop and take notice, making them more likely to discover and adopt features they didn’t know they needed.

By integrating these principles, you can not only improve user experience but also drive retention, satisfaction, and product engagement—just as small adjustments boosted beer sales in a physical store.

As the African proverb wisely states, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." In the world of digital, your product's role is to be a trusted companion, guiding users on their journey through "interactive conversations." Whether through clear copy, thoughtful information architecture, or seamless user flows, your job is to facilitate meaningful interactions, ensuring users feel supported and empowered every step of the way. Together, you and the user can achieve far greater success than any isolated effort.

Observation Drives Delight

The key takeaway here is that creating delightful user experiences and driving meaningful metrics isn’t always about flashy, grand gestures. More often, it’s about observing with intent, making subtle yet powerful adjustments, and deeply understanding human behaviour. By translating these insights into your design, you can ensure that the interaction with the machine feels seamless, intuitive, and truly engaging—turning the digital experience into a genuine, high-quality companion.

The sausage shop experiment taught me that delight dissipates when environments force robotic, predictable behaviour, but it flourishes when users feel empowered, comfortable, and curious. By applying these same principles to digital design, we can craft experiences that aren’t just functional, but also comfortable, memorable, and human-centered.

So, if you want to make a real impact on your metrics, start with careful observation, experiment thoughtfully, and always place user psychology at the core of your design decisions.

Let’s Create Something Remarkable

If you’re ready to transform your product into an emotional delighter to drive metrics, I can help. Check out the case studies on my website to see how I’ve successfully merged delight with measurable business metrics. I’d be happy to walk you through the process in detail on a call, exploring how we can craft an experience that users love while driving real results for your business.

Reach out today, and let’s build something truly exceptional.