“How can we bring in the magic?”
This is what a Disney employee told us during a presentation of Disney’s first iPad app in 2010. For Disney, it was not only important to develop things that work, but also to convey the “magic,” that special kind of surprise that makes your eyes light up when you see it.
Many years ago, I worked for a short time at a software company in Germany where everything was calculated in terms of money. A developer had added a GIF image of a spinning globe to the login screen, whereupon a member of the board immediately pointed at it and asked: “How many hours did it take you to do that? How much did it cost us?” without understanding that it was simply a matter of adding a ready-made GIF image with drag & drop, where the developer had thought it would lighten up the login process a little.
But that was something the management of this company couldn’t understand. They also couldn’t understand why the company never became as successful as they wanted it to be and always fell short of expectations compared to its competitors.
This brings me to the topic of latte art. This is what baristas add to your coffee order. It is a completely unnecessary activity. It doubles the time it takes to prepare the coffee, adds no value whatsoever, customers would not pay for it, and it is destroyed with the first sip of coffee.
But latte art serves at least two purposes:
1) She makes me happy! I notice her immediately, I always thank the barista, and I can see that she is pleased that someone has noticed.
2) It adds variety to the monotonous task of preparing one cup of coffee after another for baristas. When you prepare hundreds of coffees during your shift, it adds variety to the routine and allows you to improve and showcase your skills.
And: it’s good business. I love being treated to a good coffee and seasonal latte art by my barista. I miss it when she’s not there. It connects me to the person on the other side of the counter. And it gives us both a moment of joy: I appreciate that she (the barista) feels seen and is happy that someone appreciates her work.
What is your daily moment of delight? And what magic do you add to your work?