When my 5-year old daughter helps with the family’s grocery shopping she knows she will receive a small reward. Last weekend she asked me to get her “pink milk”.

The dairy section displayed two strawberry milk options:

  1. Dairy Farmers Classic Strawberry. 300ml for $1.50 ($5 per litre)
  2. Norco Mighty Cool. 250ml for $1.75 ($7 per litre)

From my perspective pink milk is the same everywhere. There should be little variation between: Milk (hopefully), Sugar and Flavouring.

I suggested she take the Dairy Farmers option because:

  1. You get More Product: 300ml instead of 250ml
  2. It gives a better cost per volume: $5 per litre, instead of $7 per litre

bottle

However she insisted on Norco Mighty Cool.

I tried to persuade her that Dairy Farmers gave her more pink milk than than Norco. But to no avail!

I assumed that Norco’s colourful design was driving her selection.

But I was wrong.

She picked Norco Mighty Cool because of the button lid!

It allowed her to take small sips while walking and travelling in the car. The open and close feature conveniently reduces spillage. In addition the thinner bottle made it easier for her 5-year old hands to hold.

Her choice was completely driven by the Physical Usability of the package!

She had chosen this product multiple times. The exciting graphics probably influenced her first purchase. Afterwards the positive User Experience of the milk container increased her loyalty.

Customer Insight specialists base their methodology around the following questions:

  • Can they use it?
  • Are they engaged?
  • Will they be loyal?

I learnt that my daughter was initially engaged by the attractive packaging. The size of the bottle made it easier for her to use. And finally her loyalty to the product was based on the physical packaging (button lid and thin bottle).

I believe we can create better websites, applications, products and governments if we intimately understand our customers’ problems and seek to improve their personal user experience.