Infinite Touch Points

I am fairly certain that we are moving toward a time where the way we interact with brands and their products and services will seem infinite. 

Think about it—we used to have few choices in how we engaged with an organization.  If it were a bank, say 20 years ago—you had a teller, a checking account and that was pretty much it.  Then ATM's came along.  And banking by phone.  Then over the Web.  Then more services over them Web.  Then you could dabble on your account with your mobile phone.  And maybe you could even comment on the Banks company blog expressing your frustrations with their new ATM interface.

When I visited Dell a few months ago—I pointed out the obvious.  That they had reached a point (probably ahead of most other companies) where they had multiple community/social touch points in place—each serving up a different experience, looking different and acting differently.

I was encouraged to hear that they were already on top of this—working to resolve the issue.  Now, each of their "multiple social touch points" feels like it's part of a larger family.  They are connected. 

But 20 years from now, will our interactions with brands, companies and their products and services seem infinite?  As we seem to have more options, channels communities and choices now—will they consolidate, or continue to expand?

I believe what we're experiencing right now is the beginning. It's why the media (and social media) landscape is fragmented.  But instead of consolidation, maybe—just maybe the way we interact with brands, companies and their products and services will enter a state of flow.  Probably not all—but maybe some.  Infinite touch points means that options may seem endless, but the ideal experiences we have don't feel overwhelming.

Who will make these infinite touch points seem manageable?   It will probably take all of us.  Experience Designers will play a role.  As will the sophisticated consumer.  Will we define a social experience or a blog response as a touch point?  It's entirely possible.  But maybe, just maybe—each time we have any interaction with a brand's product or service we'll create a mental note of how that experience felt.  If touch points become infinite—or just seem that way, then the opportunity for deeper levels of a relationship become possible. 

But only if the infinite touch points succeed in reaching that ideal "iiquid state of flow"—or at least make it feel that way to the end user, consumer or participant.

Comments

[Mack Collier]

Great post David. And I think you've hit on the key, it's not about different touchpoints delivering a different experience, it's about all the brand touchpoints working in harmony to create and enhance the total experience.

[Matt Dickman]

David -- I think you're right here and I think a couple of things will start falling in place to help make this possible.

First, mobile devices that interact with multiple forms of media fluidly (even better than the iPhone) will emerge and be able to handle rich media experiences. You'll be able to continue a "desktop" or "set top" experience from the road. Second, portable, secure identity will need to become a reality to confirm people are who they say they are. Third, even though the content (blog, podcast, wiki, website, music, video) is disparate now, it will begin to merge together to create rich, portable and valuable experiences for users. The format could exist or be years off.

It's up to us to start to look at how to make these things a reality and I think design is paramount to make sure it is adopted and flourishes.

[Gavin Heaton]

Agree ... really interesting post. As the time lag between acknowledgment of a want and its fulfillment compresses, brands and consumers will enter into a seamless relationship. But not all brands ... only those that are able to demonstrate transparency and work within a trust network will be invited to play.

Perhaps this is the ultimate walled social network ... and we are now laying the foundation stones for a new way of thinking, behaving and being in the world.

[Mario Vellandi]

The total number of potential touchpoints will increase, but will they all be necessarily utilized? Which will be appropriate is partly based on some common factors like:

- Norms and common practice for the relevant product/service industry as a whole.
- The degree of permission people have implicitly/explicitly given to be touched ;) or so desired.
- The originator's organizational culture
- Which touch forms are currently in-style and not, from a macro-cultural perspective.

So while an increasingly large number of touch points and possibilities will become available, the user's comfort level and under what conditions they will be touched and how, is of paramount importance.

[Matthew Griffin]

Very insightful, David. I wonder if the existence of multiple touch points is a temporary stop. Perhaps when the explosion communication technology settles down, we will finally land on that ideal touch point you mentioned.

[Cynthia Thomas]

The infinite touch points thought might lend itself to indistinguishable touch points. The question in my mind then becomes, is that going to be the new experience goal. Will we strive to ensure that the how, when or where are almost irrelevant?

It would eliminate the need to manage multiple points if they are viewed as a whole. The touch point becomes irrelevant and almost unnoticed by the user... and that becomes ok.

[The Kaiser]

I would agree that this is an interesting post by I have to admit, that I find it difficult to agree with the post itself.

I think that during the next 20 years we will learn to avoid and negate brand touch points and experiences. I believe that these touch points will become so "average" that we will learn to opt out out and ignore them.

[Bonnie Larner]

First, welcome back, David, have missed your posts.

As for media and social media fragmentation, the divisions go much deeper. Cultural, political, religious, geographic, generational, and on.

It really hit me between the eyes while watching the US presidential primaries. Reps and Dems alike,30%, 20%, 25%, 30%, not to mention other candidates who weren't on ballots, such as Paul and Kucinich. There doesn't seem to be any "mass" anything these days.

One niche that's not yet been addressed is an individual's learning style. I recently taught a basic writing class at the ad agency where I work and was amazed at the results.

The assignment was to write instructions for using a paper clip.

One-third of the written instructions didn't work. One-third did, and the final third of the people said, "Why write when you can just draw a picture? It's easier to understand." They were the Gen-Yers.

When a new hire starts at the office I ask them how they prefer to receive their communications: phone, e-mail, hard copy or face-to-face? It's pretty well split.

How does one connect when there are so many different ways people take in information? Guess we ultimately need to behaviorally connect and target to the Nth degree.

Exciting, isn't it!

[phil gillman]

david, I completely agree. I think this speaks to the idea that brands are becoming the experiences that consumers have with them at every touch point. It seems that our opportunity/obligation is to help companies plan (and implement) more diverse, connected and multifaceted experiences and interfaces for their consumers. Continuity and appropriateness become the key components of that planning & implementation to help avoid consumer burnout and backlash. In a counter-point to the Ad Age article from December, I think that this is a charge that is best lead by interactive/digital primarily because of the opt-in aspects of the experience. All of these infinite touch points must become more and more opt-in to allow for consumer brand management and to present brand resentment and avoidance...or tivo will have an endless set of real world products.

[DA]

"I believe that these touch points will become so "average" that we will learn to opt out out and ignore them."

Marcus,

Average to one person is relevant to another.

[Easton Ellsworth]

Nail, meet head. Great post David.

We still say "Net" or "Web," but it's turning into more of a liquid in which we find ourselves immersed. Someday soon, it's possible that just about everything is connected to everything else on this additional level. Deep, eh?

So maybe, for instance, my kidneys and yours could have a conversation. :)

[Doug Schumacher]

Thanks for yet another thought-provoking post - plus great visual aid.

What this brought to my mind is products like Nike+, as well as roaming mobile technologies, in which the 'touchpoint' is already a seamless flow of contact.

[timmy]

Great post!

Your visual is spot on and the concept of Infinite Touch Points has been the clearest delivery of the integrated marketing/brand interaction world we are wading in now.

Keep up the good work.

[Daniel]

Love this idea. I've probably referred to it three times since last Tuesday.

[David Sanchez]

I agree with you on, “seem infinite”.

From a third person point of view the array of touch points will still finite at any giving point, they will still be a “quanta” of touch point channel. Feels like Quantum Physics right?. It can be measure, and defined at any giving point in time.

If we talk about attention, productivity and time available to experience a plethora of touch points is whole new subject.

I can hope for the best that the invention and release of advance artificial intelligence will help us manage what our imagination predict to be a chaos of touch point connections.

Science Fiction, nope, the ultimate truth, An AI, will help you an hyper fast interface browsing and looking for subjects, products, services that will entice only you.

It a very valiant subject to discuss and even to foresee what would be the landscape in 20 years. But to be candid, is impossible to predict or compute, thus a collective imagination has no price.