The Design Triple Threat: CRO, Generalist Approach and Systems Thinking
In an age marked by technological leaps and boundless creativity, the digital realm has leveled the playing field on access, but knowledge gaps and ad spending still outpace every well formed independent strategy. As algorithms evolve, humans grapple with their role in this ever-shifting paradigm. Constructively, I am suggesting a marked interest in the following three areas as it pertains to consumer direct marketing and what to do with all this new stuff that’s supposed to make things better.
First we must understand that the way we’ve been working, our Marketing Stack, in the digital world, is still driven by elucidating data into narrative points of reference that we understand and apply to our frameworks for selling our wares. As always we are dressing the shop window, gussying up the joint, burning incense and creating an overall welcome space for our (guests, customers, clients, users).
Read the data like a scribe all you want, it’s still not gonna make your visitor buy anything. It’s also good to recognize data’s place in the overall categories of usefulness to a brand. Historical data is more valuable than trajectory data for my dollar. I’d rather know how a company has performed than let anything but my gut dictate how it’s going to go.
With historical data and AI we have opened a new door. What was once inaccessible through the archaic barriers to entry is now the feast of anyone with internet access. Brands of every size in the e-commerce space sit on piles of collected user data, or worse don’t collect any. That’s a proverbial gold mine of missed opportunity. Good news though, cus the soft touch just got even softer. Pull habit forming trends out of purchase history data in a 100 word prompt with ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter. Drop a CSV in and watch it work. No, seriously, go do it now.
A Brief Preamble on the Evolution of CRO
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) has, over the past few decades, emerged as a cornerstone of digital marketing. But its roots trace back further than one might think.
In the early days of commerce, shopkeepers intuitively used principles of CRO, arranging their wares attractively and engaging in persuasive banter to convince patrons to make a purchase. Fast forward to the 20th century, and this evolved into more sophisticated sales techniques and the birth of advertising industries.
With the advent of the digital age in the late 1990s and early 2000s, businesses began to see the potential of the internet as a sales platform. Websites became virtual storefronts. However, with this new frontier came a new challenge: How do you convert a visitor into a customer in a space devoid of face-to-face interaction?
The answer lay in data. By the mid-2000s, as e-commerce boomed, tools like Google Analytics allowed businesses to track user behavior meticulously. It became possible to see which pages users visited, how long they stayed, and where they dropped off. This data-driven approach birthed the initial practices of CRO. A/B testing, for example, allowed businesses to test different versions of a webpage to see which one resonated more with users.
Over the years, as technology advanced, so did CRO. The proliferation of mobile devices brought about the need for mobile optimization. The rise of social media platforms introduced new avenues for engagement and conversion.
Today, CRO stands at the intersection of technology, psychology, and design. It's not just about driving sales but enhancing the entire user experience. It's a testament to how businesses have evolved, from brick-and-mortar establishments to digital powerhouses, always adapting, always optimizing.
1. CRO: The Future is Design-driven, Assisted by AI
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): a term that, not so long ago, would conjure images of data analysts poring over metrics, tweaking funnels, and optimizing user journeys. Fast forward to today, and the landscape is undergoing a seismic shift.
At its core, CRO is about enhancing user experience to drive conversions. With the advent of AI, the technical facets of setting up funnels, analyzing user behavior, and segmenting audiences can be automated with unprecedented precision. Machines, with their data-crunching prowess, lay the groundwork. Yet, they lack the nuance, the human touch, the *design* sensibility that is quintessential for true engagement.
Design, in this context, isn't just about aesthetics. It's the bridge between a user's needs and a product's functionality. As AI takes over the logistical heavy lifting, the human role pivots to optimizing the trifecta of Design, Product, and Marketing. It's about creating experiences that resonate, stories that linger, and journeys that feel personal. The future of CRO is not man *versus* machine, but man *and* machine in concert, each amplifying the other's strengths.
2. "Spread wide, but not thin."
This adage captures the essence of the new-age digital professional. It’s a long road, some might say. Who knows why a brain works this way? Collecting bits and pieces based on instinct. Same reason we don’t understand magnets quite yet. I’m talking about the difference between knowing a little about a lot and how that lot operates as a system.
I find that firmly grasping a basic understanding of the way something works is a bit like a switch that flips after machete-ing my way with a blindfold on through the jungle at night in the beginning. I’ve done it enough times that I’m convinced with enough space to focus I can learn pretty much everything I need to know about something until it finds the fit in my mental cartography. I can speak to the fact that if I have a big goal, this is how I operate from first principles due to the autonomy it gives me throughout the process.
Speaking of magnets: Having a strong draw IS the product in marketing. Eyes, clicks, cha-ching, cha-ching. Several ways to do it, few with dignity and almost every single one of them is overtly based in a firm understanding of the various ways we as humans tick and respond to sensory input. Behavior shaping outcomes are not the same as sign painting but you do need a good sign for the right outcome when you’ve got things for sale.
The digital ecosystem is vast and interconnected. Knowing a little about a lot isn't enough. Understanding how disciplines interrelate, how one cog impacts another in the vast machinery of the digital realm, is crucial. It's not just about knowing more stuff; it's about understanding the intricate web that connects this stuff.
These overlaps, these intersections, are where true innovation lies. In a world where algorithms can replicate skills, the ability to connect the dots across disciplines is the unique human edge.
3. Good Design and Systems Thinking: Same Thing?
There's a profound symmetry between design and systems thinking. Both are rooted in understanding relationships, causes, and effects. For the uninitiated, systems thinking is about seeing the bigger picture, understanding parts in relation to the whole.
When a designer chooses a specific shade of blue or a particular font, it's not whimsy. It's rooted in an understanding of the audience, the cultural context, the product, and the desired emotional response. Similarly, in systems thinking, every decision is weighed against its ripple effect on the larger system.
The act of designing and the rationale behind it are intertwined. Knowing *why* you're making a creative decision is intrinsically creative. It's this melding of the logical with the intuitive, the analytical with the artistic, that marks the future of design.
In conclusion, the digital age is less about man versus machine and more about their symbiosis. As AI reshapes the technical landscape, our role is to harness our uniquely human skills: the ability to empathize, to connect, and to create with intent. In the confluence of design, CRO, and systems thinking, lies the blueprint for the future — a future that's not just automated, but artfully crafted. Knowing how each brick works only furthers the deftness of your designs.
This article was crafted in part through a primed conversation with GPT4 :)