Information does not stick with people. It can be learned and repeated, but it can also be forgotten. Meaning is different. It is created with attention, purpose, context and design. When designing an experience that you hope will stay with people after it has concluded, you must shift your focus from delivering content to creating meaning. No one remembers how much information they were exposed to. What people remember after an experience is how information was connected, contextualized and organized to create meaning.
Meaning begins with purpose. Every experience should have purpose, whether it is communicated or not. Purpose helps you decide what to include and what to leave out. Experiences without purpose are assortments of cool things with no clear direction. Experiences with purpose include elements that serve the idea, and allow people to feel organized even when they are encountering things they do not understand.
Context creates more meaning. Information delivered within a larger narrative or real-world framework is more meaningful than isolated information. Information that is isolated asks to be remembered. Information that is contextualized asks to be understood. When information is contextualized with place, culture and personal value, it becomes more meaningful and easier to understand. Context helps people see not only what something is, but why it is important and where it fits.
Design also affects how people remember information. The way moments are sequenced, how they contrast with each other, and their emotional value all impact how people remember an experience. Experiences with varying pacing and dynamics are more likely to be remembered than experiences with static pacing. Effective design does not require big moments. Small moments and careful silences can be the most powerful.
Experiences that are remembered are those that value people’s attention and intention. They do not attempt to fill every moment with information or explanation. Instead, they carefully guide people on a journey that allows meaning to develop over time. Information becomes meaningful when it is purposeful, contextualized and designed. The experience lingers not because it was stuffed full, but because it was thoughtfully arranged.
