TCMBA #21 - Specialty Coffee’s Complexity Bias (and what to do about it)
Specialty Coffee’s Complexity Bias (and what to do about it)
There’s something us humans have.
It’s called Complexity Bias.
Don Norman, Professor of Cognitive Science and Psychology and founding director of the Design Lab at University of California, Santa Barbara, wrote a book called Living with Complexity.
His core thesis is that designers need to “tame” complexity. It’s their role to design technology and products in a way that makes them less complex for users. Yet, users do need to be willing to learn how to use something. Users have learned how to drive cars, read and write, and use an iPhone. There’s a ‘meeting in the middle’ that has to happen.
So what does this have to do with coffee?
I’ll share with you my shower thoughts…
There’s something going on in the specialty coffee industry that I’ve been struggling to put my finger on. So, I’ve been ruminating (as I said, mostly in the shower).
Here’s what I keep coming back to:
There seems to be a tension between what consumers want and what specialty coffee leaders and business owners want.
What do consumers want?
Well, it’s pretty clear if we are watching the market.
Starbucks is reporting that 75% of their drink sales are now iced.
The Nespresso capsule market is set to reach $25 billion by 2027.
At home consumption is still higher than before COVID.
My take-away from this:
Consumers want cold-convenience from the comfort of their home (or low-interaction spaces like drive-thrus).
And what do specialty folks want?
Seems like we’re still striving for:
Improving lives by paying more for coffee.
And we still love coffee competitions (too many links to reference, but I’m hearing about more all the time!)
My take-away from this:
We love coffee and all of its layers. We believe it to be a vehicle for social and environmental change. We also want to be recognized for our hard work.
Here’s the tension:
Boiling everything I do, everything I’ve worked hard for, everything producers work tirelessly for, down to a single pod you throw in a machine on the way out the door?
Insulting.
I mean, I get it! I’ve been there. I used to say things like, “don’t support corporate coffee.” But I’ve changed my tune.
You can read one of my latest LinkedIn posts about it here (but the image is the tl:dr)
Specialty coffee dinosaurs being destroyed by a Nespresso capsule asteroid.
Okay, so what does all of this have to do with Complexity Bias? Here’s a quote from Prof. Norman’s book:
“We need complexity even while we crave simplicity… Some complexity is desirable. When things are too simple, they are also viewed as dull and uneventful. Psychologists have demonstrated that people prefer a middle level of complexity: too simple and we are bored, too complex and we are confused. Moreover, the ideal level of complexity is a moving target, because the more expert we become at any subject, the more complexity we prefer.”
That last line! That’s it!
You and I? We know a lot about coffee. Way way more than the average consumer.
According to Prof. Norman, our love for coffee, our level of incredible knowledge, has caused us to make coffee concepts more complex. It makes logical sense too. The more you know about something, the more layers you see and the more you’re able to build upon those layers of knowledge. That would naturally lead to increased complexity.
Consumers? They need it simple.
What’s more simple than a Nespresso machine? Not much.
What’s more simple than ordering on the Starbucks app when my favorites are saved? Not much.
Are we making our message so complex that we’re excluding consumers who would otherwise love what we do? I think it’s a huge possibility.
So, the lesson here?
We can have everything we want in coffee. It can score 90 points. It can support meaningful change in coffee growing communities. It can be brewed to absolute perfection.
But does your customer need to understand all of this? No.
It’s up to you to be the translator. To reorganize the amazing things we do into products, language, social campaigns that meet them where they’re at with complexity their brains can handle.
A good rule of thumb:
Boil it down.
Twitter-ize it.
If you only had 140 characters to explain to someone why this coffee is perfect for them, what would you say?
Then, share it with someone who knows nothing about coffee and have them reflect back to you why the coffee is awesome. Did they get it?
You can do this for all kinds of things!
Learning how to edit is an incredible skill. And it’s free! (but not always easy)
I’ll leave you with this image that sums it up well!
Happy chopping!
Miranda
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