He defines it as: A situation is a specific set of circumstances or facts at a particular time and place.
I thought it would be fun to take something we can all relate to and go deep on it. Think of it as a control, but one that opens up a lot of interesting angles.
This was the remainder of a container of cookies from the holidays that was unwanted. The owner brought the cookies to a public office space for others to enjoy.
I’m sweets lover and almost never can turn down anything with chocolate in it.
The day before was Christmas, I had consumed sooo many brownies and cake that when I took a look at this plastic bowl of cookies, it made my stomach twist from just the thought of the sugar entering my bloodstream.
I only took one bite and then threw the cookie away…
HAHA, I LOVE THIS. I’ll tell you exactly what happened.
Someone (maybe who lives alone) bought these cookies from Costco thinking they could totally graze on them. While after about 8-10, they noticed the overwhelming stomach ache and decided that they could no longer have them in their home.
Therefore, they’re now in the shared kitchen space for all to enjoy. My hunch is that someone will pick up and leave with the entire container.
But the most important question is, @Bryan did you take one?
I had this same experience. That week between christmas and NYE, I literally was grossed out at everything sweet. Too much of anything, ruins a good time
Hehe .. good thinking. A situation starts with the main actor (in this case you @Bryan )
This situation sounds like heading into work, maybe your’e mind was still on the commute, or maybe you had just entered the situation “setting up work for the day"?
A part of that latter situation might include getting a coffee before you sit down and if available a tiny piece to eat (maybe even a cookie) both as a tiny reward, but also to give you a bit of energy moving through the first part of your day (see this example with Christensen on eating on your way to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfGtw2C95Ms&t=3s )
Did you grab a cookie? Can you share why / why not? And if you did why did you grab it? What was your desired outcome and measure of success (measure doesn’t have to be numerical, can be a desired feeling).
In this case, I’m more interested in the giver, their motivations and why I should accept their cookie (if that was their intent).
I did not take a cookie.
I didn’t want the calories.
My desired outcome was not to take their calories, which they were dumping on me.
Success was walking away.
This is where it gets fun. These problems are genuinely interesting, especially in software, where we rarely get to see the why behind them.
Were the cookies:
Unwanted because they were not good
Unwanted because there was too many to finish
Unwanted because it was about to expire
Unwanted because someone else brought cookies they didn’t want
Unwanted because the initial need wasn’t important anymore
Unwanted because they didn’t want the temptation to want
Unwanted because they were sick of eating them
Unwanted because they…
Wanted, but not eaten because they wanted to share
Wanted, but dumped so someone else could have the sweets
Wanted, but too many, kept some at home
Wanted, but only the temptation at work away from desk
Wanted, but the desire to feel nice was more important
Wanted, but new gym routine said no
Wanted, but new years resolution was to stop eating junk
In a situation I always start with the motivation for action: What led the “donator” to bring this box with him/her from somewhere to your office?
Is it because they didn’t want them and also didn’t want to throw them away?
Or because they wanted to give their colleagues something nice, a gesture of kindness?
Or both?
Instead of coming up with ideas. Can we locate the main actor in this situation?
(a very common error when doing research is that we ask people for their opinions, then they just start lying to you, instead of asking them about their previous experience)
So an alternative to finding the main actor we could ask anyone on this chat: when was the last time your brought some food stuff to the office to give away? Why did you do that? And what was your measure of value?
RIght. So, using UX metrics, we might measure frequency, feelings, intent, expectations, and appeal, and use follow-up questions with a sample of 100 grocery shoppers (in Helio). But I’m sure @MoData might have opinions.
I asked Mistral for some voice-of-the-customer statements:
1. The Thoughtful Newcomer“I’m the new person in the team, and I wanted to break the ice a little. Bringing in a box of Norwegian chocolate felt like a small but meaningful way to show I’m happy to be here and eager to connect. I’m hoping it sparks a few casual conversations—maybe someone will stop by my desk or invite me to join them for coffee. My measure of success? If even one person smiles and says, ‘Thanks, this was a nice surprise,’ I’ll feel like I’ve made a tiny step toward belonging.”
2. The Team Energizer“It’s been a long week, and I noticed everyone’s been a bit sluggish in the afternoons. I grabbed a bag of those crispy apple slices and some dark chocolate—quick energy, no fuss. My goal? To give the team a little boost and remind them someone’s got their back. If I hear a ‘This was just what I needed!’ or see someone sharing a laugh over the snack table, I’ll know it worked. Value for me is seeing the room feel lighter, even for 10 minutes.”
3. The Grateful Collaborator *“My colleague stayed late to help me hit a deadline yesterday, so I picked up their favorite cookies as a thank-you. I’m not expecting anything big—just want them to feel seen and appreciated. Progress, to me, is if they take a cookie and say, ‘You didn’t have to!’ with a grin. The value? Knowing they’ll remember I’ve got their back next time, too.”
How would we be able to capture or respond to these insights with these measures: “*frequency, feelings, intent, expectations, and appeal”, or what do we need in addition?
Also, we haven’t yet included what influences these situations (context) .. but we can get to this later
These five UX metrics are great for quantifying how a sample of people (maybe coworkers who work in-person) feel or react to a situation. This is also why we combine our quant metrics with qualitative feedback, so we can dive into the ‘why?’ of those feelings. And regarding what I’ve heard you say several times @Helge, we want to ask them about their experience with the box of cookies, not what they typically think or expect they would do with them.
Countries where it is loved: Black licorice is a mainstream, beloved candy in countries like the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Iceland .
