Bravest User of the Universe

Have you seen the new James Bond? The one where Agent 007 saves the world and doesn't die in the process? If not, you already know how the film ends. Because the story always follows the same pattern: the classic hero's journey. Why? Because viewers love this pattern. That's why advertising strategies and apps also utilise the hero's journey to achieve exactly one thing - that we love it and keep coming back, even if we know how it will end for our wallet. Find out what makes the hero's journey so appealing and how you can transfer the recipe for success from Hollywood to your next app here.

The hero's journey is, in short, a universal principle of storytelling. About 100 years ago, literature professor Joseph Campbell went to the extraordinary trouble of analysing mythologies and legends from all over the world and all cultures to find a recurring pattern. He was looking for the common global basis that makes a good story. In doing so, Campbell discovered that the most memorable stories were always about a main character who develops in a transformative way. From a person breaking out of their normal world and answering the call of adventure to returning with a changed view of the world or a saving solution to a problem. And in fact, almost every Hollywood and Netflix flick today is based on exactly this principle: try it out, take your favourite hero and find that the character moves exactly along the universal tension curve.

Let's start with the lure of the brave new world. An adventure only appeals to us if we are missing something in our familiar surroundings. Nobody would climb a mountain if they already felt like a great pike on their couch at home. No one buys a motorbike if they already feel free in their VW estate car. And nobody won't be seduced by beauty adverts if they think they look stunning all round. You guessed it: it's all about appealing to the customer's deepest emotional needs. So find them out!

‘You only go on an adventure if you feel a longing. If you're not missing anything, you won't lift a finger. Not even for the most beautiful app in the world.’

A good call to adventure always attracts customers with an emotional core message that makes them realise what they are missing: experience something again, says Airbnb to the bored couch potato. Feel more beautiful, L'Oreal breathes into our ears. We briefly ponder: But that will cost us our entire fortune! And bang - we fall for the call and click on the app. The hero's journey takes its course.

Now the fun really begins. UX designers know that potential buyers have to fight against numerous internal and external hurdles in an app. Because, as the James Bond viewer knows, a hero always has powerful opponents. Otherwise, the story would be over pretty quickly and the payoff would be kind of lame. The opponents on Airbnb are: My stinginess. Do I really want to spend the money? My time: Can I even go on holiday? My doubts: Is this a trustworthy landlord? The app fights against all these antagonistic forces as our loyal companion with little tricks in the right place. With reviews that give us security. Artificial shortages of offers that tell us that we have to strike now, otherwise the opportunity is gone. Suggestions of cheaper accommodation at the same time and so on.

Phew. We've already fought our way through the thicket. Time for a commercial break. Get your snacks.

So James Bond has almost shot his way to his dream retreat on the island of Samoa. But now the last great temptation looms around the corner like a dark shadow before he clicks the all-important ‘Yes, I book’ button. The man-sized Amazon that makes him weak at the knees, or in our case: Booking.com! There might be something cheaper to be found. But right at this critical moment, Airbnb reminds us with its beautiful location pictures, cosy shopping atmosphere and lovely branding - no, Booking.com is for bores after all.

Yes, even more: Airbnb also sends undecided travellers who have not yet booked an email with pictures of the last accommodation they looked at in order to wave a fence post through the flowers: you wanted to be an adventurer. Someone who experiences something! Remember your goal, James!

With all these little tricks in the right place, the UX designers keep drawing users back to the platform. And finally, the redemptive click sounds. The world has been saved, the holiday suite has been booked and a rewarding ‘I'm here’ appears on your screen:

The joy of our successful user experience doesn't just last for a moment - the rewarding feeling is anchored in our memory as a positive memory. We return to our now changed world with the booked accommodation, our saving elixir, and in this state of micro-euphoria, the app immediately encourages us to recommend this adventure to friends. Subscribing to the newsletter also increases the likelihood of recommending the app to others or using it again. Just like we watch a good film again and again. We know what we get and we loved it. Great cinema!

To ensure that your app produces just as many endorphins as an action film or a romantic comedy, the same applies as ever: put yourself in your users' shoes. Your heroes! You should address a few key questions in advance:

1. what is a missing emotional need that your product can fulfil?

2. what hurdles and concerns need to be overcome so that the heroes click through to the goal, the conversion?

3. how can we as a brand differentiate ourselves from competitors authentically and along the entire journey so that the hero can stay with us until the end?

Approach your app development like Steven Spielberg: Have fun with it, then your product will also delight your users. And every now and then you can surprise them with the odd unforeseen twist. After all, brands are also allowed to evolve, mature in tone and try out new approaches. Just like the new James Bond.