Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize

Prathamesh Krisang

Are you selling an invisible product?

Ever wondered how Bitcoin has no physical form, yet it has come to be visualized as a golden coin with “B” etched on it? And we have collectively agreed on it.

Or how, when you are buying a PDF, you are still shown a mockup of a physical book?

Why do marketers do that?

There are 2 psychological principles at work,

Picture Superiority Effect : People tend to remember visuals and images more than words.

Ambiguity Bias : People tend to choose an option that has a clear & predictable outcome instead of a unclear and unpredictable outcome.

When it is difficult for your customers to “visualize” what you are selling, “Tangibilize” your intangible product.

Tangibilizing is a process of making the invisible, visible; of taking what’s inside our heads and giving it a shape & form.

When we tangibilize something, we make it real. We give it form and substance. And it feels like you are buying something that is real and physical.

Check some real life examples ????

Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize
Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize
Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize
Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize
Design Pattern #14 : Tangibilize

[Summarizing]

Tangibilize works when,

-Product is invisible or difficult for your users to imagine

-Product had a physical equivalent before it became digital

-The final visualization is realistic & resembles something the consumer is familiar with. (book, coin, vinyl etc.)

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