To say that I was a strong willed child is probably a gross understatement. I was also extremely impressionable, and like so many others was susceptible to the countless ads peppered throughout my wondrous Saturday Morning cartoons.
Those were fond memories racing down the stairs to be stimulated by our (at the time) black and white television and the stories of Captain Caveman, Pink Panther & others. I can even remember having heated debates about the shades of “pink” I could see within the grayscale hues of our zenith. As you can imagine, after being bombarded with hours of moving images, story-lines and displayed joys of other kids, I felt compelled to acquire these wondrous devices, toys, and food stuffs. I had to have them.
My trips to the local grocery store became my gauntlet of acquisition. It was these moments when I was finally able to see “the attainable” objects that looked so appealing. I knew the stories behind the brands and the joys of the multi-colored shelved products. I was convinced that if you knew what I knew you’d feel the same way. Hey, if Mikey liked it, like me, you’d probably love it.
I was a persuader from very early on. It was in those moments I instinctively tried every possible method I knew to persuade my parents to say “yes.” Unfortunately, my desires to acquire were often thwarted with objection and ultimately ended in tears. First, I would draw attention and begin a pattern of repetitive “pleases”. Of course, if this failed, I’d make snap agreements such as “I promise to do… in exchange for”… and then ultimately, if all else failed, I ‘d pull out the stops and begin the teary eyed plea which had huge potential to end in screaming and or being dragged down the aisle. Yes, I was that kid! Consider this my apology.
The coveted time in front of the television eventually turned into a desire to tell stories. I was driven to experience the altruistic buzz of emotionally moving an audience through story. Filmmaking became the clear career choice.
At that time, computers were only mildly interesting and with only limited knowledge, I began to garner a reputation as “someone who could fix computers”. The personal computer world was the dawn of a new age for so many. The computer was perceived as mysterious, delicate tool that required supreme intellect and training.
My tinkering with HTML slowly turned into a full-blown career of turning “mom and pop” shops into web entities. I began to meet with clients and witness the emotional extremes of users trying to send email, write letters or navigate web pages. As a whole, it seemed that users were intrigued but did not feel smart or safe.
The rest, as they say, is history!
Ben Sykes — http://www.uxdesigner.io/about-bensykes/history/