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The_MAYA_Stage
| The MAYA Stage
The word ?Maya? may call to mind the peoples of Central America.
One may think of ancient ruins and the bold stonework and murals
of Mayan culture. Some may think of religion or colorful Mayan
history. Most people do not think of design.
Raymond Loewy, an influential industrial designer listed by Time
magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people of the
20th century, coined the phrase ?MAYA stage? early in his
career. MAYA applies to any type of design - architectural,
industrial, Internet, etc. What is it?
MAYA stands for ?Most Advanced Yet Acceptable.? Mass production
of products and advertising materials by influential companies
condition people into accepting certain methods of design as
being the norm. Any design that drastically departs from the
accepted norm amounts to a risk to the company. Therefore, the
MAYA stage is the limit that society places on your design. Even
though a design may be considered advanced, it may not be
accepted.
In the world of e-commerce, the average shopper is accustomed to
basic and generally accepted design elements. Take for example,
the shopping cart. The user knows that after they select a
product for purchase it goes into a shopping cart. They can then
continue to shop for more products, or check out. What if the
shopping cart was replaced by a counter top or a cash register?
Because the user is so conditioned to a specific icon, any
change in symbolism may result in confusion and loss of sale.
The MAYA stage comes into play to a greater degree when a
designer chooses to use high-tech bells and whistles in an
e-commerce web site. True, animation does enhance the appearance
of a site, but if it results in a dramatic departure from the
accepted norm the customer may be entertained, but lose interest
in buying anything. If the customer has to reprogram their brain
to use your site, you?ve done something wrong.
Demographics play a large role in the where the MAYA stage lies.
If the products sold on your site appeal to an older generation,
you probably should not try to push the envelope. A mature
individual generally knows what they want to accomplish and
doesn?t want to be bothered learning a new way to accomplish it.
Teenagers and Generation X?ers are more accepting. The MAYA
stage is set very high for them. Feel free to experiment, but be
willing to scale back if your sales are too low.
The MAYA stage will also be different according to geography.
Something that is acceptable in New York City may not work in
Chattahoochee, Florida. Know your demographics well.
As a designer you have the ability to push the bounds of design
and influence the way people think. You must be aware of the
MAYA stage limits however. Not understanding where the limits
are could mean the failure of your e-commerce web site. A clear
understanding can mean success!
About the author:
Jake Gorst is a writer, film maker, and president of Exploded
View (http://www.explodedview.tv), a new media advertising and
design company. He also is a frequent contributor to various
trade publications on topics related to Web site and
architectural design psychology and trends. Previously, Gorst
served as Vice President and Chief Creative Officer for E-Media
Publishing, Ltd. and as an Internet content developer for
Citibank and other Long Island based corporations.
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