DESIGN
How property adverts hold the key to designing anything
Which of these terms do you think should be used in a property listing to boost the sale price?
- Charming
- Fantastic
- Spacious
- Great neighbourhood
- Well maintained
- State of the art!
The surprising answer is: none of them. According to Freakonomics all of these terms will reduce the price at which the property eventually sells.
This initially seems counter intuitive — surely those words are saying good things about the property?
What’s important is what’s NOT being said
“Charming” implies small and quaint, possibly dated. “Spacious” and “Great neighbourhood” suggest there aren’t any specific good points to mention so the seller has resorted to empty words. “Well maintained” means “old” and using an exclamation mark is overly enthusiastic.
So what words should the estate agent use to achieve the best price for the property?
Well, listing concrete features is a good way to start — the names of quality materials such as Corian, granite, maple and oak will increase the sale price. It’s no coincidence that these materials are usually used in the kitchen, which is the most expensive room to renovate.
The idea that people read between the lines when presented with information is nothing new. Certainly anyone who has ever played poker will tell you they look for non-verbal “tells” to figure out what cards their opponent is holding. Law enforcement agencies also make use of non-verbal signals and body language to assess suspects; for example the spy who was arrested by the FBI after they saw him coming out of a flower shop holding a bouquet with the flowers facing downwards, as they would in Eastern Europe, rather than carrying them the American way with the flowers pointing upwards.
As designers we use implicit communication all the time
We actively encourage people to read between the lines and figure out what this product does or what it means. The most basic form of this is what’s called an affordance — which essentially means what possible action can you take with the object? To give a simple example, a push handle is flat to imply that you should push it with your palm, while a grab handle encourages you to pull it.
Sometimes there will also be a signifier which gives you a clue about the affordance — for example, a zebra crossing which gives a signal about where you should walk. The entire road has the affordance of crossing, of course — you could theoretically cross anywhere — but the painted stripes signify where you should cross.
The use of non-verbal signals doesn’t only relate to the practical use of objects, though. Each product also has its own inherent meaning based on its style.
Material consumption is, at its core, a method of constructing yourself through the things you buy; wear these clothes and everyone will know you’re this sort of person. A large amount of consumer waste is generated because objects are static and people are not; thus as the person evolves and wishes to give off different non-verbal signals to others, they discard their belongings and buy new ones, even if the original possessions are not worn out. Recognising that objects have this “between-the-lines” meaning which evolves over time is a key aspect of design.
This is also important in terms of sustainability: extending the lifetime of a product isn’t so much about extending durability as it is about extending meaning. In design, as in life, it’s often what’s left unsaid that shouts the loudest.
