This is HeyLab's submission for the SXSW 2022 panel picker. HeyLab is a research agency focused on unlocking marketing effectiveness through neuroscience, behavioural science and data science. Synopsis: The Covid-19 crisis has given us a glimpse of a frictionless future with many upsides, but also with downsides for people, businesses and brands. What are the choices that brands need to make when balancing friction-free against deliberate friction? Should brands now reap the benefits of hyper-automation and digitisation and pursue a never-ending quest towards removing friction, and is this different for emerging brands and legacy brands? Or do brands need to consider the value of connection and messy everyday interactions that connect people with people, but also people with brands? Based on their Human Connection Index research, HeyLab will explain the how brands can build and measure empathetic friction using neuro-based testing, and then how they can act on these insights. The power of empathy lies in connection. Brands must satisfy both the cognitive and emotional components of empathy to better connect with people.

1. HeyLab presents:
De-coding Human
Connection:
Empathy vs Friction

2. Aoife McGuinness
Neuroscience Consultant
Neil Davidson
CEO and Partner
hey@heylab.agency
hey@heylab.agency

3. De-coding Human Connection: Empathy vs Friction
The Covid-19 crisis has given us a glimpse of a frictionless future with many upsides, but also with
downsides for people, businesses and brands.
What are the choices that brands need to make when balancing friction-free against deliberate friction?
Should brands now reap the benefits of hyper-automation and digitisation and pursue a never-ending
quest towards removing friction, and is this different for emerging brands and legacy brands? Or do
brands need to consider the value of connection and messy everyday interactions that connect people
with people, but also people with brands?
Based on their Human Connection Index research, HeyLab will explain the how brands can build and
measure empathetic friction using neuro-based testing, and then how they can act on these insights.
The power of empathy lies in connection. Brands must satisfy both the cognitive and emotional
components of empathy to better connect with people.

4. Frictionless is great right?

6. Frictionless = dystopian, total-surveillance shopping experience?

7. Source: Professor Galloway (2020)
Frictionless = by-product of brand dispersion

8. Brand dispersion is re-engineering every aspect of our lives

9. Brand dispersion is creating new marketing priorities

10. Frictionless = emotionless?

11. The Service Recovery Paradox

12. Frictionless = unmemorable?

13. The Effort Paradox

14. Can we feel empathy without contact?

15. Frictionless = unempathetic?

16. Can you have a friction
free brand?

17. The power of empathy

18. Empathy builds connection

20. Unlocking human
connection

21. Building
connection with
empathetic friction

22. Thank You!
heylab.agency hey@heylab.agency