New but familiar

Why was Stranger Things such a hit when it first aired? Because it was fresh. We had never seen such a TV series before. And yet, we totally had, because it took place in the eighties, drawing inspiration from Spielberg movies and Stephen King stories. It activated our nostalgia.

It was new, but very familiar.

I just watched the first part of the latest season, which again is awesome. Judging from the ratings on IMDb, I’m not the only one loving it. Why is Stranger Things still a big hit, after 4 seasons?

Again, because this season is new but familiar.

The makers aren’t afraid, with each new season, to shake things up in the story. Season 4 is very different from the previous seasons, both in terms of story and visuals.

But they also keep the things we have come to love. The characters, the world of Hawkins and the Upside Down, the universal themes of friendship, love and coming of age and of course the 80s nostalgia— it’s all there.

Good design is also about making things new but familiar. To delight our users, we have to give them something new. Something they haven’t quite experienced yet. But at the same time it has to be familiar, or they won’t accept it. Raymond Loewy had a nice way of putting this, with his MAYA principle: Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable.

Will Season 4 be Stranger Things’ last one? Apparently not, as I just found out. But the next season will be. I’m happy this series won’t go on forever. Because at some point, things become too familiar and it gets too hard to keep things fresh. And that’s a good time to stop.