I love youuuuuugggghh

Eric Prouzet / Unsplash

It's the holiday season. Cards from friends and loved ones will soon flood your mailbox.

But have you ever had the experience of shopping for a card and really struggling to find the right one? Maybe you couldn't even say why. It's just that none of them felt right.

In her "Anthro Minute," UX researcher Melissa Vogel discusses observational research Hallmark conducted to understand how Mother's Day messages resonated with shoppers.

The researchers found that some people had a hell of a time picking out the right card. They stood at the shelf forever, looking through card after card. When they spoke to shoppers, they learned why.

All the cards seemed to say "I love you" or "You're the best mother in the world" or some variation thereof. However, for many people, that relationship with mom is a bit more...ummmm...complicated, shall we say? And those shoppers don't want to buy a gushy-mushy card because the sentiment would be a lie.

Hallmark used that deep insight about the mom-child relationship to develop a wider range of card messages, including some that show respect for mom and honor the Mother's Day holiday without being overly sentimental or oozing love. That understanding also informed a more expansive set of sentiments for other holiday cards, as well.