Viaspire - Define.Innovate.Maximize.

Lessons Learned from Project Managers - "Focus on the User"

BNET talks to project heads from GM, Nokia, Mehtod and Facebook to find out what they consider "lessons learned" from working on high-stakes projects.

What I loved about each response was that the "user" was an influential factor in each take-away.

The perfect enemy is the enemy of the deadline.
"When you’re late, nothing happens ...and you’re not learning anything [from your customers]."
— Bill Wallace, engineering group manager for GM’s Volt battery

Always know whose problem you’re solving.
"Never forget who your customer is. Make that person real — it’s the key to getting the best product and keeping the team motivated... Bring in actual users so they can tell you early on, “I don’t know what this button does.”
— Lisa Waits, Nokia’s director of corporate business development

Make sure you’re talking to the right people.
"The right people weren’t talking together enough [to look at a customer / product challenge holistically]. People often get into silos in their heads..."
— Josh Handy, head of industrial design at Method

Ask yourself, “Is this necessary?”
"We have ideas on how we can help users communicate better, but we’re not always sure how well they will work. We do tons of testing for every little change to the page. One thing I know now, which I wish I had learned earlier in my career, is how to prevent “feature creep.” You have to be able to recognize when you’re inventing a feature that duplicates another or only adds unnecessary complexity."
— Peter Deng, product manager at Facebook

View full article: Lessons from the Worlds Best Project Managers >>

FLF 11.14.2008 - Focusing on Good Customer Experience

Happy Friday! We thought this was a great animated short on creating the perfect customer experience. Mr. Lux exemplifies a customer-centric approach in service.

Economist: Companies & Social Networks - Losing Face

The Economist tells a cautionary tale of companies who find out after the fact that their employees are revealing or misrepresenting their employers' brand online with their own posted indiscretions, gossip or exchanges on community sites like myspace, Facebook and Twitter.

It's a must read for organizations who currently have not addressed social networks usage policies - not only "at work" usage policies, but also "general usage guidelines" that are highly recommended to manage your brand and online reputation.  The article has three important recommendations to consider:

• [Create] and reiterate online guidelines frequently
• Monitor online activity closely to ensure that rules are respected
• Frequent “online watering holes” where people exchange gossip and views [to be fully aware of what is being posted directly by employees or through their affiliation with the organization].

Read on>>

Diesel Denim Dating - Convince Me

Every once in a while we'll get a press release across our desk that'll stop us in our tracks. Today, we had that moment. We laughed, we cried, we scratched our heads to see the "brillance" or "absurdity" of this campaign Diesel Denim Dating.

First, You Have to Read This Press Release
Diesel Launches Denim Dating Campaign
NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire
Ahhh -- the old dating game, if you're single and you know it -- "clap your hands!" -- you'll be into it,but over the past few years "it's" all become a bit too much like a metaphorical dodgy fast food joint; sweet but sour singles nights, hot 'n'a bit too spicy chat rooms, and tantalizingly nasty pasty recommend-a-friend sites -- but we still just can't get enough.

The question on everyone's lips is: how can you guarantee that what(who) you'll end up with won't leave you with an all too familiar smutty aftertaste, but instead will be, a) really really ridiculously ridiculously really really ridiculously good-looking, b) wild and witty and 'romantically ripe' in la bedroom and, c) reassuringly genetically superior? How do you know -- hmmm?

Pouncing on this market opportunity, Diesel set up the Denim Dating service to bring together the globally good looking social elite in unity for the good of all humanity, in the vein hope that maybe, just maybe, they might just wind up selling one or two jeans somewhere along the way.

So to get things going, 19 Diesel models have been hired to advertise themselves for your viewing pleasure both in Diesel stores and on the Diesel website too. And in answer to your question, oh yes you may email the models directly via the website and yes they are contractually obliged to respond! The models were chosen to match Diesel's different denim within the Fall-Winter '07 collection and there's something for everyone, 19 models and 19 new jeans from feisty Safado who tempts you to make love at him while he finishes his pull ups, to the flighty and irresistible Doozy,who begs you to make a wish and call her for dreamy days of Nu Jazz, tap, modern and all in between ...

Welcome to Diesel Denim Dating. This is a very real, fully functional dating website allowing YOU exclusive access to most of the world's most beautiful people -- pop up a personal ad of your very own amongst these aesthetic delights and you'll be advertised on the main homepage of Diesel.com too! Selling yourself has never been so fashionable.

OK, Done Laughing, Crying & Scratching Your Head in Bewilderment?
I'm all for pushing the envelope in creative. That's what makes Crispin Porter + Bogusky so effective, for example. It's what makes consumers take notice in an over-saturated multi-media world. For me though, this campaign reeks of exploit on far too many levels.

1. Go for the Old Sweet Spot - Make It Sexy!
   Sex sells. We get it. But, do you think anyone with legitimate "cool credits" would truly use this site to "talk to models?"
2. If You Have to Say It's "Fully Functional" - I Have Concerns
   "Real functional dating website?" Really? You think? I can't wait to see who will seriously use this. Functional doesn't even sound like the real word you want to use here, especially after using such hipster-speak as"nasty pasty recommend-a-friend sites" in describing other (more effective) interactive sites.
3. Chalk It Up to What's Hip Now
   I get the sense that the creators of this campaign thought, "The latest thing on the Web is called "social networking" let's do "that."
4. Feed the Craving: Everyone Wants to Be a Celebutante Hob Nobbing with the "Social Elite"
   Tailoring to the totally self-indulgent, "American Idol, You Tube - I want my "60" minutes of fame generation" -- telling consumers they'll be able to pop up a personal ad of your very own amongst these aesthetic delights  (ahhh, sigh), is really smarmy.  This does not feel like an "authentic" attempt to "bring people together" -- dating or otherwise and it feels shady in the sense that the true connection is to sell Diesel denim jeans...
5. What Would Seth Godin Say?
   I read this press release several times and visited the site looking for the brilliance. I felt -- "it had to be there or this had to be a joke I wasn't getting." All that kept coming to my mind was Seth Godin's book, All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World. If this was ever a great case study in a marketing campaign "trying" to lure in on a "promise" and a belief that this is something valuable for you, the consumer -- chatting with the "social elite in unity for the good of all humanity" this one really takes the cake. (My apologies to Seth Godin because I know his book actually delves a lot deeper into the true essence of what it means to tell a story that people want to hear -- and in my opinion this campaign is "faking the funk" as the kids would say!)

So, I don't know how or where to leave this post, but I'm pretty certain eHarmony and Match are getting a good laugh at their latest "entrant" into the dating marketplace. I'll be curious to see how many "fancy button-up coin pocket, low rise, skinny leg jeans they'll sell" as a result of Diesel Denim Dating.

As one of the models classifieds says: CONVINCE ME!

Nielsen Addresses Banner Blindness

According to Jakob Nielsen's latest report, Banner Blindness: Old and New Findings, "Users almost never look at anything that looks like an advertisement, whether or not it's actually an ad." The report goes on to show that user engagement varies from quick scanning, partial reading, and thorough reading, but ads are commonly leap frogged or not even viewed from Nielsen's latest eye tracking reports.

Read more>>

Know Thy Customer (Chain)

There is a great post by Innovation Zen that encourages business to address the unique perspective of users, purchasers and influencers.

Innovation Zen elaborates on this concept of a "three fold division" which was proposed by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in a Harvard Business Review paper titled “Creating New Market Space”. The distinction the authors make is that “while the three groups (users, purchasers and influencers) might overlap, they often differ.”
Identifying the cases where the groups differ, in fact, could help companies to come up with successful innovations.

This is a great reminder to:

1. Always dig deeper and actively evaluate intent, interaction, and influence in your experience design.
2. Remember, your customer relationships go beyond the "point of sale."
3. Think of your customers dimensionally. A single customer can represent all three perspectives or a "customer chain" as Innovation Zen notes.

Starbucks' Little Red Cup Back with Cheer

It's Red Again
Right around this time of year, you'll notice your morning perk of Starbucks coffee is served to you in its signature Red Cup. This year is no exception, launching its Red Cup campaign. However, this year, Starbucks Viral Effort Doubles as Social Experiment, according to an AdAge report.

In it's third year, Starbucks recently launched It'sRedAgain, a microsite offering Starbucks enthusiasts the ability to:

Send a Personalized Greeting

Share a Holiday Tradition

   

Watch Tradition Keeper Theater

Meet the Tradition Keeper

 

And, Get a Cheer Pass

 

Chain of Cheer
As a consumer, my interests are piqued about Starbucks Cheer Pass.  I'd like to pass on cheer to others, so it interests me to be a part of this "movement."  As a strategist, I'm fascinated with this highly viral social experiment.

• It's highly trackable by Cheer Pass ID
• It's clearly measurable and can be tied to the number of red cups sold as part of the chain of cheer
• It's positive brand building - 5-star buzzworthy component
• It taps into how everyone would like the holiday spirit to be - joyous, friendly, generous
• It's a coffee company "alerting" us to practice random acts of kindness (and a Red Cup full of Joe) for the holidays.

Your Guide to Cheer
Starbucks Tradition Keeper, "keeper of all things traditional", provides a Cheer Guide to learn more.

Step 1: Understand Cheer
What is cheer? It's a random stranger holding the door open for you because you have a bunch of packages. It's taking your kids out because you know your partner needs a rest. It's covering for a coworker when they're sick. It's giving up your last piece of gum.

It's random. It's selfless. It makes you feel good - whether you're giving it or getting it.

Step 2: Give a Cheer Pass
Each time an act of kindness takes place, the Cheer Giver gives the Cheer Receiver a Cheer Pass that encourages them to pass cheer onto another person.

Step 3: Share Your Story
To keep the kindness going, share your inspirational story with other potential Cheer Givers.

Step 4: See It Spread
The best part about the Cheer Pass is that you can watch the journey of kindness from town to town.

Step 5: Tell a Friend
The easiest way to catch some kindness and pass it on is to get your friends involved. Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Tell your family. You're just a few degrees away from spreading cheer!

Experience in Retail

I grew up in a family retail business and creating eye-catching storefronts and crafting a full experience around our products sold (particularly seasonally) was a true passion of mine. Transitioning this passion to the online space, I constantly examine what works well in the physical space, especially in context of the season, the unique store's offerings, the marketplace trends, the organization of their products, the message, the color pallette...everything. I take it all in and then play around with how I can leverage and optimize the experience or a similar one in the online realm as well.

A Trip to the Mall
This weekend, I was pleasantly surprised with a trip to the mall which left me inspired and with a new sense of exploration. The mall is usually a place of "dread" -- crowds, over-product crammed store layouts, overly attentive or adversely non-attentive sales clerks.  Visiting San Francisco's latest grand opening of the Westfield San Francisco was a breath of fresh air. To me, it was a "planned community" around shopper's interests, needs, and demographics. It was not subtle to me, but very obvious that they intended to make the entire shopping experience unique, targeted, and easily accessible. In their own words, they describe the mall as a "seamless blend of commerce, couture, community, cuisine, and culture."

Nice, but lacking... It's all in the details,
Our trip was prompted by the opening of the new Bloomingdales. While beautiful, it was overly ostentatious and the sales staff were unapproachable and arrogant. In addition, it was predictable and not necessarily progressive, which I would have expected given the opportuntity to open an entirely new footprint and flagship in SF. An example, which may seem totally nit-picking and lame was their use of music stations in the men's departments using CD players mounted on the wall. In all honesty, they were there as functional wall art, but in SF, the iPod capital of the world, I would have totally expected more "digital media" to capture alpha consumers! Sorry Bloomies!

Experience Awe
Nonetheless, I was in "experience awe" with the rest of the mall itself.  First, I have to note that the typical one-dimensional "you are here" mall directory is no more.  Now shoppers interact together around a touch-screen iDirectory -- helping each other out with searches for their store or eatery of choice as well as when and where to pick up the the next Muni or Bart within this 3-story megaplex. You can search by a touch screen keypad, or select icon that will help you get the information you need.

Browse versus Search
Wanting to "browse," we walked the mall checking storefront after storefront. I was stopped in my tracks when I came upon Ruehl No. 925. Not familiar with their brand (and apparently we're within their target market on Wikipedia), this Abercrombie & Fitch concept store is experience design on steroids. From the minute you see the uniqueness of the storefront, to walking through the "front door" in to what feels like your best friend's ultra-swank Greenwich Village brownstone, you are taken in with an array of perfectly presented product, an aromatic bouquet of flowers and aged leather, and throbbing DJ beats that makes you feel you just entered the party. You had to appreciate the full sense of experience created for this shopping experience.

Surprised. Delighted. Inspired.
Moving across the way to a much more subtle, yet sophisticated, concept store, was Fourth & Towne -- The Gap's new store for women -- "a new generation of women" as detailed in the Fourth & Town Story. This store goes out of its way to distinguish itself and keenly meet the needs of women who want to be stylish, sophisticated and chic.  I talked to one of the store's clerks there and his excitement about the brand and what Gap is doing here was infectious. It wasn't just a concept store, it was a belief in creating the right expierience for shoppers who know what they want and will buy it when they see it.  Looking at their website, I was interested in seeing that they even go as far as detailing the "Experience" of Fourth & Towne for you.

Their experience "on paper"  and in video definitely manifests itself in a welcoming shopping experience. It was fascinating to see its detail come to life.

Beyond the Mall, Going Urban
Lastly, while outside of this megaplex, I also had an equally sensory experience at another store, Urban Outfitters. One of my all time favorite stores for the fun, frivolous, and fashionable, Urban Outfitters is one of those stores that always seems to get it right. Watching 18 through 40 somethings touching, talking, and trying on everything and anything makes this place a "hands on" experience. I'm always pleased with the experience they put together there. It's a feeling of having everything you need to break the ice and host an awesome house party from the right plateware to underware!

Create Human Experiences.
This trip was refreshing and eye-opening. It brought me back to my roots of what works in the tactile brick and mortar world of retail and gave me a good boost of inspiration for creating new human experiences in the online world.

Be Aware.
On your next trip to the store, mall, or even restaurant, see what elements create a good experience for you and then think how that can be translated online. Being aware of what works well in the physcial space will help you meet your customers' expectations and inspire them to take the action you'd like in your relationship with them.

By Heather D

The (Near) Future of Your Dining Experience

According to an article published in the The Mercury News by syndicated reporter Stacey Hirsh of the Baltimore Sun, reports that Micros Systems, Inc. and Verifone, Inc. are testing in-dining tabletop payment systems in Maryland and plan to expand to dozens of restaurants across the U.S. in months to come.

Consumers are expected to spend 47.5 percent of their food dollars at restaurants this year. "Going out" used to be reserved for special occasions, Sunday brunch, or "date night." As people manage jam-packed schedules, catching a meal on-the-go is not only common, but often necessary. The restaurant industry recognizes this consumer demmand and estimates $511B in sales this year.  Adding new "conveniences" to the dining experience is one of the ways restaurants are looking to to improve the in-dining experience, says to Hudson Riehle, SVP of Research and Information Systems for the National Restaurant Association in Washington.

The convenience provided goes beyond simple "self-service." Using your debit card, avoids extra bank fees that can be applied if a credit card is used. Additionally, Pay at the Table service keeps your debit card in your possession, eliminating the probability of skimming, according to Jay Foley, co-executive director of the Indentity Theft Resource Center.

Like in most self-service check out processing, these Pay at the Table devices allow you to confirm your dining order (including price), add gratuity, and print off a receipt.

Harkening back to the 50's diners with tabletop juke boxes positioned next to the ketchup and mustard,  we may see the in-dining experience change, downplaying "dining entertainment," and playing up convenience and empowerment for its patrons.

Pepperoni Pizza + PIN, please!

TrendWatching: Status Skills

TrendWatching released its latest trend briefing this month on status, "a desire for recognition from family, friends, and any fellow consumers they come into contact with." 

As always, TrendWatching does a fantastic job outlining their theory on emerging trends and this one I, myself, have suspected for a while.

In an age of gas prices at astronomical prices, the Cadillac Escalade with glossy rims appears as one of those "in your face" status symbols.

On the once, "music television" channel, it's programming is now all about Cribs, Dubs, Sweet Sixteen, and the elite of So Cal, NYC, or Miami.

When hotels, doctor offices, even retail store experiences all tout spa treatments and other "luxury" amenities -- the idea that everyone is looking for that special something they can brag about, show off, and feel as if they are The Joneses.

This report notes an interesting shift, however, identifying that consumers are getting smarter and better with "status skills." Status Skills as TrendWatching defines it is "those skills that consumers are mastering to make the most of those same goods and services, bringing them status by being good at something, and the story telling that comes with it." STATUS SKILLS actually originated in the gaming world where bragging rights and status is a strong part of the fabric of this niche community. The briefing makes an interesting connection here that status is still equated with the tangible shiny, sparkly, elite products, services or experiences, but status-providing activities like mastering skills is creating new status which includes the "show & tell" bragging rights which is found to be just as envied.

The briefing has a lot of interesting points to note. Just to name a few interesting segments of this report, Status Skills outlines:

• Value Shifts
• The Definition of Status
• Status Lifestyles
• Combining Skills & Customer Interactions, and
• Dedicated Status Skills Providers

As the big push begins for the second half for profits this year, be sure to be aware of this trend and shift in behaviors, perceptions, community shifts, niche markets, and consumerism patterns. It's quite interesting.