design thinking
Staring at Acoustic Ceiling Tiles
There is a Design Thinking opportunity to Emergency Room care. In my previous post, I discussed the time involved in waiting to receive care -queueing properties of ER care. What I didn’t discuss is the feeling and experience of the patient during care. That’s the topic for this post today.
There is a Design Thinking opportunity to Emergency Room care. In my previous post, I discussed the time involved in waiting to receive care -queueing properties of ER care. What I didn’t discuss is the feeling and experience of the patient during care. That’s the topic for this post today.
Dichotomous Thinking at IDEO No More
Recently, Tim Brown, the CEO at IDEO came to a realization that Design Thinking can coexist with Six Sigma and Lean. For a while, his stance was really of black-and-white thinking: it’s either Design Thinking or Lean Thinking. This position is akin to a student who believes that if he doesn’t earn an “A” in a class, he believes he failed. Clearly, not healthy.
Recently, Tim Brown, the CEO at IDEO came to a realization that Design Thinking can coexist with Six Sigma and Lean. For a while, his stance was really of black-and-white thinking: it’s either Design Thinking or Lean Thinking. This position is akin to a student who believes that if he doesn’t earn an “A” in a class, he believes he failed. Clearly, not healthy.
Goodbye Customer: Loyalty, Costs, Complexity, and Recovery
Goodbye Customer.
That is sometimes what we say, without knowing the full costs and burden that proposition means on the business. Ironically, businesses are often unaware that their actions are pushing the customer away while at the same time trying to recover and retain them through expensive customer retention programs. Metaphorically, this is like pushing the customer away and pulling the customer back — at the same time. It is no wonder that customers have had enough.
Goodbye Customer.
That is sometimes what we say, without knowing the full costs and burden that proposition means on the business. Ironically, businesses are often unaware that their actions are pushing the customer away while at the same time trying to recover and retain them through expensive customer retention programs. Metaphorically, this is like pushing the customer away and pulling the customer back — at the same time. It is no wonder that customers have had enough.
Elegance and Encapsulation
Hiding unnecessary information from a customer is good business. Have you ever had an interaction with a business, where your goal was to get served, but instead the business shares their problems with you? Were you left thinking “I’ve got problems of my own, I don’t need or care to know yours. Just give me my hamburger already.” Encapsulation is an elegant and simple principle to ease the burden on your customer by subtracting or covering the unnecessary and adding the meaningful.
Hiding unnecessary information from a customer is good business. Have you ever had an interaction with a business, where your goal was to get served, but instead the business shares their problems with you? Were you left thinking “I’ve got problems of my own, I don’t need or care to know yours. Just give me my hamburger already.” Encapsulation is an elegant and simple principle to ease the burden on your customer by subtracting or covering the unnecessary and adding the meaningful.
Purposeful Simplicity, Unthoughtful Complexity
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
On Queueing, Oil Change, and Customer Experience
Earlier this week, I went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil change. I once worked for a person responsible for the redesign of many waiting rooms in various industries, so I went with an observant eye, looking for the items that he taught me about in his ethnographic work. It was a very interesting 30 minutes. Here’s what I saw and learned.
Earlier this week, I went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil change. I once worked for a person responsible for the redesign of many waiting rooms in various industries, so I went with an observant eye, looking for the items that he taught me about in his ethnographic work. It was a very interesting 30 minutes. Here’s what I saw and learned.
How To Be A Human
I had an experience recently where I spoke with a group of friends and acquaintances about the economy and the existential despair that is all around us. Then, a friend said something that shocked me:
. . . it’s terrible that (company x) went through such a huge delayering
I had an experience recently where I spoke with a group of friends and acquaintances about the economy and the existential despair that is all around us. Then, a friend said something that shocked me:
. . . it’s terrible that (company x) went through such a huge delayering
Not Accountable, Not Responsible
Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counterintuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication. More insipid, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team.
Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counterintuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication. More insipid, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team.
Maintain Forward Tension
One principle in Wing Chun is the maintaining of forward tension. To explain, I’ll draw the distinction between Tension and Energy and show how this principle in Wing Chun can be applied to Change Management.
Tension is a type of Energy
A Wing Chun maxim goes as follows:
soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy
One principle in Wing Chun is the maintaining of forward tension. To explain, I’ll draw the distinction between Tension and Energy and show how this principle in Wing Chun can be applied to Change Management.
Tension is a type of Energy
A Wing Chun maxim goes as follows:
soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy
We Remember Experiences, Not Features
“people remember experiences, not features or attributes” – a.g. lafley
I love companies and products that are disruptive, simple, and yet elegantly meets an unarticulated but dire customer need.
Today, we are speaking with Gauri Nanda, the inventor of Clocky and founder of nandahome.com.
+++++
Tell us a little about yourself: education, background, and career focus.
“people remember experiences, not features or attributes” – a.g. lafley
I love companies and products that are disruptive, simple, and yet elegantly meets an unarticulated but dire customer need.
Today, we are speaking with Gauri Nanda, the inventor of Clocky and founder of nandahome.com.
+++++
Tell us a little about yourself: education, background, and career focus.
