Social Media

This week we had the very interesting topic of social media. What I find most interesting about this topic is that, originally, it was never intended to be used for marketing purposes. When we set up a blog, Facebook account, or Twitter account we aren’t thinking about the different companies that might be reading our posts, but they do read and they are curious of what we, as consumers, have to say. They have to, because the opinions that we write online can impact their sales.  So, whoever has claimed that words can’t hurt is most certainly wrong.

While I was reading Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, I cam across a section that read, “blogs are a valuable tool, not just for communicating to the world, but for getting feedback.” When I think of companies that utilize user-generated content wisely, the one company that comes to my mind first is Dell. If you are unfamiliar with Dell’s customer service history, it has not always been as amazing as it is today. It took one blogger, Jeff Jarvis, single-handedly burning the company in 2005 to get Dell listening to its customers. Since then, they have made drastic improvements with the help of their customers. So when I was asked to write about my thoughts on how companies can best use social media to gain insight or create experiences, I knew I would point to Dell as a model of how every company should perform.

Dell gains insight by meticulously monitoring everything that involves its name online. This reflects the first step in Groundswell in regards to using social media, which is, “listen. Read blogs that are talking about your company and see what people are saying.” If there is something written about them online, you better believe Dell knows about it, but more importantly Dell is listening to it and responding. It is not uncommon to write a negative post on a blog about Dell and receive a response from one of its technicians. These technicians are employed by the company to solve the problems customers are claiming to have. These methods that Dell has put into affect are completely aligned with the advice offered in Groundswell for the next step, which is, “start commenting on those blogs or videos, or prepare to create your own.” This step adds value to the customer experience because you know your opinion matters and that you are being taken seriously. Companies are no longer dismissing those that speak out because there is a high chance that others feel the same way.

As a random piece of information, I had a friend contacted by Dell’s technicians. She said they were incredibly helpful and even humorous. The conversation went something like this, “ This is Michael from Dell, well not that Michael, but is there something I can help you with today?” Not only did her problem get solved, she was able to laugh about it later.

Most companies would prefer it if nothing was posted about them online. This is often out of fear that they might be receiving bad reviews, but bad reviews encourage change. Bad reviews expose room for improvement that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by the company. This is what Dell had to learn the hard way.

Besides monitoring random forms of social media to gain insight into customer issues, companies can harness a form of social media as a means of directing customer responses. Dell did this with their website DellIdeaStorm.com. Now, if customers have a complaint or suggestion, they can visit the site and let Dell know directly by writing a post. Some suggestions posted by customers have resulted in improvements made to products or additional services offered. Not only is this a genius way of gaining insight into your customers’ wants, because the information is flowing straight to the company, but it also adds value to the customer experience. Customers feel like their wants have been taken seriously and as if they have had a part in the making of the product. If you can make a customer feel like they took part in the construction of the product, there is no way they can be left unsatisfied.

Although there are plenty of companies that effectively utilize social media to add value to their customer experience or gain insight, Dell is the perfect example of how it can be used to improve sales and company image. It may be because of the severity of bad attention Dell received from social media prior to its changes, but I cannot think of another company that has been able to make such an impressive turnaround.

Shoes and Desks

This week’s blog was by far my favorite. We were assigned the task of sending a text messages to friends in order to receive two random inanimate object/thing words. We sent the message because we weren’t supposed to pick the words on our own. Once we received the words we were supposed to “mind dump” and just write everything we could about the words individually. Next, we had to think of as many combinations, using the two words, as possible.

First Word: DESK

When thinking about desks, several things come to mind. First, desks can be made from different things such as wood or metal. You can also use them for various reasons. You can complete your work at a desk. You can sleep at your desk. It can be a furniture piece for decoration in a room. You can use it to hoard things inside or place things on. You can stand on it to fix something on the ceiling. It can be a symbol of power. The bigger the desk is the better. Desks in school always have nasty things under them. I had friends that looked silly sitting in them because the desks were too small. I never had enough space to feel comfortable sitting in them during high school. I wasn’t able to lay all my assignments out to get a visualization of everything I needed to complete. Things you can use instead of a desk could be tables, dressers, or countertops. I can honestly say that I have never carved any message onto a desk. Some of my worst encounters with desks involved bubblegum on the seat.

Second Word: SHOE

Shoes are an obsession of mine. I probably own over sixty pairs. Despite how many pairs I own, I’m actually very picky. You can use them to express yourself. You can throw them at people if you’re mad (I have never done this I promise J). You can use them to squash a bug. I once saw a shoe used as a replacement for a hammer. There are so many types of shoes: heels, tennis, flats, boots, and flip-flops. You need them to get into restaurants. You can use them to get better grip, which can be used in construction work or competitive athletics. When worn inappropriately, you can mess up your feet. Sometimes they can smell really bad. The Pope wears red Prada shoes. My favorite pair of shoes growing up had lights that blinked when I stepped. They were so cool until they stopped blinking. Shoes are actually very important because they protect your feet from injury. It’s hard for me to imagine that there are people in this world that don’t own a pair and probably need them more due to harmful surfaces.

            It’s really difficult for me to think about ways to combine them, but here goes nothing.

·      You can use a desk to display a shoe.

·      You can store a shoe inside a desk.

·      You can place a shoe under the leg of a desk to make it a more even surface.

·      You can make shoes for a desk. They have legs after all.

·      You can carve a desk into a pair of wooden clogs.

·      You can use a shoe to fix a desk. More specifically, a loose nail on the desk.

·      If the desk is small enough to find in a Polly Pocket then you can transport the desk in a shoe

·      You can make a desk from a bunch of shoes.

·      You can decorate a desk with shoes (why not? We decorate with stockings for Christmas.)

·      You can make shoes modeled after a desk (Maybe Lady Gaga would wear them.)

·      You can make a desk modeled after a shoe (I know they make chairs like that already.)

I know creating shoes for a desk sounds silly, but some people might actually enjoy the humor. I personally wouldn’t buy shoes for my desk, but I would very much be entertained if I saw them, and some people out there seek to entertain. The other idea that I felt could be tweaked was the concept of storing shoes inside a desk. I know women do it already or they simply leave their shoes under their desk. They do this when they’ve brought two pairs of shoes to work and their feet hurt. Why hasn’t a desk been made with a small shoe shelf? I would definitely buy that! If there’s anything that bothers a woman more than her shoes hurting it’s people knowing that her shoes hurt. I think a small shelf to store shoes discretely would be great.

Illusions, Magic and Purses

             On a recent trip to Vegas, my mother took me to the Louis Vuitton store in Caesar’s Palace. Needless to say, I loved it. The lighting made everything look so beautiful and exclusive. The bags sat on their own piece of personal wooden shelf, which made all of them look more like art pieces than purses. The sales associate made me feel like no one else existed. It took me a while, but I finally made my decision. I chose the Sistina PM with Damier Ebene Canvas.  It was the perfect size and it had a gold buckle that was to die for. Leaving the store with my new bag, I felt confident in my purchase (I had invested so much time into it!). That is, until I saw a women walk by wearing my exact purse. It was as if a thick wall of buyer’s remorse mixed with reality came slamming into my face. I have no idea why it hadn’t occurred to me that this bag wasn’t the only one that existed on the face of the planet. I could not believe that I had spent so much money on a purse only to see another one like it fifteen feet from the store. This might sound silly, but I felt cheated. It was like seeing your boyfriend walk by with another woman just seconds after hearing you were the love of his life. I didn’t return the bag that day, but it certainly didn’t mean as much to me after that miserable experience. 

             It was this experience that I’ve just shared with you that made me interested in luxury goods. Not just luxury goods in general, but the human aspect to it. I am simply fascinated by the emotions that these goods create for us, and how companies create the illusion of scarcity. I’m intrigued by the impact of displays and how effective lighting can draw us like a mosquito to a bug zapper. How do these companies create a sense of personal fulfillment for their customers through their products? Which of the four marketing P’s has the biggest impact on the purchase? How long does the emotional high last? What types of feelings do they try to create? How do they remedy situations like the one I described experiencing above?

             I would have to say that the real reason this topic interests me is because I have fallen victim to the allure of these goods several times (OK! I confess! A ridiculous amount of times.). Nobody likes to feel manipulated or tricked and, at times, I have felt that way after the purchase. I want to understand how effective their methods are to, hopefully, better understand my own purchasing trends. I would like to gain a greater understanding of the messages being sent to me subliminally. Ultimately, I want to know whether my purchases are made because I truly want the item, or if someone else is telling me I want the item. 

             At this point, I view luxury goods as the epitome of designing valuable customer experiences. How else could they manage to get you to spend such a ridiculous amount of money on an item that: 1.) you hardly use? 2.) you already own? 3.) you know is not quite worth what you paid? I feel like they have an amazing understanding of the experience they are trying to create.  They are so effective that you can’t help but get caught up in the moment, and then you’re hooked. 

             While researching luxury goods, I came across an interesting article about how companies find a balance between seeking higher market share and product exclusivity. It is called The Great Pretenders: the magic of luxury goods. It gave me some great incite into the business aspect of luxury goods and it alludes to some emotions involved in the process, but not quite as much of an emotional aspect as I would have liked. It was a great start though. 

Customer Experiences

            This week we’ve been learning about customer experiences. One customer experience that I can say was amazing is the time I got iLasik eye surgery. In order to describe how amazing this customer experience was, I have to give you a description of just how horrible not being able to see was.

            

            When I was younger, I competed in track and it was very important in my life. Running with contacts or glasses while trying to jump hurdles was annoying and dangerous. The dirt constantly got in my contacts, which was just painful. Then there were moments when the right amount of wind would come and dry up my lenses. I ended up getting an eye infection, which was just humiliating. When I was forced to wear glasses, they were always falling. If ever I took my glasses off, I was only able to see human silhouettes. I grew accustomed to identifying individuals by the colors they were wearing or the sounds of their voices. I remember my vision being so bad that I couldn’t read a giant Wal-Mart sign. That’s when my eye doctor told me I was close to being legally blind. 

            The horrible part wasn’t even the inconvenience of glasses or contacts, but really the fact that I had grown used to not being able to see. I didn’t remember what it was like to look for details. I didn’t pay attention to things around me, because there didn’t seem to be a point anymore. This impacted my learning, because I couldn’t see the board in class.

        

            When my parents finally agreed to let me get the medical procedure, I went in for a consultation. Although I was eager to see, I wasn’t exactly too excited about having anyone cut my eye open. In a private room, the doctor sat down with my mother and myself to discuss exactly what was going to be done. He shared with me some recordings of successful surgeries and allowed me to see for myself (no pun intended) that there would be no feelings of pain. He didn’t leave until I was completely comfortable scheduling the surgery.

            What I remember most about my surgery were the moments that the staff created for me before and after the procedure. To emphasize the drastic change, the doctors wanted me to take several eyesight exams. Before the procedure, I squinted to see the big letter “E” at the top of the chart. After the operation, the staff rushed me back to the same room and, with my eyes still blurry, I already had 20/15. It was a life changing experience. I hadn’t even noticed how beautiful the examination room was. They were aware of what a big difference this would be for me, so they made sure I was able to fully appreciate my eyesight before having to cover up my eyes. With every checkup that followed my surgery, my vision got better and better. They called me regularly to track my progress. 

            

            Stepping back to analyze my experience, it was the staff that really added value. Many members of the staff had received the same treatment, so they had a clear understanding of what this experience would mean to the patient, and how best to associate that experience with their office. Now whenever I think back to that moment, I can’t help but remember the employees that shared it with me. Whether or not they actually did, they made me feel like they genuinely cared. The doctor even telephoned me himself at times. It was almost as if they were giving me a gift, despite the fact that I paid for it, and who doesn’t like gifts? So when we discussed in class how positive experiences increase the likelihood of customer loyalty, I had to fully agree because that same staff still handles my regular exams. 

Personas

After reading about the persona lifecycle, I found several things to be particularly interesting. First, I enjoyed the statement, “complete personas include concrete facts as well as narrative and storytelling elements.” What I enjoyed most about this was the concept that, like an author, you bring a persona to life. This persona has likes, dislikes, design, evaluate, and release your products.” How cool is that? It reminds me of being young and having an imaginary friend. The only differences are that this type of imaginary friend is socially acceptable, nobody thinks you’re weird, and they hear suggestions from that person too.

Another idea that I found to be intriguing was the industry practice of teams maintaining constant assumptions about the persona. This practice leaves no room for any individual teammate to deviate, because doing so is detrimental to the project. I found this interesting because of the level of difficulty that must accompany this process. Essentially, every team member must share similar persona facts and be able to follow the same narrative. This may seem simple, but have you ever noticed how someone can read a book and interpret it differently from the director of a movie? This is after the fact that the book is already written, so I can only imagine having multiple writers like a television series.

So when asked to create my own persona, I figured, “What the heck, I saw A Beautiful Mind.”

The Blunt Busy Bee Persona

Lifestyle Characteristics

·      She’s a fourth generation Mexican American who speaks Spanish only with her family.

·      She keeps everything planned on her Smartphone and feels nude without it.

·      She enjoys having the latest technology.

·      Her dog is a pet, child, running companion, and good listener.

·      Hates to clean, but hates the mess even more.

·      She has strong brand loyalty.

·      She wants her products to perform as promised and when they don’t she will let everyone know about it.

·      She’s willing to run the extra two miles for chili on her fries.

·      Time is of the essence, so she likes things quick: fast food, fast Internet, fast shipping, fast running, and fast service.

·      A new pair of shoes can cure almost any ailment.

·      She aims to find the perfect balance of fashionable and comfortable every morning.

·      The unrealistic models in commercials turn her off.

·      She speaks two languages and is working on her third.

·      She has studied abroad in France.

·      She’s so competitive she won’t let her 5 year-old niece win at tic-tac-toe.

·      She frequently contemplates the future.

·      Rarely has an opportunity to watch T.V.

·      She can never understand art, but thinks it’s cool how people express themselves differently.

·      She’s never been drunk or smoked a cigarette. Peer pressure is stupid.

·      She believes every product should aim to make lives easier. If a product comes with a large manual, she doesn’t want it.

·      She despises pop up ads.

·     She takes pride in budgeting and researching products before purchasing.  

 
Role Models

·      Carlos Slim Helu

·      Martha Stewart

·      Steve Jobs

·      Mother Teresa

·      Her parents

Personality

·      Dream big. Perform bigger.

·      Hold the alcohol. My life is crazy enough already.

·      I can do anything with the right outfit.

·      Catch me if you can. 

Interests

• Running
• Fashion
• Baking
• Traveling 
• The Bible

Demographics

• Kids: 0
• Income: $0
• Siblings: 4
• Age: 20 
• Gender: Female

      Values

•          Discipline
•          Honesty
•          Family
•          Education
•          Religious Tolerance
•       Punctuality

Goals

·      Find a job that is both profitable and self-fulfilling.

·      Become a better person with each day that passes.

·      Learn Jiu-Jitsu.

Design for Impact

There were several concepts that I found to be of particular significance during the lecture on design philosophy and its practice, the first being the concept of designing to empower. It is truly an honorable act to design a product that makes the lives of others easier, especially those in developing countries; however, it is extraordinary when you can design a product that allows others to help themselves. Innovators who design to empower not only take part in making the lives of others easier, but also help give them a sense of personal accomplishment.

To illustrate this point, I’ll provide an example from my own past. Growing up, I would ask my father for a dollar. Being the giving man he was, he gave it to me. Then again, I asked him for another dollar, and he gave it to me. Finally, when I asked him yet again for another dollar, he handed me a lemon squeezer. He said, “Go and learn what it means to earn your own money.” I most likely made the worst lemonade this world has ever tasted, but the feeling of accomplishment I received when it sold was unlike anything I had ever known, and I felt empowered. I felt like anything was possible if I tried hard enough at my little lemonade stand. At that young age, I had no responsibilities, no family to feed, nor bills to pay. I can only imagine the sense of empowerment a man in a developing country feels when he is able to vastly increase the profitability of his own land with the help of a low-cost irrigation system. The fact that there are people in this world like Driptech, who make it their occupation to generate tools that help others and provide them with this sense of accomplishment, completely amazes me.

Another topic that I found intriguing was Dieter Rams’ list of 10 principles of good design, and to be more specific, how they have remained relevant throughout time. It is impressive how he was able to see the importance of the environment long before it became the trend it is today. Another of his influential points was that “good design helps us to understand the product.” The large majority of today’s youth have an apple product influenced by Dieter Rams. Although high-tech, most apple products are designed to be simple to use.

One very important idea addressed in class was of the direction in which the field is moving. “Designing for the other 90%” is quite compelling. It was quite shocking to me that I never realized how many products in today’s market would never find their way into the hands of the general population in a developing country. Even more shocking than that, was the thought that this shift has not happened sooner. While our innovations continue to allow us to perform more tasks at a faster rate, innovations elsewhere allow communities to have safe drinking water.

Finally, one invention that I found thoughtful was an automatic chlorinator built for a Honduras community. This invention controls the chlorine entering a water storage tank. This was significant, in my opinion, because it was made from materials and items that could be easily found within the community. Inspired by a toilet, the model is fairly simple to replicate, and since then the community’s plumber has been able to make adjustments to the original model. Of the designers discussed in class, this design corresponds to the principles of Henry Dreyfuss, Charles and Ray Eames, and Dieter Rams. What these three designers shared in common were the beliefs of efficiency and simplicity.

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