This hotel phone in Iceland has a special button that will wake you up if there are northern lights in the sky. Similar to the design considerations in my Publix’s Yogurt Spoons example – moments of joy can be created by understanding and proactively meeting people’s needs.
Amusing Offering: Wonky Wheels Tag
This store sign, along with its corresponding tags, invites shoppers (motivated by a mix of altruism, catharsis, and maybe a sense of humor) to partner with the store in the improvement of future shopping experiences. Design Considerations:How might we partner with customers to co-produce consistently high-quality experiences? (especially in ways that are tangible or immediately... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: Bank of America’s Sidewalk Engagements
With a sidewalk-accessible touchscreen and a massive image skinned to their building, Bank of America is bringing their “Digital Mortgage Experience” to the street. Design Considerations:• How might we lower the barrier to a customer’s first service engagement?• How might we better utilize existing resources and infrastructure to engage or delight our customers?
Amusing Offering: Publix’s Yogurt Spoons
“Don’t worry! We have the spoons here for you!” Design Considerations:How might we improve experiences by understanding and proactively meeting common needs?
Amusing Offering: Automatically Cancel Subscriptions
“Free Trial Surfing” is an app that uses virtual credit card numbers and an invented name to sign up for services. "The idea for this product came when I realized I was being charged for a $21.99 (£18) gym membership from over a year ago that I was never using. In fact, I had completely... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: Sephora “Assist Me” Baskets
Similar to my previous “Choose-your-own Uber Experience” post, this is another case of a service experience being improved by letting customers dictate some terms of the interaction. “[Not only can Sephora] create differentiated experiences for different types of customers… [but they] can also gain efficiency by better distributing the attention of their personnel…"—https://www.waveguide.io/patterns/else/entry/assist-me-basket Design Considerations:•... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: Free Sunscreen at the Park
“SPF is your BFF” “[IMPACT Melanoma partners with] forward-thinking cities, citizens, non-profit organizations, and businesses of all shapes and sizes [to] make a positive impact on the health of their community by installing convenient and attractive sunscreen dispensers in high-traffic areas and outdoor spaces.”—ImpactMelanoma.org This kiosk is a great example of something I heard a... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: Watch over my Parents (Veiller sur mes Parents)
Watch over my Parents, a “new service, in which customers pay for postal workers to check on their elderly relatives during morning rounds, has been hailed as a clever solution to the modern epidemic of loneliness… [It is] part of a new strategy for the French post office as it tries to find a joint... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: Lost Person’s Bench
Located near the entrance of the MacMillian Pier in Provincetown, MA – this bench’s label provides more laughter and photo opportunities than actual functionality to passing tourists.Looking passed the comedy, however, this bench acts as a reminder to build in fail-safes in preparation for common or drastic issues. Design Consideration:How might we avoid bad experiences... Continue Reading →
Amusing Offering: The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders
“All of our servers are people living with dementia. They may, or may not, get your order right. However, rest assured that even if your order is mistaken, everything on our menu is delicious and one of a kind. This, we guarantee.”— from: https://kottke.org/19/08/the-restaurant-of-mistaken-orders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su34Gx-STQk “They expected mistakes, so [they] were ok with it.”— Shiro... Continue Reading →