steelcase blog

Mass AND Customization…

… why is that ‘AND’ stuck in the middle of a fairly common business term ‘mass customization’ (coined by Stan Davis in his book Future Perfect)…?  Because it is the key to the concept, and often overlooked.  But that’s not usually the case.  A firm tends to be more ‘mass’ (greater efficiency) or more ‘customization’ (greater individuality),… but a few have optimized for both.  Take for example GNC, the vitamin company.  They package and ship a Vitapak just for you.  More green vegetables, they can do it,… help for allergies, no problem.  And a combination of Vitapaks or specific other pills can be built into a personal profile called ‘my regimen’,… and remind you when it is time to reorder.  What makes it work is that they have developed and produced a number of different vitamin modules,… that can be combined in many different ways to match the demands of any one consumer.  Any company that has componentized the various elements of their offering in a way that reduces cost and waste (mass), and then tailors the final packaging and/or assembly based on a particular customer order only after the order is placed (customization),… earns the ‘mass customization’ badge of honor.

The above has huge implications for experience design.  Customizing a good creates a service opportunity,… customizing a service makes for a compelling experience.  If you get exactly the same good or the same service the previous customer got, where’s the positive impression, where’s the memorable encounter…?!  There is none.  Companies that don’t take the time to engage  each customer to identify what they value, and instead focus on making a good or providing a service at the lowest possible cost,… have actually sown the seeds of the own demise.  Due to their lack of tailoring, what they offer will be based on price alone.  And the next time they buy, the customer will expect to pay less.  It’s a never ending downward spiral to commoditization,… and the opportunity for profits spirals down as well.  Commoditization or customization...?

The Missing Piece…

...or stated otherwise, what isn’t there can often trump what is.  I’m about halfway through a very enlightening book titled In Pursuit of Elegance by Matthew May,… that gives example-after-example of this basic principal.  Try this.  Recall something you have labeled ‘elegant’ in the past,… and see if you can state why…?  I bet you use words like special, endearing, inspirational, unique.  But when pressed, you likely would say it evoked this reaction in good part because of its simplicity.  And it is this trait, simplicity, that has burned it into your memory.  I believe this not only applies to things but to services and especially experiences s well.  How can you remove all the clutter in your offering to make sure the essence of satisfaction remains…?

I think the answer is not in trying to design a solution that includes everything that anyone might want,… but instead, design a solution that removes all things except that which you believe is universally desired by all.  One example that I found fascinating was a description of the work of Hans Monderman, a Dutch traffic engineer.  He theorized, and evidence later proved,… that the removal of traffic signals actually made for a safer intersection.  This is seen in his design of Laweiplein, in the seventeenth-century town of Drachten in northern Holland.  A busy intersection made of red brick and no signals whatsoever.  Instead of focusing on the traffic lights/signs, everyone looked out for each other, which is what most everyone wants anyway - to feel connected to others.

As you work on creating memorable experiences keep in mind the goal, which is to achieve the greatest impact with the least amount of input,… in other words, be extremely thoughtful about what you do include.  The power of the missing piece is strengthened by one’s response to what is there.  It’s counterintuitive but so true,… you engage people’s imaginations by leaving out the right things.  If done well, your design invites them to join you in the experience.  In or out…?

The Match Game…

source Wikipedia

… for those of us old enough to remember, The Match Game was an American television game show legend, that ran from 1962 to 1999 in syndication.  The object of the game was to have the contestant’s answer match those of invited celebrities.  While there is no prize money involved, having your work space match your work requirements creates a winning experience as well.  It all starts with having the space match the number of people involved in a work activity.  It’s pretty crowded when 3 or more people try and meet inside a typical cubicle, even a large one by today’s standards.  And when working alone, sitting in a large conference room built for 12 can be a bit unnerving.

A 2nd critical factor which contributes to a good match and a positive experience, are the information affordances (ability to access/display information) provided,… generally speaking the more people you have, the more affordances required.  An individual knowledge worker, more often than not, can be fairly effective with just their personal technology devices (laptop, cell phone, maybe a USB drive) and some amount of surface area to spread out reference materials.  A group of 3 or more though additionally require group affordances,… because collaboration demands that individual perspectives/ideas are displayed for all to consider.

This above distinction is evident in the variety of ‘3rd Place’ alternatives available to mobile workers today.  Solutions can be divided into three categories.  There are those designed primarily as a social setting, such as coffee shops,… where a cup of java and a good conversation is all that is needed.  Then there are those labeled as co-working facilities, which welcome independent free-agents, providing them with comfortable seating and mobile tables to sit at.  And finally there are service companies which have designed high-performance groupwork experiences,… with rooms including  HDTV and projected displays, white boards, and support for teleconferencing/telepresence.  Individual or Group…?

Experience Economy Expert…

… that’s what I am as of two weeks ago, as I became ‘certified’ through completion of a week-long class taught by the original experts, Joe Pine & Jim Gilmore,… co-authors of The Experience Economy and Authenticity, and co-founders of Strategic Horizons.  I learned a ton.  Methods and frameworks that can apply to my business, and all businesses for that matter.  The foundational model, upon which the course and their books are based, is called the progression of economic value (POEV).  This ladder of value starts with commodities at the bottom, then goods, above that services,… with experiences and transformations at the top.

This model depicts the long-term structural shifts in our economy which have occurred across history.  As you know life was much simpler at the start, with everyone primarily doing everything for themselves,… from raising animals, to growing food and chopping wood.  As trade emerged, we advanced into an agrarian economy where most workers were involved with extracting things from the earth,… commodities as diverse as food and coal.  The innovators of the time then developed machinery that could produce more output with less labor.  They also figured out the processes required to take commodities and make them into goods,… creating the next higher level of economic value (how you get paid), and the dawn of the industrial economy.

I’m not going to share the details of each stage of progression, as then you would have no reason to read the book.  I will say it has opened my eyes to the exciting potential for creating new economic value based on leveraging the changing desires/expectations of individuals/organizations.  The bottom line principle here is that as things become mechanized, standardized, commoditized, new forms of value will emerge.   And the cycle just repeats itself for each step of the POEV,… a goods company can design new value through services, a services company can design new value through experiences, and so on.  What’s valued next…?

Ability To Imagine…

… not having it, the ability to imagine, how awful would that be,… I can’t think of anything worse than not being able to think about the future.  And I’m not only speaking from my role in research (which is changing by the way, and I’ll share more about that later in this blog post),… but as a husband, father, citizen, or simply a one-of-a-kind individual.  The future may be as near-term as this afternoon or the next day, or as far away as next year or 10-20 years from now.  It’s just fun to ponder and plan for what’s possible, what’s coming, what’s next.  I’m not unique in this regard.  According to Daniel Gilbert, in his new book Stumbling on Happiness, it is our prefrontal cortex that allows all adults to project themselves into the future.  This allows us to dream of a better, happier, tomorrow.  In fact, it’s what this part of the cerebral machinery was designed to do,… we are the only animal, per Gilbert, that thinks about the future.  We not only like to imagine the future, but we also like to plan (control) that future,… or at least desire the feeling of control.  In other words, we like that we can direct today’s actions/activities to bring us, or those close to us, happiness in the future.

But the punch line of the book is that it ‘basically’ doesn’t matter.  Tell me it isn’t so…!  Happiness is more random than we might think says the author.  There are just too many factors that contribute to what the future really brings.  And even if the future you have imagined or planned for comes about, there is a high likelihood it doesn’t bring you the happiness you had predicted.  So I sat down and thought about this, and I’m fairly well sold on his conclusion.  Is where I am today what I had predicted when I graduated from college, or even as recent as 10 years ago,… not really.  Things happen, opportunities arise, situations present themselves, decisions are made, and actions taken.  While it doesn’t necessarily match up with my imaginings of years earlier, does that mean I’m not happy…?  No.  I believe one’s happiness is found in the present,… in their perspective on the big things, and their enjoyment in the little things.

But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about the future.  As I said at the start, it’s what my role in research demands.  The difference is that my job has me thinking about the future of work, not about my ‘personal’ future.  Over the last seven years of intensely studying users, it has become ever more clear to me that the value the user derives is in the ‘experience’ of work.  Furniture is important, technology is important,… but there is so much more.  There is location, there is process, there is an entire service level that can enhance the output of individuals and groups as they pursue a task.  This is especially true when faced with complex problems of a collaborative nature.  For this reason, I have taken on the new role of Chief Experience Officer for Steelcase Inc.,… focused on creating great experiences, wherever work happens.  This doesn’t mean an end to this research blog - WorkIt,… it will continue, under the direction of WorkSpace Futures at Steelcase.  But it could mean a new blog I’m looking (imagining) at starting on work ‘experience’ design - maybe WorkEXP.  Are you interested…?