Personalized Mass Customization : Creating intrinsically personalized products for a mass audience
LOL (Layers of Links) : Partnership Development with the use of Informatics/ Interactive data mapping
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A tweet is ... metaphorically speaking, and why it matters.
Take a few tasks in your workday:
The essence of conveying information
The transfer of one skill to another person
The explanation of a topic.
How many times is the same information relayed, re-relayed, documented, explained, re-explained, edited, versioned, changed, chatted about, bastardized in conversation, ad nauseum? Think back at your last conversation in a group where about half of the audience collectively was muttering in their minds "what is she talking about?"
These conversations stem from lack of in-depth understanding of the task at hand. Each component of the task seems distinct, disjointed, and divisional, whereby people seek a document to explain the steps. I call to reference our tax code and April 15th activities.
Often when we present an idea, we begin by stating its obvious benefits, its numerous qualities, its sustainable lifespan, or its beneficial impact on the listeners/ your audience. And very often, if this is a new idea, the listener (your audience) is still trying to figure out what it is you are talking about three quarters of the way into your conversation.
Build into you conversations, your instructions, and your passionate pleas, a strong analogy or metaphor that your listener can grab a hold of immediately. Does the task have 5 points of interest? Utilize the construction of a star with its five points.
Does the concept have an unlimited number of outcomes based on a decision? Discuss the trunk of a tree with the branched (current day metaphor) outcomes as the physical branches.
When you create this metaphor to be able for people to connect with your idea, use it! Develop it. Do not simply use it as an icon. Explain procedures, tasks, sub-points in the context. It will allow your audience to map (both conceptually and biologically physically in their brains) a memory and a connection to the topic. Problem solutions, adjunct ideas are then seen in context of the metaphor.
Think back at some of the most powerful metaphors you have used, believed in, or utilize to get things done. Perhaps a a certain piece of software is like a movie ... it opens to a curtain call, has a plot, and then delivers its result. Perhaps you use the image of a sports event to judge whether an activity was good. Touchdown or Fumble, anyone?
Speaking of such things, what was 'having a photographic memory' called before cameras?
The essence of conveying information
The transfer of one skill to another person
The explanation of a topic.
How many times is the same information relayed, re-relayed, documented, explained, re-explained, edited, versioned, changed, chatted about, bastardized in conversation, ad nauseum? Think back at your last conversation in a group where about half of the audience collectively was muttering in their minds "what is she talking about?"
These conversations stem from lack of in-depth understanding of the task at hand. Each component of the task seems distinct, disjointed, and divisional, whereby people seek a document to explain the steps. I call to reference our tax code and April 15th activities.
Often when we present an idea, we begin by stating its obvious benefits, its numerous qualities, its sustainable lifespan, or its beneficial impact on the listeners/ your audience. And very often, if this is a new idea, the listener (your audience) is still trying to figure out what it is you are talking about three quarters of the way into your conversation.
Build into you conversations, your instructions, and your passionate pleas, a strong analogy or metaphor that your listener can grab a hold of immediately. Does the task have 5 points of interest? Utilize the construction of a star with its five points.
Does the concept have an unlimited number of outcomes based on a decision? Discuss the trunk of a tree with the branched (current day metaphor) outcomes as the physical branches.
When you create this metaphor to be able for people to connect with your idea, use it! Develop it. Do not simply use it as an icon. Explain procedures, tasks, sub-points in the context. It will allow your audience to map (both conceptually and biologically physically in their brains) a memory and a connection to the topic. Problem solutions, adjunct ideas are then seen in context of the metaphor.
Think back at some of the most powerful metaphors you have used, believed in, or utilize to get things done. Perhaps a a certain piece of software is like a movie ... it opens to a curtain call, has a plot, and then delivers its result. Perhaps you use the image of a sports event to judge whether an activity was good. Touchdown or Fumble, anyone?
Speaking of such things, what was 'having a photographic memory' called before cameras?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Big Bird is 46: Speaking to Venn Diagrams
The interconnection between perceived audience and presentation.
Sesame Street (http://www.sesameworkshop.org/)is 40 years old. For a product that addresses an incredibly maturing fickle audience, this is an incredible feat. Who is the audience of Sesame Street? Obviously children from the age of 4 to 8, correct? However, as most know, the audience who watches, interacts with, and uses Sesame Street is a much wider net (parents and/or consumers).
It is intriguing to examine briefly how this is done. Sesame Street uses a number of techniques to draw in its core audience (a center circle of the 4-8 year olds) with a sustainable definitive product (creative educational content). It (or more suitably ‘they') then augment this base material with additional connections that speak to a generationally different audience (Venn Circle 2). It is important to note that the message/content to the 2nd audience is not the same material delivered to the core audience, yet it is delivered at the same time – the material has layers.
When presenting (ideas, messages, products), acknowledge that there are distinct groups that will hear the message. Create layers of intelligence, and actual different messages that are interwoven that can draw others, especially antagonists to your ideas. Make people think about the message and allow them to ‘argue’ or play with the message. This creates conversation and infusion of your ideas.
Closing thought… as an observant child, did you wonder why the muppets only had four fingers? Did this stretch your mind while watching? Or was it a diversion that made you miss the message?
Sesame Street (http://www.sesameworkshop.org/)is 40 years old. For a product that addresses an incredibly maturing fickle audience, this is an incredible feat. Who is the audience of Sesame Street? Obviously children from the age of 4 to 8, correct? However, as most know, the audience who watches, interacts with, and uses Sesame Street is a much wider net (parents and/or consumers).
It is intriguing to examine briefly how this is done. Sesame Street uses a number of techniques to draw in its core audience (a center circle of the 4-8 year olds) with a sustainable definitive product (creative educational content). It (or more suitably ‘they') then augment this base material with additional connections that speak to a generationally different audience (Venn Circle 2). It is important to note that the message/content to the 2nd audience is not the same material delivered to the core audience, yet it is delivered at the same time – the material has layers.
When presenting (ideas, messages, products), acknowledge that there are distinct groups that will hear the message. Create layers of intelligence, and actual different messages that are interwoven that can draw others, especially antagonists to your ideas. Make people think about the message and allow them to ‘argue’ or play with the message. This creates conversation and infusion of your ideas.
Closing thought… as an observant child, did you wonder why the muppets only had four fingers? Did this stretch your mind while watching? Or was it a diversion that made you miss the message?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
measuring with forehead prints
How do you measure your projects? How do you measure your presentations? How do you measure your success? Metrics are the clear demonstrable units that are published. How often do you express your numbers as On-time (3 weeks ahead of schedule)/Under-budget (3% savings) /ROI increased to 12%? Success!!
How about how many forehead prints on the glass? When the new retractable glass skybox "The Ledge" was introduced at the renovated Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower), the general manager knew the 103rd floor overlook was a success by the number of forehead prints plastered on the transparent glass in the floor. (PMI Network Magazine Oct09). Wouldn't that make a great story for the project status report?
Embrace personalized measurements of your projects with unique metrics. Play with "the number of new lunch sandwiches tried" as the group works hard through lunches; use "quantity of Twitter comments" as an ongoing metric; count the number of smiles during a typical project day and present that as an update; deliver a bowl of candy bars to the status meeting, one for each birthday celebrated during the project.
To see how the converse of a metric can be used - using a metric as the definer of the product, take a read of a great article by Michael Schrage that informs us that using non-traditional metric numerology may literally define success. What exactly is a horsepower anyway, and why was it created?
Ref:
PMI: http://www.pmi.org
Schrage: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08413?gko=18b68&tid=27782251&pg=all
How about how many forehead prints on the glass? When the new retractable glass skybox "The Ledge" was introduced at the renovated Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower), the general manager knew the 103rd floor overlook was a success by the number of forehead prints plastered on the transparent glass in the floor. (PMI Network Magazine Oct09). Wouldn't that make a great story for the project status report?
Embrace personalized measurements of your projects with unique metrics. Play with "the number of new lunch sandwiches tried" as the group works hard through lunches; use "quantity of Twitter comments" as an ongoing metric; count the number of smiles during a typical project day and present that as an update; deliver a bowl of candy bars to the status meeting, one for each birthday celebrated during the project.
To see how the converse of a metric can be used - using a metric as the definer of the product, take a read of a great article by Michael Schrage that informs us that using non-traditional metric numerology may literally define success. What exactly is a horsepower anyway, and why was it created?
Ref:
PMI: http://www.pmi.org
Schrage: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08413?gko=18b68&tid=27782251&pg=all
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
the power of time
...or the power of time segmentation.
How many times are we conflicted with the segmentation of time in our activities?
The essence of an hour, a half hour, three hours...
How do we internally segment these and what are effective within ourselves and our audiences? Is your presentation/discussion worthy of a half-hour sitcom serial, potentially an hour long show, or possibly a two hour movie? Should you allow commercials?
Traditional thought is that we have some internal sense for segments of time and periods of an hour (or a half-hour) are adequate structures to base our meetings and conversations on. However the real driver for any effective presentation and human memory tends to be precise events that occur (ref) and not the content length. Using the commercial TV analogy, the writers know that they have a certain timeframe to fill and usually have to pad or sequence the critical events throughout the timeframe. When you present, you however have time as an available degree of freedom. The events that you want to present can be driven by your desired timeline, unencumbered by a clock, by an artificial timekeeper, by any needed commercial requirements.
When you deliver a meeting/discussion, feel free to deviate from the one (half) hour intervals. Act on what feels right. Schedule it for an hour but stop it at 33 minutes allowing a few minutes for direct interaction, questioning, or simply a commercial. Then extinguish it at 41 minutes, allowing the simple act of stopping the meeting to act as an 'event' in peoples mind so that it can be etched as a memory.
And for those who are thinking this to the next step, this is absolutely NOT an argument against storyline presentations, a future topic ... stay tuned.
How many times are we conflicted with the segmentation of time in our activities?
The essence of an hour, a half hour, three hours...
How do we internally segment these and what are effective within ourselves and our audiences? Is your presentation/discussion worthy of a half-hour sitcom serial, potentially an hour long show, or possibly a two hour movie? Should you allow commercials?
Traditional thought is that we have some internal sense for segments of time and periods of an hour (or a half-hour) are adequate structures to base our meetings and conversations on. However the real driver for any effective presentation and human memory tends to be precise events that occur (ref) and not the content length. Using the commercial TV analogy, the writers know that they have a certain timeframe to fill and usually have to pad or sequence the critical events throughout the timeframe. When you present, you however have time as an available degree of freedom. The events that you want to present can be driven by your desired timeline, unencumbered by a clock, by an artificial timekeeper, by any needed commercial requirements.
When you deliver a meeting/discussion, feel free to deviate from the one (half) hour intervals. Act on what feels right. Schedule it for an hour but stop it at 33 minutes allowing a few minutes for direct interaction, questioning, or simply a commercial. Then extinguish it at 41 minutes, allowing the simple act of stopping the meeting to act as an 'event' in peoples mind so that it can be etched as a memory.
And for those who are thinking this to the next step, this is absolutely NOT an argument against storyline presentations, a future topic ... stay tuned.
Segmentation in the perception and memory of events
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2263140
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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