The History of Business Cards
17th Century Visiting Cards Certainly by the 17th century visiting cards or visite biletes were in use in Europe where the footmen of the aristocracy or royalty would present the cards to the servants at the home of a host to announce the impending arrival of a distinguished guest. These first cards were roughly the…
7 Power Teams That Fuel Creativity at Any Company
Airbnb’s head of experience design recently declared that designers and MBAs make perfect power combos on a team. Here’s a list of other killer skill-set combinations you need on your next big project. If you’ve ever wondered where creative ideas come from, here’s a one-word answer: combinations. Specifically, ideas emerge when “someone sees a problem…
Why Leaders Eat Last
In this in-depth talk, ethnographer and leadership expert Simon Sinek reveals the hidden dynamics that inspire leadership and trust. In biological terms, leaders get the first pick of food and other spoils, but at a cost. When danger is present, the group expects the leader to mitigate all threats even at the expense of their…
10 Tips for Managing Creative People
Today’s workplace is filled with different personality styles. Understanding those differences and how they affect your workforce can make you a more effective manager. Working with “left-brained” (more analytical) versus “right-brained” (more creative) employees has its own set of rules. Most creative workers use the right-brain style of learning and working, which is a visual,…
On the craft of design and working with clients
by Mike Monteiro at Interaction 15 “You have been lied to! […] Does good design sell itself? Fundamentally, NO.” Designers are, by default, amazing at pushing pixels on a screen and creating beautiful, thoughtful designs. Presenting those thoughtful solutions, however, can be a stressful experience. If you’re working at an agency or studio it can…
Eight trends changing customer experience in retail
Delivering strong customer experience has never been more important. Retail Week looks at the top trends affecting shoppers’ interaction with retailers 1) iBeacons Apple has snubbed near-field communication (NFC), the mobile payment method of choice for many. Its new service, iBeacons, is on the way to becoming a customer experience staple. It has ample mobile…
Today’s POS Is Not Suited For Tomorrow’s Dynamic Retailer
The POS as it’s commonly known (read: impersonal place at front of the store where money exchanges hands and a receipt is given) is no longer a “point of sale.” A transformational change in retail, fueled by empowered consumers, is redefining POS as the “point of service,” a place where retailers engage customers to build…
The three Cs of customer satisfaction: Consistency, consistency, consistency
It may not seem sexy, but consistency is the secret ingredient to making customers happy. However, it’s difficult to get right and requires top-leadership attention. “Sustaining an audience is hard,” Bruce Springsteen once said. “It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time.” He was talking about…
5 Ways Starbucks Convinces You To Spend More Money
Starbucks stores are meticulously designed to make customers stay longer, buy more, and return for another visit. From the lighting to the ordering counters, everything in the store has a specific purpose. In a recent Bloomberg video, reporter Sam Grobart points out five of the most common design tricks that Starbucks employs. 1. Starbucks often…