Have you experienced the joy of shopping in an independently owned office supply store? If you can remember… there’s a magic to it. You never knew what you’d find. There’d likely be a pen, an eraser, a notebook that caught your eye and it basically begged to be touched, and purchased.
Alas, we now live in the world of mega-chain office supply stores. All the joy of shopping has been drained from the aisles.
Why?
Because the chain stores choose what goes on their shelves based on data. It’s all about the numbers. They’re not aficionados of office supplies; there’s no room for serendipity. Customer experience is like a thorn in their side. I imagine they think of their customers like robots, because chain stores sucked the fun of shopping right out of the shopping experience.
You can’t pick from several brands because Staples limited the selection to what will make the most money for Staples. It’s the same for Home Depot. In my mind, the worst offender was The Sports Authority– they had so little to choose from in their stores I imagined they might be laundering money and their retail model was a front for back room shenanigans.
Here’s a breath of fresh air from someone in the AI industry. From Forbes’ website, here’s Design Thinking And Data: The New Power Couple Of 2022 by Carlos Melendez. He works at Wovenware, an artificial intelligence and software development company.
Melendez says you need to consider ALL the stakeholders. He’s pointing out we are designing for humans. Isn’t it ironic, we’ve been human for as long as we’ve been… er… human and yet somehow we forget to design for people? Data isn’t a stakeholder! People are! [My eyes are rolling heavenward. I can’t believe this needs to be said. But it does!]
Here’s how Melendez says it:
Technology is simply a tool that ultimately improves the human experience, so start with the human experience and work toward the solution. This year, this line of thinking will increasingly become more and more evident and data will become aligned with design to drive innovation — not for the sake of innovation, but for the sake of improved human experiences.
Wondering how I can reach the powers that be at Staples HQ, because I think they should internalize this message. “Improved human experiences” should be a universal goal… we deserve it. Even when we shop for office supplies. [Because we’re humans.]
Are you wondering how to better connect to your work and the people around you? Try me!