buena vista

Been a long time...

Goodness, how time flies since I last posted. possibly something to do with all the great work going on at Engine,all the fun things we've got up to and places we've been, people we've met etc. Oh and major changes on the homefront, as my son has changed schools. I have to admit I've simply not had the time to trawl, follow and share as I have been over the past years; although I have kept up with Twitter and my two moblogs Buena Vista and Daily Alex.

So here are just a few quick links. Some service-y, some experience-y.

Can singing make you happy?
News of a project aimed at alleviating the effects of poverty & deprivation through choral music in primary schools. It’s a UK government funded programme called sing-up.

I have to admit to a vested interest in this area and have tweeted on this before; why singing makes you happy...

Improving the onward travel experience at airports
Sounds familiar? Bluetooth service  narrowcasting of local delights at Slovenia airport to arriving passengers so they can download tourist information and coupons for their stay.

5 Predictions for the Future of Collaboration from Cisco
‘Given the rapid pace of change and our industry leadership, what is Cisco’s  vision for Collaboration?’

Lots of chatter about Spotify.
Not a day seems to go by without stories of Spotify on mainstream broadcast channels, not without reason as it’s a nifty service and one we’re tracking. Here’s a video where the UK Head of Spotify talks about their tiered monitisation model, including... ‘Fremium’. Bet you can’t guess what that means ;-)

Finally – I’m sure many of you have seen this but if not, it’s yet another reason to get an iPhone (except for the pants camera... Mr. Jobs?). Courtesy of IDEO, it’s Balloonimals!

No left turns

Just when London's major Boris Johnston announces cyclists may legally be able to make left turns on a red light (makes complete sense, but then I'm a cyclist), I catch a Discovery Channel documentary on UPS Worldport.

I read about this in Alex Frankel's Clocking In which I 'reviewed' here. Great book. Joe was even checking it out as I'd added it to our library. Anyway, I digress.

Apart from the vast organisation of parcels at the 'hub' that is Worldport, I caught many small stories of efficiency, time and money saving that contribute to this great service.

For instance, their freight aircraft landing at Worldport perform a 'continuous descent' where they use the aircraft's natural gliding ability to land slowly, quietly and using minimal engine power, thus saving fuel.

Each delivery driver uses a hand-help computer called a DIAD which helps calculate each days route to maximise efficiency and minimise fuel usage.

But get this - in the US, they NEVER MAKE A LEFT TURN. They do this to avoid all those little hold ups that driving across traffic in the US undoubtedly generate.

How cool is that?

Next time you design a service, where will be your 'no left turn' opportunity?

How to train a Hostess

So scary it's got to be true; this rather harsh but probably very efficient take on behavioural training is just what you'd expect from the nation that's taking the 2008 Olympics VERY seriously.

From the mostly excellent Observer Sports monthly:

Take time to acknowledge all that arduous training when Olympians are awarded their medals, not only the athletes but the red suited 'victory ceremony hostesses' who will present flowers to the winners.

Selected after a long series of auditions, the hostesses have spent months learning how to smile, walk and look bow according to strict rules. Good posture has been ensured by a drill requiring the hostesses to stand with a book on their heads while clutching a sheet of paper between their knees (try it folks, it works!).

Smiles which must reveal 'only six to eight teeth', were strengthened by marathon sessions of chopstick-biting. "By the end of the class, our lips were numb", said one hostess, "but after several days, the smile came naturally".

We've been designing host roles and figuring out behaviours at Engine - using actors, props, costumes, scripts... that's part of the fun of being a Service Designer. I hadn't thought of chomping chop-sticks to train a smile though.

"Design Thinking", HBR and Business Week.

Just noticed this piece on businessweek.com alerting me to an article in Harvard Business Review by IDEO’s Tim Brown on Design Thinking.

As Bruce Nussbaum says... The fact that the Harvard Business Review asked IDEO's CEO Tim Brown to write about Design Thinking in the current issue is as important as what he had to say in the piece. It marks the acceptance and legitimization of design/innovation as an important business process and strategic tool for managers.

I’ve subscribed to Business Week for the last couple of years and in the absence of much other mainstream press covering design and innovation, it's meant they’ve blown IDEO’s trumpet sometimes a little too often for my liking; so HBR picking up the baton as it were, is as Bruce says, very important for our industry in the broadest sense.

If you want to save the 15 quid on the cover price of the magazine, you can download it from HBR’s excellent site.

You might also scour businessweek.com for their coverage of service innovation, UCD and experience design. Their podcasts are worth subscribing to too.

Help with a question about Airports

Super-quick post this (and please excuse the rubbish formatting). Here's a question I need help in answering...

What makes a great Airport?

Is it the coolest shops, the finest food or the shortest queues? Maybe it’s something else altogether. What do you think? Bonus points for a true-life story.

I guess my question has 2 parts. What do you think are the ingredients of a great Airport (what you know) - then what would you like to see in an Airport (what you desire).

Of course the answers have a caveat, based on context - which itself presents interesting design challenges around choice and flexibility.

If you have a moment, I'd really appreciate any thoughts you have. Thanks...