share to gain » Marketing / Branding http://www.sharetogain.com "By Sharing We All Gain" Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:15:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Linchpin http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/linchpin/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/linchpin/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:59:25 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1783 linchpinAwhile back I bought 50 copies of a book called Linchpin and have been giving them to speakers, friends and others as I’m inspired.

I have also been contemplating the best way to release more books and have been toying with the idea of having people write a nugget in the book and passing it along.  This would be great, except that I selfishly want to know what people learn, so I thought I would put the “book jacket” online and let people submit there nuggets here.

My key nugget:

Bring my passion to the job!

I am blessed to love what I do for a living, but still don’t always get to choose my “job”.  It’s to easy to hide behind sayings like, find what your passionate about and learn to make money doing it.  And while I think it’s great to be in this position, it’s easier to bring your passion to the job – it could transform not just you, but those around you.

If I look back at when I’ve done this well, I’ve turned “crap jobs” like scrubbing pots & pans at the local university, into timeless memories.  When I’ve done this poorly, the day(s) never seemed to end (“is it 5:00 yet??”).

There’s still discernment needed to know when to get out of toxic cultures and bad situations, but turn on your passion now, don’t wait — it’s likely the ticket to better and better opportunities.

Share your key nugget through the comments, good and bad alike.  I look forward to hearing from you…

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/linchpin/feed/ 8 Design Thinking, an Interview with Roger Martin http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/design-thinking-an-interview-with-roger-martin/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/design-thinking-an-interview-with-roger-martin/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:42:21 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1764 What a fantastic mind, Roger is leading thought on how to reinvent education (from within).

Also, I’ve become friends with the interviewer (Chris Taylor) through Twitter and then in NYC at a Linchpin workshop — his company (Goose Educational Media) is doing a great job of making business books actionable — sign up for his “In-Flight” book reviews today!

From the Horse’s Mouth, vol 3: Mastery & Innovation from Goose Educational Media inc. on Vimeo.

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/04/design-thinking-an-interview-with-roger-martin/feed/ 0 A Review on Human Centered Design http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/a-review-on-human-centered-design/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/a-review-on-human-centered-design/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:27:03 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1718

post by J.R. Miller

Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.htmlpost by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.htmlpost by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.htmlpost by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.htmlpost by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.post by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
post by J.R. Miller
Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.
Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.
IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.
Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).
The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:
“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”
That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:
1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.
To empathize, we:
- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.
- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.
2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.
It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.
3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.
4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.
Why Do We Prototype?
To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.
To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.
To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.
To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.
To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.
To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.
5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong
— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.
To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.
To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.
To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.
Institute of Design at Stanford
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/
D.School Bootcamp Bootleg
http://dschool.typepad.com/news/boot-camp/
PDF Download:
http://dschool.typepad.com/files/bootcampbootleg2009.pdf
Design Management Institute (DMI)
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/index.htm
IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm
http://www.ideo.com/
Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101
http://danielmckenzie.com/blog/2009/12/design-thinking-101/
Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.htmlhttp://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/12/technology_vs_c.html

Innovate or Die – Publish or Perish; is Design the answer?  There has been a great deal of discussion about the role of design in business.  Has it moved from the art room to the factory floor; or more importantly into management and operations?  The simple answer is yes.  Like Quality, Design should be pervasive.

Quality has been around in some form since the first clay pot was inspected for cracks and hidden wax fillers.  But the last 60 years have seen the application of TQM, ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean.  All brilliant tools that return real dollars when properly applied and utilized.  Design is undergoing the same growth spurt; with all its funny bumps and side effects.  And like ISO 9001 & Lean Six Sigma, management must be directly involved.

IDEO’s Human Centered Design and its associated Tool Kit & Guides have been adopted by major corporations and recognized as key in tackling some of the challenges the world faces.  “The kit offers new tools and techniques to ensure that farmer’s needs are at the heart of design.” – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Stanford’s Design School, a proponent of Human Centered Design, has released D.School Bootcamp Bootleg “. . . a loose collection of the methods, modes and mindsets that Bootcamp students found most useful”.

Following is a brief recap of the 5 Modes.  But before we look at them here is an observation on Design Thinking by Roger Martin from his book, The Design of Business (see the full article Design Thinking 101 and others at the end).

human centered design

The first tool of the design thinker is observation. What people say is important and this is why so many companies depend on focus groups and surveys. However, the design thinker knows that what people say isn’t as important as what they do:

“An ethnographer attempting to understand how youngsters in China think about their handheld phones would watch them use their phones before even asking a single question. And when appropriate to ask, the question would likely be of the form: ‘I saw you punch one button repeatedly; you looked frustrated. Then you flipped the phone closed and opened it again. Why were you doing that? What were you thinking? How did it make you feel?’ That’s a very different approach from asking, ‘What are the top five things that matter to you about your handheld phone?’”

That question—Martin argues—is for the design thinker.

D.School Bootcamp Bootleg – 5 Modes:

1. Empathize is the beginning of the design process.

To empathize, we:

- Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their entire lives.

- Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.

2. The goal of the Define mode is to come up with an actionable problem statement.

It is a mode of “focus” rather than “flaring.” This should be a guiding statement that focuses on insights and needs of a particular user that you uncovered during the empathize mode.

3. Ideate is the point in the design process at which we focus on idea generation.

Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus.” Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.

4. The Prototype mode is the iterative generation of low-resolution artifacts that will later be tested by users.  A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, or even a storyboard.

Why Do We Prototype?

To learn. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.

To solve disagreements. Prototyping is a powerful tool that can eliminate ambiguity, assist in ideation, and reduce miscommunication.

To start a conversation. Our interactions with users should revolve around a conversation piece, not words. A prototype is an opportunity to have another, directed conversation with a user.

To test possibilities. Staying low-res allows you to pursue many different ideas generated in Ideate mode without committing to a direction too early on.

To fail quickly and cheaply. Committing as few resources as possible to each idea means less time and money invested up front.

To manage the solution-building process. Identifying a variable also encourages you to break a large problem down into smaller, testable chunks.

5.  The Test mode is another iterative mode in which we place our low-resolution artifacts in the appropriate context of the user’s life. In regards to a team’s solution, we should always prototype as if we know we’re right, but test as if we know we’re wrong

— testing is the chance to refine our solutions and make them better.

To refine our prototypes and solutions. Testing informs the next iterations of prototypes. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board.

To learn more about our user. Testing is another opportunity to build empathy through observation and engagement—it often yields unexpected insights.

To refine our POV. Sometimes testing reveals that not only did we not get the solution right, but also that we have failed to frame the problem correctly.

Further Resources:

Institute of Design at Stanford

D.School Bootcamp Bootleg

PDF Download

Design Management Institute (DMI)

IDEO | Global Design and Innovation Consulting Firm

Musings on design matters, technology and culture: Design Thinking 101

Technology Vs. Design–What is the Source of Innovation?

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/a-review-on-human-centered-design/feed/ 0 Social Media in the Corporate Environment http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/social-media-in-the-corporate-environment/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/social-media-in-the-corporate-environment/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:24:56 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1704 Great session today by @HSchoegler, @BeTheLink & @craigdcrook

Here are the slides for you to share with others, as well of a list of tools that people have been tweeting in to us…

Corporate Social Media

View more presentations from sharetogain.

Thanks to the speakers and others (@KMullet, @ScLoHo) for the resource list:

  • mashable.com
  • oneforty.com
  • namechk.com
  • social media today.com
  • co tweet.com
  • tweet funnel.com
  • hoot suite.com
  • kazle.com
  • dandydid.org
  • hellotxt.com
  • hi.im
  • twiping.com

tweet about this #TQMSM

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2010/01/social-media-in-the-corporate-environment/feed/ 0 Revolution or Evolution? http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/12/revolution-or-evolution/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/12/revolution-or-evolution/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:30:36 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1688 (Design as an iterative process)

Our culture loves the idea of revolutionary movements — perhaps because it was the foundation of our country?  Revolutions are powerful and from time to time necessary… but it is disruptive to everyday life as it shakes foundations.  Consider an alternative – “fast evolution”, “rapid proto-typing” or “iterative design” for designing new products, services and processes.  Listen to David Kelley of IDEO talk about this concept.

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/12/revolution-or-evolution/feed/ 0 Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/11/lessons-for-young-entrepreneurs/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/11/lessons-for-young-entrepreneurs/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:57:42 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1651 Jun Loayza shares a few road tested lessons:
  • When your young, start small and build a track record
  • Don’t spend to much time on business and long range strategic plans
  • Create systems to manage the processes

What I’ve learned in 1.5 Years as an Entrepreneur from Jun Loayza on Vimeo.

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/11/lessons-for-young-entrepreneurs/feed/ 1 Using Google To Join In The Conversation http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/using-google-to-join-in-the-conversation/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/using-google-to-join-in-the-conversation/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:01:29 +0000 Eric http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1597 Fort Wayne Web Design Alert Icon

contributed by eric hall of eh design & consulting

Keeping track of your brand can be a difficult task. With all these on-line, social conversations happening it can be difficult to really know what is being said about you, your company, your products, etc. But knowing what is being said about you, your business, your key markets is CRITICAL. As I’ve said before, if you don’t know about these conversations, you can’t join in the conversations. And, I guarantee, conversations are happening. The only question is – are you going to participate.

So, if we agree that there are conversations happening online (blog posts, product reviews, twitter posts, facebook comments, youTube videos, etc.), the question is “how do I find out about these conversations and join in”?

Well, that a great question and there are a lot of good answers. In a previous post (Two Simple Business Uses For Twitter) I described one method – using the Advanced Twitter Search based on location. This is a great way to find people who are twittering about you or a topic of interest within a certain distance from you (i.e. anyone talking about “antiques” within a 50 mile radius). But, what if you want to join in on conversations happening on other mediums? What if you want to know about blog posts, web site updates, facebook posts, etc.?

The answer now is Google Alerts! Google Alerts are a great way to get regular updates any time Google finds a web page with your search term. Using Google Alerts, you could get an e-mail every time Google finds a new web page that mentions the search term you chosen. You can choose to get e-mails immediately, and daily or weekly digests (summaries). You can also choose to have the results delivered to an RSS feed – my personal favorite. Assuming you choose instant e-mail notifications, you would receive an e-mail every time Google finds a new article, blog, video, image, etc. that contains your search term. What an awesome way to join in the conversation and help to control your brand.

Here’s the basics of how Google Alerts work:

  1. Visit www.google.com/alerts and create your Google alert. The main screen (once you are logged in – you will have to have a Google account) looks like this:
    Google Alerts Home Page - Make New Google AlertSimply type in your search terms, select a type (for instance – if you only want to get results from blogs, etc.), select How often, and select where to deliver the information to (you can choose RSS later)
  2. After you click “CREATE ALERT” you’ll be in the manage screen. It looks like this:
    Manage Google Alerts You can see from this screen shot that I had two Google Alerts set up – both being delivered to an RSS Feed, updated immediately (as-it-happens). So, any time the words EH Design (my company) or Eric Hall (my name) appears in a new page in Google, the RSS Feed will get updated. I’ll know immediately whenever sometime is talking about these terms. Since this time, I’ve added a couple more Google Alerts – basically centered on my around some of my key SEO terms – Fort Wayne Web Design, Fort Wayne E-Commerce, etc.

    Here’s what the RSS feed looks like in my browsers (I’m running Apple Safari – so Internet Explorer would look a little different):
    Google Alerts RSS Feed - Safari

  3. My final step is to Monitor my RSS Feeds in a convenient RSS Feed Reader. Since I use an Apple, I monitor my RSS Feeds in my E-Mail program (called, Mail). So, just as I would go to Mail to view any no e-mail message, so I go to mail to check if there is a new e-mail message, I also see if there are any new Google Alerts. Here’s what it looks like in my Mail program:

Google Alerts in Mail Program
Google Alerts – a great way to keep up to date with your own brand, product, search terms.

Want to know more? Have other ideas about? Leave a comment and share your thought. Or, contact EH Design & Consulting today, and we can talk about all the ways Social Media can help your business!

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/using-google-to-join-in-the-conversation/feed/ 1 Two Simple Business Uses For Twitter http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/two-simple-business-uses-for-twitter/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/two-simple-business-uses-for-twitter/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:37:41 +0000 Eric http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1585 Twitter Logowritten by eric hall

I’ll admit it, I love twitter. I look at my twitter feed many times every day. But, I’ll also admit it – it can be hard to find any real value in twitter!

When people find out I’m “into” twitter, some common questions come up:

  • Why would anyone care what I had for breakfast? – Assuming that the only thing posted on twitter is useless information
  • Is there any real value in twitter?

For me and for my business, the answer is a resounding YES to the second question. I believe that there is indeed real value in twitter.

Today, I wanted to share just two very simple uses for twitter that I think you and your business use.

1. Use Twitter To Drive Traffic To Your Site

Here is a graph of some of the recent traffic to my blog (as recorded by the FREE stats program: Google Analytics):

Graph of Recent Traffic to my Fort Wayne Web Design Blog

Notice the ups and downs on the graph? Of course, they are impossible to miss. The obvious question, when looking at this graph is “What caused the spikes”?

The answer: TWITTER!

Each of the spikes in traffic represent a day (or some times a couple of days) where I sent out just one tweet about a new blog post I had. As a result of the single tweet (and a few kind re-tweet), my traffic for that day made a significant increase.

That’s a GREAT use for twitter!

Of course, any business or person has to be careful about always being self-serving. If all you ever do on twitter is send out tweets hoping to lure people back to your own web site, then people will stop listening (following you). But, if you tweet other useful information AND you tweet links to your own site, then people will visit. If the content is interesting – they will come back!

I would suggest that this use makes it absolutely essential that your business has a blog. Your business blog needs to be updated regularly (I’m shooting for once a week on my own – a new goal). And, your business blog needs to have interesting content. If you have a blog, and if you post regularly, and if you post about interesting content… then sending out regular tweets that link back to your blog WILL increase your traffic (and have some good effect on your Search Engine placement as well).

This alone should make twitter worth looking into.

2. Use Twitter to Find People Talking About Your Business In Your Area

Wether or not you are on twitter, others are. And, they are talking about all kinds of things. Chances are they are talking about your business. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a simple way to know every time someone within a 50 mile radius (or whatever area you work in) was asking questions about your business? You could jump in, offer answers, offer resources, even offer a sale! Wouldn’t that be a great tool?

Of course, the tool absolutely does exist and it is called… twitter. It’s a simple little feature built into twitter called TWITTER SEARCH. Visit search.twitter.com and click on the “ADVANCED SEARCH” link on the right side of the search box.

In the Advanced Search area you can do some amazing things! The thing we are focused on right now is search by PLACES.

Let’s make up a company. Suppose you own ANTIQUES R US, located in Atlanta, GA. And, you would like more people to know about your business. So, what do you do? Well, one great option is to use the Advanced Twitter Search to look for anyone talking about Antiques within 50 miles of Atlanta, GA. Here’s what the Advanced Search might look like:

Sample Advanced Twitter Search

You can see here that ANTIQUES R US is update to search twitter for the word “Antiques” within a 50 mile radius of Atlanta, GA. What would ANTIQUES R US find? A lot. Below are just two tweets form the last couple of days that may have been interesting to ANTIQUES R US:

Tweet About Antiques

Here is some who had the day to herself and visited one of ANTIQUES R US competitors – the Lakewood Antiques Market. What if ANTIQUES R US had responded to her and said something like: “Glad you loved Lakewood. If you liked them, you might enjoy us as well – mention this tweet for 10% off”. Who knows, maybe the person would have showed up

Here’s another:

Sample Tweet about Antiques in Atlanta

This person is looking for an Antiques place to visit in the Savannah area. What is ANTIQUES R US had responded with a couple of excellent restaurants (close to the store, of course) and a personal invitation to visit the store?

Again, the conversation is already happening. I promise – people are really talking about your business. The question is whether or not you are going to join the conversation!

Advanced Twitter Search – by location – my second favorite use for twitter.

Want to get in touch with the author? Contact Eric Hall at EH Design & Consulting!

]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/two-simple-business-uses-for-twitter/feed/ 2 Rapid overview of the BIG 4 of Social Media http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/rapid-overview-of-the-big-4-of-social-media/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/rapid-overview-of-the-big-4-of-social-media/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:26:19 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1577 by craig d crook
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Linkedin… how do we manage all we already are doing with what potentially feels like a waste of time?  Clifford Clarke and I did a rapid fire presentation today exploring that topic…
View more presentations from sharetogain.
]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/rapid-overview-of-the-big-4-of-social-media/feed/ 0 Join the Conversation, Social Media http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/join-the-conversation-social-media/ http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/join-the-conversation-social-media/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:30:31 +0000 craigdcrook http://www.sharetogain.com/?p=1570 Recently Scott Hoard joined us to share insights on joining the marketing conversation that is happening online (with or without you).  Are you taking advantage of these rapidly emerging technologies?  Have you weighed the risks and rewards — are you sure you know the risks and rewards?
View more presentations from sharetogain.
]]> http://www.sharetogain.com/2009/10/join-the-conversation-social-media/feed/ 0