A quick visit to a recent past: Part 2

Nheeda Enriquez — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:44:03 +0000

I’m off traveling for a week, so I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit three “timeless” posts on broader innovation topics. The second is about recognizing clever “delighters” and why something so little can actually mean quite a lot.

Enjoy!
Nheeda

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Lunchtime delighter!
May 29, 2009

I’m always on the lookout for delighters, which are unexpected little features you find in products and service that can really make your day. They’re generally not widely advertised (ie “fastest processor in this price range of laptops!”) but are left to be discovered by a user who then goes on to spread the love and create buzz around the product (hence this blog post.)

I visited Lowes Foods for the first time to grab a quick sandwich, and I was delightfully surprised to find this handy bag, saving the typical deciphering of a deli counter that’s new to you: understanding the protocols, what’s available and at what price. I checked off the boxes for the different ingredients I wanted. Contrast this with the self-serve touchscreen at Jason’s Deli (or Wawa, for those from the northern part of the country.) It reminds us that sometimes a good solution for 80% of the population can be simple, low-tech, and inexpensive. AND it can help you carry your lunch.

2-minute mindmap: Consumption Smoothing

Nheeda Enriquez — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:11:17 +0000

I’m just now catching up on some back podcasts on Business Week, and I caught a curious phrase from an cover story from a few weeks ago that I hadn’t heard in a while: Consumption Smoothing. It’s a strategy rooted in retirement planning, where you try to balance saving and spending behaviors over a lifetime so that when retirement comes, you can enjoy a lifestyle that’s on par with what you’ve averaged over the majority of your working years.

In the spirit of the 2 minute mindmap, I played with the notion of how this concept could apply in lots of different places that we consume.

click for full mindmap

It happens here: Consumer-centric Innovation in Charlotte and beyond » consumer behavior

A quick visit to a recent past: Part 2

2-minute mindmap: Consumption Smoothing