Idea of the Day: Piezoelectric roads...

During the July 4th weekend I had ample opportunity to spend time with my family and poll them on things they think would be cool. I was mining for Ideas of the Day, and it paid off. In fact, I hit pay dirt on a whole series of energy efficiency ideas that I’ll introduce shortly. One short riff came from something I had heard of last year; a dance floor at a Rotterdam night club that harnesses human power and turns...

Zip-it: Something cool from Faneuil Hall, Boston...

Check out this cool thing I discovered yesterday at Faneuil Hall. It’s called Zip..it and “It’s The Hip Zip.” It’s a pocket book (or change purse, laptop bag or backpack depending on which size and model you choose). I was walking by a cart wife my wife, when the merchant at their stand asked me “Hey, do you know what this is?” It looked like he was holding a long zipper. In fact, he was holder...

“It’s not a computer, it’s an ex...

“It’s not a computer, it’s an experience” says Satish Jha, President and CEO of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) India. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Does this look familiar? OLPC is that small (30 person) company with the audacious vision of truly bridging the global digital divide. Founded by Nicholas Negroponte (whom also led the start up of MIT’s Media Lab), the organization is determined...

The turnaround: turning angry customers into brand...

There’s an old marketing adage that says “customers are 10 times as likely to talk about negative experiences as positive interactions.” I learned this in my first semester at college. Yesterday, I witnessed two completely completely different approaches to how a company could resolve this unfortunate but realistic situation. Here’s the full story. Or, if you prefer, here are the highlights from two case...

The keys to product development...

I just wrote a new essay about product development. Maybe you want to check it out? For geeks like me, who stay up late reading about consumer evolution, this is fascinating stuff. If you’re a bit more casual about it, here are the highlights: The complexities of consumer choice make critical success factors for new products extremely difficult to predict. Nearly 98% of all patents fail to break even. It’s...

Ask for What You Want: Corporate transparency or a...

My newest thought leadership essay explores our culture of anonymity, compares the emergence of transparency and wonders what happens when we mash them up. In it I talk about Customer Relationship 101 (and why some people make it to Hollywood), why it’s so important to ask for what we want, dealbreakers and the real way to build rapport. This leads to an observation about the Incognito event at Santa Monica Museum...

Roku who? (aka, buh-bye Comcast)....

Check this out: Roku is a cool hardware device that you plug into your tv, and turn on to enjoy something like two hundred bazillion movies. It’s that easy. (At least I think it is – I don’t actually know for sure, since I wasn’t paying attention as my 15 year old son set it up in less than five minutes). Here’s what I like about it: Quick set up (see above) Inexpensive ($99.99 one-time...

“What Makes a Design Intuitive?”...

Last night I attended Refresh Boston’s (LINK) presentation on intuitive design, featuring keynote speaker Jared Spool of User Interface Engineering (UIE). (LINK) Jared asked the central question “What Makes a Design Intuitive?” and proceeded to illuminate his audience with humor and clear examples of things that are (and are not) intuitive. My illustrative (expanded) version of the take-away is here. For those...

Palm for the iPhone?...

If you are a frequent reader of my blogs, you know how much I’ve come to love my iPhone. But there’s still one critical upgrade I’d like to make; the calendar function is vastly inferior to the Palm’s OS. The iPhone calendar application limits the intervals at which I can set alarms or repeat events. And backing up my data isn’t nearly as straightforward as it is with Palm. Have you noticed...

Easy Things to Fix #2: A ‘Bright’ Idea...

I recently returned to Boston from Denver on a relatively uneventful flight. However, I was witness to one situation that really left me thinking. Have you ever been on a red-eye? If so, you probably remember it being exceptionally dark while everyone was sleeping. Exceptionally dark that is, unless you happen to be sitting next to an insomniac reader. If that was the case you might have a vague memory of ’seeing...

This guy wants to save the world (and just might)....

My newest essay looks at a guy who was ranked #57 on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2008. He is a biofuels engineer whom I met earlier this month at the Fletcher School of Tufts University. This person intends to solve three of the planet’s most significant problems all at the same time. They are: 1. Clean air. 2. Renewable food. 3. Sustainable fuel. My exploration includes...

Entitled? Maybe that’s a good thing....

This past Monday evening I attended the first ever Boston World Partnerships mixer (aka: networking event) in Cambridge. I have been involved with networking groups before, including local chambers of commerce, BNI and EFNE (Entrepreneurship Foundation of New England), but this group had a distinct energy. BWP is a true collaboration between state agencies, private universities and corporations. The intention is to promote...

Commercial Composting: Waste Not, Want Not. What t...

Today’s essay looks at things that are biodegradable, why it matters and how existing processes could be improved. I give specific examples of residential and industrial solutions, and question the development of a product for the commercial space. You’ll learn specific reasons for concern, and hear my thoughts about some economic incentives for reusing our food waste. Plus I link to some great resources! So check...

Sounds like fun!...

First, a confession. I’m 37 years old and (wince), I…don’t like to text. Whew. That wasn’t so bad after all. And actually, I feel good about not liking to text. After all, I do kind of subscribe to the “if it’s worth saying, say it” (ie: call me!) mode of thinking. For the most part, it seems to me, people tend to text when they are either: 1. Supposed to be doing something else (i.e.: paying attention...

Easy Things to Fix #1 (it’s not all about world ...

I often think about how little design changes can make a big difference in the user’s experience (see my note, “One of my favorite ideas” here), and how those little things translate into customer loyalty or lack thereof. So I’ll entertain you on an ongoing basis with my thoughts on some of these things. If you’ve been brainstorming too and want to share, send me your ideas! (I’ll give credit, I promise). Let’s...