Month: March 2014

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I still remember when I was old enough to get a job and my Dad’s rules about jobs. Sure we had to get jobs, but not just any job. It needed to be a service job.

It had nothing to do with the money. He felt that everyone could benefit from a little time on the other side of the counter at some point in their life. Waiting tables, working the McDonald’s cash register, cleaning cars at the local Waterway…

See the thing is, customers have a habit of being needy, irrational, demanding and more. Learning to work directly with these customers teaches communication, empathy, and sales skills no school education can replicate.

I still genuinely enjoy talking to customers – probably too much so as I should be spending more time elsewhere. But it’s an activity I feel strongly about and so wanted to share how I do it.

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Goal setting is an important component to success. But you already know that.

And you also know what makes a goal good. For example, your goal should be S.M.A.R.T.

  • Specific – Answers the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, Why
  • Measurable – Quantify your goal, make it objective
  • Attainable – Keep it challenging, but achievable
  • Relevant – Does the goal matter; does it align with your other goals?
  • Time-bound – Set the time-frame for achieving the goal

The challenge I’ve found with goals is this: after you’ve set your goals, how do you create a plan that puts you on the path to successfully achieving your goals???

I find that this part is often left out – you’re told what a goal is and that you need to set them, but nobody helps you actually reach the goals you set. You might as well give me a new Ikea BESTÅ desk but leave out the instructions to assemble it. So cruel!

ikea so cruel

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How many smartwatches have you seen in public? Not counting the relentless marketing campaign from Samsung for their Galaxy Gear, I think my tally is at three, maybe four.

iwatch

To put this in perspective I’ve seen 10 times as many Google Glass…or is it Glasses…and the unfortunate glassholes that accompany them. This for a device that costs 10 times as much and is 10 times as unattractive.

Are smartwatches too early for their time, or is this an indicator of the size of the actual smartwatch market?

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The other day this event showed up in my inbox looking for attendees:

Screen Shot 2014-03-03 at 9.48.38 AM

UX Thursday, hosted by Jared Spool.

I’m trying to beef up my UX knowledge so it had my attention. When one of my officemates, who knows his stuff when it comes to design, added that whenever he sees Jared Spool speak he’s always come away with 3 to 4 amazing takeaways, I was sold.

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