The mamas, not the papas

Published
by
Nik
on July 10, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 2 Comments

I was playing with some old survey data the other day and found some interesting effects of life events on how men and women use technology. We asked about the number of people who had done various activities online in the last 6 months.

On the whole, the numbers for men and women for most activities were broadly equal. But for certain activities, the presence of children changed the picture completely. Take blogging. Among those in the pre-family lifestage, the proportions of men and women who were bloggers were about equal. If we now compare these figures to those who have children, the proportions who blog are similar for women, but men with children barely blog at all.

It’s a similar story with social networking sites. Mothers are almost as likely as not-yet-mothers to be active members of these sites. Fathers, on the other hand, just don’t seem to be as interested. Is this because mothers tend to have more time at home to spend on these sites? Given how much social networking usage seems to go on in offices, I doubt it. I think part of it is that mothers are more closely involved with their children’s social lives than fathers are, and so might have been persuaded to get a Bebo profile somewhere along the way. Might this also point to women becoming less set in their ways as they get older, perhaps again because they are around younger minds for longer?

Or perhaps it is simply a demographic effect of mothers generally being younger than fathers, and the difference in web 2.0 usage will disappear as younger cohorts come into parenthood and the fathers are equally tech-savvy as the mothers. This data is about a year old, and when I get a moment, I intend to check these results against more recent waves of the same survey to see if they show signs of shifting this way. [Disclosure: this data comes from (my employer) the Future Foundation's proprietary research.]

Finally, most people who have bet or gambled online are men without children. Most of them give up when they have kids, however. Young women are very unlikely to bet online, but when they have children, something seems to happen, and they become three times as likely to have a flutter.

All of the above are just observations from the data. I’d love to know your hypotheses for why older women seem to be more interested in technology than older men.

Honey I shrunk the Mac

Published
by
belindaparmar
on July 3, 2008
in Electronics
. 2 Comments

I’ve written about my Asus EEE. I love it. Its cute. Lilliputian. Compact. And most importantly it fits perfectly into my handbag.

The Asus EEE has taken the market by storm (PC Pro, Gizmodo). I’ve already put my order in for the next upgrade. Even Dell have recognized that the micro-laptop is the next big - their Dell E series looks like a flattering imitation of the original EEE. Dell seems to have gone all out for copying asus, even down to bundling a Linux operating system instead of Microsoft Windows which has been a compulsory feature of just about evrery Dell sold in the last ten years.

There’s even a new name for this kind of dinky laptop: “mobile internet device” or (MID):

But not everybody loves these new gadgets: One female friend of mine claimed that she loved it, but “at the end of the day, still not a mac.” I explained that it was a 10th of the price of a Mac and not ten times inferior from a performance and usability perspective. But what ever I said, I could not convince Sarah. To quote Carrie Bradshaw,

“this was not about logic, it was about LOVE.”

(cheesy quote I know but reflective of the whole film)

If ever a brand was about pure unadulterated love, its Apple. Its a the world’s 7th most valuable brand, worth a staggering $55billion. Its is a Lovemark for so many people. Sarah anthropomorphised her mac in no uncertain terms;

“My Baby is old now. Arthritis has worked her spine for a while, but she is still going strong. Her memory is remarkably good considering all the strange things I have introduced her to. I love my Baby.. I can’t be mad at her. When her metallic voice speaks out “It Is _Not_ My Fault…” all I can say is: “I know, Baby… I know. I gave you a bad command, and I’m sorry. Let’s try again.”

Whilst I agree with our CEO, people are 20% rational and 80% emotional, I am left feeling that the love for Apple seems misplaced when there are so many better or equitable products on the market.

But perhaps that’s part of the joy of owning the EEE - the technology you buy makes a statement. With the near ubiquity of Apple’s products in the creative industries, these high-end laptops are no longer about “Thinking Different” and are more a sign of conformity to cultural norms, wheras carrying around an unusual laptop, especially one which runs entirely different software marks you as an outsider. Those rival icons of computing, the Thinkpad and the Powerbook (or Mac Book) represent your tech-tribal affiliation.

I feel emotional about my Asus. I feel emotional about my Tangent Quattro Internet radio. I feel emotional about my Blackberry. But show me a better, cooler, smaller, cheaper, more useful product and I will be promiscuous. With technology changing so fast, can we afford to be loyal to one particular brand. And quite frankly is any brand (even Apple) brand deserving of such unconditional love?

How People Live their Lives

Published
by
elisabethkelan
on June 29, 2008
in Interesting
. 1 Comment

It seems to be increasingly important for businesses to understand how people live their lives. I recently came across this video podcast featuring Karsten Jonsen. He talked eloquently about how social change is relevant for management. He referred to the blurring of the private and public sphere through new information communication technologies as an example. This blurring of boundaries was also the topic of a seminar on Humanizing Work hosted by the Lehman Brother Centre for Women in Business. The seminar was convened by Professor Judy Wajcman who invited Professor Richard Sennett and Professor Lord Anthony Giddens to give keynote speeches.

Both of are sociologists and Stefan Stern, columnist at the FT, wrote after the event that managers can learn a great deal from sociologists. Anthony Giddens talked about addiction. There is a clear technology angle to this because Giddens referred to that when people wake up at night, they are often so addicted to their BlackBerry that they check for new emails first before going to the toilet (Stefan Stern has written about this in his column too).

Email and the internet can become like a drug which Belinda has discussed. Dr Ivan Goldberg has coined the term Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) for this phenomenon and psychologists classify IAD as a mental illness. There is of course always the danger of creating the mental illness one speaks about. What is central however is that the knowledge of how people live their lives is important to create insight into what kind of products and services people might be interested in and also in what kind of work environment they want to be.

A router that looks like no other

Published
by
belindaparmar
on June 26, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Linksys invited me to the unveiling of their new Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54G2.  I went to the event with pretty low expectations, I mean how sexy can a router be?  Its not exactly like my PSP or my prized possession: my Internet radio.  In the hierarchy of technology, surely the router is at the low end with the cables and bits of kit that I know I have to own but don’t particularly want to think about?

My new linksys router

The dream: Will customers fall in love with their networking technology? Might we feel the same about a router as we do a well-designed sofa?

Firstly, I was really impressed by the fact that Linksys are taking the female market seriously and want input from Lady Geeks and those who work in the field. Linksys have conducted some research and recognised that over half of all women with broadband have a wireless network and want a simpler way to connect all their technology together.  95% of women with a wireless network have a PC/laptop, 68% a digital music player, 52% a DVR/PVR, 50% a games console and 14% a digital photo frame. This company has realised that women are clearly no longer a niche market but the drivers of tomorrow’s growth.

Secondly, having always classed routers as ugly things with strange antennae to be hidden, I was really impressed by the look and feel of the new Linksys product.  It’s piano black, sleek, sophisticated and smooth to the human hand. Gone are the outlandish “cyberman” antennae and the garish colour-schemes. Linksys have gone for a minimal look: The rounded form has a set of LEDs that shine through the dark plastic and a simple button which when pressed automates the configuration of many devices.

In the press event Linksys made a big show of their bundled configuration software: EasyLink Advisor. Unfortunately I could not use it because it only supports Windows XP and vista. I have have a Linux based PC. Fortunately a call to a geek friend revealed an alternative setup method that required only a web-browser. Even without the helpful software it was pretty easy: Go to a web-page and fill in a form. After that, it just worked.

I was impressed with the attitude of the designer: He stated that ‘Technology has to exist on the same terms as furniture.’

It’s clear that Linksys are genuinely attempting to apply this philosophy to their product-design, however they do not apply this consistently: For example, the packaging is quite ordinary: It’s cluttered art-work and flimsy shrink-wrapped cardboard gave the impression of a product that does not stand out from the crowd. First impressions matter - and companies that focus exclusivly on the functional attributes of their products fail to make that impression.

This led me to ask some questions: Is technology equally or more important to women than the furnishings in their home?   Would women prefer to get a new HD TV than a new sofa?  Are we a nation of geek obsessed individuals who can’t think past their front door?  If in the 50s people defined their houses by the cars parked in the drive, is the naughties about whether you have a WIi or an Xbox?  Will there soon be more conversations about the type of router you should have rather than your choice of carpet?

The reality (for now) - The router’s design values are ruined by the fact that it’s permanent home is a dusty corner of my attic.

In light of these questions - have Linksys achieved their goal?

I think they are on the right track but will need to apply the principle of emotionalising the product right through from the packaging to the in store experience to the web-based configuration interface. It’s going to take a few more years of this kind of design refinement and a deeper understanding of women before router-manufacturers will have made a device that women will choose over a designer sofa.

My first date with the E61i

Published
by
belindaparmar
on June 18, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

I received the Nokia E61i to review with an attitude of nonchalance.  I previously considered myself as Blackberry slave and resigned myself to the fact that my children will grow up to be Blackberry orphans. I begrudgingly removed my Sim card into my new E61i in the spirit of goodwill.

My initial impression was that it was a bulkier, sturdier blackberry, and kind of geeky looking.  As one Lady Geek told me, it looked like a Casio calculator.

Within 5 mins, without reading the manual , I had figured out how to put a photo of my baby daughter as my background on the screen.  In 10 mins, I had made my first call.  Within half an hour, I had downloaded the Gmail application.  This was intuitive design.  No manuals.  Minimal frustration.  My previous reluctance had been totally overcome with a rush of love.  Admittedly,  this wasn’t love at first sight but this was love within the first half an hour. This got me thinking.

What level of gratification needs to achieved in the first 5 mins for a piece of technology to play an indispensable role in your life?  How important is it that women can make technology ‘feel their own’ within the first 5 mins of owning a new gadget?

Meeting your new phone is like going on a first date.  You have to connect in the first five minutes otherwise, its pretty much an uphill struggle.  First impressions do count.  In fact, they are crucial.  I spoke to my Lady Geeks about this and so many of them struggle with initial set ups.  They talk about “wanting technology feeling like their own.” Once they are shown how to use something or have worked out just one thing on their own, they feel comfortable.  Secure.  Protected.   Comforted.  Most importantly, they are saved from phoning the company or asking a man and feeling completely stupid.

Drescher states that there are 3 components of a successful relationship: Comfort, Safety and Sexual Tension.   The comfort and safety elements are crucial for a woman’s relationship with a phone.  Comfort of feeling relaxed with my technology.   The safety of knowing it is there when I need it and has my life in it.  

In hindsight, I never felt the same about my Blackberry.  It is an absolutely necessary part of my life.  However, I would not say I had a particularly emotional relationship with it.  Blackberry have been so clever by targeting the Enterprise market- my company does not support the E61i so I could never use it to check my work email and calendar.

Reluctantly, this morning Nokia told me they want their E61i back: I had to return the SIMM card to the Blackberry Pearl.

I miss the E61i’s qwerty keyboard even if they are quite hard to press sometimes - true love can overcome flaws like that.  I miss the intuitive nature of the device and I miss the photo off my baby on the background (I’ve not yet managed to do the same for my BB’s tiny screen).

If companies want their users to feel an emotional connection with technology, why don’t they focus on that first crucial 5 mins? Why not think about how to make a woman fall in love and not get caught up in product spec most of which most people will never use?  Why can’t every phone or piece of technology come with a small handbag size card with top ten tips to getting started?  What about a demo mode that explains the basic principles? Why can’t their be a hot-line button on your phone to a helpline?

Companies must understand that for women first impressions count and if instant gratification isn’t found in the first five minutes through the design and usability, its very difficult to engender true loyalty.  As Elbert Hubbard said (1856 - 1915)

“An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.”

Beyond the Impartial Observer

Published
by
elisabethkelan
on June 17, 2008
in Interesting
. 1 Comment

Belinda and I were involved in a seminar a couple of weeks ago which looked at involved observational research in practitioner and academic settings. Here is a summary of the inspiring event.

The film Kitchen Stories portrays what many people think about observational research. In the film, the researcher tries to find out how kitchens should be designed and to do so he sits on a high chair and observers and takes notes of the object of his research, a single man in his kitchen. The researcher is as neutral, scientific and invisible as possible and is not allowed to talk to the researched. However the inevitable happens and the researcher develops a friendship with the researched.

An Economic and Social Research Council funded seminar, organized by the Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business, shows that ethnographic research, full of observations and interviews, has moved away from such clinical assumptions. The seminar, which took place at London Business School on 5 June 2008, is part of an ESRC seminar series on emotions and embodiment, and was the third seminar in the series, organised by Dr Elisabeth Kelan. The seminar was entitled ‘Gender, Power, Embodiment in Research’.

The seminar brought together academics and practitioners with an interest in ethnographic research. The rationale for which was to explore the differences and similarities in approach and to learn from one another.

The keynote speakers were Professor Catherine Cassell (Manchester Business School) who talked about how interviewees and interviewers co-construct one another and Professor Mats Alvesson (University of Lund) who addressed the issue of reflexive methodology and taking multiple perspectives to the material generated in research.

Dr. JK Tina Basi. Director of Mehfil Enterprise and freelance researcher with Intel’s Digital Health Group in Ireland, discussed the role of identity in shaping the research process and outcomes. Her talk, entitled, ‘Identity at Work and Play: Conducting Ethnography for Commercial Enterprise’, looked at the way in which research design could better include and make space for the co-construction of both the researcher and the research participants’ identities. Drawing upon a range of feminist academics (Haraway, 1991; Stanley and Wise, 1993; and Wolf, 1996), Dr. Basi pointed towards the feminist epistemological critique of positivism and ‘value free’ research, which argues that the subjective/objective dichotomy is false, and that objectivity is simply a name given to male subjectivity.

“Interviewing is the art of construction rather than excavation; thus the task is to organize the asking and listening so as to create the best conditions for constructing meaningful knowledge (Mason, 2002). Research cannot be ‘hygienic’, and knowledge is best created as a co-production between the interviewer and interviewee (Collins, 2000), as two intersecting dialogues: dialogue number one is the ethnographer’s interviews with informants or the observations of people’s lives; dialogue two is between the ethnographer’s written work and the readers (Smith, 2002: 20) or the clients. Such an approach paves the way for greater reflexivity, which isn’t just about presenting the self and being reflexive about the self, it is about exposing power relations and the way in which these relations shape knowledge - a much more authentic way to conduct research, yielding sharper insights and deeper meanings. ”

Dr Basi presented two examples from Intel’s research in the healthcare sector to show the strength of a dialogic approach to data collection. Intel’s research work on transport and mobility in rural Ireland was designed in part by the Rural Transport Programme and the research on social care services in England was heavily influenced by the experiences of elderly people using the services provided by Age Concern.

“Ethnography is just as much about the interview as it is about the setting, it is about building a rapport, yet you do more than just talking. You see things that people cannot articulate, what they don’t know they are trying to articulate. Ethnographic research provides a view of the rituals, practices, markers, and triggers in intimate settings and important environments – the situatedness of ethnography however, calls upon the researcher to become vulnerable in the process too.”

Belinda Parmar, a Planning Director of Saatchi & Saatchi and author of Lady Geek

http://ladygeek.org.uk, presented two case studies where Xploring, a Saatchi research tool, was used to discover insights that overturned stereotypes long upheld by traditional research techniques.

“I apply theories and methods of ethnography to the corporate realm. I take a unique participant-observation approach where I immerse myself in people’s lives to discover meaning about real people’s lives in the real world on their terms. I develop relationships based on mutual trust and move from an ‘outsider‘ looking in, to an ‘insider’ uncovering truths about human behaviour and gender differences. I am concerned with the wider aspects of people’s lives and their eco-systems”

The results: practical and actionable insights that have developed into award winning ideas for clients.

The product: stories, films, books that tell the stories in rich and colourful detail to stimulate brand ideas.

Overall, the seminar has shown how to take research into a real life context and depart from the view that the researcher is an impartial researcher by exploring this question from an academic and practitioner side. Please also see London Business Schools‘ news section and Putting People First blog for views on the event.

Technology…a politically correct addiction?

Published
by
belindaparmar
on June 11, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

I was sitting in a restaurant and I felt agitated.  Nervous.  Jittery.  Stressed.  It took me a while to figure out what was wrong.  And then I realised.  I hadn’t checked my emails for over 30 minutes.  I looked around at the table next to mine - half of it’s occupants were staring into their smart-phones or tablet PC’s.

Admittedly we were a geeky crowd but this was a fancy French restaurant in an upscale part of the city, not some a nerd-fest in a seattle coffe bar. As Hamlesh noted, the Crack berry has replaced smoking.  Whilst it was once considered OK to smoke, now its not. It is acceptable however, to check your Blackberry every five minutes.   If they remade Mad Men for today’s advertising world, would they be checking their phone for emails rather than lighting up another cigarette?

Have we become so dependent on technology that it is no longer an empower and enabler but the root of an addiction society?  A replacement for the cigarette?

One of my Lady Geek contacts admitted to me that she checks her Blackberry at traffic lights.  Another told me what without her phone she feels like there is no oxygen in the room.  Another wakes up and has to check Facebook before she has her breakfast.  I have to admit I check my phone every half an hour when I am with my children, which I feel guilty about.   According to a recent You Gov poll, 90% of Blackberry users describe their Blackberry is a lifesaver.   Technology is a lifeline for many of us and brings many benefits..it connects us to our friends and families and many women talk about their phone as the modern day rape alarm.  Its a security device.  The reality is that if someone is to attack you then your phone is not going to be of any use.  But it provides many women with reassurance and peace of mind.

But not being able to live without technology, is that really good for society?  I remember that scene from Sex in the City when Miranda comes home and Tivo hasn’t recorded her favourite programmes and she behaves like a demented neurotic.  I feel like that when my PVR doesn’t record “The Apprentice”.

Surely ‘balance’ in all aspects of our lives is what we should be striving for?  And if we are always ‘connected’ how do we switch off?   We need to make sure technology serves as an enabler, as a facilitator to someone or something we love doing.   Now let me just go and check my mail….

Mummy, please can I have a …Blackberry?

Published
by
belindaparmar
on June 4, 2008
in Mobile Phones
. 3 Comments

I was chatting to Dominic Mcvey,the guy famous for becoming a millionaire at 15 selling scooters, and he recounted me a story of his friend’s son who is 10 years old and asked his mum for a Blackberry.  I was astonished that a ten-year old child child was even aware of what a Blackberry is.  A DS lite- yes.  A Xbox 360 naturally.  High School Musical…of course.  But a Blackberry? I’d never considered that the brand appealed strongly to the ‘tweenie demographic.

I spoke to some of my Lady Geeks who have children of a similar age - astonishingly the story was the same: all the kids love Blackberry.  For them, a Blackberry equals money which equals success. This is a reflection of what our society values.  It’s all about money and the desire to be wealthy… and the Blackberry is the tangible symbol of this desire, even for pre-teens.

This is a great for Blackberry: Their strategy has consistently been to target the ‘business professionals’ and they have not been tempted to diversify.  As Napoleon said, the essence of strategy is sacrifice. By remaining conspicuosly dis-interested in any audience other than their core they have created strong desirability outside of that audience.

Money, fame, power… blackberry?

Whilst it may leave me sad that that this is the reality of the world we live in, it’s really not so bad: When I was ten years old, the objects I desired were crappy imported toys of limited fun and value. Perhaps armed with the awesome communications power of the BB we will see a new generation of hyper-achieving mini Dominic McVey’s… come to think of it, now I know what to get my son for his 2nd birthday.

Feminising or Humanising Technology?

Published
by
elisabethkelan
on June 1, 2008
in Interesting
. 1 Comment

The Telegraph featured an article on 30 May 2008 entitled ‘Feminised gadgets: An eye for the ladylike’. The article claims that women become more and more interested in gadgets. Figures seem to support this. Sony Ericsson claims that women spend more money on gadgets than on shoes (£391 per year or £17 billion in total). Based on the article two-thirds of the Nintendo DS users are female.

The article assumes that feminised technology is something new in the West yet well established in Japan. DoCoMo asked women what they want in mobile phones and subsequently produced a hugely popular, small clamshell handset with an integrated camera. At that time few people understood the value of cameras in mobile phones but that has changed of course dramatically.

Women do seem to hold the key for many design innovations in the gadget market simply because they are often not asked what they want from technology. The article also quotes Ladygeek research saying that women do not want pink products but useful, easy to use products. They want phones that are also fashion accessories and beautifully designed.

The classic example is Jonathan Ive’s iMac design which showed that computers did not have to be beige or grey boring boxes but can be design features. My first generation iBook does indeed look stunning in my room and is regularly admired by visitors.

What appeals to women often does appeal to men too. The article claims that indeed ‘gender barriers are becoming blurred’ suggesting that men and women both want beautifully designed, easy to use technology. Rather than becoming feminised it appears that technology is finally being made fit for humans rather than just a certain group of technology savvy and nerdy men.

A solitary moment for two

Published
by
belindaparmar
on May 28, 2008
in Articles, Electronics, Home Entertainment, Mobile Phones and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

As a  techno-utopian, I believe technology brings people together rather than disconnecting them.

Received wisdom would have us believe that technology breeds isolation:  I’ve lost count of the number of hysterical Daily Mail articles that warn us that computer-games are turning kids violent. As a child I was told that sitting too close to the TV would “make you go blind”. There’s a great deal of nonsense spoken about technology, and it’s often believed because many people consider technological progress to be the root evil of society.

When I think about how technology is used in my household, the HD TV is like a digital campfire which brings the whole family together to watch films, the Wii is a short burst of fun for my husband and I when the kids are in bed, Facebook connects me to a wider circle of friends that I wouldn’t have the time to see, and my mum and I listen to Woman’s Hour together on our new Wi Fi radio.

Not only is technology physically bringing people together through new shared experiences, its creating a new way of sharing an emotional experience albeit in some cases on different platforms and different devices.  The reactions and the emotions of the people with whom you are sharing the experience with is whats important.

This becomes ever more apparent with the shift towards mobile content sharing devices.   As Jan Chipchase shows with this photo of two Tokyoites - on the right of the photo engaged in the same task watching the same television program on their mobile phone each using their own device, with comments passed back and forth.   Whereas one screen can compromise the viewing experience, the same content can be shared and hence the same experience.

As technology evolves and content becomes ever more mobile (or ‘time shifting’), there are so many opportunities for companies to position technology less as something about individual glory and status but more as a shared emotional experience.  Its these kind of positioning that will capture the female heart as well as the female pound.