Author Archive for belindaparmar

We are our choices

Published
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belindaparmar
on August 14, 2008
in Electronics
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We’ve just completed some interesting work about people’s relationship with technology.

Classical research theory assumes that our decisions are based on conscious, rational thought or reflex ’snap’ decisions. These days most psychotherapists have come to the conclusion that the truth is somewhat more complex: decisions are often post-rationalisations and snap decisions are backed up by a lifetime of knowledge.

Our client had previously spent thousands of pounds on ‘traditional’ research which failed to reveal anything substantially new. The planner, had been traveling around the country, night after night, suburb after suburb and was exhausted at the prospect of doing yet more research.

We decided to change our approach and run an ethnographic style study.  We assembled our ‘SWAT’ team of researchers, each was sent to ‘live’ with the subjects of our research: We spent time in their homes. We went shopping with couples buying technology and ‘hung out’ with families, observing their relationship with household technology.

The study revealed a great deal of new insights about how gender influences technology use, for example men often have their PC/Laptop in their ‘den’- its a retreat, its a hide out, a solace place where they can internalize ‘their’ time.  We saw how women use their PC/laptop in the heart of the home. Many women used their laptops to manage the household and ensure things run smoothly: Its used to make sure the shopping online is ordered, help the kids with their homework and keep them in touch with their friends via social networking sites.

We watched how couples shop for technology and the very different roles they take:  Women tend to be more concerned about how the device will ‘fit’ into their home.  Whether it will be a beautiful addition to the home, not just in terms of design but in functionality and ergonomics. This is a motive that so many tech-brands misinterpret as “women only care what the technology looks like“. Men tend to want to make sure that what they are buying is “right” piece of kit.  Not in terms of their home but more in terms of what it will purportedly do.

While the differences are obvious, what unifies men and women is that buying technology is an emotional decision: This does not mean that it is irrational. An emotional decision can be very rational as our feelings are informed by a lifetime of experience. As the neuroscientist, David Lewis states,

“Our conscious is a bit like a PR company.  It justifies our decisions on an intellectual level and seeks to explain behavior that feels right“

The ‘PR’ bit is what ‘respondents’ had been articulating in the focus group.  The planner told me,

“I realized that for 2 years people had been lying to us in focus groups.  Not because they deliberately set out to lie but because they either couldn’t articulate it or were too embarrassed to tell us what they really felt about buying technology”

There are 3 types of decision making.  The first type is the truly instant decision. The second type are those which appear instant but actually access our vast network of experiences, however we often refer to them as based on our ‘gut instinct.’ The last type is the mathematical way to approach them which is cost benefit analysis. Received wisdom has it that the vast majority of choices are of the first and third type, however the more I observe people in the act of making choices the more I realize that the way people shop is neither frivolous nor analytical but something in between.

As Sartre stated, we are our choices.  If only technology companies spent a little more time trying to understand why we do what we do on a deeper level, then maybe so many women wouldn’t feel so frustrated and bored when it comes to buying technology.

Move over Barbie, the “Smart Berry” has arrived

Published
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belindaparmar
on July 23, 2008
in Uncategorized
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I want to cry into my coffee. Japanese little girls of between 6 and 8 have eschewed Barbie and now want a Smart Berry. Its a new ‘mobile communicator’ and is a ‘girly’ version of the BlackBerry made by Bandai.

Its got a touch screen and a slide out keyboard and Wi-Fi. The device registers user profiles so that Smart Berry owners can only send and receive mail from friends. It also has a function that allows users to raise a virtual pet. Other functions include a scheduler, calculator, alarm clock and address book. The toy costs $97.

I can’t work out what I am most upset about. Is it the fact that the Blackberry has become such a symbol of status and ’success’ that a 6 year old would even know what a Blackberry is, let alone want one? Or is the fact that they have taken an intelligent piece of technology and dumbed it down and pinked it up for young girls? I think I am most aggrieved about Bandai not using any imagination or depth of understanding of young girls other than they like pink and want to communicate with their friends and nurture animals. The Smart Berry has a virtual Tamagotchi-like pet you can play with.

I have no problem with young children using technology and gaming as a way to stimulate and fuel their imagination. And living with a hard core gamer, I will have no chance in vetoing games when it comes to my children. I’d much rather my daughter play on the Wii than dress up an anorexic Barbie doll. But why can’t product developers and games designers come up with new and interesting ways to keep children’s imagination alive beyond the obvious?

I have a 7 year old niece, Lila. Lila is beautifully ‘unbranded.’ Lila loves art and creativity. She loves fantastical role play with her friends. She loves feeling like she ‘belongs’.

I have no doubt that she would want one of these as she loved her Tamagotchi. For a few minutes. For a few weeks. A few months at very best. But it will be a fad. Another toy that gets thrown into the playroom with other ‘deleted’ toys which cannot capture her imagination for more than 5 minutes. When the technology that surrounds us is so much more advanced and accessible compared to use than days gone past, how is that companies can just churn out gadgets that do nothing more than dumb down and imitate the world of the adult. Surely the generations that follow deserve more?

Honey I shrunk the Mac

Published
by
belindaparmar
on July 3, 2008
in Electronics
. 3 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?

A router that looks like no other

Published
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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
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belindaparmar
on June 18, 2008
in Uncategorized
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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.”

Technology…a politically correct addiction?

Published
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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.

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.

Touch Me

Published
by
belindaparmar
on May 21, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

With the collaboration between Best Buy and Carephone Warehouse (Best Buy bought half of the chains retail arm for £1.1b last week), the competition to deliver better customer service within the technology retail environment is on.

With the exception of Apple, service is much of a muchness whether it is John Lewis, PC World or the Sony Stores. It wouldn’t take much work to lift a retailer above the disappointing average.

I agree with Charles Dunstone , chief exec of Carephone Warehouse when he says

‘I think the consumers of Europe are ready for someone to do a better job selling electronics’

And if anyone needs to deliver a more inviting retail experience its Carephone Warehouse. As one Lady Geek said,

“I feel like bait walking into Carephone Warehouse dreading the first sales person to pounce.”

Interestingly, Best Buy moved their staff from a commission based sales structure, where customers were put under pressure to buy, to a more laid back approach with a focus on providing advice.  Perhaps Carephone Warehouse will adopt this model.

Even with internet online sales reaching 18% last year (ahead of the expected 15% of the market), expectations of the store experience are higher than ever.   Women particularly, talk about technology as they would any other purchase, they want to see it in the flesh.   Women want to feel the product.  See the weight of it.   Experiment with it.  Play with it.  Actually see what they are buying.

The physical environment is also about reassurance for women and many women will go back into the store once after they have decided what to buy as “they still feel a bit wobbly about it“

We have just conducted some research for Comet: We discovered different archetypes along a skills and confidence axis- confidence in their attitude to technology and skill in terms of their knowledge.

When it comes to high confidence and high skill, more men fall into this category.  Whats interesting is that when it comes to high skill and low confidence, women are much more likely to fall in this space.   Women do not have the confidence to buy technology, whilst many have the ability.   Women I have spoken to start their sentence with “I feel so stupid…” or “This is all jargon to me” but when you dig deeper, many women are more informed than their male counterparts.

The other important point is that as technology becomes more exciting and desirable, the desire and enjoyment of buying it is much greater, whether that is in store or online.   I know I really looked forward to buying my HD TV.  Its by no means a ‘distress purchase’ which much of the white goods fall into.

If BestBuy are willing to invest and re-invent the Carphone Warehouse experience the hum-drum mobile-phone retail marketplace could be in for a shock: Mobile phones are amongst the most desirable tech products and nobody is selling them in a particularly interesing way - on the other hand I just wonder if BestBuy appreciate how much sales they are missing because of the unfriendly high-pressure environment that their latest acquisition has become famous for.

Technology can be beautiful

Published
by
belindaparmar
on May 12, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

I am in geek envy again.   Keyboards are usually dull boring functional devices.  Not these.  These hand painted keyboards are really beautiful.  £75 a piece.  Technology doesn’t have to be a piece of kit but something more akin to art.  The fusion of art and technology would make a great exhibition.   Check out Gizmodo for more info.