Category Business

Anthropology of mid-sized startups

In their natural habitats, social species organize into characteristic groups. Gazelles form herds, wolves form packs, and ants form colonies. Humans, in the same way, form tribes. Of course, we’re pretty far removed from our natural habitat these days. But…

Designing products for value

By encouraging more focused collaboration among multiple functional groups (notably marketing and sales, operations, engineering/R&D, and procurement), these leaders are combining deep insights about customers [particularly in developing markets], competitors, and supply bases to strip out costs and amplify what…

UX articles and dissertations from Denmark

Mind Design, the Design Research Webzine of the Danish Centre for Design Research, contains a wealth of information, all available in English. Here are some highlights: Article Companies: Design Research Works in Practice Design researchers are developing new, applicable knowledge…

Mass persuasion, one user at a time

Nir Eyal writes how marketers are increasingly personalizing their products and services to meet their customers’ changing needs, and how customization used in conjunction with powerful persuasion techniques provides new weaponry to boost customer engagement and drive profits. “Mass customization,…

The magic of good service

THE customer is king. So some firms have started appointing chief customer officers (CCOs) to serve the king more attentively. These new additions to the (already crowded) C-suite are supposed to look at the business from the customer’s point of…