Over the decades, many business leaders have shifted their mindset, from building companies that are ‘built to last,” as Porras and Collins observed; to obsessing over this quarter, sometimes even this month. The collateral damage? Deep and widespread. Culture suffers when companies cycle through mass hiring and mass firing. CEO tenures focused on short-term metrics…
I’ve admired Lego since childhood, although I haven’t collected many sets over the years, the most recent being two Technic kits about 7-8 years ago. What holds me back is the plastic. I hope Lego soon finds a more eco-friendly alternative to their iconic bricks. When buying Lego kits, I usually apply a simple thumb…
Ever caught yourself telling someone, or even yourself, something like, ‘what difference can one person make?’, or ‘what can one person do?’ If you have, the name ‘Ferdinand Cheval’ might be one worth remembering. Born in 1836 France, he grew up to be a mail carrier (a postman) who cycled about delivering the post. In…
Back when I was researching for my book, ‘Design the Future’, that simplifies design thinking for businesses and curious individuals, I noticed something striking. The popular 5-step Stanford design thinking model closely mirrors DMAIC, a much older and effective quality improvement tool. (My book simplifies the Stanford process, btw). Having studied some quality improvement, I…
I recently read ‘The Social Animal’; an ok book with some ‘aha’ bits. One idea that stuck with me was about how societies are evolving over time. Over the past few years, I have kept asking myself that shouldn’t surviving something like Covid have brought us closer together? Instead, we’ve seen more conflict, division, and…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is advice often ignored in UX design. While some changes improve user experience by simplifying or enriching it, others, like Netflix’s recent TV layout overhaul, Kindle’s slightly complicated update, and LinkedIn’s confusing messaging interface, prove that unnecessary redesigns can frustrate users and disrupt what once worked seamlessly. This post dives into why thoughtful, user-centered design matters more than novelty for its own sake.
Startups often struggle to find a healthy balance between becoming and staying relevant, with marketing and sales, and competition and growth. Their efforts and struggle, while not necessarily always logical, is usually understandable. However, one cannot extend a similar courtesy of understanding to large corporate giants in mature sectors who miss the forest for the…
For years, I’ve enjoyed sending free, no-strings-attached ideas to companies in various sectors; a practice I called, “RattL ’em”; and subsequently, “…thank me later.” Just a small way of contributing to customer-centric innovation and striving to be among the best. Here’s an idea for OTT platforms that create original series: Many web series today feel…
I have always found the pillar and ceiling design at the Terminal 2 airport in Mumbai (pic) very beautiful. While there are other designs that use sunlight in even better ways, these structures are wow. And yesterday, I came across this clip (link) about Tatami, traditional Japanese floor mats, that I thought was similarly fascinating….
A few months ago, I had posted about the concerning design of the current lot of cars, with their sheer vertical drop fronts. I was recently lucky to spot an old Honda Civic in a basement parking lot, and this photo shows side by side, the aerodynamic and generally safer sloping front of the Honda…