Post 8

Blog 8 - Project Reflection - 4-Dec

By far, the most valuable concept I pulled from this course was deconstructing and rebuilding the business model using the canvas.  The “Business Model Generator” book will remain in my library indefinitely.  This course was my first experience viewing the idea of a healthy business (and the components and aspects that create it) with an easy to apply, easy to remember framework.  In taking on Target’s problem with reaching millenials, by examining Target’s applicable customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships (and how they are built and maintained), key resources, and key activities, we were able to identify underutilized communication channels and resulting opportunities for Target.

As a result of this course, I have a deeper understanding of the current affairs and prominent issues in dealing with customer insights opportunities balanced with customer privacy considerations.  This understanding is twofold.  First, I understand more fully the extent of possibilities for leveraging “big data”, social media, and customers’ interactions with technology for knowledge of customers’ needs and desires.  I also realized through in class discussion, through assigned readings, through research for the Target project, through research for this blog, and through research for my final paper that data is being severely underutilized at current.  The uses seem to be wide and varied, but are infrequently overlapping.  This means that quite often, organizations are using data in a unique fashion but the data would be best leveraged by using all of these methods simultaneously.  In the case of Target, because the research about leveraging data interactions for customer insights was recent in mind, it led me to ask deeper questions about how Target was leveraging its web presence and mobile applications to attract, interact with, and get to know its new target segments.  By applying this research to the Target project, I was able to wrap the context of the “real business world” around the idea of social media and data analytics based customer insights.  This real world context provided me the chance to quickly understand the real world applications and implications of attempting such a project and the hurdles that would be faced in the business world

I think the least useful portion of the Target research project was phase 1 but I do not believe phase 1 should be moved. I think it would be valuable to the project to combine phases 1 and 2 and create a “List Assumptions, Design Persona, Perform Research – Phase 1”, and have the same process performed in phase 2 so that each team would better define their persona, and have a second chance to craft better research.  Taking this approach would mean that the persona design, listing assumptions, and research design would be done half in phase 1 and half in phase 2 but allow a chance to incorporate lessons learned within this project.  For me, in listing assumptions and developing a research plan I realized the faults in my plan after a quick application and I saw the negative effects in my contribution to the group work.  Having one more quick round to re-design or refine my research plan and then use my remaining resources more efficiently would have benefited my project and learning process overall.

Initially my emotion was confusion, if that can be considered an emotion.  Working with a group of all millennial females on a project about millennial females meant that the individuals were working with a more applicable base of knowledge than I was.  I found myself asking quite often “are you speaking for yourself, or for our persona?”  This was done just to make sure I wasn’t missing something.  As things progressed I decided to just listen more and (go figure!) I learned a lot more.  In addition to the concepts delivered in class, I learned a few different perspectives to approaching the idea of how to understand people.  Towards the end, things worked better as our team merged more.  Throughout the process Professor Walls was extremely helpful and always open to chat about concepts in the project.  Professor Wall’s demeanor and approach to the project made it a more pleasant experience than it could have been and also made the process extremely interactive.  Ultimately I think working in a group made this experience more painful BUT also made it more worthwhile because I believe I learned much more than I would have learned working alone.

All things considered, the Target project and CI was a very positive experience.  Without a doubt, I will be digging through my notes to re-learn lessons for a good amount of time to come.

Big Data, Respect, and Getting to Know Your Customers

The existence of “Big Data” is a hot topic these days.  Everyone is familiar with the phrase “knowledge is power” but with preponderance of ways to track our every move, expression, and thought, where should we draw the line as to how much power is enough?  Even further, where should the line be drawn as to the pursuit of personal data and its applications?

Recently in the media, Google provided a great talking point on the topic of where to draw the privacy line.  Engineers equipped Google’s Streetview cars with wardriving capability.  What does this mean?  It means that it equipped cars to absorb the data emitted by wireless routers to correlate the name, signal, and location for future use in mapping capabilities.  That’s not the key issue though.  The key issue is that a Google engineer put in an extra bit of code to enable Google’s devices to record unencrypted internet traffic transmitted by wireless devices. Simply stated, Google equipped its cars to record internet traffic that people transmitted. 

Now to the bottom line…was this wrong?  My answer…it depends.  It depends on the purpose of recording this data.  To date, it is still not known publicly why Google wanted to record this unencrypted internet traffic.  Given how much of an uproar this caused I will pose one more question.  If this was just an incident of tracking people’s internet activity, what makes this so different from Google stockpiling internet traffic through Gmail, Google Chrome, You Tube, Google Search, and anything else in Google’s eco-system?  Two things separate these actions; intended use and expectation of privacy.

In our daily lives, there are some things we do knowing that the actions we put on display are on show for the world to see regardless of whether or not we would like them to be.  When we have conversations while passing strangers, sing in the car, protest, and cheer at a football game.  All of these actions convey an idea intended for a specific audience, but, they are done in eyeshot or earshot of the world.  In these cases, it would be illogical and unreasonable to expect privacy.  To the contrary, when we close the curtains to our home or close the door to an office before a discrete conversation our actions show an attempt to maintain privacy.  As such, these attempts should be respected.  Ultimately though, the rule of dealing with reporters sums up the idea of expectation of privacy.  If you don’t want the information out there, don’t put it out there.  If there is a logical expectation of privacy, the ability to breach that privacy is not ethical, even if it is easily accomplished with the assistance of technology.

Addressing a topic more directly associated with ethics, there comes a question of how can the information acquired be used with respect to good taste.  In the example of an individual walking down the sidewalk having a conversation in public, if the information was heard by a stranger and later published, there was no breach of trust because none existed before that moment.  Take the same case in a workplace in which workers passing each other in the halls overhear conversations.  If any form of relationship with mutual respect exists, then repeating the said information or using it without consulting the originator would likely be considered in bad taste.  Furthermore, if the information is used for the benefit of the originator, such as to buy an appropriate gift for a surprise party, the information used in this eavesdropping would be viewed as positive.  On the other hand, if the information were used to, for instance, get the originator fired, it would likely be viewed as a clearly negative use of information. 

So what do these examples show?  The question of ethics in eavesdropping depends first on the level of trust between the originator and the observer.  If mutual respect exists, then consent to use the data further for the benefit of the user should be acquired if the action is to remain in good taste.  If the data is intentionally acquired without consent or is used to harm the originator it is unethical.  But how does all of this play into Big Data and Customer Insights?

With the rise of social media and the fact that millennials live roughly half of their lives online on average, a wealth of information about people, their desires, and their personalities exists in this virtual world.  Taking into consideration the cases provided above, companies need to consider 4 things:

1.      The customer’s expectation of privacy

2.      Making the customer aware of the intended use of the data

3.      Gaining the customer’s willing consent

4.      Maintaining openness and respect throughout the company to customer relationship.

When viewed plainly, respected fully, and performed openly, leveraging the wealth of information available on the internet about customers these days is just a great tool to serve the customer and improve their experience.  The 1’s and 0’s of the internet have allowed us to move forward from walking around with a clip board awkwardly saying, “Can I ask you a few questions about…”  Instead, we can create a seamless, open experience by explaining that we would like to get to know the customer a bit better in order to serve them better by simply clicking a box and letting us see the world through their eyes.  Instead of asking a customer if we can discreetly follow them through a store to examine their buying habits, would they mind allowing us to use internet cookies to learn what is important to them in their buying process? Then finally asking the customer if instead of sitting in a white room with strangers awkwardly answering questions in a focus group they would allow us into their circle of friends on Facebook and Twitter to hear their opinions and views unabridged and impromptu as they would like the world to hear them? 

Throughout all of this, maintaining openness with a clear statement of what data is being captured and exactly what its intended use is would be paramount.  This is not capturing data secretively through web crawlers, or sneaking code in to farm games or a like button a website.  This is examining the components in a relationship and respecting them.

The bottom line on ethical use of personal data in customer insights?  Respect the expectation of privacy, respect the nature of the relationship, gain consent before use, and remain open throughout the data exchange and use.  Adhering to these guidelines will not only create ethical behavior but will increase customer goodwill and enhance the overall relationship.  The virtual age we’re in provides a new, super powered tool set for customer insight.  By applying old fashioned standards of courtesy and respect we maximize the benefit for all parties involved.

Creativity

In my opinion, creativity is a growing, changing, living thing that can thrive if nurtured and fade if caged, even within a single individual.  It varies in natural intensity but can be cultivated in anyone with the right stimuli.  Furthermore, from person to person I have noticed that the sensitivity of creativity and the mediums it comes through best vary intensely.

As former military, I spent my time in very rigid, structured, creativity crushing organizations…or so it seems at first glance.  The Marine Corps culture is one of cookie cutter precision making sure that all parts are identical and operate in a similar fashion to reduce unpredictability in performance.  This is on the outside though.  Internally, the Corps has constant issues of too many problems, not enough solutions, and even less resources to address those problems with. Thus enters most of the creativity.  Just as necessity is the mother of invention, scarcity and urgency foster immense creativity within the ranks.

A common idea among Marines is the empowering “get it done” idea.  It could cleaning an armory, storming a hill, fixing a truck, or getting a hold of much needed equipment, but once assigned a task, Marines tend to attach their pride and reputations to the outcome.  Just as well, at lower leadership levels and above, management tends to have more individuals or teams to manage than seems plausible so they will constantly provide a task a say “I don’t care, get it done!”  Without fail, this type of leadership usually yields two things. First, the Marines look around like “did that really just happen?”  Second, without fail, creative results emerge.  As compared to the micro-management style of leadership most would expect from the military, I find that this style tends to lead to more creative results because first, it is open ended with little guidance providing only an end point and no path.  Second, the natural leadership style among Marines communicates a sense of urgency with results tied to the doer’s reputation.  This could cause a problem, but a good “jarhead” should remain calm under stress so the “no pressure” mantra should ring true. Third, Marines tend to come from all walks of life and also tend to have less formal education than their counterpart service members, as well as most in the civilian world.  I believe this lack of education enhances creativity because the projects are usually performed by teams of very different socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, the mental frameworks applied to problem solving tend to be widely varied and acquired through practical application which, in my opinion, breeds less streamlined and conformist problem solving approaches.

So, I assume the reader is asking, “So, how do these weird creatures tend to be creative?”  Aside from creatively finding new ways to get into trouble, creativity most often comes through due to a lack of resources.  I witnessed individuals fixing Hummers with duct tape, fabricating makeshift air conditioning systems to try and block out some of the Sahara style heat, creating makeshift living quarters to remind themselves more of home, and making “improvised upgrades” to weapons to ensure reliability in unreliable conditions, and somehow creatively managing to find food even in the oddest of circumstances. 

Now that the factors should that encourage creativity in such an organization have been detailed,I think it would be worthwhile to point out the traits I have observed that stifle creativity.  First, obviously, would be micro-management and detailing a specific path to a solution.  People will never improve on a process if they are forced down a specific road, a specific way, time after time.  Eventually, the creative mindset and observational powers that spark creativity wear away as they settle into the routine of following the path in front of them.  Secondly, if the person is sensitive to pressure or high stress situations.  If the individual tends to “vapor lock”, or locks up and loses the ability to function when with the overwhelming feeling of stress, the leader involved must remove the idea of stress.  This could also be a removing a perceived threat of repercussions to encourage a fully free, open thought process resulting in creativity.

From my experience inside and outside of the military, I’ve come to view creativity as a muscle.  At times it is stronger for me, and other times it is weaker, but this all depends on how often I’ve attempted to push my creative limits.  For my initial period in the Marines I felt stifled and robotic, but this was likely intended.  As I reached what we called the “Fleet Marine Force” preparing to deploy to the Middle East, our problem sets expanded far beyond the institutional knowledge of our sub-organizations at the lower levels, our experience levels, and our resources.  Additionally knowing that we would be operating in an unknown environment under ambiguous conditions forced to adapt a creative, problem solving mindset on an institutional level, though this was more of a necessity induced initiative from the bottom up.\

The times that I felt most creative are the times that I have been able to mentally transcend my surroundings and reach a high level of emotional and mental detachment.  This has allowed me to freely explore ideas without regard to constraints.  Granted this state will not always prove fruitful, I have achieved my insights in it.  On the other hand, the times I felt most stifled have been when I remained within the situation, mentally speaking, or remained emotionally attached when there was a possibility of negative emotions due to pressure, stress, or any sentiment hindering a positive mood.

One thing I believe expands creative abilities and creative thinking are frameworks.  Frameworks of applying knowledge or thought to analyze or perceive a situation differently.  In a simple form, this has come from telling a person a situation I’m analyzing, the data I know to be fact, my sentiments, and then ask their perspective.  By understanding how they view the situation and how they specifically analyze the situation I absorb a new possible perspective, a new angle to view a situation from, and a new way to framework for creative analysis.  On another level are the tools we have learned in class. My favorite thus far, in terms of business, has been the canvas, though I believe the principles can be applied to other projects.  The canvas allows us to take the knowledge we have on an entity and the facts surrounding it, put all of the information on a level plane, and assess it as objectively as possible with equal weight.  The end result is that connections that were previously overshadowed by the bold points of the situation en up receiving our full attention, sparking new ideas, and ultimately creativity occurs.  This framework enables a different perspective and has convinced me that creativity, or at least developing a creative perspective, can be taught.  Creativity is a skill.  Like any other skill, it is a talent for some and a point of weakness for others, but it can be developed in all.

Blog Post 6 - Graphically Displaying Customer Loyalty Data

Some interesting facts on loyalty programs displayed in fun forms.  Enjoy!

The Future of Social Media in Customer Insight

If someone opened the curtains behind the window to their soul, would you look in?  What if you were a marketer and this was your consumer unveiling his inner thoughts?  Or perhaps this thought process is too deep.  What if they were merely unveiling their intentions for you to see, as unadulterated and unfiltered as possible?  For a marketer, that would be a dream come true.  Enter the realm of social media.

In 2011, the Arab Spring caught the world by storm…but not really.  In actuality, a small think tank using google analytics and tracking the words used on social media and in general queries managed to predict the chaos.  By using popular movies, celebrities, and common searches as a benchmark they were able to uncover rising interest, and unrest, regarding certain policies, political figureheads, and potential means of expression the discontent.  You may ask, “What’s the point?” the digital universe that we live in on a day to day basis holds a wealth of indicators about what we’re thinking, feeling, desiring, and, as the Arab Spring showed, planning.  What’s even better is that these indicators point to the future even when we don’t realize our plans.

Noreena Hertz, a leading economist in the UK, successfully developed an algorithm that employed this idea.  By developing an algorithm and program that listens to and analyzes the tweets of social media users she was not only able to determine the topic but determine the sentiment of a group at large regarding a situation.  Her experiment correctly picked winners of “The X Factor” prior to results being released.

This idea goes even further.  With Google running a tethered service of sites that all share data as microcosms of Google’s overall idea, what are the potential applications social media based data in marketing?  What is the current state of lifestyle media for extracting customer insights?  What are the restrictions?  Best of all, where is this idea going and where does most of its potential lie?

When people think of social media, often times their minds immediately run to the idea of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and maybe even Orkut if they’re perusing around Brazil.  In reality, lifestyle media is becoming social media.  On my phone, I have MyFitnessPal, in which I store what I eat daily to analyze later in pursuit of my health goals.  I also share this journal selectively with other fitness freak friends. Hypothetically speaking, developing a Machine to Machine (M2M) protocol that allows this and other related apps to share my data would provide an interested party access to my eating habits and schedule, my tastes, what a typical shopping

basket looks like for me, the brands that I care about, my demographics, and so much more. Access to data in Yelp, a popular social media tool for reviewing and identifying restaurants to suit a variety of tastes, would tell an interested party which areas of town I’m willing to travel to for food, which places I’m not willing to travel to, how far I’d be willing to travel for various types of food, and how frequently I may visit particular restaurants.  Accessing the locational data from any social media app could do the same.  Past patterns are a solid indicator of future patterns.  But what are the restrictions in all of these ideas?

Privacy is a huge issue for most users, though they leave locational data open to their favorite phone apps.  Would people share locational data with an interested party? If the value provided exceeds the cost, or perceived risk, the answer will be a clear yes.  The ability of machines to speak in the same language, or protocol, also stands between the present situation and ultimate success.  Varying applications storing data in varying formats makes the

data difficult to aggregate into a usable format.  What could the answer be?  Companies are actively dedicating resources to developing standard M2M protocols.  Google has been a huge proponent of open platforms such as with Android, just as the Linux crew has been.  The more important issue is if all of this was possible and would the end state be worth the journey? Absolutely.

The intuitive nature of Apple’s products came from Steve Job’s insistence on basing the functionality of his products on empirical evidence of how people interacted with machines, technology, and the world.  Social media provides data on these interactions, habits, and desires for 72% of the population.  By nature, social media is a platform that people use to express themselves and share personal information.  Sir Jobs of the Apple clan was without a doubt impressive in understanding the needs that people didn’t know they had yet.  In leveraging this mountain of data, finding a way to aggregate it, understanding its potential, and innovating a process for understanding it, we may find the next Apple fueled by the insight of the next Steve Jobs.

What does all of this point to?  Social media and lifestyle media have invaded our lives in force.  Oddly enough, it can’t be considered an invasion because we’ve welcomed it with open arms.  We depend on social media, living our lives and communicating through it daily while we share…everything.  The marketer with customer insight foremost in mind takes deep interest in what makes the customer who they are, and what endears the customer to his brand.  By leveraging this virtual journey map and trail through cyberspace, the marketer has one more tool in his tool box to provide exactly what the customer wants and needs, even when that customer doesn’t realize it.  What role will social media and lifestyle media play in the future of customer insights? How are marketers leveraging these tools now and how can we best position ourselves for the future use of this tool?  In my research to come, delving into current and rising trends and theories of social media’s use for customer insight in the future, I hope to find out.  The ultimate goal?  Insight into social media as a tool for customer insight.

Post #3 - Generative Research

I’d like to think I’m a very simple being.  Very straight forward with simple tastes, not overly dependent on technology…and not blessed with the best artistic skills.  Unfortunately, sometimes the way we perceive ourselves is not completely the way things are.  This experiment in Generative Research (with me as the subject) should be a firsthand demonstration of how customer research methodologies are good at communicating ideas about the customer that the customer can’t (in free narrative) detail about himself. 

There are a few things I’ve grown accustomed to depending on.  Though I’ve been in situations where I comfortably live without them for months on end, I know that if these articles are within arms’ reach then I’ll be reaching for them.

My iPhone.  Like the rest of the Apple Mafia, I’ve grown dependent on the ease with which desired information flows from this device.  It sings me to sleep at night and wakes me with everything from NPR to Stevie Wonder.

My beloved Surface.  Though I was skeptical about whether I could return to the PC world, my Windows Surface continually lures me in.  It assists me in doing everything I need done in terms of work.

My pen and notepad.  Yes, you read that right.  Because part of me is stuck on analog and I like the feeling of writing things down, this pair is always by my side.  Batteries can’t go dead on these things, and I can record things much quicker too. 

Now my Surface and iPhone, as awesome as they are, wouldn’t be as addictive without the internet and its bottomless pit of data.  The data sources that I access through them are ultimately what trigger the anti-social stints of staring blanking into a screen as I fall down the informational rabbit hole.  The foremost information sources, for me, are Google, my email, and Facebook.

Google is the Pandora’s box of information and answers all of the questions I have, the questions I don’t have, and even the questions I don’t want to have.  Everything from exploring random ideas for next year’s vacation to determining the GDP growth for Kenya to prepare for a global policy discussion happens for me through Google.  Any question I have, Google is the first secondary research source I use.  I Google most often immediately before classes and during study periods for school or for researching and planning activities outside of school.

My email is not only the reception point for most of my incoming communications but is also a repository for records, plans, ideas, and future engagements.  When I am not engaged in meetings I usually check my email at least four times an hour because I have faith that it is the one place I am likely to receive my important messages.  It is also the one place that I can find all of my personal records and information.  I check my email first thing every morning and last thing before I go to bed.  I frequently tell people that if they want to contact me in the long term to throw away my phone and keep my email.

Facebook and I have a true love hate relationship.  I hate that it has replaced bumper stickers in telling me more about people than I would like to know.  On the other hand, Facebook does an amazing job of keeping me up on “social current events”.  At times, when I feel like my web calendar is missing an engagement I will scour Facebook to see if there is any inkling of what event I may be missing.  As well, Facebook offers spouts of mindless entertainment and funny quips.

As the timeline depicts, information bursts populate my entire day.  When I wake up, I take a heavy dose of email, Facebook, and international news followed by a calendar glance to tell me what I’m doing for the day.  As I leave home and head for school, searching the internet becomes more frequent as I prepare for my classes.  “Information breaks” take place throughout the day as I visit my favorite fitness and exercise sites to plan my workouts and visit my favorite cooking websites to plan my meal for the evening.  Upon arriving home I tend to tap information streams for pleasant diversion.  This may be NPR again, or Pandora to stream music. After the brief breath of fresh content I return to my homework supported by Google.  The night finally ends with an email check, a Facebook check, and some streaming tunes to my iPod.

This exercise provided me with a very objective view of my interaction with the world.  Just as many assume they can explain exactly what they want but in actuality can’t fully express their desires without assistive tools, I feel like this exercise provided an objective means of detailing a framework surrounding a person’s dependencies or patterns from a customer in any case where an open ended question would not suffice

Designing Cara - Post 1

For today’s post, I will explore the idea of developing and mapping personas in a manner that would most accurately reflect how people are biased in absorbing and interacting with the world they live in.  In this iteration, I will take my friend Cara and relay to you the essential points of what she thinks, sees, says, hears, hurts because of, and hopes for in day to day life.  In learning to understand her, I hope to gain insight on how best to understand and empathize with those consumers with whom I hope build a relationship with as customers in the future.

What does Cara think about most?  If I asked her how she felt every 15 minutes, what would the answer most likely be?  Aside from the answer of being annoyed by hearing the same question every 15 minutes, the answer provides us insight into the base ideas and emotions that come from analyzing the elements of information that we absorb from the world around.  This ultimately creates the ideas and feelings that drive our desires, our actions, our opinions, and drive us generally as people.

For Cara, the thoughts of family and friends are ever present.  Though it would be impossible (at this point in history) to know exactly what she thinks and feels, and I can infer her thoughts and feelings based on recurring events and ideas in her life.  The value she places on meaningful, emotion heavy social interaction is displayed through her habits and recurring activities, as she calls each of her family members and close friends several times a week.

Additionally, the idea of professional success and ultimately leaving a memorable, positive mark on the world ring through.  The countless hours spent in the fight against cancer through weekend workdays over several years shows the importance that this role has in her life.  On the other hand, at times her expressed feelings portray disappointment and angst at a slow moving process.  The fact that family and close friends rarely if ever warrant an aired feeling of disappointment and account for so much of her time communicate to me that these people ultimately hold the highest place among her thoughts and feelings.  The worry of not leaving a positive, eternal mark on the world or achieving something great bleeds through in her time of frustration with work, while also betraying and communicating her aspiration to achieve something great in an altruistic fashion.

After breaking down the thoughts and feelings that drive her, we can much more easily review what she sees…or moreso, what is placed in front of her.  Day in and day out, she walks the same path to work early in the morning and later in the evening.  She walks through her apartment, through her lobby, and walks the same walk to work each day seeing the same buildings and billboards, rarely noticing a change. Though many things are in front of her, she sees and notices the cars and the people.  When she arrives at work, she sits down at her computer and commences her workday

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Moving throughout the lab, the sights rarely change.  A microscope here…a beaker there…no changing content. In the entirety of her day, and career, the only things that bring visual change and things that are seen and absorbed instead of just seen are few.  Her laptop, which always has an internet connection, her phone, which remains connected to the “virtualverse” as well, and her colleagues, are the primary sources of new, changing visuals throughout her day at work. 

These technological, social lifelines make her an exemplary case of the world today.  She remains connected not through radio and TV, but through social media where she absorbs idea swaying thoughts, facts, and opinions.  She pipes in music through digital feeds such as Spotify and Pandora.  Her iPhone serves as her lifeline to her loved ones, and her personal locker for emotional tidbits, music, photos, and stories.  This digital connection makes her similar in the sense of “see, do, feel” to a large segment of other consumers that no other aspect of her life can compare to.  A testament to how ignoring the digital revolution can be a costly mistake, as the music industry so greatly exemplified, and showing how this constant connection and stream of information will continue to capture and revolutionize in the future.  Understanding, exploiting, and riding this wave of revolution, as Google exemplifies, can produce exponential rewards and a place for an untold amount of time to come.

For Cara, after work, the process is repeated in reverse as she rejoins society in a more traditional, vice digital, sense. She departs for the gym later that evening.  A few days a week she runs on a treadmill that is equipped with the option to watch television and movies.  Finally, after the gym, she returns home to see, and examine, what is in the cabinets to cook a meal with.  The finally touch of a weeknight is a visual examination of her emails and the world of social media as it pertains to her.

When the weekend arrives, the wildcards are in play and what she sees is much more varied and in turn absorbed.  She goes to see movies, and sees friends at the bar, before seeing the soccer game, but after visiting the farmers’ market to see what it has to offer.   She visits clothing stores like Aldo and Under Armour, to see if anything appeals to her.  When the weekend arrives, she fills her time with active, social, or healthy activities that allow her to visually sample the world around her ina  way that appeals to her.

As she is out and about in public, she remains cordial, polite, and well put together.  Maintaining the outward appearance of calm, collected dignity despite internal circumstances.  Though she may be thoroughly conflicted when considering options in most situations, her decisions are most often predictable and follow the established pattern.

As she maintains the outward air of dignity, the constant milling of thoughts inside are fed by those around her.  Most of her friends are international types of the professional background.  They enjoy America, speak science, and converse about food, clothes, and style in general.  Examining the differences between themselves and the American filled world around becomes a frequent topic of discussion, as does the utopian idea of finding a place with the best of Europe and America without its downfalls.

Her bosses vary widely in what they speak.  Some speak on guiding her towards a life of consummate work towards the next professional goal, working tirelessly in the lab as if it is the only thing that is important.  Others, speak of work as a passion as part of a healthy balance between work and life allowing one to change the world professionally and personally while in a  constant state of happiness.

Amidst all of the sources of information and overall distraction it is easy to see how frustration can potentially arise.  With so much to offer in the world, and so many potential paths, how does one find happiness?  For her, frustration most often arises after having invested, emotionally and physically, in an endeavor that bears no fruit.  Logically, this feeds into her ultimate fear of taking the wrong road and investing in the path that breeds the least happiness per hour of effort.

Luckily for her, the measure of what makes a successful day and successful activity is simple.  Enjoyment, satisfaction, approval, and recognition.  Leaving the gathering of friends with a smile on her face because of laughs and like ideas shared.  Leaving the laboratory with a feeling of satisfaction because experiment results proved a hypothesis.  A comment of admiration or approval from a stranger on the tasteful outfit or the visible, physical results of a healthy lifestyle.  The feeling of seeing her name cited as the author of a meaningful paper that one day is attributed as a meaningful data point that led to the cure to cancer.

 

All of these show signs of the benchmarks of her life and the measures of happiness and success.  Smiles and enjoyment, satisfaction professionally and personally with life’s outcomes, approval from those in the world around her, and acknowledgement of her efforts and successes in making the world a better place.  Ultimately, many things stand between her and these outcomes but the most important is her own perception.  Being in a good mood or a bad mood can be the deciding difference in how she perceives the world around her and how the interactions rate according to her own benchmarks.  Perception is everything and a blatantly important thing to Cara.  Just as understanding how her own perception and her means of interacting with the world give her the tools to control what she gets out of life, having that insight communicates to us her wants, needs, and what drives her.  This is the very essence of consumer insight.