Observation Lab

A Crash Course on Creativity

Mission

Make observations in six stores, the

exterior, interior environment,

including products and people.

Present on insights, and hidden opportunities

A store:

For our purposes, a store is defined as an

establishment where merchandise or services are

sold.

I went to 6 stores

The first three are more traditional:

Ace Hardware

Walgreens Pharmacy

Illumination, the Lamp Dr.

The second three expanded

Brittany’s hair salon

The Greenhouse Café

Threadless

I tried some other places first…

The Happy Hours Food and Gas Mart

wouldn’t let me take any pictures…

Ace Hardware

Less than thrilling

But hey, they’re open!

A nice place to sit, in an otherwise cluttered

entryway

The store is bright, and yet dull, other than

the merchandise.

They have seasonal merchandise

Everything was well organized, and neat. It

still had the vibe of a garage sale-

Many items were sold

without packaging, or with

minimal packaging- so the

perceived value was directly

for the use of the item- not

an attractive box

The not-so-fancy environment might

Imply prices would be lower- or that

the store just isn’t making money and

might be overcharging anyway.

A solution might be to have more

price comparisons on items such as

Home Depot or OSH – competitors

That generally have lower prices.

The organization was really well done.

It was easier to find things than

in a lot of other hardware stores.

None of the shelves were much taller

Than a person could reach.

It’s a place to get functional things

I don’t think I would want to get distracted

By a cozy color of floor tile if I was

Shopping for electrical wire…

What they could offer is an on-line

shopping kiosk or catalogues for items

in a related category, but that aren’t

carried in the store

Staff ranged from quite old to teenagers at

the cash register.

The pay must not be very competitive. I was

glad for the older gentleman, who seemed very

knowledgeable about items in the store.

The girl at the register seemed happy enough.

Both wore the classic hardware-store apron.

It all seemed appropriate, but I wondered what

the turnover was like, and how the store

was matching inventory to shoppers.

A salesperson- an elderly gentleman was

very direct in asking if I needed assistance,

and directed me to the wooden dowels.

I saw many couples, and women, while I

would have expected more men during the

middle of a weekday

The hardware store had a selection of women’s

Gloves for work and gardening.

They also had a few aisles of kitchen implements-

which, much as gender roles are diminishing,

still tend to be in the domain of women.

I wonder if they would do well offering classes

For women- basic wiring, electrical, car care, etc.

Yes that is a 517 pound pumpkin.

The winner got a $50 gift certificate

to the store

Walgreens Pharmacy

Some of the marketing tactics outside the

store I find more repelling than appealing…

Ummmmm…

Just inside the door is a barage of “beauty

care” items, sale products, and many colors.

The floor reflects the lighting, the packages

reflect the lighting. No one looks good in

this lighting.

I want to leave. I didn’t want to walk in.

However, here are some thoughts for

makeup sales. They could offer testing days

where someone could come in

and give hygenic samples of the

makeup- it’s placement right by

the front door would suggest it’s a

big seller.

The marketing also suggests it’s

largely for teenagers and young

women, who would probably be

interested in finding out what

looks best for them.

In this hyper-stimulated culture

and environment- it might be

fitting to have a screen playing

make-up commercials, or how-

to’s.

The food, and toys, and everything, comes

packaged, and shiny.

I wonder if some

parts of the store

could have warmer,

more touchable

items or if this would

be too unsanitary in

A place where sick

People come.

I know I would feel

better if there were

more items offered

for preventative care.

It feels like a hospital, but without the

glamour of life-saving.

I have a feeling I would

never come in here

unless there was

something wrong with

me, and I needed to fix

it.

I would love more items

for preventative care…

It seems that trend is

growing in many places,

Why not here?

It’s designed for easy navigability, and the

light falls equally on everything.

This makes sense,

because it’s not their

business to highlight

attention on high-

value

items- people come

here for necessitiesSterile packaging is

important for health-

care items.

Loud pop music. The employees seem

miserable. The customers seem

uncomfortable, and do not make eye contact

with each other. The aisles are wide,

although no one uses a shopping cart.

The cashier seemed

annoyed when he had

to return to his register

to check me out.

What kind of training

or opportunities could

the store offer to increase

job satisfaction and give

employees something to

grow towards?

All customer walk/wheelchair ways are very

obvious, and seem designed for heavy traffic

and long lines.

The store seems to do just what it was

designed for. It seems people are discouraged

from lingering by the wide straight aisles.

Necessities of all types are well organized-

but a little messy.

A lower-glare floor would reduce my stress

level.

Happier employees would make me feel better

about shopping there.

Illumination, the Lamp Doctor

This lamp store sells retail lamps and

lightbulbs, and also does custom builds and

installations for local businesses.

The unusual logo - a lightbulb doctor

working on a lamp that looks like a woman’s leg-

makes me expect a trendy or well-put-together

store.

The left-hand door was locked, but the one next

to it was open.

Just inside the door, the store was a mess…

ancient looking binders lined the wall.

Boxes on the floor, products on the floor,

clean but messy everywhere. Why am I

here?

The lighting store could have used some

better lighting…

It was silent inside, and two older men were

the salespeople. They would have let me come

and go in peace, but when I made eye contact

they greeted me.

When I asked for battery powered LED string

lights, one of the gentleman said he had

something like that, and went into an even

more cluttered and ancient looking storeroom.

This item must be 20 years old.

The salespeople were probably the owners

of the store. They didn’t seem concerned about

making a sale. They also didn’t seem to find it

odd that their stock was out of date!

Another customer returned an item, and they

also took this very casually, agreeing with her

on the problem.

I learned they make their money from

making custom pieces and lighting for local

businesses. Take this colander and

steamer- basket chandelier, for example.

They really didn’t care how the store looked, it

was functional for them, that’s what mattered

They could have a beautiful showcase for

their custom work- inspiring customers

to get lighting for their homes that is also

as elegant as their commercial builds

They could at least showcase pictures

of their other work.

Going for a more modern look, they could

even put in a wall with a window into

their workspace, so people could watch

while they build custom designs.

While I didn’t get what I was looking for, I

did get an education about lights.

Did you know LED lights change color

with the frequency of electricity that’s run

through them?

Some colors require more energy, and run

much hotter.

What a great experience to have salespeople

so incredibly knowledgeable, and happy to

educate customers.

They could easily have a you-tube channel

on how to do lighting properly, and how

to choose the right lights for your neesds.

A very functional display.

Here they showed the difference in color

temperature.

(The bulbs turn on and off with the switches)

Customers can get an idea of how a light

will look. Yellow and warm, or blue and cool.

Blue-white light in a display case. The

owner said it makes the colors of the boxes

stand out.

It would seem to me there

might be more eye-catching

items to put in a display case.

Especially here, right by the

register. They could sell keychain

flashlights, or reading lamps, all kinds

of other things could be available.

They seemed happy with the amount of business they were getting- although

cleaning up and adding nice touches to the environment might bring in new business,

they seem to be happy with how laid-back they run their business.

What opportunities are there that work with the personalities of the owners?

They do sell a few upscale items.

The woman riding the dolphin and

holding up the lampshade costs $5,000

I said “maybe you could sell it on e-bay.

The saleperson said – maybe, or we could

just keep it here.

I could go to a store like this when I need a

haircut:

I could use the standard form of exchange:

Sometimes,

I like to do things a little differently.

This woman cuts my

hair.

She is the owner of a

jewelry design

business.

I paid her by helping

her

make jewelry for two

hours. So you could

say

the cash register was

located in her

workshop.

Brittany makes really beautiful jewelry

I had seen the jewelry before, on her,

and for sale.

The care she put into the product,

and the display, made me feel confident

in her artistic ability with my precious

hair.

(Have you ever gotten a reeaalllly bad

haircut that took months to grow out?)

(I have.)

She has earrings out and she’s working on

some when I arrive.

The house is inviting, and she leaves a

space for me to park in the driveway.

Inside it smells like soup, it’s beautiful and

the floors are clean.

She asks me if it’s ok for her to put some music on,

and asks what kind I’d like to listen to.

We settle on a “price,” in trade, which may be

negotiable if I don’t like the haircut.

She takes suggestions, and has an idea of what she

wants to do.

Based on the atmosphere and style of her house,

and the jewelry she makes, I feel confident I can

trust her idea.

She gave me a really awesome haircut.

I recommend her to everyone.

To fit with her style of doing business, I

would offer some simple things.

An I-pad with slideshows of haircuts

she’s

given, along with potential styles that

people could browse through.

Giving suggestions by using those

pictures

might help some clients feel more

comfortable.

Chai tea (she studies Ayurvedic

medicine).

The smell would be wonderful and

even

cozier for guests.

Offering skin-care products or facials

The Greenhouse Cafe

The lighting by the

entryway could

use some help

As this is an

underground

establishment,

I would suggest

not a printed

sign, but perhaps

a giant spoon?

Reservations are by appointment, but it could be easier to spot the house.

something welcoming by the door would be nice. It’s closed, and it takes

a moment for someone to answer.

Some Ladies I know are interested in having

a café out of their house.

I’m greeted with a warm and enthusiastic

welcome.

Music is playing from the kitchen, other people are

inside and are talking and laughing loudly.

I’m asked to take my shoes off at the door, but the

shoe racks are already full- it would be nice if I

weren’t worried about my shoes getting lost in the

shuffle.

I feel really welcome and at home, wondering what’s

on the menu for me. These girls cater to people with

special diets- so they ask me if I have any

restrictions in what I eat. That’s very comforting,

because I can’t eat wheat!

It smells- amazing- and the kitchen is a

little crowded, but comfortable.

One of the women is an herbalist, and

makes tinctures and remedies.

I feel like this idea of medicinal

food might really be something. I hope

it’s good, though, I’m not one for

macrobiotics or rice cakes, so to speak.

I’m willing to trust them, now that I’ve

told them what I can’t eat, they have a

plan for our meal (I brought a friend).

It’s nice to see they are enjoying them-

selves, and are thoroughly excited

about what they are preparing.

They will eat the same food when

they are done.

They have fresh, seasonal produce on the

table- both decor and stock for the meal.

They invite me and my guest to sit outside

on the back porch while we are waiting

The presentation of the food is rustic. Wood

and ceramic serving dishes, and fresh food.

They have a flyer describing their style

of cooking, so I can’t say I was surprised.

While exciting and friendly, they seem

busy with the cooking, and I’m not sure

what to expect in terms of them

hostessing my lunch.

I do enjoy this more than watching most

prep cooks prepare my meal- they

look twice as busy and like they are

having half as much fun.

The art was a little, strange, when I went to

the bathroom. Interesting.

I suggest they make it a little less like a house,

and have a table set, and a more designated

sitting area.

The kitchen was too busy to feel comfortable

in, as a paid experience. Having seating

elsewhere would be essential.

I’m not sure how I will feel about paying

when it feels like eating at a friend’s house.

At the same time- they are serving

incredible food, and the meal itself, is

completely professional.

Stuffed peppers with goat cheese.

The taste is over-the-top.

If the girls are going to stick with the

table in the kitchen, they might want to

switch to a performance-style of cooking.

In fact, the way they were telling jokes and

doing impersonations, I think they should

make themselves the entertainment and

charge extra!

Getting a meal cooked with such care-

definitely worth the price.

The kitchen is where lunch meals are

served- after being individually prepared

I tried to find another unusual store…

The Honey place down the street didn’t have

anyone around…

I liked the rustic charm…

but even the bees weren’t around.

The sign says honk your horn… so much for

customer service… no one came.

So I found another store

Threadless

Threadless is an online store that sells t-

shirts and art.

It has some interesting aspects when looked

at though the lens of this project.

The lighting- is backlit

The music, the smells, the décor, is all by the choice

of the shopper

The organization of the items can be changed, to be

by style (mens or womens) by popularity, by price, by

most recently added to oldest, or by theme.

It’s easy to find things

It’s easy to find help, and have questions

answered.

It’s impossible to talk to anyone

They have seasonal specials and sales.

The cash register is a snap- although they

don’t take cash.

They have a unique model

People submit designs, and other people vote on

them, saying if they would or would not buy a shirt

with that design printed on it.

So stock is extremely relevant to customers.

I can’t think of anything that would make this store

better- except maybe if I had a 3 foot, touch screen

monitor, and could see each of the t-shirts on a

replica of myself on the screen.

That, might be for the future.