Fred Abaroa

I had written a piece of software back in the early 80s that my mom hated because it was hard to use. This was my introduction to UX or User Experience. I realized I had learned some of this in art and photography classes. I added to this my study of psychology and received a great title, Senior Software Engineer of Human Interface Design. Today UX is bigger than ever but you'll never see the benefits if you are not looking for it!

Here is a really simple example: You buy chocolate milk for $3.39. It is easier for you to give the cashier a five dollar bill. Great user experience so far. She hands you back a dollar, your receipt and the coins on top. Here is the problem as small as it is. The user now has to make sure the coins don't fall off the stack while separating the dollar from the receipt to put back in your wallet. The UX solution is simple. hand back the coins first, then the dollar, pause and ask if you would like the receipt in your bag.

Notice the very subtle change that created a whole new and better user experience. Here is another: My built in scion GPS. To program in a location I first put in the address number, then street, then city and state. This is just like any user would do in filling out a form that asks for address. The user is very familiar with this and thus many GPS adopted this as a User Friendly interface. The problem I have encountered is "No such address or street or city". My Tom Tom’s rethought interface asked me to input an address in the reverse. It starts with State, then as I am typing in the city it shows me what is available, same with street and finally number. Although backwards to what I am used to I quickly picked it up and am a lot happier.

Here are a few tips on how to rethink UX:

1.  Throw away any preconceived notions. There is the story told of the newlywed who made a pot roast. When asked why she cut off the ends of the roast she said, "My mom always cut off the ends". Her mom was then asked the question and gave the same answer. The grandmother was asked and answered, "My pan wasn't big enough to hold the whole roast."

2.  Watch children. and how they solve a problem a great way to solve UX problems in the adult world. A truck had driven into a Tunnel but was slightly too big and got stuck. They tried every which way to extract the truck from its predicament. Nothing worked. A little girl watching all this said, “Why don’t you let the air out of the tires?” Many times there is a simple solution.

3.  Ask a typical user. Not necessarily the decision maker. A high school had a problem with the girls restroom mirror being cover with lipstick marks. The school board with all its education could not find a solution to this problem. The person taking the minutes said she had an idea. The board would not acknowledge the young women. A week later the problem stopped. The board was stunned, what had happened to make the teenagers stop kissing the mirror. The young secretary explained, “I went into the bathroom where the students could see me clean the mirror with water from the toilet.” The users know best.

I have been at a loss as to how to conclude this blog for week. UX has fascinated me for decades prompting me to read books on human behaviour and market research techniques. This is an area that can make a tremendous difference in your branding and sales. It can be used in every industry and aspect of your life from parenting to being the most effective CEO. Get a free consult from...

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred

In my soon to be bestselling book "The Pick Up Artist: Business Edition", I talk about importance of props. A prop is anything that draws attention to you and starts a conversation. I used my Macbook Air, kindle and of course my green glasses. The props work great but only if they are in plain sight. That is why my green glasses work so great. I have received compliments for them all across the country. I further us them as predominately in my avatar and use the color for my iPhone case and other apparel at the same time. Yes the glasses work great but I need other props to keep it fresh.

The iPad is the latest in great props. I recently had one at a get together of father and sons. I didn't even take it out of the pouch and became the center of the conversation for the next 2 hours. My other thoughts are to carry it around with an enlarged version of my business card showing or a presentation deck running on it. That surely will stir up some conversations. I am in the process of developing some new consumer products for Treeno Software on the iPad. This will become an even more intimate pick up technique as many will want to see what I have done and dream up their own app. It may be expensive but you have to look at it as part of your advertising budget.

Props are wonderful pick up tools. Tell me what your favorite prop is and how you have used it effectively.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred

I just received a coupon book from my big box store that will save me over $1000 in coupons. Sounds good doesn't it. Your small business could offer something similar and it won't break you. You see there is a trick. A little bit of it is math and a little bit customer behaviour. 

The Math
$1000 per customer sound like a lot of money to "lose". But if you take that money and spread it out over a year it is only $2.74 per day. A simple method therefore is to make it a one day coupon. You can further diminish your cost by making the coupon more specific to an item.  Probably something with a high profit margin.

The Behavior
Most consumers don't use coupons. However they love the idea they can get a coupon which makes them think about your business. Most consumers will not come to your business everyday so just to save the $1000 for the year.  However they will come more often because they have seen the coupon.

There you have it, The Coupon Trick in a nutshell.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred

In the 60's, a professor at Stanford University conducted an experiment testing the will-power of four-year-old children. He placed before them a large marshmallow and told them they could eat it right away or, if they waited the 15 minutes, they could have two marshmallows.

He then left the children alone and watched them through a two way mirror. Some ate the marshmallow right away, others waited a little while then ate. About 30% waited the 15 minutes. This professor kept track of the children in the experiment and noticed something interesting. The children who could not wait struggled later in life and had more behavioral problems, while those who waited tended to be more positive and better motivated, have higher grades and incomes, and had healthier relationships.

So patience is more than a virtue it is a key to success. We can learn patience, I am confident of it. I am sitting in an LDS church listening to youth talk about what they learned playing ultimate Frisbee. A few stated the long throw can get you a goal quickly but it is also more likely to get blocked, missed or intercepted. Short throws can be easily caught making progress toward your goal. They see the power of patience. A good marketer will analyze results regularly to show clients their ROI. Long term sales will result. Let us put off our marshmallow desires to gain the greater reward.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred