Making People Feel Stupid
28 August 2007
Anyone can be an idiot. Even I, MD of a successful business this past decade, do on occasion share the characteristics of a short, thick plank. Here's a story to illustrate why that's important to know.Among today's pile of post we find a package from a promotion company. It's a catalogue BUT it also includes a FREE PEN! Yay! Suddently it feels like my birthday*.
I like free stuff as much as anyone, and given Chris' super-power (he can vanish writing implements of all kinds just by looking at them) we can really do with all the pens we can get. Plus, it's quite funky looking, red and silver!
I should be working but who can resist trying out a free funky-looking pen. Not me, so I take the top off. Gosh, actually this is pretty stiff. Maybe it's not such a great gift after all... perhaps if I try a bit harder I can jus...
KER-RACK!
(bollocks)
Okay, so now I have two parts of a broken pen on the desk and I realise that in fact it HAS NO TOP... it is a CLICK_PEN! The bit I have just snapped was in fact the little clicky thing. My funky red and silver pen is now two useless bits of plastic... both of which are laughing at me.
We'll take it as read that I'm a pillock shall we, and move on. The question before us is this. Ask yourself... what was my very first thought after this happened? The first one, the private one... the one that seems to come straight from the the most childish part of me? When you have an idea scroll down and see if you were right?
It was this:
"Stupid promotions company. Wot a rubbish pen". - (I kid you not.)
Hmmm. I'm a grown up. In life I take responsibility for myself, for my actions, for my family and my business... including responsibility for the many mistakes I've made along the way. But like everyone else I have that small fast voice from the playground... the one that's starts speaking straight away, before the voice of reason that (hopefully) follows. And of course it's making excuses... God forbid any mistakes we make should ever be our fault.
Brief example. When we first started building complicated web-based admin systems we would put the help copy right into the page... it took us a while to realise that people don't read it... they just don't... and telling them later that the answer was right in front of them didn't reduce their frustration one-little-bit (you'll be astounded to hear). As a result of this "learning" we now try to build systems that are simple to use, and really tricky to break.
And that is the lesson. If you make your clients feel stupid it won't matter who's fault it is. It won't matter if they are blithering morons lacking both opposable thumbs and the necessary intelligence to use, say, a pen. They have their own small voice just beneath the surface... just like me. Just like you.
*14th December, since you ask.
Posted by Nick Warren at 8:13 AM
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Merlin Annual Pass Site goes live!
07 August 2007
Okay, so this will be old news to some of you but hey, I have been on holiday*. The new Annual Pass site is live.We've been working with those perky folk at Merlin for a while now, and the focus has been on creating a site that delivers more. I think everyone concerned recognised that the last site (WHICH HAD NO SEMANTIC INPUT**) was not a spectacular success... so in this first phase we have tried to rectify some of those issues.
So now at www.annual-pass.com you will find a fully RSS enabled blog, allowing users to subscribe to all the stories, or just those attractions/offers/events that interest them... as well as updated FAQs, partner deals and other bits and pieces.
It's not the final word. Annual Pass Holders will be pleased to know that there is a budget for monthly updates, so we hope and expect that the site will continue to feature new stories, offers and so on... not to mention news about the development of the Annual Pass itself.
Nick
* Yes, it was lovely thanks :-)
** Apart from laughing and pointing.
Posted by Nick Warren at 8:31 AM
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