2013 Jul 14

I Hereby Command You - Try a Little Persuasion

Nir Eyal is a brilliant writer who discusses the intersection of technology and psychology. His latest article, published in TechCrunch, discusses why so many "behaviour change" apps - e.g. dieting and exercise - have a quick drop-off rate, i.e. they fail. Quite simply, these apps cause people to feel required to do something as opposed to persuaded. People hate encroachments on their autonomy, even encroachments that they themselves have voluntarily adopted (see Egypt, Morsi, 2013).

2013 Jul 13

Going Offline As Good As Online

In the early days of mobile, a major consideration of every app and platform developer was the limited connectivity. The then-very-popular Java (and continues to be, but has been usurped in startups by Python, Ruby on Rails and even Node), in its version for small devices called Micro, even has special "m0des" called CLDC for Connection Limited Device Configuration, i.e. you should expect to have limited connectivity. Then, with the advent first of GPRS (2G), then EDGE (2.

2013 Jul 12

A New Kind of Organizational Strategy Mapping

Rumours of the impending major Microsoft reorganization have been spreading around the Internet for weeks. One Thursday, 11 July, 2013, the reorganization was officially announced (see here, here and here). There has been a lot of analysis, almost like a Biblical word-parsing, but the raw text deserves some credit. Microsoft is (in)famous for its infighting among groups: server team vs desktop, Windows vs Office, Xbox vs Windows Phone, etc.

2013 Jul 10

That Not So-Special K - Messing With Success?

I have been a business traveler around the world for a good 20 years now. Since I only eat kosher food, I have been restricted in my meal choices, especially when visiting some of the more exotic world locations. There are, however, two constants I have always found: Pringles and Special K. Many of my North American compatriots find it surprising when I point out that the venerable 57-year-old Special K is actually quite different outside the United States and Canada, and, in my opinion, much better.

2013 Jul 10

Cross-Platform Development and Bias

Steven Sinofsky, the formed head of Windows for Microsoft, had a long blog post yesterday discussing the dynamics of developing for multiple platforms - in his context iOS, Android and some smaller contenders (e.g. Windows Phone) - and how over time it becomes more and more difficult. He contends that initially, platforms tend to be similar, as they are trying to solve very similar problems, and their early, or "

2013 Jul 10

$100 - Spend It Wisely

Economics - one word guaranteed to turn off most people. Not for naught is it called the "dismal science." Personally, I love economics, because it teaches me how people behave. As a business person, as an executive, as a consultant, that insight is incredibly valuable. So if economics is dismal, how do I get the learnings across without making people's eyes roll (or head straight for Facebook on their smartphones)?

2013 Jul 9

Going to Jail at the Rest Stop!

I love blunders and errors in translation. They make for such great fodder, and are one of the fringe benefits of being multilingual (in addition to being able to do business in multiple countries and cultures). Personally, I think the watering down of second and third language requirements in many schools is a great loss to society and business. One of the classic examples of marketing translation errors is the Dairy Association's hugely successful "

2013 Jul 8

Barbie as Free Choice

For over 50 years, American girls - and over time, those internationally as well - have grown up playing with Barbies. I have daughters, they play with them too. Just about every girl or woman I have spoken with and asked, has told me they played with Barbie, or at the very least had Barbie in the house. Barbie was first sold in 1959, and is still highly popular. They sold ~300,000 in 1959, and nearly 1BN (!

2013 Jul 7

Apologies - Short Term Loss, Long Term Gain

No, I am not referring to the pro forma apology every politician offers to get him/herself off the hook before running again (see under, Weiner, Anthony). I am referring to honest apologies that are perceived as honest by your customers. On Saturday, Asiana Airlines flight 214, a Boeing 777, crashed on landing in San Francisco International Airport (SFO). It is a tragedy that two appear to have lost their lives and more than 100 were injured.

2013 Jul 7

Simplicity for Longevity

Over the last few days, I have been thinking much about the founding documents of the United States, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There actually is another document that most people forget about (since it is not binding today in any way), the Articles of Confederation. This was the treaty that bound together the very independent "countries" (States) from shortly after the Declaration until the Constitution was adopted in 1789.