Inspired by Bob's post on the new BusinessWeek Innovation and Design Quarterly issue, I stopped by the local (Idaho Falls) Barnes and Noble to buy a copy (well actually, I bought the 5 remaining copies on the shelf). As I was checking out I was struck by what seemed to me to be a display rounder of 'experiences in a box'. They call them "Amazing Mini Kits". It looks like they've been around for a couple of years...I don't 'do' Barnes & Noble all that much (in fact, I think the last time I stepped inside a store was to buy all the remaining copies of a former BusinessWeek issue on design...I think there's a buying pattern here).
I was struck by the titles/offerings and the juxtaposition of the space they represented -- the randomness of the 'collection'. It's as if they were there to entice you into 'being' or 'trying' something you've never tried, but might want to -- for very little investment (both time and money).
You might want to expand your horizons with:
Palm Reading
Belly Dancing
or the must-have
Office Voodo Kit
If you're needing a more calming experience you might try the:
Zen Water Garden
which might need oversight by the
Wee Little Garden Gnome
which could be embellished by the
Hummingbird Feeder
More eclectic tastes might only be satisfied by one of the following choices:
Executive Office Gong
Yoga to Go
Therapist In a Box
Bozo Desktop Bop Bag (I think if I were going to extend myself, this would be my choice)
While you can order these online, it's not quite the same as looking at the tiny boxes all juxtaposed together on a merry-go-round of choices.
[Postscript: But this one wasn't even in the store and it's a must-have:
Mini Fondue Kit]
BOB JACOBSON is fascinated by the experience of experience. A planner and technologist, Bob has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Design from UCLA. He's been a policy researcher, technology CEO, science writer, and consultant. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied cellular telephony's impacts on transborder communities in the Nordic Arctic Circle. Bob edited Information Design (MIT Press 2000) and is now writing a book on the theory and practice of creating edifying, transformative experiences.
PAULA THORNTON says, "Understanding human behavior (economics), optimizing interactions (design) and facilitating conversations (markets), are the means to achieve strategic differentiation. This is the focus of our discipline. It is not a 'nice to have'‚ and is not, like documentation once was, an afterthought. It is the means by which to start a strategic discussion and the means by which to drive a tactical initiative. All design should be evidence-based."
1. Bob Jacobson on June 20, 2006 8:03 AM writes...
Paula, these are wonderful! Are there any insights as to how the Assembler puts them together, or is that too engineering-centric when we should just appreciate the magic?
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