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Trust-building

There are brilliant behavioural science wizards across the world unfortunately employed with companies that have them busy finding behavioural science tactics to quickly build trust among customers. And maybe it works sometimes. To my knowledge though, the cleanest way to build trust, is to go with trustworthy intentions, and be absolutely transparent in matters. What…

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The God of Thoughtful Design

When companies create products, focus often tends to be on maximizing perceived value and profitability (within the respective value category). It’s like they are looking outward, being reactive (to competitors), and playing their part in a herd. Yet every once in a rare while, comes a product that has been built so thoughtfully, you begin…

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Make Lists without Checking Old Lists

Here’s one on productivity for those of us who use lists as part of planning. I have been guilty of taking older notes and adding unfinished tasks to the latest list. And not often enough, I try to wonder why some of those tasks that have gotten carried forward for too long, keep making it…

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Investing, an Art

I worked in venture capital from 2006 to 2010, and over time, noticed an increasing presence of core finance professionals and Chartered Accountants in top roles at VC firms. It seemed concerning to me, though I probably couldn’t initially figure why, given they were right where they should be, predicting explosive growth and chewing through…

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Product Names — What’s in a Name?

When naming a startup or product, many settle for the first decent option, while others obsess over finding the perfect one. But as a WWII life-saving invention revealed, sometimes the name can make all the difference between success and failure.

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Time and Price in B2C businesses

Time and Price form interesting aspects of current B2C businesses. Uber for instance, has its routes generally optimized for speed (recommends a shorter route even if it is more expensive). Ola, on the other hand, at least used to have routes optimized for price (recommends a slightly longer but the cheaper route). One sees an…

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Gravity and Angle of Approach

Ever had your phone fall on your face while lying down, or been nearly spilled on by a waiter’s odd angle of serving? These everyday examples of gravity and Angle of Approach (AoA) reveal how design flaws can impact our experiences—imagine how much smoother life could be with a little more attention to both.

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For a humankind trying to make sh!t happen

With 30–40% of seniors facing constipation, could the design of modern toilets be contributing to the problem? The squat toilet, long used across cultures, may offer a solution that’s often overlooked in favor of more “comfortable” Western designs.

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Inclusive Solutions

In continuation of yesterday’s post (link here), which was about why involving users on either extreme of the bell curve (as opposed to innovating for the bulk majority) facilitates in creation of a more innovative and inclusive solution; another example came to mind from many years ago. Around 2015–16, I was tasked with identifying affordable…