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You’d have to be blind Freddie Mac if you haven’t at least noticed the global financial crisis this week. Wall Street recorded its biggest one day point slide and markets around the world followed suit. Interestingly though I haven’t heard anyone refer to this week’s event as a crash. Does that conjure up too many nasty images?

Personally I think this crash (that’s what I’m calling it) is going to lead to a recession. If that’s the case there will of course be major repercussions. I know a lot of people advocate the idea of worrying about the here and now, but we take a long-term view and we’re preparing ourselves, JIC (just in case).

I’ve taken inspiration and sketched out a little mind map for the benefit of the team here. It’s important that everyone realizes the seriousness of what might happen - especially the Gen Y types who haven’t experienced a significant downturn before. So I drew a little word map for people to more easily understand some of the aspects of economic recession:

Word map of what happens in a recession

I hope that’s not too complicated to follow! It was a rush job, so excuse the mess.

We’ve developed what we think is a great way to send large files around the world. 2Large2Email has done away with the need to mail those massive files on a CD and it sure has reduced the number of emails that bounce because the attached files are too large! Now our mission is to make sure we’re presenting the product to a market with reduced cash flow in such a way that it’s still presenting good value and a worthwhile alternative to email and couriers.

We’re a small part of a public company and we have to pull our weight. If we better understand the environment in which we work, the better our product offering will become. We’re here for the long run and we’ll keep adjusting our business model to make sure we’re still offering what the customer wants.

Sometimes, with regards to customer service, I think vendors are lulled into a false sense of security. They build a business, work hard and the money starts rolling in. After a while they don’t have to go out and seek customers; word of mouth and reputation brings potential clients knocking on the door. But is this the first step towards quality degradation?

The quality of a product or service can be reduced a couple of ways: firstly the vendor gets lazy and doesn’t worry about the level of quality they provide, or they’re simply so busy they can’t give every job their very best.

When we designed 2Large2Email our team decided that the end result had to be something we would be proud to call our own. The designers had to make a wonderful, functional front-end and the developers had to code it so it worked intuitively. We’re still making improvements but we’re mighty proud of what we’ve done. We certainly won’t be getting lazy because we’re all motivated to succeed, and we’ve developed systems to help with massive inflows of traffic.

I just wish more companies could have that attitude.

I have just had my kitchen renovated. I used one of the bigger kitchen companies around as they have an excellent reputation. They don’t actually employ the electricians, plumbers, installers and so on because they can scale up quickly by hiring contractors. So, for all intents and purposes the hired contractors are getting work on a platter.

Unfortunately for me it seems the plumber took that attitude into my kitchen. Have a look at the picture below. This is his attempt at facilitating some outlet pipe that needed to come out from my new dishwasher. You can see he missed his mark. Twice. And he’s drilled a hole twice as big as he needs.

How not to impress your customers

The kitchen company was, thankfully, horrified when I showed them the photos because the buck stops with them. I think the plumbing issue will be addressed, but the bad impression (and the disgusting job) will be around for ages.

It just shows that when we set out to deliver a product or service to a customer, we need to follow it through. Nobody appreciates poor products, lazy service and a couldn’t-care-less attitude. We have to remind ourselves of that everyday!

I’m a big believer in the concept of getting something up and running and then fine-tuning as time goes on. It’s like building a skeleton and throwing flesh and skin over it. Generally, details come second.

But if you really want to get on the good side of a customer (and you do, of course) then you need to pay particular attention to the details right upfront. If you’re running a business or managing a project you can make little adjustments to better serve the stakeholder, who is normally a customer.

Pretend you’re a customer and ask yourself: “what would I want?” When we developed 2Large2Email our overriding goal was to make sending large files as easy as possible. To do that we designed the whole product from the perspective of my mother. I would stop, re-evaluate and adjust what we were doing so the end product turned out to be something that wasn’t just easy to use, it was a pleasurable experience. We delivered a great alternative to emailing big files.

Most of the time the changes were just small things, like changing words and terms from geek speak into more mainstream verbage. It wasn’t difficult to do, and it didn’t take long. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to sometimes ask your customers what they want too. About once a month I would show my mother 2Large2Email and she would use the beta and give feedback. It was because of her the Show Me How videos have developed.

Another important factor when delivering a product and service designed around the customer is to develop an “everyone matters” approach. We’re only a small company and we like to think we’re very different to the large banks and telcos who treat their customers with disdain. We value each and every customer and follow-up problems and cancelations. It’s important for us because an individual customer is a greater percentage of our overall business than the customer of a bank is. I don’t believe they should, but maybe the larger companies think they can afford to ignore/lose one customer.

Finally, as you fine-tune your approach to delivering the little things, just remember that customers value detail. If the little things aren’t right the customers won’t be happy and they will shop elsewhere.

I seem to bump into a lot of people who have trouble dealing with staff members who come from the dreaded “Generation Y.” Whether I’m at Chamber of Commerce breakfasts, or training sessions the topic of younger workers (and more specifically their attitudes) invariably pops up.

It’s incredible that one entire generation of workers has been labeled lazy, unreliable and self-centered. Gen Y is not a liability, it’s an asset. The following is a generalization so don’t hound me down if you don’t agree; it’s my own personal experience.

The world need not be afraid of Gen Y workers. In fact, they can be dedicated and passionate if they’re managed well. First up, traditional methods of delegation such as “this is how you do it, so do it” don’t work. I know that can be a bit of a pain for some jobs, especially jobs like data processing and accounting, but it’s only a small thing.

Success lies in involvement. If you want Gen Y’ers to perform at the peak of their potential you have to give them ownership in the project. You have to tell them “why” and not just “what.” Authoritarianism is not well received. Interaction and assertive communication is.

If you’re working on a project, what ownership can you share with the Gen Y’ers involved? Can you leave it up to them to decide on a logo, or to come up with a better system for handling invoice queries (or whatever)? Ownership is important as younger people love to be responsible for engagement. It’s not rocket science to see how involvement can motivate a person to succeed. Nobody (of any age) likes to be responsible for failure, and ownership of a project or idea will make someone want to see it finished, properly. When we developed 2Large2Email we actively sought the involvement of the Gen Y’ers on the team. Inherently creative (and out there) our team took hold of smaller projects within the development of 2Large2Email and went for it. The result is a great way to send large files, and it’s Baby Boomer friendly too.

Sometimes there are systems already in place that can’t be changed. Old fashioned methods of personnel management probably won’t be well received here if you want to get the job done the “right” way. Telling a Gen Y’er to “just do it” won’t go down well, and the result will be apathy and indifference. It’s probably in situations like this that Baby Boomers, and even Gen X’ers see the apparently lazy side of Gen Y. You might not like this and you may think it’s a waste of time but the next time you’re in this position, take a deep breath and explain to the Gen Y’er “why.” Why is it important to the company? Why does it need to be filed like that? Why, why, why. It might take a few minutes but if you do it properly you’ll see Generation Y at its best.

It’s important you don’t read the above and simply give it lip service too. A fatal mistake is to simply say no, or dismiss out of hand, a suggestion proferred by Gen Y. Think about it and if you can, try it. If you can’t, then explain (yep, you guessed it) why.

If you have Gen Y’ers on your team you really do have an asset. Handle them properly and you’ll reap the rewards.

Just 3 months after the bombings of September 11 I was enlisted into the army. I didn’t join because of the terrorist attacks (my paperwork was lodged months before) but the gravity of the occasion wasn’t lost on me.

When a fresh recruit first lands at Basic Training the camp staff seem to have nothing better to do than make the lives of recruits hell. Aside from the yelling and abuse there’s also a raft of practical jokes going around every day. The first time my platoon went to learn rifle shooting I remember all the rifles had little paper tags stuck to them with a message that read “point end towards enemy.” Suffering under the abuse of the instructors, I’m pretty sure the recruits would have to think pretty carefully before deciding who that enemy was. But the point is this: your most potent weapon always needs to be pointed towards the enemy.

But this story can be related to the workplace. Internal politics and sniping just isn’t productive; it’s kind of like shooting your own platoon. Decided what your weapon is and get your team to create a protective harbor and then defend. And attack when possible. Of course internal squabbling isn’ the only thing reducing your company’s productivity. Think about what you’re doing, what you’re selling, who the enemy is. Most internet companies are selling something, and more often that not they have some competitor. Sit down and set yourself some goals. Are we taking chunks out of our competitors armor? If not, why not? Come up with a plan and then re-evaluate after a month.

If you have a good product or service there’s really no excuse for not beating your enemy. Pointy end towards enemy, fire, check, adjust.

Sometimes I get annoyed when designers try to be too “tricky.” It doesn’t matter what the product is, if it’s designed poorly then it probably hasn’t achieved its goal. I don’t understand why so many magazines, websites, sound systems, shoes, etc all have to be some damn ugly!

Why is it that these days it’s actually refreshing to find something that’s beautiful? Surely all the industrial designers in the world don’t sit in their offices trying to come up with something that is so ridiculously obscure that they think it’s pretty? Surely not all of them?

I know objectors to this theory have two main points of criticism: functionality and design. Well, I think it’s safe to say that many poor products fail not only in their appearance, but also in their function. And that’s because it’s designed poorly! Design isn’t just about looks, it goes far further. A great example is the basketball hand-pump I bought the other day. The connection between the needle and the barrel is so weak that air escapes and I’m pretty sure that isn’t supposed to happen.

Cost is a short-sighted excuse too. What’s the point of designing a product that your customers and users don’t like? They certainly won’t buy another one (magazine subscription, basketball pump) and they’re quite likely to return it. That’s false economy as far as I am concerned; the product needs to be good! Also, going that extra step doesn’t really add that much more to the R&D costs.

There are some designers who buck this trend, fortunately. Everyone cites Apple for their design, but if you look around you’re bound to see something that catches your eye for it’s physical appearance, and functionality. I was fortunate to be waiting for a flight recently in an airline’s First Class Lounge. I ordered a hot chocolate and it was served in a wonderful glass, below.

Good design looks nice and performs well

It not only looks great but it keeps the contents warm and my fingers cool, all in one.

We try to take inspiration like this into the web applications that we build. We understand that our products need to be easy to use (we think they are, but tell us if we’re wrong) but they’re also built to look simple and appealing. We cover up the technical hoo-ha so the people using the products see something that’s beautiful. I guess that’s the difference between 2Large2Email and FTP.

I’m a big fan of technology that strives to make life easier and better. Anything that aims to make the world less confusing and less difficult is great. Something that I’m particularly fond of are the new ticketless transport systems sweeping the world. The Oyster card in London, the Octopus card in Hong Kong (and the others) are terrific.

In fact, I think many big, busy cities in the world by now have some form of electronic transport money. I don’t mean VISA or Mastercard, I mean rechargable microchip touch-ticketing for trains, buses, trams, and other forms of transport. Japan, however, seems to have taken this an extra step further.

Japan is adopting ticketless transport systems

Don’t let the adorable penguin fool you. This card is possibly THE most useful thing in the history of ticketing. In fact, Suica cards don’t stop at ticketing. Sure, they started in trains and busses, but now they can be used for almost anything. You can flash your Suica almost anywhere; at a vending machine to get a drink on the go, at a restaurant to pay the bill, at a supermaket, at a cafe, or even at a clothes shop. All this shopping without once fumbling for change. Suica is so useful that it has almost become the second currency of Tokyoites.

Apparently though, Suica’s evolving even further - soon everyone will be able to load their Suicas onto their cell phones. Who’ll ever need small change again? I have a feeling it won’t be long before piggy banks go extinct.

This is very exciting for 2Large2Email. The more widely adopted technology like this becomes, the more likely people are going to search for further improvements in their day-to-day lives. Watch this space, because we’re developing a new 2Large2Email for iPhone and mobile.

Ever noticed that most business cards all look the same? How many have you seen that are plain white, with a little logo and contact details? I have literally thousands of cards in my files and they’re all pretty much the same. Functional, but boring…

Fortunately there are some creative people in the world who realize that memorable cards make for memorable meetings. Here are a few gems.

Ooh, and a little gift, too!

Got to love the Beatles.

Good on the front, and the back!

Very self-explanatory, aren’t they? There were others that folded into mini-cars (car repairer), that grew grass when watered (landscape architect), that had perfect bite mark indents (orthodontist), etc etc. By being original and innovative in the design of business cards, individual artists/designers and small businesses have a greater chance of being noticed. Not only is it a form of exchanging information, it’s a form of effective advertisement. I mean, what are the odds of these fascinating cards being thrown in the bin? I personally think that in the long-run, it’s something very much worth investing in.

I briefly touched on file-sending and file-sharing websites in my last entry, but I decided it’s something I’d like to talk a little more about.

I’m sure everyone’s used a file-sharing site before. In fact, I used one yesterday myself, to receive a file from a friend. I felt a bit sick afterwards.

Alright, tell me if this sounds familiar.

You open a notification email from a file-sharing company, and after scrolling up and down to skim through the rubbish and find the right link, you click it. It takes ages to load, because the page you arrive at is infested with flashy, trashy ads. It gives you the option of either downloading with paid premium (with ALL of these fantastic benefits that you can get! Hurray!) or downloading free (this option is in a small font, on a grey miserable little button). You move your mouse over the free option to click it, and then - SURPRISE! An online poker ad pops up in front to trick you into clicking on it accidentally. You successfully close it and click on “download free” - only for it to prompt you to prove that you’re not a computer, by deciphering this almost IMPOSSIBLE-to-read 5 digit number-alphabet combination. You somehow get it right - but don’t be too happy too soon, because you’ve got to wait for 45 seconds before you can even click “download”. And when you do, painfully slow download speeds and a quick page jump to another obscure gambling website ensues.

So just in order to download ONE file, you have to undergo this Indiana-Jones-like adventure of dodging ads and deciphering cryptical characters, as well as possibly picking up a few trojans on the way.

Frankly, I don’t like the way they abuse the user into their “premium” services. “Sure, you can have your download, but we’re going to bash the hell out of you before you get there so that you’re going to wish you paid your share.” Now this tactic makes me sick. I’d never wish that on any customer. We offer our services safe, clean and easy-to-use. We want it to be about usability and intuitive design. Confusion and frustration should not be a part of the simple process of downloading and transferring files - and this, I think, is one of the most important concepts we base our design on.

What are your thoughts?

A couple of months ago we suffered a little hitch. All our blogs went missing. They were written in some obscure blog program and I assumed they were safe. Then, one day, they went missing. I wasn’t very happy! There weren’t many of them, but blogs do take time to write, and to be honest we had a lot on our plates in July and August, so I didn’t want to rewrite them all.

Then, after working his technical magic, our lead web programmer found the “missing” blogs and restored them to the public side of cyberspace. We now use Wordpress for our blogs (and Twitter for our tweets) and everything’s ok. Phew. I’m glad, because I didn’t want to rewrite them all!