Why not segment restaurant customers by time?

 A while ago, I was in Trudeau International Airport in Montreal awaiting a flight home to Toronto. I had plenty of time before take-off, so I wasn't in a big hurry to get some dinner before boarding the plane. I could relax and have a relatively leisurely meal.

More recently, when returning from a business event in Victoria, my time was tighter. I asked the host of the White Spot Restaurant in the airport if I could have lunch in under a half-hour. "Of course," she said cheerfully. I wolfed-down a hamburger and salad, and got through Customs in good time.

These contrasting experiences got me thinking about how restaurants (especially those in airports) could respond to these diverse dining scenarios. Why not have two or more designated sections of the restaurant, along with differentiated menus, to effectively serve these customers with differing time parameters?

This approach would enhance the dining experience for those travellers in a hurry, since they'd have fewer but speedier menu options, and they wouldn't impatiently wonder why a server at another table was seemingly not racing to serve them.

As well, it would simplify life for restaurant servers by eliminating the need to repeatedly explain how long various menu options take to serve, and by allowing them to spend a bit more time providing friendlier and more relaxed service to those guests who aren't itching to pay and dash off to their gate.

Achieving prosperity through design (and how marketing helps)

There's plenty of talk these days about the need for Canadian business to increase its productivity in order to thrive in the ruthlessly competitive 21st century. Put more bluntly, it seems that companies must either innovate or face extinction.

Innovation can be defined as the act of applying new or different knowledge and skills in order to solve problems. And based on my early studies in architecture school, the practice of innovation is synonymous with the discipline of design.

Regrettably, many people equate design with 'styling' – the surface appearance or visual appeal of an object. But as I alluded to in an earlier blog, great design involves much more than merely visual delight.

I believe that great design involves the development of creative solutions that effectively address all the relevant needs of all the relevant constituents connected with the problem at hand. As trained problem-solvers, designers are adept at considering and balancing these often-competing needs and perspectives.

For instance, suppose a designer is developing a new smartphone. The relevant constituents  would begin with the phone's end-user(s), then its purchaser, then the retailer who sold the phone, the wholesaler who shipped and warehoused the phone, the manufacturer who built the phone, and potentially even the communities where the raw materials used to create the phone were extracted. All have a stake in the overall quality of the design solution.

More obviously, our phone designer would need to consider all the relevant needs of these diverse stakeholders. Again using our smartphone example, this involves not only how good the phone looks (its aesthetic or 'cultural' appeal) and how well it works (its functionality), but also how cost-efficiently the phone was manufactured and packaged, and how big an environmental footprint it leaves (the choice and quantity of materials used in its manufacturing, its energy consumption during operation, and the ease of its disposal at the end of its working life).

Such a broad perspective of considerations can – and should – be applied to the development of intangible services as well as the creation of tangible goods.

So where does marketing fit into all of this? As 'experts on the consumer,' marketers have the task of identifying – ideally anticipating – the needs or wants of the consumer, then translating these into a clear problem statement that designers can easily work with. Then, once the product or service has been completed, marketers lead the charge in launching and promoting it in the marketplace, helping drive consumer engagement and ultimately sales on behalf of  'the client.'


If Canada is serious about boosting our national productivity and fostering innovation, then I believe design need a stronger role in the equation. Getting corporations (and other organizations, for that matter) to recognize and appreciate the vital contribution that talented designers can make to their success is one of today's most pressing challenges.

My new iPad: The thrill, the disappointment and a delightful surprise

My first Apple computer!

As a nearly 30-year user of Apple technology (remember the Apple II Plus anyone?), the time finally arrived when I was able to purchase an iPad. (Being the prudent person I am, I also bought an ICON screen protector, and after being nearly overwhelmed by choice at my Best Buy store, a padded black nylon Brenthaven carrying case.)

Naturally, there was enormous excitement when I unpacked the silent, shining black-and-chrome iPad.

The designer side of me relishes the simplicity of the all-white Apple box with its vacuum-formed insert and clear cellophane wrappers (that even have micro-sized dots on the flaps to tell you where to pull to remove).

Cardboard stiffener = cupholder tray!

But the eco-consumer side of me – disappointed by the lack of recycle-ability of much of the iPad packaging – was thrilled that the cardboard stiffener inside the Brenthaven case (which itself was packed inside a simple, recycled paper sleeve) was designed to be reused as a cup-holder tray! Its instructions read: "In our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, please punch out cup holders and recycle the rest. Thanks. Brenthaven."

So while I've (predictably) extended my engagement and passion for the Apple brand, I have become an instant convert to the eco-friendly Brenthaven brand and its Zero Impact commitment to the environment.

Do you think the time will come when Apple's commitment to user experience will catch up with today's ground-swell of eco-consciousness, and will lead the company to evolve its distinctive packaging into something less polished and sleek?