A Presence of Sticky Notes
It is a known fact in Japan, that first-year employees go through many trainings. Take business cards for example. If you meet a client and exchange business cards, you should never present your business card in a higher position than your client. Such small but essential tips for Japanese business are one of the few things people typically learn in the first year of their first company.
But recently I learned something interesting. Someone who works for an ad agency told me, that in his first year he learned how to use sticky notes. He was instructed that he should write neat letters because clients have to read them. He also told me that he learned that he should place post-it notes in a straight line, both vertically and horizontally. He didn’t explain the reason why, but it could perhaps be to save space and make sure clients find them easy to read.
His explanation convinced me how important the group communication is increasingly important in business. And I heard from my fellow design researchers that they are now using mini post-its a lot for mobile or personal affinity wall/desk/note creation to make their brain work in the same way as in the workshop. Now these approximately 5 cm x 5 cm pads come in a recycled paper with a nice recycled carbon box, too.
I am practicing their tips and also doing the same for myself. It works really well when I am preparing for the interview to organize questions. I recommend that my fellow researchers to try this, too.
