November 29th, 2010
Insight, Photo of The Day

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Warranty for the Fakes

A battery purchased in National Market, Bangalore. My intention of visiting the market was not about purchasing a battery, but end up so because they managed to find one. They went through hundreds of battery shapes, for various cameras and gadgets. All in a same packaging. Which suggested, the shop did not have a single authentic battery which I was supposed to use.

Whether you’d call them fake or illegitimate, we tend to think they are purchased at your own risk and there will be no chance for you to get your investment back. The reality is in fact otherwise, as most shops would give you a warranty of some kind, for a duration of few days or in some cases up to six months.

How would the purchase date and location will be recorded? Simply a shopkeeper jotting down the date of purchase along with a sign. As most shops run in a small booth and owners being there most of the time, this is sufficient for them to identify the information they need. As most markets would have several booths with same products lined up, satisfying customers are equally important for these shopkeepers as the ones which only deal with ‘real’ products.

The battery I purchased performed alright, enabling me to record a video clip for about an hour, instead of three to four hours I usually expect from the authentic battery. Nevertheless I was reasonably happy as I only paid about one-eighth of the original price. How much should a product perform for a price you pay is surprisingly reflective of the demand and supply logic.

November 28th, 2010
Photo of The Day
 
16 views

Visualizing the Invisible

In any shrine you will find omikuji, a small fortune telling papers you draw from a box in a cost between one and two dollars. Although there maybe details telling your fortune concerning love, health, study, or even whether you would find things you have lost, the most important verdict of your luck are described in two Chinese characters. The most fortunate ones will receive daikichi, which is literally, big luck, followed by chu-kichi, so-so luck, and sho-kichi, little luck. Then there’s a mere kichi, and comes negative ones kyo and dai-kyo.

The interpretation varies from which ones you should start worrying, but many people prefer to leave the signs of minor lucks and misfortunes behind. The photo you see is the result, where people have placed their omikuji tied onto a wood placed right next to the shrine.

Although it does not take a form of serious prayers, this small interaction enables visitors to reflect oneself of their state, and if needed, to get a little help from the gods and leave bad things behind.

November 27th, 2010
Photo of The Day
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12 views

Signs to be unread

On the right hand side of vehicles you will see signs with text written from right to left. Text written in a different order is obviously hard to read and make no sense even to Japanese; however, there is still a strong belief that this should be the way the signs to be written on the car so it is symmetrical, first letters closer to the front of the car and the last letters towards the back.

November 27th, 2010
Photo of The Day
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13 views

How to place an umbrella on a bike

November 9th, 2010
Photo of The Day
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9 views

Mobile Retail

September 26th, 2010
Insight
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18 views

Printer is new but the box is open. Don’t be mad.

I wonder how many people consider important that a newly purchased box would look new. I do feel that to some extent, I do enjoy the feel of opening a new box. Of course, that maybe because I am Japanese, as most people know, as a country of excessive wrapping culture.

As the research team had to purchase printers in two target cities, Chengdu and Shanghai, we had an opportunity to see how newly purchased electronics could arrive in your hands. In both cities, the box was opened. Most of the plastic wraps were removed, and we could see that someone had actually used it for once.

An opened and re-sealed box, is in fact, a sign that the electronics had been properly tested and both the shopkeeper and the customer had confirmed that it is moving properly. Just like when people handle with money: Instead of taking a risk of noticing the inaccurate amount of money delivered or malfunction of an electronics, consumers in China would prefer to rather have them checked on site.

Perhaps it may appear cumbersome and diminishing the fun to Japanese consumers, as crisp and new are the game they play; but when I see this practice, it also makes sense. Just like you will wear the clothes, people would make sure that the product actually works for you. Before getting back home to find the problem later. So do not be mad if your shopkeeper opens before you know it.

September 25th, 2010
Insight, Photo of The Day
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12 views

Safety alert and how to get away with it

Behold. This, is a buckle for a seat belt. Without, the belt part.

It happened on our way to the city center, as we arrived to Chengdu Airport. We took a car and one of our research staffs took the front seat. He was trying to find a way to buckle seat belt. (Mind you, quite a few people I know in China do not have a custom to wear seat belts. But our staff was from Shanghai, and probably have developed more urbanized habit than most of the people in the country.)

Then he realized, something has already occupied the spot of where he is supposed to buckle: there was this metal part inserted. Without the belt.

We were confused at that point, but it became so obvious once the driver took away the buckle out. Beep beep beep…subtle but loud enough to be disturbed. The taxi driver told us as if it’s nothing, that he purchased it a dollar or two.

What should we do when people do not have the custom of taking the safety measure which you consider to be useful? How can we design so that it would actually mean something rather than a beep that they need to shut it up by putting a meaningless piece of metal? The taxi in Chengdu is a fascinating reminder.

September 24th, 2010
Photo of The Day
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How would you shop using a shopping basket without feeling weight?

At a supermarket Carrefeur in Chengdu, China. What a simple but a clever solution, this basket comes with a long handle and wheels.

Come to think of it, this is such a radical solution. Baskets have an advantage over carts for being compact, which enables customers to move around efficiently even in a crowded supermarket (and mind you, supermarkets in some countries are crowded because they are considered to be a nice family outing destinations). But when the entire weight is on your arm, it’s quite painful: that’s where the cart comes in. Carts definitely let you shop without literally feeling the weight, or to some extent, reminding you how much you are spending. And don’t forget, the big hassle from the shop keeper’s side, when you need to collect all those carts in one place. It’s very painful particularly when customers do not have any intention of putting back in one location.

The solution did not exist three years ago when I used to go to Carrefour in Beijing. We were frequent customers of Carrefour until they completely left Japan, too, but never have I seen them, either. If this is some kind of a local design solution, I quite admire whoever came up with this.

September 19th, 2010
Culture
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41 views

How to Achieve Security in Gated Communities

Earlier I posted about the Japanese apartments, equipped with security cameras for the sake of security. But when I see how people take security measures in China, I feel that there are stronger security concerns there.

Though not every one, many residents have brought in their bicycles inside the building to prevent people from stealing. In some cases, that meant some funny outlooks, like part of a bicycle sticking out from the window like the image above. Note that these buildings, mostly built in 80s, reach up to 6 or 7 stories (the rumor is that this was the maximum height they could build back then) and do not come with elevators: So residents who wish to secure their bicycles will have to carry up the stairs.

The sense of security can also be found from their doors. Doors were often doubled, to make sure they cannot be easily cracked. Each flat had their own selection of a door and a security gate, as apartments those times typically were not equipped with anything. Every single item, including the entrance door, had to be purchased and stalled individually.

This also makes me wonder how people feel about their own security. With the risk of your territory, even inside of the building or your very own door can be invaded, how far will you stretch your security concerns and take protective measures? When people see a stranger inside of the building, can they still dismiss as a visitor of your neighbor, or will you feel alarmed? Unlike Japan, where infrastructure seems to give visible and tangible assurances, here in Shanghai, people would probably would probably feel that security needs to be realized on their own. And certainly, that is perhaps the reason why we found out that many of these communities hold an election every year, to select their leader, who are typically retired, to use their time to represent their community and take their own protective measures against the possible crimes.

It would be interesting to see as the technology evolves, how people’s measures and concerns on the security could change. And while residents may find their neighbors being more nosy and overly engaging, I found it somewhat assuring that people have reasons to interact within these communities.

September 18th, 2010
Culture

22 views

How to advertise your repair business

While we visited Xiao Qu, a typical gated community in Shanghai, found out phone numbers of electricity repair on no other than the electricity meter. In fact, any meter was accommodated with relevant repair information, here we observed not only electricity but plumbing service and PC repairs.

Clever whoever advertised the business as they did not use stickers which could be taken away; instead, numbers were stained with hard ink so it cannot be replaced.

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