Human Behaviour

<p>Part 4 of a series of posts aimed at young professionals. The world is getting increasingly confusing. Here are some of my learnings. In the last post (here), I mentioned the need for taking bold/ tough decisions. And the benefits they bring. And that you can&#8217;t usually create your best work from a place of&#8230;</p>

<p>Part 3 of a series of posts aimed at young professionals. The world is getting increasingly confusing. Here are some of my learnings. Previous post here. As an innovation and strategy consultant, I have had the occasional prospect haggle over fees from day one. When one of the first prospects reached out within days of&#8230;</p>

<p>Part 2 of a series of posts for young professionals and entrepreneurs. Reflections from 12 years as a freelance innovation and strategy consultant in an increasingly chaotic world. As I mentioned in my last post, to find your niche, you need to explore diverse work first, then narrow your focus. In the early days of&#8230;</p>

<p>Starting broad and following your instincts can lead you to your true niche. Instead of rushing to define yourself, embrace the exploration process—it can open doors you never expected.</p>

<p>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&#8230;</p>

<p>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&#8230;</p>

<p>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&#8230;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Most of us see learning as a necessary chore—something to check off for promotions or resume building. But a rare few approach it with true passion, immersing themselves to not just survive, but excel—an admirable mindset to cultivate.</p>

<p>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&#8230;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Focusing on the &#8220;average&#8221; majority often leads to oversimplified, generic solutions. But by innovating for users at the extremes, you create more flexible, inclusive products that better meet everyone’s needs.</p>

<p>What if the analytics you obsess over isn&#8217;t even close to the whole picture? Put differently, what if you ignored it and focused on something better? I took a leap, disregarded the pressure of numbers, and focused on quality over consistency—and it made a difference.</p>

<p>Yesterday, I mentioned an odd human behaviour in some (most likely most) of us where we consciously add great movies or series to our favourite streaming service watchlist; only to almost always pick something completely different to actually watch, whether right then or later. Post here. Very counterintuitive, considering how our choices to add to&#8230;</p>

<p>Ergonomically designed products are often comfortable for short use but can become more uncomfortable over time compared to plain designs. For instance, while sleek bike grips or beautifully designed wireless earbud cases feel great initially, they may be less practical for extended use.</p>

<p>I was recently at a few car showrooms, just browsing.. And I noticed something. Many of the popular brands tend to keep a higher or top end variant of different models on display. And interestingly, Toyota, at least the showroom I went to, had base variants on display. We could look at this in two&#8230;</p>

<p>Netflix does something admirable with its listing thumbnails. it toggles the image thumbnails of many of its movie and series listings, and also the hover preview clips, from one of 2-3 different ones. While it might make finding a specific movie or series just by scanning thumbnails a bit tedious for some, in general I&#8230;</p>

<p>Wondering if the new goals of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol risks repeating an old mistake Starbucks made.</p>

<p>Discounts are everywhere, but the best platforms make it easier by automatically applying the most advantageous offer at checkout. Services that simplify and clearly present discounts enhance customer trust and loyalty, avoiding the hassle of searching for deals.</p>

<p>Transforming good ideas into actionable strategies can feel like climbing a mountain—exciting yet daunting. Despite clear processes and frameworks, the real hurdles are often fundamental, people-related issues like miscommunication, hierarchies, biases, fears, and egos.</p>