Take time to read this article, find it quite interesting. This article was extracted from Best for Active Learning, by Ron Kaufman. He is an internationally acclaimed innovator and motivator for partnership and quality service, the author of the beast selling book, "UP your Service!"
I am regularly amazed by brand new facilities that are obviously user "unfriendly"! Huge investments of time and money ... but WHO are they designing it for!?
The new airport in Dubai is an impressive construction. Huge in steel with halogen lights and lots of fancy gold. But it takes six escalators, two moving sidewalks and 3,446 steps (I counted) to get from the aircraft door to the taxi door at curbside. And no baggage trolleys are provided!
What were the architects thinking about? Size? Grandeur? Physical exercise? Who were they designing it for!?
A new Sheraton Hotel just opened in Jordan without clear signage directing guests from the ballrooms to the restrooms. The signs that do exist are etched in muted gold on dark marble pillars. More "obvious" signs were apparently inappropriate amidst such elegant decor.
Very swish, very chic. But who were they designing it for!?
I recently received a realtor's business card with his mailing address printed in four-point type. That's VERY tiny! Graphic designers love it. It's so trendy and unique. But it's certainly not easy to read.
Who is a business card for!?
I had to argue with the graphics company to print contact information in 14 point type on my stationary. They said it was "too big". I said it had to be big to remain legible, even as "a fax of a fax".
Try it! Fax a copy of your stationary to a friend, and ask them to fax it back to you. Now you have "a fax of a fax". It happens a lot in business.
Now look closely at your contact information. If you have a 5, 6, 8 or 9 in your telephone number, is that number still easy to read? If the letter "i" or "l" appears in your mailing address, is it easy to distinguish those letters?
Who designed your stationary? Who approved your stationary? Who is your stationary really for?
At the Dragon Air Lounge in Hong Kong's new airport, a partition of colourful glass hangs from the ceiling. My luggage lightly brushed against it as I walked inside. The entire partition shook and several panels came undone.
A staff member hurried over and began carefully reassembling the panels. (Thank goodness nothing broke.) I apologised profusely.
"Don't worry," she replied. "This happens all the time."
An airport lounge is a heavy traffic area. People always moving in and out. What were the interior designers thinking? Who were they designing it for!?
Key Learning Point: It's easy to get caught up in designing new things that are "cool" or "elegant" or "hot". But if you don't keep your customer in mind throughout, you could end up with an investment that's "not".
Take This Action Step: Review your physical surroundings, points of customer interaction, your product, packaging and procedures. Find something that could be more clear, more helpful or more "user-friendly". And once you find it, fix it.
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After read the first part of this article, the first" brand new facilities that are obviously user " unfriendly"
came to my mind is the new JB checkpoint.
Look back to the time when we used to reach JB custom in 10 mins time from S'pore checkpoint, this situation is now far far away from us ! Now it takes more than 30 mins to reach only JB checkpoint. What's more, we still need to walk & walk & walk a long way in order to reach City Square.
The longest time that i took from S'pore checkpoint to reach JB checkpoint was 2 hr, may be more than that!!!
It's only few km & we need to waste our time in the bus! Somemore no seat! Poor thing, right!!!
Always wondering why those architects never think of us. =(