Hannah Cersell

Fox School of Business

Uncategorized

By Leave a Comment

Augmented Reality technology is on the rise!

In recent weeks, I’ve become increasingly interested and amused by the significant use of augmented reality (AR) in today’s digital world.

Investopedia defines augmented reality (AR) as the enhanced version of the real physical world and interactive experience, that is achieved using digital visual elements, sound or other sensory stimuli delivered via technology. Virtual Reality, on the other hand, is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment that is very different and far from reality.

After several attempts, successful AR was first accomplished in 1992 by Louis Rosenberg called Virtual Fixtures. Virtual Fixtures was a robotic system designed to compensate for the lack of high-speed 3D graphics processing power and enabled the overlay of sensory information on a workspace to improve human productivity, according to the Interaction Design Foundation.

Pokémon Go, a free smartphone game released in 2016, incorporated incredible AR into its app, engaging users from all over the world. Pokémon Go became the most downloaded and top grossing app in just one week. The app required GPS location services and the devices camera to locate popular Pokémon characters in various locations. Once tracked down, characters would appear on the user’s screen in real-life by overlaying the digital illustration against the background via the camera. Pokémon Go indicated that there was a high demand for this level of technology from its users.

Fast forward to present day, AR is being used now more than ever. Fashion, retail, education, healthcare, and other industries are all discovering new ways to incorporate AR into their digital technology. At the end of 2020 it was estimated there were a total of 598 million AR active devices and this is projected to increase to 1.73 billion by 2024, according to research by ARtillery Intelligence. The augmented reality software market is also expected to reach $35.22 Billion by 2022.

Some impressive examples of how brands have leveraged the use of AR include the following:

  • IKEA

Using the IKEA iOS application, users can see exactly what products look like in their own homes. Using true-to-scale 3D imagery, consumers can browse over 2000 IKEA products in various colors and dimensions to see what product works best before purchasing with the likelihood of return.

  • Walmart

Walmart has decided to incorporate AR behind-the-scenes instead. According to econsultancy, Walmart announced plans in 2020 to turn four of its physical stores into test centers for their new inventory control technology. This new technology uses augmented reality to highlight inventory boxes that are ready to be moved, speeding up the time it takes to transport product from the back room the sales floor. Previously employees would have to scan each box individually to receive inventory status.

  • Adidas

Adidas have improved the sneaker buying experience by enabling customers to virtually try-on potential purchases from anywhere. Using AR technology, app users can hover the camera over their feet and see what sneakers would look like on, in real-time without having to visit an adidas store.

  • Sephora

Ever wanted to see what a shade of lipstick would look like on without having to try-on instore? Now you can! In our post-pandemic world, customers can no longer try samples/testers of makeup on instore and therefore brands like Sephora have needed to drastically adapt to these changes. Their ‘Virtual Artist’ tool lets users try on lipstick, foundation, eyeshadow and more in order to boost ecommerce sales without the hassle or time.There are many other impressive uses of AR available to public however, these were my favorite.

With many businesses and brands starting to focus on improving their online and digital efforts, it’s no wonder standards are rising for customers, but why AR? According to Perfectial.com, there are five benefits:

  • Augmented reality attracts a broader audience as there is no need for additional devices.
  • Augmented reality is a buzz-worth and noticeable technology.
  • It makes the user experience noticeable.
  • The interaction increases customer retention.
  • Creates personalized content to improve engagement.
  • I would also add that it creates customer loyalty.

With AR technology on the rise, it will be interesting to see what’s going to come to surface in the digital space next.

 

Resources:

https://skywell.software/blog/the-future-of-augmented-reality/

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/technology/pokemon-go-brings-augmented-reality-to-a-mass-audience.html

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/augmented-reality.asp

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/augmented-reality-the-past-the-present-and-the-future

https://medium.com/swlh/5-use-cases-of-augmented-reality-that-boosted-businesses-sales-2114ac35bf5a

https://econsultancy.com/14-examples-augmented-reality-brand-marketing-experiences/

https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/ikea-launches-augmented-reality-application

https://perfectial.com/blog/augmented-reality-in-business/

By Leave a Comment

What is Social Media Governance?

While it’s very important for brands to stay connected with their audience online and via social media, there comes a huge responsibility and a somewhat risk with what is being broadcasted for the world to see that essentially reflects your brands name and image. Social media has lots of benefits for business including advertising of a brand or product, generating targeted awareness of your brand, and having the ability to connect with real consumers all over the world. Now that social media is being utilized by businesses now more than ever, social media policies and governance need to be placed into effect.

An article on meltwater.com published back in 2020, lists four pillars to a strong social media governance model, which include the following:

  • Consideration of brand guidelines in an online space
    • Guidelines must be put in place and followed by employees to reflect the brands image in a professional way, as well as know how to respond to customer complaints online.
  • Integrating compliance and legal regulations
    • These regulations can help safeguard a brands social media team in various ways including protecting the brand from threats made against the institution and preventing false advertising material.
  • Getting comfortable with social listening
    • Monitoring online activity across all platforms is highly important and should be reported on every 2-3 hours. We saw an example of this last week when Twitter tweeted “Hello Everyone” shortly after Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went dark.
  • Getting familiar with the business continuity plan
    • Having discussions about what to do in a crisis is essential so that all employees know that they are supported and know what to do to come out the other end of an incident easily and safely.

Similarly, Charlene Li defines social business governance in our reading this week, as an integrated system of people, policies, processes, and practices that defines organizational structure and decision process to ensure effective management of social business at scale.

After thinking about social media/business governance and its importance, I wanted to find examples of social media content posted by businesses online that did not attract the attention it was intended to. With that, back in 2019, Inc.com published an article titled “The 10 Worst Social Media Fails of 2019”. Beverage company SunnyDelight tweeted “I can’t do this anymore” which sparked frustration amongst some pointing out that a juice brand posturing as a depressed individual was inherently insensitive.

Back in 2017, Adidas sent out a mass email to those that ran in the annual Boston Marathon that year, however used a poor choice of words in their subject line.

The day after the United States Presidential Election Day, The Gap tweeted a video of a blue and red (Democratic and Republican colours) hoodie sweatshirt being zipped up in the middle with the accompanying caption “The one thing we know, is that together, we can move forward.”

Twitter users called out the brand for hypocrisy and tone-deafness regarding two parties who are fundamentally at odds, especially as the sweatshirt was never available for purchase in the first place.

Just by reading the backlash that these large businesses received via social media, shows us that all brands, large or small, need to follow strict guidelines when producing content and get the thumbs up from various people on their individual social media team and avoid putting the brands image and reputation in the hands of one marketing individual.

The same goes for us as social media users. We need to make sure that the content we are displaying on our own profiles for the world to see, are continuing to reflect us as professional humans and under no circumstances let social media become the reason we let our identity be jeopardized.

 

 

 

 

https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/4-pillars-social-media-governance-mode

https://www.inc.com/max-totsky/social-media-fails-2019.html

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141115020359-33767-how-good-is-your-social-business-governance/

 

 

By Leave a Comment

How Social Media ‘Top-dogs’ are Implementing Tactics to Help with Mental Health Amongst Users

The development of social media in our digital era has been beneficial for business, networking, creativity and for some, building a personal brand; however, as the use of social media has increased amongst teens, so has the decline in mental health cases.

According to an article published via the theodysseyonline.com, those who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media are at heightened risk for mental health problems in general, and teens who spend 5 or more hours a day on their electronic devices are 71% more likely to exhibit suicide risk factors.

This dark side to social media can be caused by several factors, one being the focus on “likes”. Teens and young adults are constantly focused on producing content in hope that it will gain a lot of positive attention. The need to gain “likes” on social media can cause teens to make choices they would otherwise not make, including altering their appearance, engaging in negative behaviors, and accepting risky social media challenges. Cyberbullying and trolling can be a result, causing depression, anxiety, and elevated risk of suicidal thoughts.

The ability to edit pictures also can cause users to compare themselves to others regardless of these false displays of beauty and lavish lifestyles.

So, what are these social media companies doing to help?

Popular video-sharing app TikTok has put out at least half a dozen initiatives this year alone to further safety and privacy, primarily for teen users. For example, TikTok started offering guides and tools in the search results when a user searched terms related to eating disorders. Director of Policy for TikTok US, Tara Wadhwa, stated “While we don’t allow content that promotes, glorifies or normalizes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, we do support people who choose to share their experiences to raise awareness, help others who might be struggling and find support among our community.”

In addition, user searches are being closely monitored and as a result, search intervention has increased. If a user for example, searches for terms related to mental illness or suicide, then the app will direct them to resources such as Crisis Text Line Helpline.

Some videos will also portray a warning message if flagged for sensitive content so that users have the choice to view or skip content.

In 2018, Instagram created a ‘well-being’ team who have been able to come up with ideas to hide the number of likes on posts and to introduce the ability to flag posts that may be inappropriate or raise concern.

Twitter is another social media platform that can contain constant negative news and opinion, leading to ‘Doom scrolling’. Wikipedia defines doom scrolling as the act of spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of dystopian news. Increased consumption of predominantly negative news may result in psychophysiological responses in some. Marketwatch.com stated that earlier this month, Twitter debuted “Safety Mode” that uses artificial intelligence to automatically block users who are being aggressive or hateful.

Social media can be a scary place if delved into deep; however, it’s never going to go away but only continue to develop and grow. As users we need to be more mindful of what we are releasing to the world in terms of content and help the employees behind these top social media platforms to identify inappropriate content and accounts. Most importantly we need to BE KIND ONLINE.

 

Resources:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tiktok-shares-new-mental-health-resources-as-instagram-faces-backlash-over-its-influence-on-teens-11631822975

https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health#:~:text=While%20teens%20can%20use%20social%20media%20to%20connect,can%20result%20in%20symptoms%20of%20anxiety%20and%2For%20depression.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/stats-social-media-mental-health

 

By Leave a Comment

Doodle for Google: Tokyo Olympics 2020

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics finally taking place after a crazy delayed year, Google have released their custom Google Doodle to commemorate the games.

A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Googles homepage intended to honor holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures of particular countries. This week however, Google have taken their doodle one step further and incorporated an animated series of interactive games for users to play. The Independent states that “the Doodle, which is called Doodle Champion Island Games, has seven mini-games created by Japanese animation company Studio 4°C. Users can take part in the Olympic event-themed 16-bit games and contribute their scores to one of four teams, which will be tracked by Google.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/google-doodle-games-champion-island-b1890183.html?jwsource=cl

In order to design a doodle with recognizable characters and an entertaining timeline of interactive events, designers at Studio 4°C had to execute their own research.

“First, we identified stories and folktales from all over the country with characters that are highly recognized,” said the studio. “Next, we connected those folktales and characters with each of the sport events included in the game. In the design process, each event champion was selected from those unique stories. “The team mascots and the characters in the city such as Kappa, Yatagarasu, lion dance, were also chosen as they are very well known across Japan. Each character’s design was based on their original story image, but then adapted for the game.”

Users can participate in Olympic activities such as synchronized swimming, ping-pong, and figure skating. Interaction is also accessible and easy for everyone with its simple keyboard arrows and spacebar usability.

Since 2008, Google has held an annual ‘Doodle for Google’ competition open to students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create their own Google doodle for the chance to have it featured on Google Homepage as well as win some great scholarships and tech packages for schools as prizes. Once the entry period is closed and judges have narrowed the field to the 54 best Doodles, the public are invited to vote online.

This competition sparks creativity and inspires young students to get involved, it’s also a great way to honor holidays, events and people.

 

Sources:

https://news.yahoo.com/google-doodle-launches-series-games-154029864.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

https://doodles.google.com/intl/en_us/d4g/faq/

 

By Leave a Comment

Implementing LEAN tools at Caesar Locations

A case study which I really enjoyed analyzing this semester titled Implementing LEAN Operations at Caesars Casinos, encouraged me to understand process improvement further.

After the Great Recession in early 2008, organizations including Caesars Entertainment, needed to cut down on costs, increase customer spending and ultimately save their businesses. How do you do such a thing? You either reevaluate your business model or/and improve your internal operational model. Brad Hirsch did just that when he was appointed Regional Director of LEAN for the three Caesars casino locations in Tunica.

Brad Hirsch clearly implemented the correct LEAN tools and encouraged Caesar’s Tunica location to become the success story that it is today. Over the course of 63 kaizen events and the investment of 14,000 hours by employees, there are three elements that I can identify to be the reason the improvement process was so important for this Caesar Casino location.

Firstly, customer service plays a vital role in the image and success of all Caesar locations and in order to track customer satisfaction, a random group of customers from multiple locations would be asked to complete a survey ranking their recent experience. “Data showed that moving a customer from a B to an A score resulted in up to a 12% increase in customer spending.” As a result of increased scores at the end of each quarter, employees would be rewarded with bonuses also. However, all employees, from desk clerk to janitor, had to be part of the change to make increasing scores more likely and not just a select few. This was a challenge that the Tunica executive team had to face. Gemba walks and spaghetti diagrams, activities that were part of kaizen workshops implemented by Hirsch, helped employees recognize time, motion and transportation waste which they could alter to provide a faster and more efficient customer experience. As result of these small cuts and changes, Tunica saw upward of a 3% shift in customer satisfaction scores in most areas.

Another benefit that was derived from the process improvement approach at Tunica, was the $3 million in documented savings. LEAN concepts such as DOWNTIME, Gemba walks, Five whys and 5S especially, contributed to identifying vast amounts of physical waste that could save the location an incredible amount of money in the long run. During a kaizen event, the dry-goods storage room was organized and followed by duplicate items and expired items being discarded. “The kaizen team studying the dry-goods storage area discarded $8,000 worth of unused inventory”. I can only imagine the frustration that the kitchen staff and exec team must have felt when being relayed this message. The 5S two bin system also helped sustain good inventory levels on slot paper and provided an improved system to track supply before ordering more. In this instance, “this system eliminated unnecessary orders and reduced the annual inventory investment by $60,000”.

Across the multiple kaizen events that were held, “25% – 90% of the waste was eliminated.” The Tunica team would need to continue to practice these LEAN tools every month or so in order to keep on track with inventory, avoid old habits and maintain a more efficient and easy-to-run workflow. The money that the Tunica team could save on back-of-house inventory could be put to better use where their customers could benefit.

Finally, I think employees are one of the most important groups to focus on in this whole operation. Yes, your customers are who bring in the money, but your employees are the reason those customers return and additionally the reason the business can run a daily operation. Hirsch made the smart decision to involve as many Tunica employees as possible when implementing LEAN tools. When focusing on a particular department, employees of multiple functions and levels were asked to form a team that could help improve their specific department to run smoothly, eliminate any unnecessary action or inventory and improve employee satisfaction overall. If your employees are happy, then they will be more willing to go the extra mile for their customers and fellow employees alike.  After the week’s events, an accounting clerk stated, “It was great to be considered an equal participant and to have input on big decisions that affect our work and department”, while others responded that it made their jobs a lot easier and stress-free. Having employees at all levels feel appreciated and considered, encourages the work mentality to constantly improve, and overall benefit the organization. Many present-day businesses use a top-down approach when it comes to managing employees and sometimes this approach isn’t always beneficial. Suzanne Lucas wrote an article published on TheBalancedCareers.com, that focuses on four main reasons why top-down management doesn’t work. These include “You Miss out on Great Ideas”, “It Kills Employee Engagement”, “Succession Planning Is a Disaster” and “Your Employees Are Micromanaged”. Although managers hold their titles for a reason, a workplace can only work if they are open to ideas from all and encourage employees to feel appreciated and heard.

LEAN tools can be implemented and positively affect all types of business models and Hirsh was able to prove that as a result they can save a business too.

 

Sources:

Hyer, N. L., Hirsch, B., & Brown, K. A. (2014). Implementing LEAN Operations at Caesars   Casinos. Harvard Business Publishing Education. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/.

Lucas, S. (2019, June). The Perils of Top Down Management to Your Organization. The   Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/perils-of-top-down-  management-4151058.

By Leave a Comment

What is Design Thinking?

According to the Interaction Design Foundation, Design Thinking is “a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.” Similarly, IDEO.com identify design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation—anchored in understanding customer’s needs, rapid prototyping and generating creative ideas—that will transform the way you develop products, services, processes, and organizations.”

There are five stages that make up the design thinking process that can be addressed in any order.

Stage 1: Empathize (to put yourself in someone else’s shoes)
This stage allows you to set aside your own opinions, needs and assumptions and truly understand what a user needs from a product or service.

Stage 2: Define (accumulate and reflect on the empathize stage)
This stage allows the team to gather all their information from stage one and define problems and needs through statements and customer personas.

Stage 3: Ideate (challenge assumptions and brainstorm ideas)
The team now needs to challenge the information they have gathered and brainstorm alternative solutions and ideas to benefit their product and users.

Stage 4: Prototype (create, create, create)
Rough drafts of the product need to be provided by the team after identifying the best solutions for the problem.

Stage 5: Test the solution
The team need to repeatedly test out the final solutions and product while making further improvements and alterations.

“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible.”- Don Norman

Companies of all shapes and sizes, who have an online presence, are constantly having to adjust to technology and innovation by improving their user experience online and ultimately stay competitive.

One of my personal favorite examples of good design can be found in the MyFitnessPal app. I’ve used the app in recent years to track my caloric intake (we’ve let this year slide), to encourage a healthy lifestyle. The app has an easy-to-use barcode search tool so that users can scan a store bought, packaged food barcode, and be met with all the nutritional information they need without having to manually search for each individual ingredient. This not only saves time but can be incredibly attractive to those that are reluctant to track accuracy due to effort.Apple are another company who are continuously looking for new ways to improve their products and UX design. Their Apple maps Parked Car feature is a fantastic example. POV: you’re in an unfamiliar part of town and you’ve forgotten exactly where you’ve parked your car. Apple maps, helps pinpoint exactly where you last left your car and then can provide directions to that exact location. According to appleinsider.com, “while using Apple Maps for directions in iOS 10, a user’s iPhone will remember a vehicle’s location at the end of a trip. This is done automatically for a trip that does not end at the user’s home address. It’s safe to say that this smart feature has saved my life during some of my least proud moments.

Waze is another example that my classmate Erin informed me of. I haven’t personally used Waze but after researching into what the app entails, I’m sure to download it soon. She explained that “the app is designed to cater to the user and address their needs as drivers. The way the app is intuitive enough to re-route you based on closed roads, accidents, and heavy traffic is invaluable. I also think it was smart to develop a navigation app based on users’ real-time routes and user-generated updates.”

These are just a few examples of design-thinking and how companies can in-fact listen to their users and provide the best solutions to make life that little bit easier. I can’t wait to see what is available to me as a user in the future.

 

 

Sources:

https://appleinsider.com/articles/16/06/14/inside-ios-10-apple-maps-will-remember-where-you-parked-your-car#:~:text=A%20parked%20car%20also%20shows%20up%20automatically%20as,a%20user%20has%20it%20enabled%20in%20iOS%2010.

https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking

https://uxdesign.cc/good-design-vs-bad-design-examples-from-everyday-experiences-18a7d1ba002c

Temple Student: Erin Mihalik