Use Cases and Watermelons

Watermelons, one might think, are a commodity and pretty much the same anywhere around the globe.  Merriam Webster defines commodity as:

an economic good: as a : a product of agriculture or mining b : an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment <commodities futures> c : a mass-produced unspecialized product <commodity chemicals> <commodity memory chips>

Definition (a) captures watermelons well but definition (c) misses the mark.  This is because while watermelons are a mass-produced good, they are specialized and differentiated.

 The Archetype:  Full of Seeds

This specialization comes by way of observing the user (those who eat watermelon) interact with the product (watermelons).  In most of the world, the common watermelon experience (set of use cases) is as follows:

• User goes to the vendor and sees an array of mud-covered watermelons;
• The user taps around on the various melons and selects one either randomly or through some sort of auditory expertise (sweeter watermelons have a hollowed, drum-like sound);
• She (the watermelon buyer is often a woman) brings it home, washes it, cools it down, and then cuts it open for consumption;
• The consumers (other users) socialize around the melon, savoring the sweetness (if the buyer picked the right one), while spitting out seeds.

In the use cases above, three distinct elements stand out:

1. The watermelon purchasing experience is suboptimal.  First, the user has to pick the right watermelon or is often left with a bad product.  As such, there is a high degree of variance in the quality of the "commodity."  Second, the good is often dirty and covered with dirt and mud.  This further degrades the watermelon purchasing experience.
2. Watermelon consumption is a social experience.  Families and friends gather around what should be a delight as an excuse to interact with each other.  Take away from the quality of the watermelon (wrong texture, wrong taste), and one destroys a chance for the social gathering.  So, the watermelon has to be pleasing to the senses:  visually (nice red and green colors), olfactory (the distinct smell of an open watermelon), and taste (sweet, cool, and fresh).  There is another aspect to the experience:  Watermelons can come in variety of colors; red is just he most frequent one.  Add in green, orange, and white to the mix (while preserving the rest of the red watermelon experience), and one has an opportunity to add aesthetics to the social experience.
3. Watermelon consumption is not particularly convenient, especially if the eaters have to pause frequently to spit out bulky, black seeds.  So - why not serve seedless watermelons?

 Much Better without Seeds

Now, imagine the following experience instead of the one outlined above:

• The user goes to the store and peruses a selection of watermelons differentiated by size and color (red, green, orange, or white inside).
• She then purchases the watermelon(s) that complement the meal that she is preparing just by virtue of color richness alone, because she is sure that the watermelon that she will buy will be sweet and with the right texture.
• She then brings it home, gives it a quick rinse (no deep washing needed), chills it, and prepares it for serving.
• Everyone gathers around, takes the slices that are pleasing to them, savors the taste, texture, smell, and color, and engages in a fulfilling social activity.

 

Beyond the Ordinary:  Expand the Color Palette

To enable this experience, farmers need to treat watermelons (and in fact any crop) as, effectively, a manufactured good in need of quality parameters and production control.  Fruits, while a gift of the nature, need not be an accident of nature.  By understand their use cases, they can be controlled and cultivated to be better products.

Production Improvement:  Easier to Ship, Store, and Serve

Clearly, there is significant room for improving the "watermelon experience."  The bigger point is that despite (or perhaps, because) this fruit's existence for thousands of years, much more could be done to improve it and make it better for consumption.  And that's just for watermelons ... imagine what can be done with almost any product ...

The Beginning of a "Sweet-n-Sexy Fruit" Marketing Campaign?

Information Presentation Matters

Steve Jobs is a legendary presenter.  He has a knack for presenting complex information so simply but powerfully that even the pedestrian observer is awestruck.  Because of this reason, he was Apple's most vaunted and valued product before he relinquished his CEO seat.

As we trek more deeply into the information age, the question of how information itself, should be communicated becomes ever more critical.  Unfortunately, the skill of presenting information appropriately is still an art because of its relative scarcity.

Information is presenting to us at all times, mostly passively.  When presented actively - meaning when it is intended to be presented - the goal is to influence behavior of individuals who absorb the information.  Why, then, is so much of the actively-presented information presented so poorly?  Here is an example from a busy street intersection in downtown Moscow, not far from my place:

One assumes that the goal of information presentation here is to ensure safe, regulated automobile traffic by giving the driver as much pertinent information in the shortest time possible.  If this is the goal, there are a number of issues with this presentation:

1. The street name sign is quite small; the driver has to get right to the street corner to be able to read the street name; at least I had to - and I have 20/20 vision.
2. Signs overlap each other; the driver needs to get as much information as possible with a simple glance.  This set up does not allow for it.
3. There are visual obstructions preventing the proper display of information - like the random pole.
4. The traffic light is small, posted low, and as poor visibility unless you get very close to it; then it is blocked by a random pole (see 3 above).  This creates a potentially unsafe situation.
5. You have to pay very specific attention to the shape of the traffic light (I versus L) to know whether right-hand turns are allowed with a general green sign (I) or whether they require a special green light (L). There is no other way to know other than looking at the shape of the traffic light. And the special green light on the L-shaped signal is not complemented by special red light informing the driver not to turn left. In other words, you either get a green light or nothing.
6. There is a slight degree of additional confusion with the blue direction sign; that sign says that “one can go straight or right;” however, the traffic light says “unless I explicitly allow it – and you have to pay close attention to my shape."
7. There is an advertisement posted right next to official, information signs.  This only clutters up information presentation and robs the driver from the ability to absorb as much valuable information in as little time as possible.

This simple example shows how good intentions go awry when information is presented improperly.  The effect is not influencing the information receiver in the appropriate manner or - worse yet - influencing him something that he should not do (and hence get a ticket or into an accident in this case). 

Back to Steve Jobs:  Pay attention to his presentations.  He is astute at pacing information, he only talks about one thing at a time, and he keeps the presentation stage clutter free to keep the receiver's attention.  Keep these in mind next time you are trying to influence someone's behavior through information presentation (like a "Getting Started Guide" for a product).