1.The packaging of a product is very important in the marketing of a product. If a product has good packaging, then it will be much more memorable and stand out more amongst its competitors. Packaging creates an image for the product and that influences who, and how likely on is to buy it.
I was influenced to buy some white t-shirts based on the design of the packaging, but not because the packaging was a memorable, colorful, or exciting design. I chose boxers with that package design because I could feel the shirts, and knew that they were what I wanted
2.Some products with iconic packaging are Quaker Oatmeal, Jif Peanut butter, iPod bags, and red bull.
3. Packaging should protect the product, but sometimes it is too hard to open--one time I cut my hand on hard-to-open plastic packaging. Some packaging makes the actual misleading how large or the quantity inside the package. The packaging can also can make it harder to display on shelves if it is large or oddly shaped.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Retail Analysis-Natural Health Center
1. I observed the Natural Health Center (4610 W Main St, Kalamazoo, MI 49006).
They market middle class people. Also more specifically to people that eat organic, vegetarian, and/or gluten free food. A majority of the people shopping there were middle aged (both men and women).It is similar to Whole Foods, Papa Joe's, and Trader Joe's, except at a less expensive price.
2. a. The store matches the other stores in the strip mall--green roof, glass front and written on the glass windows, in white , was what is sold in the store (natural skin care, natural groceries, supplements, etc.)
b. There were many people talking (louder than a typical grocery store), and soft music playing in the background.
c. Merchandise is displayed on white shelves, at the end of almost every row of shelves is a table at which samples were given out.
d. The floor consists of square white tiles, with red mats near the doors
e. There are green neon signs marking the different sections of the store (fresh produce, refrigerator, skin care, and vitamins)
Above each isle there is a hanging sign, written in chalk, listing the products found down that isle
Also there are autumn flags (pumpkins, leaves) hanging from the ceiling
f. The cashier area is at the front of the store, facing the entrance/exit. This set up causes a customer to have to turn immediately to the left when entering the store.
3.Natural Health Center tries to project the image of healthy living, all natural lifestyle
4. -At the end of most aisles there are samples of food to try.
- The fresh produce is on display so you can see and touch it
5. I was most interested in when you walked into the store it smelled of several spices, not the usual supermarket or grocery store smell (or lack of smell).
They market middle class people. Also more specifically to people that eat organic, vegetarian, and/or gluten free food. A majority of the people shopping there were middle aged (both men and women).It is similar to Whole Foods, Papa Joe's, and Trader Joe's, except at a less expensive price.
2. a. The store matches the other stores in the strip mall--green roof, glass front and written on the glass windows, in white , was what is sold in the store (natural skin care, natural groceries, supplements, etc.)
b. There were many people talking (louder than a typical grocery store), and soft music playing in the background.
c. Merchandise is displayed on white shelves, at the end of almost every row of shelves is a table at which samples were given out.
d. The floor consists of square white tiles, with red mats near the doors
e. There are green neon signs marking the different sections of the store (fresh produce, refrigerator, skin care, and vitamins)
Above each isle there is a hanging sign, written in chalk, listing the products found down that isle
Also there are autumn flags (pumpkins, leaves) hanging from the ceiling
f. The cashier area is at the front of the store, facing the entrance/exit. This set up causes a customer to have to turn immediately to the left when entering the store.
3.Natural Health Center tries to project the image of healthy living, all natural lifestyle
4. -At the end of most aisles there are samples of food to try.
- The fresh produce is on display so you can see and touch it
5. I was most interested in when you walked into the store it smelled of several spices, not the usual supermarket or grocery store smell (or lack of smell).
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Science of Shopping
1. The most important points from the article are that shoppers are predictable and because of this stores can then be changed so that they are sell the most products to the most people (by watching people in many stores on video cameras). People tend to walk to the right or on the right side of stores or isles.
2.I think that I am influenced by a stores design because the way in which it is designed changes how much of the store I see when looking for the things I had planned on buying. The atmosphere of a store also changes how I would shop in a store: if it is over the top with lighting, music and smells, I would not want to stay long or at all; whereas if a store were too bland, I would also not want to shop there for very long.
3.Analyzing a retail store:
-the store has an appropriate atmosphere (smell, sounds, lighting) for the products being sold and the image the store has.
-Important products are not put in the front of the store so that people move farther into the store
-That products that would appeal to people with similar interests be placed near each other
2.I think that I am influenced by a stores design because the way in which it is designed changes how much of the store I see when looking for the things I had planned on buying. The atmosphere of a store also changes how I would shop in a store: if it is over the top with lighting, music and smells, I would not want to stay long or at all; whereas if a store were too bland, I would also not want to shop there for very long.
3.Analyzing a retail store:
-the store has an appropriate atmosphere (smell, sounds, lighting) for the products being sold and the image the store has.
-Important products are not put in the front of the store so that people move farther into the store
-That products that would appeal to people with similar interests be placed near each other
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015
1. In class we learned that products should be designed so that it easy for its users to be able to tell the products purpose and how to use it and that products should be simple. This is similar to what Flanders said because he stressed that a webpage should be made with the user in mind ("The only reason my web site exists is to solve my customers' problems."), that when looking at a webpage it should be easy to tell the subject and that it should be easy to read (good contrast, not too many graphics). Also, we talked about having a product so that it is visible how to use it; this is similar to when Flanders talks about being sure not to have mystery meat navigation (a link with nothing telling you where it will take you).
2. The most important points are that a webpage should be designed for the viewers of the page, that the subject be easily distinguishable (within four seconds), that a website is generally made for its users to find out information quickly, the webpage should have interesting information, the webpage should be easy to read (use good fonts, contrast, and not too many distracting graphics), and the webpage is not too long.
3. Important factors of webpage design-
-It is easy to tell what the webpage is for
-It is easy to remember what the address is of the webpage
-uses appropriate themes for the content on the webpage (ex: informational page is not colorful with informal fonts)
2. The most important points are that a webpage should be designed for the viewers of the page, that the subject be easily distinguishable (within four seconds), that a website is generally made for its users to find out information quickly, the webpage should have interesting information, the webpage should be easy to read (use good fonts, contrast, and not too many distracting graphics), and the webpage is not too long.
3. Important factors of webpage design-
-It is easy to tell what the webpage is for
-It is easy to remember what the address is of the webpage
-uses appropriate themes for the content on the webpage (ex: informational page is not colorful with informal fonts)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Know it All -Wikipedia
1. Cindy Schiff's main points in the article is to explain how Wikipedia is run-- how entries are made/updated and some Wikipedia-vocabulary. She says Wikipedia has a huge number of entries, but that there are some that are unreliable and vandalized. The topics are unevenly distributed--there are much longer entries on popular topics than on some important historical topics.
2.
3. Wikipedia is much more accessible than Encyclopedia Britannica for most people--anyone with Internet can use Wikipedia, but only who own/have access to the Encyclopedia Britannica are able to use it. Wikipedia has a faster way of looking up information about topics than does Encyclopedia Britannica. When using Wikipedia one types the topic and then the computer retrieves it, but with Encyclopedia Britannica one has to find the correct volume and then look up the topic taking much longer than it would to do so on Wikipedia. Wikipedia also has a list of sources, that can be easily accessed, about each topic, whereas Encyclopedia Britannica does not.
2.
"Others involve ideological disagreements and escalate into intense edit wars. A number of the disputes on the English-language Wikipedia relate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to religious issues. Almost as acrimonious are the battles waged over the entries on Macedonia, Danzig, the Armenian genocide, and Henry Ford. Ethnic feuds die hard: Was Copernicus Polish, German, or Prussian?...Is apple pie all-American? (The answer, at least for now, is no: “Apple trees did not even grow in America until the Europeans brought them over,” one user railed. He was seconded by another, who added, “Apple pie is very popular in the Netherlands too. Americans did not invent or introduce it to the Netherlands. You already plagiarized Santa Claus from our Saint Nicholas. Stop it!”)"This passage is particularly effective because it provides a good example of the an ideological disagreement (as opposed to disagreements in facts). It clarifies what an ideological disagreement is in case it was not clear. Supporting detail also makes a passage more interesting and therefore a more memorable part of an article.
3. Wikipedia is much more accessible than Encyclopedia Britannica for most people--anyone with Internet can use Wikipedia, but only who own/have access to the Encyclopedia Britannica are able to use it. Wikipedia has a faster way of looking up information about topics than does Encyclopedia Britannica. When using Wikipedia one types the topic and then the computer retrieves it, but with Encyclopedia Britannica one has to find the correct volume and then look up the topic taking much longer than it would to do so on Wikipedia. Wikipedia also has a list of sources, that can be easily accessed, about each topic, whereas Encyclopedia Britannica does not.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Organization and Preparation Tips
1.Reynold's most important points
- when beginning a presentation do an outline and plan out the presentation before you start using PowerPoint
- the presentation is concise and explained simply
- the presentation should have good content, each fact should have a relevant point
2.I could apply his advice to my presentation by planning out the information in I plan on including and the order in which to include it, before I actually start making the PowerPoint. I will also not use too much information; I will only use the info that is relevant to the point that I am trying to make.
3.Presentation preparation needs to be designed to be interesting to the intended audience. A presentation needs have the right amount of facts (behavioral design) and the right amount of pictures and stories to keep it interesting (reflective design, visceral design). A presenter is in a sense trying to conduct a presentation in order to "sell" an idea in the same way that a designer creates a product that is the best, in order for it to sell well and used.
- when beginning a presentation do an outline and plan out the presentation before you start using PowerPoint
- the presentation is concise and explained simply
- the presentation should have good content, each fact should have a relevant point
2.I could apply his advice to my presentation by planning out the information in I plan on including and the order in which to include it, before I actually start making the PowerPoint. I will also not use too much information; I will only use the info that is relevant to the point that I am trying to make.
3.Presentation preparation needs to be designed to be interesting to the intended audience. A presentation needs have the right amount of facts (behavioral design) and the right amount of pictures and stories to keep it interesting (reflective design, visceral design). A presenter is in a sense trying to conduct a presentation in order to "sell" an idea in the same way that a designer creates a product that is the best, in order for it to sell well and used.
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