Perspectives — human experience

I recently came across an app which embodies true empathy, not to mention concern, for human behaviour. Created by New York-based artist and designer, Ekene Ijeoma, 'Look Up' is designed to engage with pedestrians who are often so absorbed in their mobile world that they risk their own safety by failing to look up as they cross the street. The app uses GPS to determine when a user is nearing an intersection, and on approach, an image of abstracted eyeballs appears on screen, lights up and the phone begins to vibrate. Not only that, using data from a government database, the app signals the relative danger of the approaching intersection, conveying the number of injuries and fatalities...

Delivering a superior customer experience doesn't always require digital innovation, but it does require a clear and constant focus on the needs and rapidly changing expectations of your primary customer. Iconic British luxury brand Burberry has undergone a complete transformation within the last decade. In the mid 1990's, it was synonymous with high quality trenchcoats beloved of a wealthy but conservative clientele. I never anticipated much change from year to year when I visited Burberry's Head Office in East London to review and select pieces from the next season's ranges. As the new millennium dawned, its signature check was heavily counterfeited and became the uniform of an entirely different market sector, the 'chav'. Then in 2006, Burberry, under...