Improve

<p>Starting broad and following your instincts can lead you to your true niche. Instead of rushing to define yourself, embrace the exploration process—it can open doors you never expected.</p>

<p>Many Rolls Royce cars have a sheer vertical drop front design. And while they are extremely powerful and can go fast, they normally don&#8217;t, because they are meant to transport their occupants safely, in luxury, and in a refined manner, not to indulge in drag races. And so the vertical drop might be alright on&#8230;</p>

<p>When a regular business operation comes across something new, could be a new ingredient, a new brand of ingredient, a new brand or type of packaging, and so on, it must try to do some homework before making it a part of its routine. This one’s for restaurants and small eateries that use dry ice&#8230;.</p>

<p>Here’s one on productivity for those of us who use lists as part of planning. I have been guilty of taking older notes and adding unfinished tasks to the latest list. And not often enough, I try to wonder why some of those tasks that have gotten carried forward for too long, keep making it&#8230;</p>

<p>I worked in venture capital from 2006 to 2010, and over time, noticed an increasing presence of core finance professionals and Chartered Accountants in top roles at VC firms. It seemed concerning to me, though I probably couldn’t initially figure why, given they were right where they should be, predicting explosive growth and chewing through&#8230;</p>

<p>In a world of mundane everyday products, it&#8217;s rare to find one that catches your eye for its thoughtful design. The Bisleri 5-litre bottle, with its curved sides for easy pouring, is a surprising example of clever, practical design that makes you appreciate the beauty of function.</p>

<p>Most of us see learning as a necessary chore—something to check off for promotions or resume building. But a rare few approach it with true passion, immersing themselves to not just survive, but excel—an admirable mindset to cultivate.</p>

<p>Time and Price form interesting aspects of current B2C businesses. Uber for instance, has its routes generally optimized for speed (recommends a shorter route even if it is more expensive). Ola, on the other hand, at least used to have routes optimized for price (recommends a slightly longer but the cheaper route). One sees an&#8230;</p>

<p>Ever had your phone fall on your face while lying down, or been nearly spilled on by a waiter’s odd angle of serving? These everyday examples of gravity and Angle of Approach (AoA) reveal how design flaws can impact our experiences—imagine how much smoother life could be with a little more attention to both.</p>

<p>Netflix does something admirable with its listing thumbnails. it toggles the image thumbnails of many of its movie and series listings, and also the hover preview clips, from one of 2-3 different ones. While it might make finding a specific movie or series just by scanning thumbnails a bit tedious for some, in general I&#8230;</p>

<p>Wondering if the new goals of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol risks repeating an old mistake Starbucks made.</p>

<p>Discounts are everywhere, but the best platforms make it easier by automatically applying the most advantageous offer at checkout. Services that simplify and clearly present discounts enhance customer trust and loyalty, avoiding the hassle of searching for deals.</p>

<p>Transforming good ideas into actionable strategies can feel like climbing a mountain—exciting yet daunting. Despite clear processes and frameworks, the real hurdles are often fundamental, people-related issues like miscommunication, hierarchies, biases, fears, and egos.</p>

<p>Here in India, we citizens as consumers don&#8217;t quite take customer feedback as seriously yet, as they do in some other countries. In my first job for a short stint at a BPO in Bangalore, I was puzzled to find out that random surveys went out to retail customers of our Hewlett Packard products in&#8230;</p>

<p>Over the years, I have asked quite a few people who have gotten used to e-readers (as opposed to loyalists who stick to physical books), if they prefer horizontally swiping to turn pages, or vertically scrolling to. The way I see e-readers or reader apps, there are 3 action choices: Horizontal or vertical scroll Firstly,&#8230;</p>

<p>The bout between the tech giants Amazon and Google regarding Google&#8217;s payments related policy, that has been going on since 2022, has finally hit India recently, and the two giants have taken a big dump on user experience here. Users in India might no longer be able to buy digital goods on the Android Amazon&#8230;</p>

<p>Present day products, be it cars, or consumer products; they have become extremely safe and similar-looking. Like the past, one can only hope the future too has some brave designs in store. Clip: Tom Fisk</p>

<p>Fictional and real-life legends seem to have a more straightforward approach to dealing with complex-seeming challenges and to getting better at something. They simply make it an optimization challenge. Clip: David G Morgan</p>

<p>As the late American inventor and engineer, Charles Kettering very wisely said, &#8220;A problem well-stated is half-solved.&#8221; The need is to re-frame every problem into a challenge. To get better ideas, to be able to solve it faster, and in a better way.</p>

<p>Product miniatures &nbsp;</p>