Otis Regrets... or not

User Interface Design: Dual flush toilets look out for Number One

It’s not often you get to see a completely new user interface come on the scene, but that’s what we have today with dual flush toilets. This affords us a rare opportunity to look inside designers’ heads as they figure out the process of making consumers comfortable and confident as they use the product.

A dual flush toilet has two settings that use differing amounts of water depending on what is being flushed. The designer’s challenge is a/communicating this fact to the user, who possibly has never seen such a device before; and then b/letting them know which switch is for which function. Let’s look at a few examples of how this challenge has been met.

Dual Flush toilet instructions at UNC. — Dual Flush toilet instructions at University of N. Carolina.

The University of North Carolina installed a very institutional toilet with a handle that goes up or down depending. Since you don’t know which is which way does what they put up a sign to explain. I would say this is not very good user interface design: if you have to include instructions for a toilet handle, it’s non-intuitive and too complicated.

A couple of companies offer retrofit kits that add dual flush capability inside your existing tank. To make this work, they replace the operating handle on the outside of the tank. Dual Flush also has a handle that goes up or down, and they include a decal in the package that you can stick on the toilet next to the handle to educate users. Again, not ideal but we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt since this device is a lot cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying a new toilet.

Another retrofit kit comes from Flush Choice. This one has two handles, a little one for a little flush and a big one for a big. I think I would figure this out without a guidebook, but it would look a little circusy in a home bathroom and might not be sturdy enough for institutional settings.

Other designers have abandoned the handle and flush the toilet with an entirely different mechanism: buttons. Making such a radical change in the interface is pretty unusual, and it can only work because people really, really want to flush that toilet, and will take the initiative to figure out how. Buttons can be attractively designed, and they’re sturdy because they connect directly to a plunger in the tank. And in fact, all the dual flush toilets I’ve actually seen in the wild have buttons.

Dual buttons in a public restroom. (SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST!)

Of the three photos here, the big wide buttons are from a toilet in a public restroom. The buttons are of equal size but they have images on them to tell you which is for which. The image of the solid circle implies “all the water” but it also reminds of solid waste. Maybe too graphic? And using same-size buttons for different-size flushes doesn’t seem like an elegant solution; the designer missed an opportunity to communicate by making the buttons also different sizes.

Kohler's new moon/outhouse button. — Kohler’s new moon/outhouse buttons.

That’s what was done with the new-moon shape, which is my favorite. It hearkens back to outhouse doors and once you study it, it’s clear that one button is larger than the other and I think most people would figure out that small means less. I kind of wish they would make the “less” button green but maybe that calls too much attention to itself to be a successful home décor product. (Interestingly, the plunger underneath this inside the tank IS green; also interesting, the home fixit guy who installed it got the parts reversed so the green low flush plunger ended up on the high flush side. In the end, some human errors can’t be solved with design.)

The much, much more subtle split circle is from the same manufacturer, Kohler. This toilet is much more expensive than the one above and works a lot better. And I can easily see what went through the product manager’s head when they saw the new-moon configuration: “I’m not putting a picture of an outhouse in MY customer’s bathroom.” But it would have been an improvement.

Gotta go.

Dual Flush 3 years later — Which button should I push?

UPDATE: 4 1/2 years after writing this post, I revisited one of these toilets, located in a public restroom at my local coffee hangout. Take a look: with regular use, the legends on the two buttons have worn off so you can no longer tell which is which. D’oh!

Hidden money in your advertising (the direct marketing topic)

Last weekend I visited friend and fellow copywriter Dan Shaw and we were bemoaning the tight creative budgets in this economy. The issue is this: if a client can get an email or a web page written for $100 or $200, why in the world would they hire someone like us at several times that amount?

The answer is that you’re not just paying to get a project completed and checked off in your to-do list. You’re paying for results. And if a page costs 5 times as much to create yet generates 10 times as many leads, clicks, sales or whatever you’re looking for… then it nets out 50% less expensive. That’s hidden money in your advertising which is there for the taking as soon as you look beyond the basics of “how cheap can I get it”.

Writers and designers who do direct marketing well are compensated on results. If we interview with a prospective client we expect they will ask us to show us our “controls”—these are campaigns (the term usually refers to direct mail) that beat out competitive tests or previous controls so thoroughly they become the standard that is used again and again.

The more controls you have under your belt, the better you are likely to be compensated. Because your client is paying for results, they know that a writer who has the skills, instincts and experience to win repeatedly is likely to do better for them on the bottom line.

For example, Dan does some marketing to prospective college students who are choosing a school. He was telling me during our visit about a usability study he attended where he watched students as they interacted with web pages to see what elements appealed to them and were easiest to use. This translates into better results when he does his own pages for clients. And his clients are quite happy to pay for that knowledge and insight.

With budgets tight, it’s very tempting for a marketing manager to just hire the cheapest provider and it’s tempting for a marketing director to review their direct reports on the basis of “how much money did you save me this quarter?” But it’s a cheap fix and in the end it may cost you more if your true goal is to get more customers, leads, donors, sales dollars etc. which of course it is.

Next time you bid out a project, take the extra step to hire somebody who’s good enough to charge more—and can prove it. If your management asks why you did not choose the cheapest possible solution, tell them you’re paying for results. And that’s how to find hidden money in your advertising.

Saratoga Chips

Early morning workout at Saratoga Racetrack.

My fellow blogger Daniel Berman is a former San Francisco ad guy who, like me, found himself in upstate New York through a twist of fate. We met on Yelp through our reviews chronicling the quest for good food in Albany and environs. Daniel has now taken this a step further with a quixotic campaign to persuade Albanians to chef up and be more like Austin, a city of comparable size. He’s been driven a bit mad by observing that “Our top food blogger is promoting free beef and cheddar sandwiches at Arby’s. And our top food critic is spending her time in converted pubs and pizza parlors.” This sturm und drang caused me to reflect on what my own food experience has been since moving here.

As all things should, we’ll start at the track. One of the wisest and most economical things you can do in the Capital District is go to Saratoga Racetrack early on a summer morning and watch the horses exercise while the dew melts and the steam rises off the grass. It’s free and you can sit in a box seat which will subsequently be occupied by a celebrity or racing nabob, while you sip your coffee or nosh on the breakfast you’ve picked up on the way in.

Coolers claiming picnic tables at Saratoga Racetrack, 10 am.

They clear the grandstand at 10 am and you have to go out, pay, then come back in again. On the way out you will see: most of the tables in the $3 picnic area already claimed by folks who have brought in coolers and tablecloths and will return sometime before the 1 pm post time. I personally can’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon since you can watch the horses and jockeys go by in the paddock, on the way to the races, see the races themselves on closed circuit TVs everywhere, stroll over to a betting station, and potentially splurge by spending a big $2 additional to see the races live by moving to the clubhouse.

So my first look at a quality Saratoga dining experience consists in peeking at what’s inside my cooler. It is this: half a pastrami and swiss on seeded rye with Saratoga chips and Cole slaw from Ben and Bill’s deli, accompanied by a can or more of Genessee Cream Ale.

My trackside lunch from Ben and Bill's Deli, Saratoga Springs nY. — My trackside lunch from Ben and Bill's Deli, Saratoga.

Ben and Bill were the original Golub brothers, a distinguished Jewish family which owns the Price Chopper chain of supermarkets upstate. Their descendents chafed at the lack of local deli food and resolved to create the best deli between New York City and Montreal, which happens to be placed inside a supermarket in a strip mall. No matter: the pastrami is lean, the cole slaw is excellent and the included pickle is authentically fluorescent. They’ve licensed a few things from Carnegie Deli such as the cheesecake and the gut-busting Woody Allen mile-high sandwich but the $5.99 half sandwich special is really all a reasonable person needs to eat.

This includes a generous bag of potato chips which, as Wikipedia will tell us, were invented right here, across the Northway at Saratoga Lake:

The original potato chip recipe was created by chef George Crum at Moon’s Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 24, 1853. Fed up with a customer who continued to send his fried potatoes back complaining that they were too thick and soggy, Crum decided to slice the potatoes so thin that they could not be eaten with a fork. As they could not be fried normally in a pan, he decided to stir-fry the potato slices. Against Crum’s expectation, the guest was ecstatic about the new chips and they soon became a regular item on the lodge’s menu, under the name “Saratoga Chips.”

Ben and Bill’s Saratoga chips are fried up fresh each morning and are miles apart from the uniformity of a bag of Lay’s. Some are burnt, some are a bit flaccid, but that’s the idea. Each one unique, these chips are made to be noticed and savored slowly over a race or two till the bag is gone.

The ideal liquid accompaniment for this would be a growler (64 ounce jug) of IPA from the ever-changing tap at Eddie’s Beverages on Excelsior, except that the track does not allow glass containers to be brought in. On a warm summer day, the light, refreshing and slightly sweet Genny Creme is a fine substitue. It’s a benefit that many upstaters regard this as a working person’s brew, a bit déclassé, so I’m rarely (actually never) asked to share my stash.

When I go back to San Francisco, my treat of choice will be a special from a Chinese lunch place, most likely shrimp in garlic sauce from Taiwan in the Richmond. Except with great difficulty, I’m not going to find anything like that here. Nor will I get Texas brisket or a perfectly simmered pot of turnip greens. But my trackside lunch works well enough, and I feel proud and resourceful regarding my competence in foraging in my new haunts.

What makes Apple marketing insane (ly great)

Consistent and thorough (you might also say obsessive) are words that describe any Apple marketing effort. I got an example when I decided to treat myself today to the just-released Snow Leopard upgrade, speed and various new features for an affordable $29. Was near an Apple store (Knox Street in Dallas) so stopped in.

They had a little VIP line with a delicate white chain set up in the middle of the store. (Which, as Apple stores usually are, was packed. What are all those people doing in there? How many visits does it take to buy a computer or iPhone?) You move quickly through the line and an employee hands you your DVD case, shakes your hand, says “congratulations.” Another employee handles the receipt and puts a little payment confirmation sticker on the case that says “Lucky You”. And the door employee (who introduced herself by name as I entered) repeats the congratulations on the way out.

Compulsive and obsessive are signs of mental imbalance, right? Is that what Steve Jobs means by “insanely great?” But it’s also very effective marketing because it makes customers feel smart and special.

Why it pays to market during a recession

When times get hard, marketing is one of the first things to get cut. Consumers have less money, so why market to them at the same pace? And with a smaller budget, are those people in the marketing department even necessary?

As a matter of self-preservation, marketers like to counter that a recession is actually a great time to sell more aggressively. When others are cutting back, you can gain market share at relatively low cost by doing the opposite. And we’ve always had a few juicy stats to prove the point, with an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal providing fresh fodder.

In Q1 ’09, New York Life grew its market share to 5.4% from 3.9% a year earlier. It did this by increasing its advertising budget by 24%, and telling its agents they had a “moral obligation” to present the company’s strength to clients. Ads changed from a sentimental teddy bear theme to a serious message about financial stability. By second quarter, the firm had leapfrogged from ninth to second place in revenues from premiums and annuity deposits as many clients put extra money into their life insurance policies.

Bed Bath & Beyond was equally aggressive, increasing advertising expenditures to 3.7% of revenue in 2008 from 3% in 2006. Much of that money was invested in targeting the 100 key stores of a major rival, Linens ‘n Things. Linens coupons and discounts were matched dollar-for dollar. The payoff: Linens ‘n Things went out of business. And with its increased marketing share, sales at Bed Bath & Beyond were up 2.8% for its quarter ended May 30, compared to an drop of 13% in the home furnishings sector overall.

If you’re a marketer, sink your teeth into those stats next time you present to the money people—and be sure to tell them you need some strong creative help to get the right message to your audience. WSJ reminds us that Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup (comfort food) and Revlon nail polish (affordable luxury) are products of the depression that are still successful today, born of aggressive marketing and a well-told story at a time when others were cutting back.

Lies, damn lies and statistics

The lead story in the Specialty Foods newsletter today really caught my eye. “Some 52% of consumers are monitoring the amount of sodium in their diets and 26% read labels for sodium.” This seems simply incredible on the face of it, especially in the context of my new home in upstate New York where 77.8% of the populace pays no attention whatsoever to what goes into their gullet.

Seeking understanding, I follow the link to its source — Mintel, “a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence.” Here I find out that:

22% [of consumers] restrict the amount of salt that they add to food, but don’t watch the much greater amount of sodium that is in foods and beverages
18% say that “food and beverages low in sodium are one of the three most important components of a healthy diet”
26% read labels for sodium, and may make some decisions based on this info, but they are not following a regimen to control sodium in their diet
34% do not pay attention to sodium

Except for the last stat (which seems low), none of these numbers seems at all credible to me on a seat-of-the-pants basis. Do they to you? Perhaps this is some research from a survey that is skewed to make a particular marketing point? So let’s look at the original source material, the verbatim comments from the survey. Oops, they aren’t available. Instead Mintel offers a link to a webinar where we can learn about “Sodium: The Next Trans Fat?”

High school debaters learn that with a little digging, they can find a “statistic” to support any point of view. Perhaps in the Mintel survey, and I’m stipulating that there was one, they asked people “do you ever think about the amount of sodium in your diet?” and 52% said yes. That would still be a high number, but I’d accept it. Then maybe some creative marcom copywriter changed it to “monitor” which recasts the same stat as alarming or fascinating news.

One of my earliest bosses promised he was going to teach me to “lie with statistics”. I didn’t last very long at that position and don’t know what happened to that boss. Hmm…

Price elasticity in the moving and storage business

U-Haul's moving billboards, deployed nationwide by willing customers.

I recently completed a pretty intense cross-country move. I rented a 24 foot Budget truck (that’s the size of the box, not counting the cab) and when it still wasn’t big enough I shipped an extra container of stuff with Door To Door Movers.

I was amazed at the price differential. The Budget truck cost half what I was quoted by U-Haul. And on a square foot basis Door to Door was 60% of the price of a competitor, Pods.com.

How come the disparity? I don’t know enough about the pods type containers to have a strong opinion, but when it comes to trucks it’s definitely MARKETING. Every U-Haul truck or trailer on the road is emblazoned with ads about how easy it is to load, to drive, etc. If I’m thinking about a move, I sure am going to notice those free ads… being driven down the road by customers like me. And sure, I’ll check U-Haul first. But I assume most consumers go no further, or they couldn’t charge this kind of premium.

As a mover, I’m glad I took the extra time to find the low priced spread. But as a marketer, I’m pleased to recognize advertising that seems to be working so well.

What we can learn from janitors.

Have you ever watched a janitor replacing fluorescent light bulbs? They change all of them, whether or not they are burned out. The opportunity cost of climbing up on that ladder is high enough that it outweighs the time remaining in the still-working bulbs (which is probably short since they were replaced en masse last time).

I need new rawhide laces on my Googie lamp shade.

I thought about this when I rediscovered my Googie side lamps from the 50s which had been stuck in the attic during a remodel. Soon after I acquired these, the rawhide laces in the shades were starting to fray so I went to Mendel’s in the Haight and got replacement laces. Foolishly, I replaced only the laces that had broken. Now the rest of the laces are shot and I have no idea where the rawhide went, so I’ll have to buy more and this time I’ll be smart enough to replace everything.

A parallel lesson comes from Keith Campbell, who was my client and president of the Federated Group of home entertainment stores back in the day. Keith never went to college but he knew that when he found something wrong in a store–say, a sloppy warehouse of A/V equipment that makes it difficult to find what a customer wants–it is typical of a larger problem. A manager wouldn’t be careless about that and careful about everything else. The whole system needs to be taken apart and examined.

Think about things as a system, not a series of one-off events. You may discover some problems… or, opportunities… in your own marketing.

Words that hurt: the “we we” chronicles.

A well-intentioned nonprofit falls into the we-we trap. — A well-intentioned nonprofit falls into a puddle of we-we.

In an earlier post we talked about the problem of “we weing all over yourself”, letting a plural corporate voice take over your advertising to the exclusion of reader empathy and common sense. The billboard at left is a great example.

Here we have a public service campaign which has been running for awhile in California. The original headline for this was “My kitchen, my rules.” (Quite often rendered in other languages.) That is good and makes sense: a feisty mom stands her ground and insists on healthy choices in food for her family.

But now we have “our neighborhood, our rules.” Same picture but now she’s the spokesperson for an amorphous entity which might be vigilantes or a street gang. (The billboard was photographed near one of San Francisco’s more troubled housing projects.) A single mom is endearing, a mob is scary. Except that it’s not credible. I don’t buy for an instant the notion of these angry homemakers insisting that I will bow under their demands for healthy habits, or else.

The change in tense to the first person plural is, unaided, what causes the damage. It’s not the typical corporate chest pounding but more likely an aging campaign that got relegated to the creative farm team. But the effect is the same. Don’t we we on your own marketing like this.