Comments

TOM.... I just love being in Las Vegas - especially at night - but 107 degrees (on the old scale) must be hot as hell there! Notwithstanding the heat there and the prevailing economic conditions wherever they come from - your crowd there must have simply loved this presentation from you... And yet I reckon you only needed, no only SHOULD have shown, one slide to that mob! Yeah you should have just shown them the absolutely brilliant one!!! It says it all really... If you can do what it urges you to then all the rest is taken care of... To do this one thing you have to love black swans (by the way they are everywhere in my country - not really rare at all), be resilient, be people friendly, be consumer obsessed, be a little bit crazy and out there, etc... Yeah its a truly beautiful thing YOUR slide and it really does say it all .... "YOU KNOW A DESIGN IS GOOD WHEN YOU WANT TO LICK IT." Steve Jobs..... Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 21, 2008 5:24 PM

Slide 31: "Message: Men can't design for women's needs period."

Is the same true for women? I wonder if this statement is the same as saying the majority cannot understand the needs of the minority period, as the minority through pure survival has to know and understand the needs of the majority in order to exist. But the reverse may not be so. How could a mutual understanding translate into better management and greater sales? Empathy plays a role here.

I also wonder if it is a simple mind-set adjustment (perhaps not so simple but very possible!) that over time will be interchangeable i.e, women and men would be able to design for each other with ease. (What would the benefits be?) Because women have always had to consider men, does this make the design of men's needs for women second nature?

Until men consider women in ways that women have long considered men, they may never be able to design for women. (Is this even necessary? What are the benefits?) But I more than believe that this is possible. It's a matter of consideration. This we all sincerely yearn for, even if it is not apparent in our daily actions.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 22, 2008 5:06 AM

Tom,

I enjoyed your speech. Regarding the 0-800 rule just before ICSC my family visited Disneyland and we saw a young woman wearing a shirt that said “Well behaved women rarely make history"

Having a intelligent 10 year old daughter who can sometimes be a handful your speech gave me hope that someday she will be ruler of the universe.

Posted by Chris Dickey at May 22, 2008 11:00 AM

The best to your daughter, Chris. The world is changing before our very eyes. Just consider today the once thought impossible is becoming possible. Yes, She Can!

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 22, 2008 9:46 PM