A crash course in creativity
Transcript of A crash course in creativity
A Crash Course in Creativity
Stanford.edu
Assignment 2 – Observation Lab
Richard Powers
Oxford, Mississippi
StoresOxford, MS. Square University
Sporting
Goods
Square
Books
Jr.
Neilson’s
Department
Store
Off Square
Books
Stash Square Books
Before you enter the store:Does the store draw you in? If
so, how?
Neat old
building
Yes
inviting
Yes
inviting
Yes
colorful
Yes
interesting
Yes
friendly
Is the door open or closed? closed open closed closed open open
How does this make you feel? NA NA NA NA NA NA
How big is the sign lettering
and in what font?
Large Large Large Medium Medium Medium
What does it tell you about
the store?
Old Old Old
Est. 1839
Old Unique Interesting
Environment:
What is the color scheme of
the store? How does this
affect you?
Red & Blue
Ole Miss
neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral
How high is the
ceiling? How does
this feel?
20 ft
Open
20ft
Open
30ft
Open
30ft
Open
30ft
Open
60ft
Open
How brightly lit is
the store? How
does this affect
you?
Light - open Light
inviting
Light
Very inviting
Light
comfortable
Dark
comfortable
Medium
Inviting
How loud is the
environment?
quiet quiet quiet quiet quiet quiet
What is causing the
noise?
stereo none none none none none
Is there music
playing? If so, does
it fit the
environment?
Music
Top 40 yes
Yes
Childrens
yes
No No Yes, large
Screen TV,
yes
No
Is the store warm
or cold?
neither neither neither neither neither neither
Is the store crowed
with merchandise
or is it sparse?
crowded crowded crowded crowded crowded crowded
Does the store have
a distinctive smell?
Yes, clothes Yes
Books
Yes
expensive
Yes
Books
Yes
expensive
Yes
Books
Where is the cash
register located?
By entrance Close to entrance Several around
store
Center Right of
store
Center rear Center Left of
store
How visible is the
store security?
Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen Not seen
How long do you
want to stay in this
store?
20 min 20 mins 30 mins 30 mins 20 mins hours
Does the
environment
influence the
perceived value of
the merchandise?
yes yes yes yes yes yes
Personnel:
How long does it take before a
sales person initiates contact?
seconds seconds seconds One minute seconds None did –
Casual
atmosphere
Does the salesperson have a
script to follow with each
customer?
No No No No No No
Does the salesperson treat
different customers
differently?
No No No No No No
What is the ratio of
salespeople to customers?
1 to 2 1 to 1 3 to 1 1 to 1 1 to 1 1 to 5
What age and gender are the
employees?
30 F 40 F 40’s M & F 50’s M & F 60’s M & F 40’s M & F
Are the salespeople using the
store products?
Yes NA Yes NA NA NA
Do the salespeople have a
uniform?
No No No No No No
Do the salespeople match the
stores image?
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Products:
What is the first
product that you
notice?
Ole Miss
shirt
Books &
Posters
Clothes Books Furniture Books
Is there a central
display table with
featured products?
yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Where are items
that are “for sale”
located in the store?
yes yes Yes Yes No Yes
How are the
products arranged?
By function? By
price? By color?
Function By children’s
ages
Function
Depts.
By type of book Not arranged
Eye appeal
By type of book
Are there free
samples or
demonstrations?
no no no no no no
What products are at
eye level?
apparel books clothes books Décor Items &
Furniture
books
What items in the
store are in the least
accessible locations?
shoes toys Glassware
Homeware
items
Some books Goods on
walls
Some books
Where are the most
and least expensive
products located?
Front -Back of
store
Least in
Back of store
NA – everything
expensive
Equally spread
through store
NA – everything
expensive
Equally spread
through store
Are the prices of the
products easy to
find?
yes no yes yes yes yes
Are there impulse
items near the cash
register?
yes yes yes yes no yes
Customers:
Are most customers alone or
with someone else? What is
the relationship?
alone alone alone alone alone alone
What is the average age and
gender of the customers?
40’s
M & F
60’s
M & F
40’s
M & F
40’s
M & F
60’s
F
40’s
M & F
When a customer enters the
store, do they tend to walk in
the same path or direction? -
yes yes yes yes yes yes
How long do customers stay in
the store, on average?
20 mins 20 to 30 mins 30 mins 30 mins 15 mins 1 hour
Do customers touch the
products? Is this encouraged?
Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes Yes, yes
Do most customers appear to
be on a mission or are they
browsing?
browsing browsing browsing browsing browsing browsing
What percent of customers
purchase products in the
store?
50% 80% 60% 50% 20% 50%
Other Observations:My observations were done at six stores located around the town square in
Oxford, Mississippi ( pop. 20,000 ) in North Central Mississippi. It is the home
of Ole Miss and I feel that and the history of the authors here (William Faulkner,
John Grisham, and others) have definitely affected the type and quality of the
book stores I visited. Also, most of the buildings are dated back to the 1860’s
after the Civil War, as I was informed by a local: “the Yankees burned the town
to the ground in 1864”.
Security – If there, it wasn’t noticeable in any of the stores.
Note: I did my observance at store opening time on a mid-week day, so I feel
that effected my responses. Again, this is small town America!
Insights and New Opportunities:Location, location, location as realtors say. The property around the Oxford
Square is high dollar property with extremely high dollar rents, therefore goods
and services are expensive. I think the most educational creative thing I
learned was from how the book stores competed with the chain stores and the
Internet. Each provided something unique, Square Books – book signings and
parties for authors, Off Square Books – Thacker Mountain PBS Radio Show, with local
music, authors and commentary, and Square Books Jr. – reading clubs for children through
teens, with readings by authors. In conclusion, it was an interesting exercise.