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In evaluation of Main Street, Robert Gibbs observes the following criteria:
- Color and placement of trash recepticles, vending machines, benches and tables
- Overall polish and upkeep of area
- Efficient utilization of preexisting retail space
- Disuse of obstacles such as planter boxes, shade trees
- Materials used in pavement
No, the well established, distinctive retailers of Main Street should never be absorbed into a mall. There is grandeur in the stand-alone department stores and boutiques that line elegant thoroughfares; for them to be lost in structures synonymous with suburbia would be quite distasteful. In a larger sense, Main Street business centers provide their associated cities with differentiation and character that the mall (with the exception of certain architectural gems) utterly lacks. Moreover, Main Street locales often serve as tourist attractions, luring people from near and far and are economy drivers.
In my personal evaluation of main street, the following are of importance:
- Width of sidewalks
- Type of thoroughfare
- Tenant quality
- Architecture
- Materials used in retailer's facade
Overview
Z Gallerie, a lifestyle retailer carrying an array of furnishings and accessories for the home, is subject of analysis. As a vendor of stylish middle low-to-mid priced pieces, the company's target demographic includes entry-level young urban professionals who desire relatively chic, affordable homegoods.
Façade
While most locations are stand-alone, external facilities, the particular location at Somerset Collection is internal. The storefront is structured with a black walnut coloured material inset with large glass panels behind which various furniture and accessory arrangements are displayed. Entrance doors consist of floating glass panels with a transom located just above. The company makes use of a linear, thin font in display of its name; with the exception of the "Z", which is bronzen and bold, the remainder is very thin and unpronounced almost as if they wish the "Z" to burn in the mind.
Sounds
In keeping with a decidedly cosmopolitan image, the company plays an eclectic mix of ethereal, down-tempo music. Besides music, the store is filled with the usual sounds of perusing shoppers and mechanical equipments.
Display
Large pieces are displayed to model how they'd perhaps appear in a home setting, complete with textiles, ceramics, and other miscellaneous items. Accessory items are grouped less systematically. They seem often to be arranged at random, providing a mix of colors, finishes, and textures. All items are accessible to the tactile grasp of the buyer providing for a casual atmosphere.
Floors
The location chose a light, metallic tinged, seemingly hand-hewn wood for floor surfaces. This presents a sense of rustic that juxtaposes well against the generally cleaned lined merchandise.
Signage
Signage is understated, and used only when necessary. Tags located on furniture pieces convey all relevant information.
Cashier Area
The cashier area is centrally located and consists of two parallel counters, each topped with a substantive material, likely concrete. This arrangement provides for ease of access for checkout by both shoppers approaching from the rear of the store and those approaching from the front.
Brand Perception
As a chain that caters mainly to young urban professional desiring a bit of glamor on a budget, Z Gallerie seeks to typify what is perceived by most as trendy in modern home furnishings and accessories. This is evident in its line of merchandise, often imported recreations of much pricier design, and choice of building finishes and materials always intent upon impression of an image of quality, that is, after all, lacking. The store caters to the shopper that seeks a better experience than provided at Pier One, but is just out of the range of Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and Pottery Barn, and wish to emulate the image of premier companies such as Baker and McGuire.
Customer Interaction
Customers shuffled through the store generally moving from the front to back and then about the stores edges. This is likely because large merchandise is centrally located while textiles and other miscellaneous items are peripherally placed.
I found the high concentration of merchandise interesting; this seems to be a purposeful element of design. Shoppers enter the store and are enticed by the sheer quantity of vases, ceramics, pillows, etc. all within reach.
"The Science of Shopping," authored by Michael Gladwell, discuses how, at a psychological level, people interact with retail stores. Much of the analysis of this human-store interaction is performed by Paco Underwood, a pioneer in retail anthropology. Over the years, Underwood has uncovered a repertoire of human idiosyncrasies as relevant to retail shopping. For instance, upon entering some retail location, most shoppers immediately turn right; this tendency, termed the Invariant Right, is just one retailers must compensate for in display of merchandise. Further, the contemporary American shopper is much different from those of the past; therefore, retailers must redefine retailing. Gone are the overly paternalistic relationships between clerk and consumer that existed half a century ago. Modern consumers now wish to play an active role in purchase decisions.
I am influenced by a store's design insomuch that I find it difficult to bring myself to venture into a store, in particular, a clothing store, that lacks aesthetics I find appealing. Wherever I go, I prefer being surrounded by the quality of finishes and fixtures to which I can relate.
In analysis of retail stores, the following are of importance:- Location and organization of merchandise
- Ratio of purchasers to browsers
- Average time spent in the store and at what zone penetration
- Average number of items examined by each category of shopper
Packaging is paramount in product marketing insomuch as a consumer's first impression of a product often lies in its packaging. Thus, manufacturers must convey what they feel is most notable about a particular product on the facade of its packaging. A year ago, I was at the store with my mom as she searched for a new home phone system. Of all the dozens of phones on display, one particularly angular, high-end system by V-Tech was packaged as if it were a jewel. We picked that one.
The packaging of luxury goods are often iconic such as the eye-catching, bright yellow box of Fendi; the orange and chocolate, equestrian marked box of Hermes; or the warm bronzen box of Gucci.
Usability issues that exist for packaging center on if the packaging facilitates intended use of the product. For instance, a poor water bottle design would consist of a bottle whose orifice was some strange shape. This would not promote use of the product as a strange shape does not conform to the contours of a mouth. A good packaging design, such as that of Playstation 3, contains the device snugly, but provides for easy, uncumbersome removal and re-storage as needed. No pesky, needless, asinine compartments here!
Much of "Know it All," authored by Stacy Schiff, places emphasis on possible negative aspects of Wikipedia including inaccuracy and non-concision of data. This observation is exemplified in the following passage:
"The entries can read as though they had been written by a seventh grader: clarity and concision are lacking; the facts may be sturdy, but the connective tissue is either anemic or absent; and citation is hit or miss...The over-all effect is jittery, the textual equivalent of a film shot with a handheld camera."
Moreover, the author cleverly places snide, often pompous comments made by proponents of Encyclopedia Britannica in objection of Wikipedia, yet provides no commentary made by Wikipedia in objection of Britannica; in this way the author may be thought to be effective in superficial persuasion, if a bit deceptive.
Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica differ fundamentally not only in philosophy but also in design. In examination of the obvious differences in choice of media, behavioral differences are easily discerned. Wikipedia, being a singular online encyclopedia, provides a streamlined, intuitive interface. A user simply inputs whichever data to be searched and is instantly brought to such information automatically. Britannica, however, does not allow for streamlined input, nor rapid retrieval of data. Oftentimes, a user must cumbersomely search through the volume(s) to locate desired data.
Either simplicity or complexity of design, if executed properly, produce success regardless of which category of design they are integrated. Naturally, some designs of the visceral type are, by construct, simple (children's legos) while others are more complex (iPod Nano). This is not to say one design is better than the other; rather presence or absence of simplicity/complexity, among other qualities, affords differences in application and target demographic. Likewise, behavioral and reflective designs can observe either quality and be successful. The common broom, for instance, is generally categorized as a behavioral design--functionality is paramount. The broom is also simplistic. A fax machine, also a behavioral design, is complex by construct. Despite these differences both devices are designed well for their intended use regardless of simplicity or complexity.
Consumers are often wooed by added feature set. This observation is, in part, evidenced by the following:"...There were two options, the regular TI-83 plus, and the TI-83 plus silver edition. The silver edition had more options and functions, and even though all I needed were the basic functions on the regular model, I still remember wanting the more expensive silver edition."
-Hannah
"I remember buying my phone because the features that it had looked very cool; it's feature included having two sides (One the actual the phone and the other the media part)...All the other phones seemed boring compared to the one I purchased."
-Ted
Upon reflecting on several technological purchases made over the years, I can say without trepidation that the determining factors in many of these purchases centered on whichever device was most complex and feature-rich. This, of course, proved true in my purchase of a PDA to replace an aging one. I simply browsed Sprint's website, scrolled to the very end and narrowed my selection based on feature set alone. This left me with two possible devices: a streamlined, simply designed, yet relatively feature-rich PDA by the name of the "Touch," and a much heftier, somewhat elegantly designed, supremely feature-stuffed "Mogul." I, being the feature-snob that I am picked the Mogul because in addition to all the features of the Touch, it included WiFi capability.
Complexity is justifiable in all designs as long as functions are assigned controls to a distinct ends, and are useful to the overall design. Simplicity is of importance in the design of things for the mundane tasks of everyday living. A broom should function to sweep and nothing more; a toothbrush should only be exactly that.
"The concepts of making things visible, simple, and easily mentally mapped will all always be vital aspects to design...These are all basic principles that will always be necessary to consider when designing a product. The mind will never stop trying to mentally map a device. It will also not stop trying to assume how a product works based on the parts visible. It is a natural process that occurs in the human mind, and as long as it continues to occur, designers will need to consider it when they design their products."
-Jeff
I find this quote to speak truthfully of the mechanics of the mind and how designers must compensate for or design in accordance with these natural tendencies to produce successful, intuitive design.
