Comments on: The Price of Convenience http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/ Adaptive Path Blog Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:41:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: 周二茶闻:…Myspace改版,先睹为快 : 油茶会 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-179252 周二茶闻:…Myspace改版,先睹为快 : 油茶会 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:37:29 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-179252 [...] The price of convenience 这个世界没有天上掉下来的馅饼. 你想要得到的东西, 就要拿另一样来交换. 这些可以是实质性的,如商品,或是空虚的,就象convenience, ease to use, 都必须要有一定的代价来交换. [...] [...] The price of convenience 这个世界没有天上掉下来的馅饼. 你想要得到的东西, 就要拿另一样来交换. 这些可以是实质性的,如商品,或是空虚的,就象convenience, ease to use, 都必须要有一定的代价来交换. [...]

]]> By: David S. http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178797 David S. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:26:21 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178797 No doubt technology can act as an insulator. TV and A/C have obviously killed the local cafe -- of course people used to leave their hot little flats and head down to the pub for a pint, but leave American Gladiator on the 50 inch plasma in 68 degree comfort, no way! Cars, Walkmans, cell phones, iTunes ( I SO miss our local CD store that closed up ), GPS units, easy pay systems... all part of the same trend. But none of those mean you CAN'T strike up a conversation waiting for the subway, ask someone what they think of their car while filling up, comment on the CD selection at Starbucks while waiting for your misto, etc... Sure, in North America we often shy away from that, but why? Not because we can pay for gas with the swipe of a card. No doubt technology can act as an insulator. TV and A/C have obviously killed the local cafe — of course people used to leave their hot little flats and head down to the pub for a pint, but leave American Gladiator on the 50 inch plasma in 68 degree comfort, no way!

Cars, Walkmans, cell phones, iTunes ( I SO miss our local CD store that closed up ), GPS units, easy pay systems… all part of the same trend.

But none of those mean you CAN’T strike up a conversation waiting for the subway, ask someone what they think of their car while filling up, comment on the CD selection at Starbucks while waiting for your misto, etc… Sure, in North America we often shy away from that, but why? Not because we can pay for gas with the swipe of a card.

]]> By: Mario http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178786 Mario Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:51:03 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178786 Rachel, I've just found another article that might enhance this discussion a little bit further by expanding the point of concern you stated here: convenience is not only hampering those unique opportunities of human interaction one might find in even the smallest of tasks, but also is diminishing the opportunities in which companies can interact with their costumer. And I am not thinking utility here, I am thinking how those touch points between a costumer and a company help tweak and improve the benefits experienced by a costumer in the use of a certain product or service. Hugs from Buenos Aires, Mario Santoyo Does your technology engage? (Source Gallup) http://tinyurl.com/5697be Rachel,

I’ve just found another article that might enhance this discussion a little bit further by expanding the point of concern you stated here: convenience is not only hampering those unique opportunities of human interaction one might find in even the smallest of tasks, but also is diminishing the opportunities in which companies can interact with their costumer.

And I am not thinking utility here, I am thinking how those touch points between a costumer and a company help tweak and improve the benefits experienced by a costumer in the use of a certain product or service.

Hugs from Buenos Aires,

Mario Santoyo

Does your technology engage? (Source Gallup) http://tinyurl.com/5697be

]]> By: Daniel Szuc http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178783 Daniel Szuc Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:04:32 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178783 Sometimes its just a matter of moving people - the Octopus card does a wonderful job of getting people moving in a busy city - any lesser alternative would probably result in a quiet revolution in Hong Kong :) This is of course a city where moving fast is almost a part of every day life at both macro and micro levels. rgds, Dan Sometimes its just a matter of moving people - the Octopus card does a wonderful job of getting people moving in a busy city - any lesser alternative would probably result in a quiet revolution in Hong Kong :)

This is of course a city where moving fast is almost a part of every day life at both macro and micro levels.

rgds,
Dan

]]> By: Mark Resch http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178781 Mark Resch Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:38:34 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178781 Rich relationships, and expanding the opportunities for rich relationships is what it's all about. And spontaneous interaction does add texture and a feeling of connectedness. Technology is putting pressure on relationships of all kinds. In some ways, new tech helps support primary relationships in ways that match us anthropologically--it's easy to once again to be in better, more constant contact with our tribes (except now we don't have to live within earshot of everyone we know, just within reach of the net). Tertiary relationships--those interactions with other humans that substitute the awesome power of a human cognitive system to accomplish a simple transaction--are under attack. There's no need for a human to collect dollar bills at a toll crossing when cars can be marked with an active RFID and drive past to be billed automatically. Nobody needs to stand and pump my gas or collect my money in advance, or swipe my card. I can do all that myself quicker. Technology is freeing people from the monotony of simple transactions. If at the cost of a few spontaneous transactions, I say welcome! Where the action is in the secondary relationships...like commenting on your blog. This kind of relationship, where there can be a give and take between us both is the place where the spontaneity and delight and texture come from. Naturally technology will continue to pressure the relationships that are more transactional in nature to make them fully automated, and those that are not will be our opportunities to form new primary relationships. Rich relationships, and expanding the opportunities for rich relationships is what it’s all about. And spontaneous interaction does add texture and a feeling of connectedness. Technology is putting pressure on relationships of all kinds. In some ways, new tech helps support primary relationships in ways that match us anthropologically–it’s easy to once again to be in better, more constant contact with our tribes (except now we don’t have to live within earshot of everyone we know, just within reach of the net).

Tertiary relationships–those interactions with other humans that substitute the awesome power of a human cognitive system to accomplish a simple transaction–are under attack. There’s no need for a human to collect dollar bills at a toll crossing when cars can be marked with an active RFID and drive past to be billed automatically. Nobody needs to stand and pump my gas or collect my money in advance, or swipe my card. I can do all that myself quicker. Technology is freeing people from the monotony of simple transactions. If at the cost of a few spontaneous transactions, I say welcome!

Where the action is in the secondary relationships…like commenting on your blog. This kind of relationship, where there can be a give and take between us both is the place where the spontaneity and delight and texture come from. Naturally technology will continue to pressure the relationships that are more transactional in nature to make them fully automated, and those that are not will be our opportunities to form new primary relationships.

]]> By: Alexander Baxevanis http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178779 Alexander Baxevanis Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:11:38 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178779 Don't worry, all the social interaction will still be happening when all of our advanced (and very complicated) technological contraptions will start to break down. Moaning about broken technology will become the #1 Social Lubricant ;-) Don’t worry, all the social interaction will still be happening when all of our advanced (and very complicated) technological contraptions will start to break down.

Moaning about broken technology will become the #1 Social Lubricant ;-)

]]> By: JK http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178765 JK Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:29:15 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178765 At times the more efficient ways to handle routines actually translate not only to doing more, but being able to do more that you like to do. To talking with friends, reading, gaming, etc. At times the more efficient ways to handle routines actually translate not only to doing more, but being able to do more that you like to do. To talking with friends, reading, gaming, etc.

]]> By: Kyle http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178764 Kyle Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:31:24 +0000 http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2008/06/11/the-price-of-convenience/#comment-178764 Your post goes is a nice complement to <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google/" rel="nofollow">this article</a> in The Atlantic. To your point, if I think about the number of positive interactions I've had with people in retail situations vs the negative, negative wins by a wide margin -- anything that can lessen those negative situations is a welcome change in my book. I don't think technological shift towards speed and efficiency necessarily means that the texture of your daily life goes away, it just changes. Those tacit interactions may come from new and exciting places. Maybe greasing the skids includes those same mobile phones that saved us hours in the DMV giving us the time to develop a sense of discovery and encourage serendipitous interactions between people with truly shared interests who may have never crossed paths without these tools. We're living in exciting times. Your post goes is a nice complement to this article in The Atlantic.

To your point, if I think about the number of positive interactions I’ve had with people in retail situations vs the negative, negative wins by a wide margin — anything that can lessen those negative situations is a welcome change in my book.

I don’t think technological shift towards speed and efficiency necessarily means that the texture of your daily life goes away, it just changes. Those tacit interactions may come from new and exciting places.

Maybe greasing the skids includes those same mobile phones that saved us hours in the DMV giving us the time to develop a sense of discovery and encourage serendipitous interactions between people with truly shared interests who may have never crossed paths without these tools.

We’re living in exciting times.

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