John Porcaro: mktg@msft: Listening to Kids
Listening to Kids
Blake Burris points to a great post in Newsweek called Listening to the Kids.
"ABOUT THREE YEARS ago (Microsoft) began employing anthropologists, as well as teams of young engineers and recent college graduates, to observe teens around the world in their natural habitats, from Seattle shopping malls to London schools to Seoul street corners. The goal: to see how they used technology in their daily lives, and then to turn that information into new products not just for kids but for the rest of us, too. What they found has not only influenced the development of existing products, it has also led to the creation of new software: the forthcoming threedegrees, which facilitates everything from online practical jokes to virtual sales meetings. Kids drive technology today, says Microsoft anthropologist Anne Cohen Kiel. By meeting their needs, we meet everyone's needs.
This article neatly fits into the conversation that was being had around Creativity. Thinking like kids gives you the opportunity to free your thinking and be more creative. It also fits in with the earlier post around field based research. Can anyone feel a theme developing?
Anyone know what threedegrees is? I guess John will - I'll ask him.
Posted by Paul Goodison at August 18, 2003 09:58 PM | TrackBack