Good bye Studio of Things

So today is the final day of my placement here at the studio, and it is very sad indeed.

These last six weeks have really given me a good insight into the real working world, away from university. The Studio has been the perfect place for me to learn about the steps needed for a small start-up business, and the team here have also taught me, through their experiences, the attitude I’d need to have when working for a large agency.To summarise the last six weeks, I have written the 10 best things I’ve learned whilst on placement here:

1. Knowing your audience; to design a product that meets the needs of the right audience, it is important to know who you are trying to reach. Simple exercises such as creating a survey and making sure the tone is correct for the audience, really helped me to understand that in business you can never assume your target market, and the personas you are aiming your products at.
2. Planning is vital; to run an efficient project from start to finish, there needs to be a lot or organising. Tools such as ‘Kanban’ boards, which I’d learned from an educational point of view, are in fact a massive aid in the physical work place. Every week Si leads the team through planning what they need to achieve by the end of the week, planning out each day and setting goals in accordance to project deadlines.
3. Bradford City is the best team in Europe due to maths. Maths proved that:
   Bayern Munich > Barcelona
   Chelsea > Bayern Munich
   Bradford City > Chelsea
   Therefore – Bradford City > Chelsea > Bayern Munich > Barcelona
   Or something…
4. Professional doesn’t necessarily mean formal. Often, the best way to build relationships with clients is to be relaxed, professional, but friendly and not overly manicured. This is something the team do really well here, and you can see from their relaxed and calm approach with clients the relationship is in fact more trusting and therefore more efficient.
5. Communication is key; both amongst the team and between client and company.
   In order to build trust with a client it is important to keep them in the loop, and make sure that the product you are delivering serves the purpose the client wants.
6. There is so much going on outside of the work place, which can further your network and knowledge in Leeds, and it’d be madness not to attend.
7. When writing a brief, communication and tone is massively important. Instead of writing a brief how we think it in our heads; we must write the brief in a tone that the intended person/s will understand. A brief that is in the wrong tone can lead to miss understanding, lack of communication and an all-round disaster, especially in a large company.
8. To run a small business, you have to be able to understand and turn your hand to all aspects of a large company; such as the legalities, financial, psychological, team management, secretarial, human resources and everything else. Therefore it’s worth having a brief understanding of all these elements that it takes to run a business.
9. Data is gold dust; as I experienced during my stay here data can change the entire focus of the project to suit customer needs. As I experienced with the results of the survey, several small changes to a website can change the tone and therefore appeal to a wider audience. This can help convert sales and make for a better user experience.
10. Most importantly, I have learned how important it is to get experience of a real work environment, and although you learn skills through university, nothing can set you up for the working environment more than experiencing it. Volunteering and gaining experience whilst at university gives you the opportunity to transfer the skills you’re learning into a real practical situation.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank the team at Studio of Things for making me feel so welcome, helping me understand the work environment and taking the time to teach me these things which will without a doubt set me up for the future work place. Cheers guys

Fifth Week of placement with Studio of Things

So, last week I experienced my first sick day(s) and was off work until Thursday, so this week I’ll just summarise the last two weeks here at the studio.

Recently I have been collating the data from the survey sent out last night, and working out how the target market interacts when shopping for a wedding dress. After this, I compared the data  to the design ideas we are looking at in the studio, and evaluated which method of execution will be most effective.

The team helped me to understand the importance of doing market research before presuming who the target market are, and the survey proved that if I had jumped into the project without any research, I wouldn’t have had the understanding I now have. Being a man, I’d never really planned to go and buy myself a wedding dress, so the speculations I made about the journey women take was clearly never going to be 100% right.Therefore it was a really useful exercise to go through the results and be able to draw conclusions about the approach the studio should take when doing the project.

The results helped to make some key decisions for us, such as; how social media compatible should the website be, what information do customers want to know when they first visit the page, who will be visiting the page, and what is their purpose?

From the information that a simple survey produced, the website can now be adapted to maximize customer usability, and include features the target market use in their everyday lives; all because we have a better understanding of the market.

I am looking forward going into my final week with the Studio next week and seeing this project progress from planning to production.

Third week of placement with Studio of Things

So, what have I learned this week I hear you ask? 

Well, it’s been a busy week here and I’ve learned a lot. To start with, I attended Si’s “How to shrink your briefs” session on Tuesday, and learned the most effective way to communicate between client, and members of staff.

He explained that the language we use in our briefs should be targeted at the receiving audience. For example, if you know the person you’re targeting isn’t computer literate, you should use simple terms so that you know the brief will be understood.

Another way of controlling a brief is the idea that briefs can be manipulated to be ‘boxed’ or ‘platform’ briefs. Boxed briefs means that there are specific steps that have to be taken, and is this isn’t followed then the brief isn’t met. However, you can also write ‘platform’ briefs, which means the brief has a final objective which has to be met, however the method to reach it is open for negotiation.

There are 6 steps to consider when writing a brief.

1) What’s the problem that needs addressing?
2) Who are we looking to talk with?
3) How will they respond?
4) What will they embrace and what will upset them?
5)How will we deliver it and through what means of communication?
6)Dress it up, (market research, brand guidelines, SEO, straplines). 

But wait, my learning did not stop there!!

I then spent the remainder of the week creating a market research survey, to address which approach to take towards a clients web design. The team taught me that tone is everything when it comes to surveys, and there is a science to creating a survey that will produce good, reliable results.

Therefore after some research into creating an effective survey, I set one up using Google Forms, and checked it back with the team. They reminded me that in order to get information from someone, you have to judge your audience and phrase your questions carefully.

I am looking forward to learning a lot more from the team next week and transferring the skills I am learning here, back in my course.

Wedding Dress Market Research

Calling all women, here at Studio of Things this week I’ve been doing some research into the journey women take when buying a wedding dress.

From this research we are looking to see what the demographic is for certain products, and what the preconceived view wedding planning is.

If you could, take 1 minute out of your busy schedule to fill out the form, and be in with a chance to win a £10 Amazon voucher. 

View the form here!

“Always questioning, always improving”

Last night I attended Simon Wilson’s “How to shrink your briefs’ session, where Simon shared his experiences he has had with poor briefs in the past and enlightened a small group of us the most effective way to produce a comprehensive business brief.

The thing I really took away from the night – despite learning the steps to writing a brief – was the idea that to improve yourself, your profession, or your understanding, you must ask questions.

This applied to me especially, being on a work placement, because in order for me to improve and be ready for the world of work when I leave University in June next year, I must ask questions.

Therefore in my last few weeks of my work placement here at Studio of Things I shall certainly be looking to improve myself, and therefore shall be asking questions.

Week Two with Studio of Things

My Second week with Studio of Things.

So far I have learnt a lot from the team here, and have had a great insight into the reality of business outside of the classroom.

I have been mainly observing, testing and reading about the projects that the team are currently in the midst of. On top of this I have been doing some independent learning, picking up on terms the team are using and looking to get a better understanding of the alien language they speak sometimes!

It is safe to say after a week with Studio of things I have a much greater perception of a real business environment, and the elements it needs to work efficiently. The planning process of a business is a lot more intricate than I had viewed it, and the forward planning to inform clients is a necessity. Client relations play a huge role in the success of a business, and I have seen over the past week just how much work goes into updating, briefing, feeding back and generally communicating with clients. I can see how client relations and planning are at the heart of a small business, and can understand why large corporate companies dedicate whole teams to these roles.

I am looking forward to the weeks to come, and the many more things I have to learn!

A work placement with Studio of Things

I’m currently studying in my second year at Leeds Trinity University, and was given the chance of a work placement by the team at ‘Studio of Things’. At University, I am studying ‘Digital and Social Media’, which involves incorporating communicative technology into business and advertising. A few weeks with the team at Studio of Things will really help me understand how to apply skills I have been learning over the last 18months, and they are the perfect business to be doing this with,

“A team with a mixture of deep experience, wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding how people interact with technology and how technology communicates with people”.

I hope to learn the skills needed to survive in this business environment, and learn transferable skills for when I return to university in March.

My background is in technology and design, I have always had a passion for aesthetics and problem solving, and it seems that a future in business and solutions, combined with a keen eye for aesthetic should be the way I exploit my interests. Hopefully after a few weeks in the real world of communicative business and solutions I still feel the same way. The team here have made me feel very welcome and I look forward to everything I have to learn from their expertise over the coming weeks.

What can the Local Authorities do to support the UK in leading the Sharing Economy?

Click to find out more about:

The Sharing Economy as a movement

How Businesses can take part in the Sharing Economy

How the Government should be supporting the Sharing Economy

 

What can the local authorities do to support the UK in leading the Sharing Economy?

On a more local scale to central government, it should be the duty of local authorities to optimise the participation and amount of resources openly available in their community.

What could your local government do for you?

Recently in a paper published by Debbie Wosskow, it was made clear that in order for the UK to allow itself to become a collaborative economy, we must “Unlock the Sharing Economy” (Wosskow, 2014).
To view the paper, click here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unlocking-the-sharing-economy-independent-review

So how should the local authorities respond in order to move forward?

 

Renting out government space

The local authorities should give the public access to facilities which aren’t being used, such as town halls, sports centres and meeting places.

“The government should simplify the registration process for Space for Growth to remove the requirement for security vetting in buildings where this is not necessary. The online booking system should also be improved – making it as easy as possible to book government space”, (Sharp, 2014).

Co-working spaces

The local authorities should be looking to work with companies such as “CentralWorking” and            “Hubble” , as well as 9 other sharing economy businesses in the UK currently connecting the public who need office space, with companies who have free office space.

Find them here: http://www.compareandshare.com/sharing-economy-directory/

 

Travel

In Wosskows paper, she talks about the government using car clubs such as “Co-wheels Car Club” and “City Car Club”, but as a subscription model similar to that of the “Barclays Bike Hire” model, perhaps in partnership with the Oyster card. This would be a fantastic addition to the Sharing Economy in the UK, if all local authorities implemented car club subscription models in commonly used areas, to reduce in the cost of people buying cars, and actually promote the use of car hire and ride sharing.

“Shared mobility service providers would be better served by finding ways to collaborate with local governments if they want to achieve long-term viability. Not only would this entail adhering to regulations in areas such as vehicle and driver safety requirements but also seeking to optimize the citizen and environmental goals to achieve active city support”, (Cohen & Boyd, 2014).

Linking to this, once it is accepted by central government, the local authorities in the UK should allow residential, and non-residential properties to rent their parking spaces to these car clubs and other members of the public, instead of paying the premium of inner city parking.

Leeds is a primary example of a city who would flourish benefit massively from the Sharing Economy. Being close to Leeds Bradford airport, residents could rent their unused parking spaces to members of the public who need to leave their vehicle for a lengthy amount of time whilst they are away. The local authorities could support Sharing Economy businesses such as “Just Park”, “Your Parking Space”, and “spareground” to name but a few businesses who offer parking services to the public. To see what the BBC have to say about the recent success of Just Park, click here.

Rewards

‘Time banking’, is another term referred to in Wosskows paper. Local authorities should be supporting those who give their time to their community. Time Banking, allows these people to use their hours given to the community as a form of currency, such as programmes like “Echo”. This token economy means for your hour banked for reading to the elderly for example, you can have your grass cut for an hour by someone who is also part of a ‘time banking’ scheme, and this should be supported.

 

References

• Wosskow, D. (2014). Unlocking the Sharing Economy.
• Cohen, Boyd; Kietzmann, Jan; Organization and Environment, September 2014, Vol. 7, No. 3.
• Sharp, D. (2014). New Report: Unlocking the UK Sharing Economy. [online] Shareable. Available at: http://www.shareable.net/blog/new-report-unlocking-the-uk-sharing-economy [Accessed 9 Dec. 2014].

 

The Roles Within a Marketing Team

Link Communications

We had a talk by Jessica Moss, from Link Communications, about the differing roles in marketing.
Having studied marketing, I have only really seen the implication of the higher roles within a marketing organisation; therefore it was insightful to see how hiring people to implement the strategies are effective. Jessica highlighted the speed at which a marketing agency works. She explained that from the time they are given the campaign; to the time they have to be running it in the public is around two weeks.

There are five main areas Link Communications use to market their goods.

They are:

Hard: This is where your grafters are, this includes door to door sales, street sales and general pushing techniques. You also have your graphic design team in this sector, working around the clock to make sure the aesthetics of the campaign are right.

Brand Experience: This is your live events teams, who spread brand awareness at live events or roadshows. Usually Link communications hire the most confident and energetic people in these roles to portray the brand in the most enthusiastic and professional way.

Field Marketing: These are events such as product demos, to give an example the 2013 Cadbury’s campaign where the public were invited to have a drink of Cadbury’s hot chocolate. This role also includes market research, and making sure the geographical location will have enough foot-fall to make the campaign a success.

Non Traditional: These methods are the bizarre, creative, and revolutionary campaigns in the world of marketing. These roles require staff that can think outside of the box, and can implement their visions in a way which will still increase brand awareness.

To give some examples:

• Clean Graffiti
• Projections
• Live music performances
• Promotional vehicles

Geographical expertise: This includes roles such as handing out samples in shopping centers and other retailers. Other locations included are usually train stations, office areas, universities and colleges, events, festivals, super markets and entrances to places of interest.

What can the government do to support the UK in leading the sharing economy?

Click to find out more about:

The Sharing Economy as a movement

How Businesses can take part in the Sharing Economy

How the local authorities should be supporting the Sharing Economy

 

What can the government do to support the UK in leading the sharing economy?

It is about time the Sharing Economy in the UK was taken seriously as the future of business, travel, dining, hospitality and many other elements of our everyday lives. However, how do we make the transition?

In this report by Debbie Wosskow, she highlights the requirements needed to “Unlock the Sharing Economy” (Wosskow 2014). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unlocking-the-sharing-economy-independent-review

To get a better understanding of ‘The Sharing Economy’, see Rachel Botsman’s “What’s mine is yours: how the collaborative consumption is changing the way we live”. http://www.rachelbotsman.com/book/

 

What could the government be doing to help ease the transition period?

One of the biggest concerns about using collaborative consumption is trust.

The government could make this easier by introducing ID verification methods which link to criminal record checks, so that members of the public would know if who was renting their drive/ front room/ bike. With this simple sharing of public criminal record data, the public would at least know who they were allowing access too.

The government has a lot of spare resources, which should be open to the community when they are not in use to save on resources in general. “Over 635,000 homes are empty in England – around 216,000 have been empty for more than six months”,(gov.uk, 2012).

Here are some examples of resources in government control which could be open to the public when free for a more collaborative nation:

• Vehicle fleets
• Facilities such as sports halls and town halls
• Empty public buildings (house shares)

Potentially the most imperative thing the government could offer to support the rise of the sharing economy is to instate an innovation Lab, in partnership with Nesta, (Nesta.org.uk, 2014) to help Sharing Economy services to learn, and share the best practise. According to Wosskow, they should also look at providing “targeted financing for sharing economy businesses”(Wosskow, 2014). They could then work with National Statistics to comprehend the most effective delivery method to the public.

The government should also look into using S.E hospitality services such as “Air B&B” and “Couch Surfing” to accommodate for public servants. Not only would this cut costs, but it would be supporting the S.E services, and the members of the public who are taking part.

Similarly, the government should look at using transport services such as “City Car Club”, to transport their public servants. Membership models such as this means that they would cut costs, because you only pay when you use, and also reduce the amount of cars issued and in turn reduce the carbon footprint.

For a list of other transport services in Britain which are part of the sharing economy, click here:

http://www.compareandshare.com/sharing-economy-directory/

If the government is seen to be taking part, they will act as a catalyst for the masses. According to PWC’s theory of collisions (PWC, 2014), and mega trends, this movement collides with the Eco movement which is being pushed in the UK currently, and kills two political goals with one stone. Once the increased usage of services such as “FreeWheelers” and “GoCarShare” is apparent, the government should be looking to support the sharing economy by creating H.O.V (high occupancy vehicle), lanes which would encourage communities to share lifts into work and reduce the amount of cars on the road and cost for the public.

References:

• uk, (2012). Empty homes – Increasing the number of available homes – Policies – GOV.UK. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-number-of-available-homes/supporting-pages/empty-homes [Accessed 5 Dec. 2014].
• org.uk, (2014). Home. [online] Available at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2014].
• PwC, (2014). Megatrends – the collisions. [online] Available at: http://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/megatrends/collisions/megatrends-the-collisions.jhtml [Accessed 5 Dec. 2014].
• Wosskow, D. (2014). Unlocking the Sharing Economy.