Before I go off on my rant, I want to acknowledge that I haven’t focused on the design aspects of my life recently, and I think it’s about time I do that, whether it’s the work I do at my daytime gig, or using design as part of my art. I’m not completely sure what and how much I will share, but it is a big part of who I am, so it’s about time I shared.
Now, what was I saying…
Obviously, I feel design is an important part of life. Without quality design, many things would just not function. That’s as true with biology as it is with business. Crap design can kill a project quicker than you can say Tropicana. Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of design failures in my life and I probably will have thousands more, so I’m not immune or oblivious to it, but I also know when I had successes, and when some of those good designs were attached to a project doomed for failure from the start.
So I’m eating a pretty good bit of honey chicken and rice at a local Chinese food chain and I realize I’m the only one in the place at the peak of lunch hour. It’s really strange because the strip mall is crankin’ busy with business folks and students from the local university. In any one of the other eating establishments around this spot, it’s hard to get a seat between 12 and 1pm.
The food here is good. In fact, it’s better than good; it’s fresh and you can taste it from the very first bite. The place is ultra clean (hard to get dirty when you don’t have customers) and the layout is easy to navigate and comfortable. On top of that, the interior design is modern and attractive. This particular store looks different than other stores, which I can assume means they are going through a redesign of their establishments, and this new design is far better and will stand the test of time longer… if they can stay in business. So why is this place dead?
The only difference I can see between this place and the establishments on either side and across the street is the fact that this joint doesn’t have wireless internet access. I know the adjacent eateries do because I keep getting asked to join their networks. In fact, I’m sitting outside “borrowing” access from one of the other places while I write this. When I asked the owner of the Chinese food restaurant if they had wireless, she kurtly responded, “No”, as if it was the 10th time she’d been asked today, and I got the feeling if I asked if they plan on getting it, she was shout at me, “NEVER!!!”
Could wireless access really be the killer? I can’t say for sure, but as I sit here, the two adjacent stores are bustling, brimming with customers working feverishly from their laptops or netbooks. What I do know is that no matter how good your food is, or how cool your place looks, there is no guarantee you’ll bring in the customers. Great design might not save you, but great customer service can, and if that means offering up the free wireless internet to keep up with Joneses, then maybe it’s time to get past your reservations and pony up.