The Muse Factory

The quickest way to meet as many different people as possible...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:36:00 -0700

The quickest way to meet as many different people as possible from all over the world is to hang out in an airport. We conducted over 100+ interviews about gift giving, which became the foundation for the product we’re designing.

We just finished running our first hackathon last weekend: 7...

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:46:08 -0700

We just finished running our first hackathon last weekend: 7 hackers. 48 hours. 1 focus: build.

“When it comes to gifts, you always say ‘It’s the thought that...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:49:00 -0700

“When it comes to gifts, you always say ‘It’s the thought that counts’.”

– Stephen Colbert

Social Media Explained mashup of Douglasray’s Instagram...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:02:00 -0800

Social Media Explained

mashup of Douglasray’s Instagram photo

The Valentine’s Day Gift Dilemma

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:12:40 -0800

The Valentine’s Day Gift Dilemma

"The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him—it cannot fail"

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:31:15 -0800

“The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him—it cannot fail”

- Walt Whitman, ”A Song of the Rolling Earth,” line 87

Paul tells the Muse Factory about buying a 25th Anniversary ring...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Paul tells the Muse Factory about buying a 25th Anniversary ring for his wife. He wants it to be significant enough for her to feel proud about it, and to surprise her — to show “that her husband cared enough about her to do something that he would consider frivolous.”

We used a customer-behavior research technique called “ZMET” to uncover people’s thoughts and feelings about gift giving.

Is it true that giving a gift is good for your...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:06:06 -0800

Is it true that giving a gift is good for your health?

WSJ’s Christina Tsuei looks into their health benefits.

"Rational economists thus make a simple suggestion: Give cash or give nothing. But behavioral..."

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:32:00 -0800

“

Rational economists thus make a simple suggestion: Give cash or give nothing.

But behavioral economics, which draws on psychology as well as on economic theory, is much more appreciative of gift giving. Behavioral economics better understands why people (rightly, in my view) don’t want to give up the mystery, excitement and joy of gift giving. In this view, gifts aren’t irrational. It’s just that rational economists have failed to account for their genuine social utility.

”

- Dan Ariely » Is It Irrational To Give Gifts? «

The postal service identifies “Dear Santa” letters...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:05:05 -0800

The postal service identifies “Dear Santa” letters from people most in need and makes their wishes available to folks (like you) who may want to make a stranger’s Christmas a little brighter.

This letter is from a woman who has too little work to get all her kids and grand kids gifts this year.

If you write a “Dear Santa” letter, it won’t...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:13:53 -0800

If you write a “Dear Santa” letter, it won’t make it past your local US Postal Service branch. But, USPS identifies letters from those most in need and makes the wishes available (minus identifying info) to people who want to make someone’s Christmas a little brighter.

Here is a letter from a high schooler who wants to make her mom happy.

Tony hard at work.

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:00:06 -0800

Tony hard at work.

"I totally overshot and he loved it!"

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:00:06 -0800

““I totally overshot and he loved it!””

- About buying a hunting weapon for her boyfriend 24 years ago, during a conversation in the C terminal of O’Hare airport.

"Part of being a husband…I just kind of ignore it"

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:17:54 -0800

““Part of being a husband…I just kind of ignore it””

- On being roped into gift wrapping with his wife during the holidays. From Terminal F at O’Hare.

"In Anthropology, a ‘gift’ is considered aggressive act. It’s like, ‘Uh oh!..."

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:11:38 -0800

““In Anthropology, a ‘gift’ is considered aggressive act. It’s like, ‘Uh oh! What does this mean?’””

- Field research at Toys ‘R’ Us

Leigh, VP Genentech, on words of acknowledgment as...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:00:06 -0800

Leigh, VP Genentech, on words of acknowledgment as “gifts” in the workplace

We just went to Chicago for two days to conduct...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:31:46 -0800

We just went to Chicago for two days to conduct “intercepts” — man-on-the-street interviews with a wide variety of people about their thoughts & feelings on gift giving. We went spent lots of time in O’Hare so that we could get people from as many different cities in the US as possible.

"The noted marriage researcher John Gottman has found that successful couples say or do at least five..."

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:36:00 -0800

““The noted marriage researcher John Gottman has found that successful couples say or do at least five positive things for each negative interaction with their partner — not an easy feat.””

- The Generous Marriage, The New York Times Magazine

"people tend to regret actions more than inactions in the short term, but the opposite is true in the..."

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:29:00 -0800

““people tend to regret actions more than inactions in the short term, but the opposite is true in the long term.””

- From research we are reading now

The Muse Factory did its first Coast To Coast Black Friday...

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:28:00 -0800

The Muse Factory did its first Coast To Coast Black Friday excursion this year. Tony covered San Francisco while Dana went straight from the Ravens victory to a Target in Baltimore. We’ll share more specific learnings in a later post; for now, check out the mayhem at San Francisco’s Union Square Macy’s.