Let’s see… Phones, calculators, computers, and almost every other number input device have THREE numbers to a row. This machine has FIVE snacks to a row, and they are numbered by the row, column grid. So what are the designers of this vending machine to do but put their number buttons FOUR to a row, of course!

This is the vending machine in my office. Entering the correct number for the snack you want requires an astonishing amount of mental processing. And when the snacks were free, there were always at least two unwanted items hanging out in the bin below.

How many of those cards in your wallet are loyalty cards? You know, the ones that give you special coupons at a specific store, or when they’re punched ten times get you a freebie. Probably quite a few, right? Most of us have one or two credit cards, a bank card, an ID, and the REST of those cards bulking up your wallet are loyalty cards of some kind.

I recently spotted a great hack in practice at a local coffee-house (the Cow’s End in Venice) that gets around that problem. The customers simply stash their loyalty cards (the punch-for-a-freebie kind) in different nooks and crannies all around the shop. This obviously requires the proprietors’ consent, and each customer is responsible for remembering where they put their card, but it usually results in a great experience.

Picking a special place to stash my card, remembering that spot, and finding it there when I need it gives me a special connection with the physical space and builds my trust in the business. All of those cards peeking out of corners is a visual manifestation of the large coffee-house community. I also appreciate the convenience of not having to worry about remembering to bring my card with me. I’ve seen people squeal with glee when they find their card after a year away.

This obviously only works for single-location stores with relatively small clientele. It wouldn’t work well for Walmart, or for Starbucks. But for a little coffee-house trying to use it’s local community loyalty to COMPETE with Starbucks, it seems perfect.

Perhaps this Noah’s Bagels is built on a singularity in space-time wherein two different groups of people can occupy one space without discomfort or confusion.

I first became aware of sketchnotes when someone on Twitter posted a link to Mike Rohde’s SXSWi sketchnotes. I was blown away. I had never seen notes like that before. These are a joy to look at, a far cry from the scribbled mess that my notes usually are. And so expressive! They gave me a real feeling for the full experience event, not just for the content. I learned more about SXSWi from these notes than from any of the blog recaps I encountered. Not to mention the fact that the design and aesthetics of them makes them simply more fun to read than most blog posts.

Seeing these notes, I cringingly remembered the notes I took during IXD’09 which I’ve only wanted to look back on once or twice, and I experienced some serious note-taking skill envy! So when I saw that VizThink was offering a VizThinkU webinar on sketchnoting with Mike Rohde and Austin Kleon (someone who I follow on Twitter and whose work I admire) I didn’t pass up the opportunity.

The webinar started with Austin teaching some sketching fundamentals like how to draw a better stick figure, easy rules for different facial expressions and expressive figures. Mike talked about his experience and process and shared some tips for taking sketchnotes during a conference. Sunni Brown closed the webinar by talking about being a graphic recorder and facilitator for group meetings. It was interesting to hear their (sometimes very different) perspective on the practice or taking graphic notes, and it was inspiring to watch them create their own during the course of the class.

I sketchnoted along with the whole thing, and I swear could feel my brain unfolding and opening up creatively as I was doing it. It was an immensely valuable experience for me, and now I take sketchnotes whenever I’m taking notes during a meeting or presentation. It has DRASTICALLY changed the quality of my notes, and  possibly even the quality of my engagement with the content.

Below you can see my notes from the class. They’re not perfect, but they still make me happy, and I’ll never go back to my old note style again!

I see this place almost every day and am both amused by the poor setup and impressed by the lengths the owners of the dumpster have gone to in order to clarify who should have access to it.

The dumpster is accessed by this driveway, which is the driveway that belongs to the building on the right (behind the van). The dumpster, however belongs to the building on the left (past the sedan).

The fencing was supposed to keep the dumpter more secure, I think, and separate it from the cars in the parking lot in which it technically lives, but it only reinforces the impression that it is actually a part of the driveway.

This is some serious instructional/error messaging. I bet they wouldn’t need it if they were able to fix the underlying design issue.

I am a fairly regular yoga practitioner, and I get antsy if I miss more than a week of class.  Recently, as the economy has me questioning the expense of class fees, I started thinking more about why I’ve never been any good at practicing at home. I’ve never had much trouble giving up gym memberships, but sitting in the waiting area before class last week I was struck by how much I would miss the studio if I stopped going. And then it occurred to me that this is the difference a designed experience can make.

Gyms: Do You Feel Fit?

The average gym strives more to meet needs than to create a specific experience.  To maximize capacity they are usually packed with as many machines possible. In nicer gyms, windows or mirrors might border the area to reduce the claustrophobia, the floor might be covered with a non-absorbent material to reduce stains and smells, and the locker rooms might feature some luxury materials to make it feel less like a communal shower.

24 Hour Fitness, photo by Wade Griffith

Each of these touches alleviates or masks an issue of the space, rather than supporting a consciously designed experience. In fact, gyms often make every effort to help you mentally escape their surroundings.

Some gyms have screens on every machine. Photo by Jeuce Huang

Yoga Studios: Step 0

In contrast, yoga studios, at least the ones I have been in, are designed to enhance the yoga practice experience. They engage all of the senses in a very purposeful way. Many studios burn incense or use aromatic oils in the lobby, most ask you to go barefoot inside, and some offer complimentary tea. The lighting and interior decoration are often designed to help you get into the peaceful, focused state of mind that yoga encourages.

Truyoga Lobby

The exercise space is inviting but simple, enabling students to feel comfortable in the space and as internally focused as needed. The minimal decorations also allow the experience of a class to be shaped by the people in the class, rather than the space.

Truyoga Studio

Most studios also sell merchandise, and these areas are usually well integrated with the main lobby or waiting area, following many of the same principles as Apple Stores – they uphold and are consistent with the overall experience of the studio, and they minimize the sales markup.  (For example, there are usually no large “SALE” banners or neon lit cooler cases like you might find at the gym.)

Truyoga Store

The yoga studio opens a dialog with students, an experience narrative that is begun by the space, continued by the teacher, and hopefully carried home by the student. (Note: I took the above photos of the yoga studio in my office complex, which is not the studio I go to most often, nor one specially selected for its design.)

What This Means to Me

Jon Kolko talks in his book Thoughts on Interaction Design about “the importance of the seductive experience in generating return business.” The feeling I get from the well-crafted experience at the yoga studio, which I have neither the time nor space to replicate at home, is definitely part of what keeps me paying for classes even in these tight times.