What you care for....

About the circle of choice..

In the inner circle, I have described "stuff" I cannot live without. Well, quite frankly, what I mean is "stuff" I really really care about and the loss of which would make me a lesser human being...

So, here it goes..(in no particular order)

a. Water - A Sanskrit saying from ancient times says "Water is Life".. So, naturally, that is one of my choices..
b. My family - I love my family. They are the source of my strength and motivation. Life would be less worth living without their love and support.
c. Creativity - Through poems, cooking new recipes, listening to music... My mind needs to be in constant motion.. Gemini trait all the way!
d. Books - Enjoy reading. Dad got me Encyclopedia when I was a kid. Mom got me books on great men and women.. to serve as an example for being good. Give me a book and I will be lost in it...totally. Funnily, I read incredibly fast..which fits with the whole Gemini need to absorb more information and just continue being curious!
e. Sleep - Perfect complement to Water... A good sleep is essential for the well being of one's health and mind.. So I put it down as a must have..

Outer circle.. Friends.. Movies/Entertainment, Technology (internet, phone, electricity)..

I have included Honesty, Dedication, and Success. I think a bit of explanation is needed here. I truly appreciate hard work wherever I see it.. even when I see it on opposing sides.. I feel every person owes it to the task at hand to give it his or her full effort.. which is what dedication is about.. Without being honest and dedicated, I seriously doubt sustainable success can be achieved... Luck can be a Lady tonight.. or may be a few more.. but most Gentlemen will eventually find out that Hard work is a far trust worthy friend than Lady Luck can ever be..

And well, Mango? Why mango you may wonder? Quite simply.. it is my favorite fruit..From what my Granny tells me, Mom went into labor pains only after enjoying one big glass of mango juice..Granny claims Mom was crazy about it when she was carrying me.. So I guess its DNA/Divine Comedy/Call it whatever..

Moving onto my Digital EcoSystem...

I Get a lot of nirvana aka wisdom aka information from news channels, both global and local, blogs and forums on sites such as LinkedIn..and Good Ol Google!! I always chuckle when I hear the old joke.. how does one Google to find out that Google is down?

Online video is interesting.. I think YouTube and other online videos give me good chunks of current information...  Not Surprisingly, I use my IPhone more as an Email / Calendar/ News feed organizer than a calling device...




Finally, my "Typical" Day...

Thanks Bevo.. MW look same. TTH look same.. Wake up at 6 am.. get ready.. get breakfast.. grab as much news as possible on IPhone..school chores most of the day.. Throw in some Graduate Business Technology Group activities.. Recruiting...and finally, all that is left in the tank goes into Movies and Books...

And whatever little lyrical drive is left goes into four lines like the ones below...

Seek thy true voice

Amidst all this noise

What you care for

Is a matter of choice

So come fly away with me....

So come fly away with me

A new world we shall see

One where life is about living

And feeling absolutely free

So let me pick up where we left off last time around.. Mom and Dad decided to visit me from India. Well, this is not their first time to US.. So there were not very many anxieties..but only the ones that you may typically associate with baby boomers from another culture who are visiting US. What kind of anxieties you may wonder? For starters, there is always the American accent issue which some Asians (my parents included) find it difficult to grasp easily. Second, and probably more important, is the food scene. My mom is vegetarian but dad likes meat. So any trip anywhere needs planning for sure.. but vegetarians have their extra mile to walk…

(L To R) Ashish, Pranay, and Ruturaj

The 3 musketeers for you

In March, I got a phone call where Mom pleasantly surprised me that she is coming to see her only son.. She had enough of the Skype experience. Hey, families are important.. Just check what Mr. Bean has to say on this…

A few seconds later, I call my childhood buddy Ashish..(yea, I know him since we both were 5 years old) He is the second son my parents never had!! Full disclosure, there is a third guy Ruturaj who is the third son they wish they had.. and it is Ruturaj’s birthday tomorrow. So a shout out to him just in case he ends up reading this .. many happy returns mate..

........................................All of us know each other since first grade..

 

Back to Ashish… He works in Boston..and not exactly a Red Sox fan. How do I describe him? Ever heard of Launchpad McQuack? Yes, the incredible pilot from Disney’s DuckTales. Yup, the one who is brave and amazingly good hearted. That one. Well, besides the personal qualities, there is also the imposing physical similarity.. Ashish is 6 ft 3in or so…. now for Americans that may be usual ??, but not so much for Indians..average Indian is about 5 ft 5 in I guess.. No wonder so many feel he looks like a Russian model..Ha Ha..

As soon as Ashish hears me say “Mom and Dad are coming”, he is like a duck takes to water… “Lets get them here to Boston”, he says.. He knows they have visited US before and seen almost all the major cities, but never been to Boston…

So I found the idea interesting. Boston is a nice place.. New England feel to the core.. Irish street names, Red Sox nation, and of course, a very educated and young crowd thanks to the hundreds of universities.. So, I say – “Ashish, we are on.. ” Full Disclosure: I had been to Boston before, but never explored it….just visited Ashish..

So what follows below is a mixture of me recollecting specific chats I had with Ashish who did the heavy lifting all the way of course...but he just wanted to make sure we were dotting the Is and crossing the Ts as far as my parents were concerned..Consider it to be the family equivalent of “targeting the segment of one”..tailoring the entire experience for an individual.. Jet..set ..go

Sometime in May.. I get a follow up call from my amigo in Boston..

Ashish: Ok buddy, is the plan confirmed? Your folks visiting US for sure? Tickets and all booked from India..

Me: Yup, we are good

Ashish: So, Boston trip is on then in August? Just the 3 of you and me? 

Me: For now, yes

Ashish: How many days do you plan to be in Boston?

Me: I don’t know right now. But I have a week off between my summer internship in San Francisco and first UT class.. So that is when we will come..

Ashish: Fair enough. I will plan for 3 days ..and then let’s circle back sometime 

Me: Agreed

Ashish: By the way, if you are free for a week, why not go to New York City as well ?? Uncle and Aunty will like it ..plus the contrast makes it an exciting experience no? We can take the bus from Boston to New York.. So you need to come to Boston and leave out of New York..

Me: Hmm.. That sounds intriguing..I know Dad loves a big city feel.. So he will like it for sure.. Now that you brought it up, I am game.. but it all depends on my holiday schedule and ticket prices….

Ashish: Geez, ticket prices… come on bro.. you can figure out something.. don’t worry about the ticket prices for now.. just make up your mind on whether its worth it or not.. everything else will fall in place.. and ya, I am going to figure out the local details.. You just book the flight tickets….

(5 minutes later, the phone rings..again)

Ashish: Well, you do know you need to tell me when your flight tickets to Boston are confirmed..so that I know when to come to receive you at Logan airport...

Me: Ha Ha.. Yes, indeed

So, here is what I think this conversation was about.. As a planner, Ashish wanted a clear picture..actually, it is not necessarily his style.. but I think he just wanted to make sure Uncle and Aunty have a perfectly jolly time.. now that is his style… I really appreciated his idea of mixing up NYC and Boston..I call him back in June to tell him that tickets to Boston are confirmed.. He seemed very gung-ho about it..

So the trip happened.. I will not bore you with details.. But I am sharing a few snaps... Here are some of the key highlights of his planning ..(based on his interview response..)

 

The very first thing Ashish did to start planning …

                                    Asked his office colleagues (mostly those who were born and raised in Boston) to describe Boston….I asked him why.. he said he wanted to get a feel for identity and pride that locals associate with their culture.. just like he and I do with Mumbai…I could not help but chuckle.. only a Mumbaikar..(that’s what we call people of Mumbai) knows what is so so special about Mumbai anyway..

Deciding who would come/handling invitation….

                                    So he had asked me to keep it a surprise… “Let’s surprise Uncle and Aunty after they land in Austin”..And he was the one who called right away once they arrived at Austin Bergstrom… extending the invite to Boston and New York..

Deciding on the exact location…

                                    Well, Ashish came up with the idea for Boston.. That was a sweet gesture.. But what made it an exciting trip was his planning...All of us had been to New York before, so he decided we will spend time to explore New York from a Food perspective.. He is a foodie.. Loves trying different food styles and flavors.. He knew that Mom and I did so too.. (last blog, I said Mom loves cooking.. well, so my friends know too.. not because I told them.. but she cooks good stuff whenever they show up)

Logistics/Transportation…

                                    Once I booked airline tickets, he took care of the bus tickets from Boston to New York.. and the local spots in Boston.. “Duck Tours”..He called it a "Bostonian way" of seeing things..sometimes on land.. sometimes on water.. He insisted on staying at his apartment in Boston.. “no hotels” were his strict instructions.. but he booked Courtyard Marriott in Manhattan..I asked him why that hotel – he said his plan was to save as much time as possible while traveling… that would give us time to explore New York more and visit more eating joints :)

Actual places…Boston 3 days

                                    Ashish created a short template to identify what places my parents would like to see in Boston.. but he wanted to make sure they saw Boston like a local Irishman..Unfortunately, he had some urgent work in office, so he could not show Boston spots himself.. I did the needful, but his planning made it easy for me. He laid out the routes.. He laid the order in which he wanted us to see them..And finally, each evening he took us to dinner for a different cuisine.. 

Sorry clam chowdah.... 3 vegetarians trumped the lone non-vegetarian into giving it a miss..

He knew Dad likes tea.. so he got up early morning to make a special Tea…You are the best my amigo !!

Well, what about the little animals – birds, chickens, goats, pigs, and rabbits? Knowing that people usually don’t get to play with such animals in India, he insisted we visit Harvard on that specific day at that specific time to see and play with little animals.. Mom and Dad loved it!!

Actual places…New York 3 days

                                    Well, New York was interesting.. Ashish wanted to contrast it in every way possible..The Real Ashish.. No Planning..Explore New York randomly.. mainly food places..The contrast was not just in the Cities.. but also in the way we travelled.. Google Maps, asking around, Reading up Yelp only to Disregard it totally..and Go based on reviews from other customers outside.. and just casual talks on the streets..

And then Ashish sat down to get his own portrait made!!

But he did plan one thing – at least that’s what he says to me – making sure Uncle and Aunty watch a Hollywood flick at Times Square.. He felt it was just a great experience.. the whole Theater District.. the clowns roaming around in costumers.. and us watching a movie at 10 pm and coming out at 1 pm only to see streets still filled up with late night party goers…

My takes…

I thought Ashish walked the extra mile to make my parents feel absolutely comfortable throughout the trip.. At no point did they face the anxieties that I described at the beginning…It is not usually in him to plan and figure out things.. but I am sure he did that to play the role of a perfect host..

Knowing Uncle and Aunty well, he felt they would not like sleeping on those big bad beds (ones with spring boxes).. So he actually got multiple sleeping bags and created a soft landing on the floor.. Dad really liked it. It gives the flatness of the floor and yet it is very comfortable, Dad remarked.. Very thoughtful of Ashish…

Ashish knew Aug 27 was my Mom’s birthday, but we were leaving for Austin on 26^th. So he stepped out secretly and got wonderful cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop.. I had Zero Clue he was going to do that.. !!! But Mom loved it so much.. she was already figuring out the recipes..

What I really appreciate is how he mixed and matched the feedback his colleagues gave him on Boston sightseeing with “an Indian feel”… tailoring it to suit Indians who just flew in from half way across the globe.. he wanted to show Boston in a good way without creating any sort of “culture shock” ..you know one where kids go out strutting half naked..So he made sure to advise me on what streets to take and what to avoid..

Here is a quick milestone route that he described in his own words

-- Find out the main details like who is coming, for how long, and when

-- Identify what is something that they will like to explore and experience, something they will not see elsewhere

-- Get the logistics out of the way (smart move, I said to him)

-- Do a bit of mix and match based on people’s tastes

--Make sure everyone is comfortable

--Have fun (that’s him alright)

I will not pay a homage here to the trip.. but I will say this.. You know you are having a good time when you are with family.. when you can laugh out loud.. when you can say things without being judged.. and you can just enjoy forgetting world’s troubles.. That is a holiday..and that is what Ashish made sure happened.. 

Thanks a lot Ashish...

I wish I knew you more...

I cannot imagine how many hours Da Vinci might have put in to create his masterpiece…sitting there.. penetrating Mona Lisa’s mind, thinking about the scale, right texture, foggy style… and yes her smile of course….

When I first found that Blog 1 is about Empathy Map, I admit I was a bit cynical. You may wonder why. For starters, it seemed too sentimental. But more importantly, coming from an engineering background, the lack of metrics and inability to quantify something/anything seemed jarring to me. But this is a design thinking course. So I thought Why not start with designing an open mind first?

Let’s come back to our discussion on Empathy map or my initial lack of empathy for it. I have toiled for over 4 years in software development for Customer relationship management applications. So I kind of understand the need for KYC i.e. “Know” Your Customer.

I wish I knew you more

Before entering my store

Your happiness is my aim

So your psyche I explore

But I am afraid to acknowledge that even the most detailed descriptions of one’s customers do not necessarily translate into great products or great designs or even great experiences. Here’s an anecdote from my past: An engineer spent a whole month trying to learn how to design software for people with visual disabilities. Later, he argued with such users. Reasoning: He felt they did not know how to use his product the right way! But I guess Empathy Map may be considered as a good start. While the dictionary definition for empathy is “identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives”, I feel it is vital to even consider a bit of track record/history to round it up. Asking good questions about a person’s values and behavior, I think, is useful to create a map that is not just a “North Star” guide to the person’s psyche, but also serves to remind us that it is a snapshot in time i.e. requires refreshing the data so that we are “listening” to any subtle changes.

Time for the Cartography exercise to begin…    stuff in italics represents my analysis

So what are her thoughts..

1. Life is a “karmic” journey; there will be good times and bad times.

I feel her family atmosphere and culture has much to do with this. And yes, Hindu beliefs may have played a role too. Possibly, some life experiences could have shaped them as well

2. One must always try to do good things and be nice to others no matter how difficult the situation.

I guess this is a follow up to the karmic philosophy discussed earlier. No surprises to me then that this person encouraged me to read Gandhi’s Autobiography...Lesson: Be good

3. Be open to different experiences

Hmmm… this is interesting. I don’t have an explanation..yet..

4. No rewards without hard work and perseverance

I feel this is something she has gained out of her professional setting. I have seen her describe insane hours and complex tasks put in to make some difficult customer happy…

5. Always concerned about her family

She comes from very close knit family and I guess her upbringing has something to do with this

And what does she see?

1. Views technology to be a friend. Very open to learning new products.

Surprise! As soon as she came from India to see me, she was interested to check out the latest iPad and had dozens on questions on Amazon Prime service. She wanted to know whether she could use the iPad to actually create and store “cooking videos”

2. Sees a need to set an example by doing “what she thinks is right”

Though I would like to say religion has instilled a strong “moral compass” in her, I am not very convinced. I feel she may have developed a sense of fairness and justice during her Law studies in the early 80s

3. Likes to see consistency in thought and action

   Who doesn’t? 

And Hear?

1. Appreciates anything that appeals to her heart i.e. emotional plea works

   Often I have heard her say that an ad worked because it was “so genuine”. ..A comfort marketing delight may be??

   May be her Liberal Arts background (before Law that is) kind of created a learning and behavioral environment that fostered this…But I could be totally wrong on this..

2. Friends say she is very patient and able to hear someone out

3. Enjoys listening to Indian film songs from 70s

   Music! Interesting contrast -- she likes exploring new technology, but still holds on to her cherished albums. Does it speak volumes about today’s music? (no pun intended)  

And say?

1. Soft spoken and polite, but likes to revisit/repeat things

It can get annoying to see her revisit stuff …incessantly…may be she likes to confirm the consistency..Note to the marketer: one time ad messages..no feedback.. are a no-no for her

2. Likes to reason in a rational way using logic and facts, but is not averse to making

  and emotional appeal

Hmmm…

3. Loves quoting saints and philosophers

I guess it fits with her overall karma mantra

4. Likes to chat on the phone with family and friends for hours at times

No comments on this one…

Her feelings?

1. Feels there is lot of cynicism in today’s world 

2. Senses a trust deficit among younger generation

I had to check this one out.. She explained ..the younger generation’s obsession with quick results, (over) dependence on data..

3. Feels that she should have travelled more during her younger days

   I sense a bit of regret there. Career choice and family responsibilities may have weighed her down over the years and suppressed any desire to explore new places..    

And what does like doing?

1. Loves to cook new recipes; experiment with ingredients, form, and color

Creative, tinkerer..—a nice contrast with her need to be consistent..I guess one could argue..creativity is a supporting trait for consistency too..

2. Enjoys a quiet walk everyday

May be she feels tired after a long day at work; wants some time alone..

3. Very loyal to her family and friends; will defend them in any place and time

Pain points…

1. Saddened to see others not putting their best effort

2. Frustrated by lack of ethics at work today

Could it be related to the “trust deficit and cynicism” discussed earlier?

3. Fears loneliness

I guess that explains those long chats on the phone... what I find interesting here is she likes to have a quiet walk, yet fears loneliness..

Gain points..

1. Measures success on her own terms; not concerned what others have to say about her

   I think this could be related to her sense of fairness and equity..

2. Born in a humble and not very rich family, she sees money as a way to do good for others

I feel this kind of fits in with the overall karma thing.. and family upbringing

Well, she’s visiting me from halfway across the globe. What better way to welcome her than to write about her in a Design Thinking Blog! But seriously, she was not impressed when I told her about this. Yet, she was game enough to sit on the couch quietly for 30 minutes so that I could focus on her visage and draw an Empathy Map for her. (Inspired by Da Vinci ofcourse)I hope she enjoyed reading the new Thai recipe I got for her…Because I actually enjoyed writing this Empathy map…may be just because of her! But why would she not let me use her picture on the blog?…That I leave for some other day..

So I read Hillary Clinton’s Twitter bio and found it impressive (especially the TBD). So here is my take on my Empathy Map candidate’s bio:

Caring daughter, Youngest of 5 siblings, 
Happily Married for 29 years, 
Energetic baby boomer, 

          Legally Educated, Banker for 3 decades,                          

……. and A Loving Mom to yours truly!