There is always a real person inside each of us

and a P.S. from Jane

Last week, I posted a second conversation with Jane In Real Life (IRL). (Here is the first one from January.) My reason to do this as I move into a product design related series is that to me, all meaningful product and service design and marketing activities start with real people, including our own experiences and observations.

My content production principle here is – and will remain – quite simple. To use first takes and comfortable normal recording environments (i.e. not even a microphone in this case). I do not share questions in advance. I just want to hear the person, the human. I edit from the one take (maybe one day I will again have a team to help me, yet I care about the content and so far prefer choosing it myself. We all know it can be converted further into more polished form if needed).

Most important, Jane must trust me to put her in the best light. And my promise to her is that I will not post anything that she is not comfortable with me sharing. With that last post, in hindsight, I could hear in her comments that she didn’t like her hair that day or the video framing. Totally get it. I have now made it a podcast. 🙂

A podcast brings anyway some benefit: focus on the tone of voice and what is being said underneath the words

Because of my last role leading a company that served older people with technology, my ears now notice different messages. Here is what I heard in this interview:

• A positive view of technology that even surprised me. Jane enjoys it and gave an example of her latest new “try” just last week. (To stay short, I omitted Jane’s clear appreciation of my brother for keeping her current. Thank you, Scott!) Jane herself defies stereotypes.
• Related, I give credit to Jane’s curiosity and desire to keep learning. “No, you can’t stop!” she says.
• She points out that the main reason for technology is to make life easier and for connection.
• And she has a “smart home” even when not using those words. One of the first smart home “killer” features” (i.e. quickly adopted) in the United States was adjusting the thermostat. You can hear in Jane’s voice how she loves that she can control the temperature and her lighting with her phone apps.
• Incredible humor towards living. Jane has had her fair share of challenges and disappointments. Her strength to keep finding the humor without cynicism provides – especially to me, her daughter – a lasting role model.

Grounded in this real person context – that I suggest each of us will feel inside, in our own ways, over our whole lives – our next exchange will move to design and flipping old stories.

P.S. And here a postscript from Jane IRL

This question came exactly as it sounds, towards the end of our conversation, directed by Jane herself (spoiler alert – she tells her age).