Tight fisted Festool
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Bob Marino
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Wow, killer story. Talk about service. Take note of "7 years ago..." I doubt you'll see a big brand doing something like that anytime again soon.
Nick,
Incredible story.
Sean,
Sadly, I think you are correct.
Bob
Nick,
Incredible story.
Sean,
Sadly, I think you are correct.
Bob
nickao
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Now that I really look at the time line of my family's life, a roller coaster ride really, it seems this must have happened no later than 2001. So in 2001, I got the new tools from Milwaukee and by 04/9/2002 the house was gone, with the tools burned up.
Man time flies, that means it was closer to 9 years ago! Holy Toledo!
Still, you can see what something like that does for a clients mindset. I still love that experience I had with Milwaukee and do have some Milwaukee tools and LOVE my new Milwaukee Digital Miter Slider.
Psst... Milwaukee I would love to do a commercial for you on my experience. For a few tools of course.
Man time flies, that means it was closer to 9 years ago! Holy Toledo!
Still, you can see what something like that does for a clients mindset. I still love that experience I had with Milwaukee and do have some Milwaukee tools and LOVE my new Milwaukee Digital Miter Slider.
Psst... Milwaukee I would love to do a commercial for you on my experience. For a few tools of course.
Kodi Crescent
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I am not the designer the original poster mentioned. However, I am in the design field and can provide some insight into your visit from the designer.
Many companies have design professionals that visit customer sites to learn about their tasks, environment, etc. This is part of "ergonomics" or the study of work. Ergonomics isn't just how people sit in office chairs or lift things, but about how the person interacts with their tools and their work environment. The designer was probably visiting to learn about the "ergonomics" of the job and to get your input as a subject matter expert regarding how a tool would be used within your environment. He or she knows certain design and human performance principles, but probably doesn't know how to do the work that you do. He visited you to get your input as to how you did your job. Smart companies are employing more of these professionals to help them develop more desirable products.
There are many types of user studies that companies undertake, but they can be categorized as either onsite studies, or field studies. In the U.S. it is customary to pay or compensate someone if you have them come to your site for a user study or interview, usually because they have to take time off work, travel to the site, etc. Also, the harder the job is to recruit for, the more the user is compensated. For example, if the company needs to speak with brain surgeons for a product they are designing, they will provide a higher level of compensation due to the rarity of brain surgeons and the difficulty in enticing them to take the time to come to the site for an interview or study. The more common the job and the larger the recruiting pool, the lower the compensation.
For some odd reason, field visits are not compensated at the same level that site visits are. In many cases, design professionals do field visits with users and do not provide any compensation. The design professionals often just watch the people work and ask them questions during the course of their day, so it isn't like the user has to take time off. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but in general people do not get compensated for a field visit unless they are visited at some really odd time or in a really odd location (like studying your family while they are watching TV after dinner). In the example of the brain surgeon above, if a designer were to observe the brain surgeon during an operation, the surgeon wouldn't be compensated by the interested company. A token gift may be provided to the surgeon for providing the privilege to watch something as guarded as a surgery.
Company culture may play into the level of compensation. Some companies are very generous with the different types of compensation. Other companies are not. It may depend on the product the company makes. Software is an easy to reproduce commodity, so expensive software is often offered as compensation for user study. A not so easy to reproduce item like a tool may be considered "too expensive to build" and not be offered. I guess it would depend on the products and company culture.
Also, as you may be aware, many companies are outsourcing positions and hiring contractors. I believe that Festool uses a contract agency to do their design work. This individual may have wanted to provide you something, but didn't have the authority to. Sometimes design professionals get placed in an awkward situation where the user wants something for their time, and the designer wants to thank them and accommodate them, but would need to do so out of their own pocket to do so. This may have been one of those cases. I know that I've bought many cokes for people in user studies because the company didn't have the foresight to provide drinks for their guests. I didn't get reimbursed. This may have been one of those awkward situations for the designer.
I hope this explanation helps.
Many companies have design professionals that visit customer sites to learn about their tasks, environment, etc. This is part of "ergonomics" or the study of work. Ergonomics isn't just how people sit in office chairs or lift things, but about how the person interacts with their tools and their work environment. The designer was probably visiting to learn about the "ergonomics" of the job and to get your input as a subject matter expert regarding how a tool would be used within your environment. He or she knows certain design and human performance principles, but probably doesn't know how to do the work that you do. He visited you to get your input as to how you did your job. Smart companies are employing more of these professionals to help them develop more desirable products.
There are many types of user studies that companies undertake, but they can be categorized as either onsite studies, or field studies. In the U.S. it is customary to pay or compensate someone if you have them come to your site for a user study or interview, usually because they have to take time off work, travel to the site, etc. Also, the harder the job is to recruit for, the more the user is compensated. For example, if the company needs to speak with brain surgeons for a product they are designing, they will provide a higher level of compensation due to the rarity of brain surgeons and the difficulty in enticing them to take the time to come to the site for an interview or study. The more common the job and the larger the recruiting pool, the lower the compensation.
For some odd reason, field visits are not compensated at the same level that site visits are. In many cases, design professionals do field visits with users and do not provide any compensation. The design professionals often just watch the people work and ask them questions during the course of their day, so it isn't like the user has to take time off. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but in general people do not get compensated for a field visit unless they are visited at some really odd time or in a really odd location (like studying your family while they are watching TV after dinner). In the example of the brain surgeon above, if a designer were to observe the brain surgeon during an operation, the surgeon wouldn't be compensated by the interested company. A token gift may be provided to the surgeon for providing the privilege to watch something as guarded as a surgery.
Company culture may play into the level of compensation. Some companies are very generous with the different types of compensation. Other companies are not. It may depend on the product the company makes. Software is an easy to reproduce commodity, so expensive software is often offered as compensation for user study. A not so easy to reproduce item like a tool may be considered "too expensive to build" and not be offered. I guess it would depend on the products and company culture.
Also, as you may be aware, many companies are outsourcing positions and hiring contractors. I believe that Festool uses a contract agency to do their design work. This individual may have wanted to provide you something, but didn't have the authority to. Sometimes design professionals get placed in an awkward situation where the user wants something for their time, and the designer wants to thank them and accommodate them, but would need to do so out of their own pocket to do so. This may have been one of those cases. I know that I've bought many cokes for people in user studies because the company didn't have the foresight to provide drinks for their guests. I didn't get reimbursed. This may have been one of those awkward situations for the designer.
I hope this explanation helps.
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Festool USA is top notch. No they are not perfect and things sometimes falls through the cracks but they always stand behind the product. All Festool subsidiaries run independent of one another, I would imagine UK customer service is completely different than the USA.
However, your experience was not really customer service related, it was market research and perhaps they could of done a better job at expressing gratitude. I think your feelings were hurt for lack of acknowledgement, nothing to do with swag. (psychological evaluation off)
Working for a German mfg. myself I can understand why you not greased up though.
However, your experience was not really customer service related, it was market research and perhaps they could of done a better job at expressing gratitude. I think your feelings were hurt for lack of acknowledgement, nothing to do with swag. (psychological evaluation off)
Working for a German mfg. myself I can understand why you not greased up though.
joiner1970
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Hi Koda , yeah you are along the right lines but this was specific to the TS55 I was shown lots of improvements and add ons that may come out in the future and asked how I would use them and I had to put random cards with things written on them in order of importance and things like that. I wont go into detail so no one gets upset or anything but as I said most of the things I saw are already out on other saws but a few things were not too. I asked how long until we see this stuff and he said 2 years atleast.
Kodi Crescent
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Okay, so what the guy was doing was working on a redesign of the TS55 suite of products. Although items were on other saws, he wanted to gauge the interest in adding those features to the Festool line of saws. Since I wasn't there I can't speak to his methodology and what exactly he was trying to accomplish.
The "random" cards may have been a "card sorting" exercise where they are trying to see how you organize or prioritize information. Ideally, the designer will visit a number of other people, collect card sort data, and then use some statistical test to determine which features users are interested in. They would then prioritize those desires based on technical feasibility and engineering/manufacturing costs and return on investment.
Were these prototypes physical prototypes, or pictures of items they are considering building?
The "random" cards may have been a "card sorting" exercise where they are trying to see how you organize or prioritize information. Ideally, the designer will visit a number of other people, collect card sort data, and then use some statistical test to determine which features users are interested in. They would then prioritize those desires based on technical feasibility and engineering/manufacturing costs and return on investment.
Were these prototypes physical prototypes, or pictures of items they are considering building?
Bob Marino
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- Jan 16, 2007
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Kodi Crescent said:
Thanks Kodi for your insights.
Some years ago, while the Domino was at the prototype stage, my manager at that time and the gent doing the Domino videos (as well as most Festool videos - can't remember his name, but he was, IIRC, the man most responsible for developing the Domino came over to my shop in NJ and did a demo for me and later asked for about 2-3 of my professional customers' names and addresses who would be interested in seeing the new tool and providing feedback directly - hands on - in their shops. So they called and visited those shops and asked about what features do they like, don't like, would like to see, would they buy it, etc.etc. Other tool manufacturers may do the same thing also, but I do know, the customers that saw it, were pretty excited about it.
Bob
