Curio Research Quarterly Vol. 33
It’s officially summer here at Curio Research headquarters, and I’m taking advantage by writing this newsletter from our sunny porch so I can take in the beautiful Pacific Northwest weather while I can. All the while, duty calls. Let’s start with work.
Business
Work
I’m still working on the website and benchmarking project for Kalamuna. The site serves people helping new immigrants to Canada settle into their new lives. I worked on the first phase with a fellow qualitative researcher who speaks French to conduct the bilingual interviews. Recruiting users was difficult and took longer than expected, but in the end they were very enlightening, and we came away with great insights on how to increase engagement and the sense of community on the site. I’ve since used the insights to create an intercept survey that gauges current satisfaction before making any of the prescribed improvements. Once the site is revamped, the intercept survey will be reinstated to assess whether there are measurable improvements in satisfaction, which is required by the client’s grant.
I’m also working with Lux Insights for the first time. A business-to-business company is entering a new sector and wants to know whether its current offerings and service standards meet the needs of its new customers. I’ll be doing 12 interviews with people who make decisions on the types of products the client sells. When it’s done, I’ll be able to provide an overview of where they currently stand in this market and offer some forward-looking advice on how to position themselves and best serve these new customers.
I still have room to take on a bit more work. Let me know if you have any research projects coming up.
Speaking
My next speaking engagement is at IIEX West in San Francisco at the end of October. I’ll be talking about the carbon footprint of research and research agencies, how to offset that impact, and leading a roundtable discussion on crossover opportunities between UX research and market research. Should be a lot of fun, and I hope to see you there.
Business and Sustainability
So the fast-fashion juggernaut Shein bought Everlane, a clothing brand offering elevated basics with “radical transparency” in their supply and manufacturing processes. The sustainable fashion world gasped in shock and clutched their pearls. What did Everlane get? $80 million of debt, erased. What did Shein get? The halo of a high-equity North American ethical fashion brand that they can turn into a Quince competitor using Shein’s efficient supply chain expertise and help them navigate American and European legal scrutiny.
So far, Everlane and Shein claim it will be business as usual for the acquired brand with the sustainability pillars of - Keep Earth clean, keep Earth cool, and do right by people, but fashionistas are rightfully skeptical.
So what does this say about ethical and sustainable fashion? Private equity forced Everlane to grow faster than its principles would allow, and faster than the market would let it do profitably. I believe this is more of an indictment of growth-at-all-costs than of ethical fashion, especially at a time when people are holding their money close, and other companies are taking a bite out of their formerly exclusive ethical-basics territory.
Just like many other sustainable brands, ethics and environmental impact are deciding factors when choosing among similar products but not the sole factors. When comparing two relatively equal products, the one that is slightly more expensive and tells a good sustainability story will likely win, but it has to be seen as equal to the conventional option first.
Want to talk more about how to develop and communicate an ethical brand story that commands a premium with your target customers? Get in touch!
Personal
Travel
Since I’ll be in San Francisco late in October, I would love to connect with old friends and colleagues while I’m there. Send me an email if we haven’t seen each other in a while.
Cooking
My husband and I have gotten in the habit of inviting different friends over for dinner every month. He works out the menu, and I handle dessert. While the dinner menu may vary wildly, the dessert is almost always pie. In fact, the headline on my LinkedIn page has said “Market and UX Research Consultant, Maker of Pies” for years. These days, because I’m always in search of content to post on LinkedIn, I’ve started posting photos of the pies I make - blueberry pie, strawberry rhubarb meringue pie, and mixed berry pie, just to name a few. I’ve been leveling up my lattice game too. Herringbone, anyone?
Nancy Cox of Quirk’s Magazine even profiled me for her Work & Play series. Look, ma! I’m in print (online).
Media
As usual, I have a few recommendations for both movies and episodic television.
Let’s start with movies:
Dust Bunny - A highly stylized action movie starring Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver. Mads plays an assassin hired by a little girl to kill the monster under her bed. The story and art direction beautifully blend martial arts action with the lens of a child’s imagination.
The Drama - What makes someone a good person? Can someone do something terrible a long time ago and also be someone you love and trust now? What is the line between an act that can be left behind and something that can never be forgiven? This movie has no heroes and leaves you with more questions than answers.
Mother Mary - Again with the incredible art direction. A pop star in the midst of a personal and professional crisis turns to the friend she left behind to craft the perfect look for her next performance. Denial, anger, forgiveness, and mercy all go head-to-head in great performances by Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a well-crafted visual tableau.
Project Hail Mary - A man who doesn’t want to be a hero gets sent to space to save the world from star-eating bacteria. Gosling is at his best when he gets to goof off, and we could use a story about humans successfully coming together to save the planet.
TV:
Widows Bay - This was like Parks & Rec meets Tales from the Crypt. Every episode a unique and quirky horror story that adds to the overarching narrative. I’m so glad it got renewed for a second season.
Half Man - This was dark. A series about shame, masculinity, and violence. Not a fun watch, but it yielded some epic prose.
The Audacity - If you miss watching smart people be very very dumb on Silicon Valley, then you’ll like this show as well. I love seeing our tech overlords and culture of personal data commodification comically skewered.
Hacks - I burned through all five seasons over the winter and spring, and it was worth every minute. This was such a great story about comedy, ego, and above all, female friendship.
Giving Back
I’m still volunteering with the Stanley Park Ecology Society by pulling weeds every other weekend; I helped clean up their plant nursery the other day. I’m also still on the OneCity data committee, and I've committed to door-knocking once a week. It’s not much, but it’s still doing my part.
That’s all for now. Get out there and do some good.