There’s a really interesting article in the WSJ this morning about really walking a mile in your customer’s shoes. Or, in this case, viewing a scene through his glasses.
Mr. Sato is head of advertising and investor relations at Japanese eyeglasses retailer Meganesuper Co., which requires employees to wear glasses at work. “I change them every day,” says the 50-year-old, sporting a pair of black-and-white frames that clash with his navy-blue striped suit.
The everyone-wears-glasses policy at Meganesuper (literally, “Eyeglasses Supermarket”) is an extreme solution to a universal management problem: How to get a handle on customers’ needs.
Every employee, even those with perfect vision, is required to wear glasses. While this example seems a little extreme, using your own product regularly is the only way you’ll experience what your user does. That’s when you find ways to improve your product and processes.