I read a food critic’s review of a restaurant that got me thinking about the value of brand.

The meat of the article (no pun intended) for me comes in at the 8th paragraph from the end, where the author suggests that the food, good or bad, may not even be the primary draw of its loyal and growing clientele. The service which delivers their food is what draws it apart from its competition. And this is what builds a strong brand which can transcend the shortcomings of the product itself.

Not to say a strong brand can carry a poor product, but products are never perfect. It is often the brand perception which can make or break success – and the brand is more than just the product. We see it more and more around us. Take for example the ever heated debate between Mac or PC (or Apple vs. everything else, for that matter). As a user and designer for many of these debated platforms, I can see the strengths and weaknesses of each. Each has its good and bad, none are perfect. What makes Apple stand out is that they don’t stop at just the product. They extend their relationship with their customers throughout to just about every interaction point, from marketing, to purchase, to post-sale service. It’s the complete experience. It’s brand building. In a world where products become ever more commoditized, this becomes the new differentiating factor.

As a UX professional, I’m inspired to design this experience into the interaction of my products. It’s not enough for a product to “just” get the job done. Just about anyone and everyone can do that. Today we need to build products that considers its consumers’ experience, creates a story, builds the brand. Your customers will keep coming back for more.

Now I’m hungry…

Coming home, however… was an adventure.  It was bright and sunny when I went to work so it never crossed my mind to bring an umbrella. Sure enough, at 5pm… thunderstorm and lightening.

Thankfully the Accounting Manager offered me a ride home.  HOWEVER, what we didn’t know was that as soon as we exited the parking lot… TRAFFIC. And lots of it.  1.5 hours later, we had moved about 300 meters.

Then, the gas light came one. Great. In the middle of gridlock.  One hour later, we pulled into the gas station (which was about 500 meters from Symbio, and still about 5 KM from home).

Anyways, G was good and thankfully we made it home safe and dry.  Of course, by then, it was 10pm… but at least I had good company.

So, where does one go in Beijing for anything with an electronics chip in it? Well, THE electronics hub, ZhongGuanCun, of course.

With great optimism and enthusiasm I began the torrid shopping experience, fending off unwanted salesperson after unwanted salesperson, diligently checking prices with various vendors along the way. After a while I found that most vendors either don’t have stock, or are asking for an exuberant price. Sadness.

Eventually I happened upon a stall which had the product, and at a very competitive price. I bit. The vendor eagerly showed me the product and asked if it was satisfactory (much like a waiter seeking the approval of a wine before pouring). After the perfunctory checks and nods, money changed hands, and the vendor proceeded to send the phone off for unlocking, breaking the AT*T shackles, so it could be used in China. All was well :) As I wait, a few of the sales people talked me up regarding mobile phone trends. The more they talked the more it became obvious they have little idea what they were talking about. Eventually it became evident that they were trying to upsell me to a more expensive phone. This, I found odd, considering I just made my purchase from them.

After about half an hour of waiting for the jailbreak I decided to look for some food, hoping that by lunch’s end, my prize would be ready and waiting.

Over an hour later, I returned to be told that it’s still being unlocked – a 15 minute procedure. In the meantime, they sales staff continued to press me to upgrade. “If you go with this [other] model, you won’t have to wait for an unlock, you can just take it now.” That was when I started to get nervous. My questions began to get more pointed. I asked where the phone was. Nobody knew. The sales person I had dealt with apparently had gone to lunch. I demanded my phone, which I had already paid for. “I’m not the person you paid, so don’t demand anything from me… I said you have to wait, so you just have to wait!” That was it. I stormed off saying I was getting the police. At that point someone among the staff stopped me and in a more polite tone said that there were problems unlocking the phone and they couldn’t do it. He handed me my cash back. End of transaction – a very unpleasant, but seemingly typical one.

Lesson learned: exchange of money for product must happen at the exact same time!