Paying attention assignment for a Crash Course on Creativity: Go to at least 6 different stores. They can be at the same shopping center or different locations. Spend at least 15 minutes in each store making OBSERVATIONS. Create a presentation that captures your INSIGHTS and HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES.

1. Paying Attention
By Michele Lenhart
Intuition
6 stores  6 senses  6 speculations

2. 1. Stores that put pictures of smiling
faces and welcome notes near the
front entrance tend to have employees
who seem less happy to be working.

3. 2. It appears that the bigger the
footprint of the building, the higher
the ceilings tend to be.

4. 3. The larger the store, the more
durable the flooring appears to be.
Small mom & pop shop vs. big box store

5. 4. Decor in stores reflects an image
they want to not necessarily the
customers shopping there.
Auto shop décor very masculine: most Department store with fragile displays: most
customers were female. customers were families with young children.

6. 5. If there is music playing or TV on in
the store, the atmosphere tends to be
less relaxing than stores without any
media playing.

7. 6. No matter the store, customers
appear to know what to do upon
entering. Perhaps they are returning,
or perhaps these stores set up in a way
that people can intuitively figure out
what to do.