• Ah, the latest buzz: "Why Alexa+ is an unparalleled opportunity for brands." Because who wouldn’t want to chat with a smart speaker that’s just as likely to sell you a kitchen gadget as it is to provide you with the weather? Forget genuine human interaction; it’s all about that sweet, sweet conversion. Why connect with your audience when you can just let Alexa do the talking (and selling) for you?

    After all, nothing screams brand loyalty quite like a device that knows your shopping habits better than your spouse. "Alexa, please remind me to question my life choices as I add yet another unnecessary item to my cart!"

    Embrace the future, folks!

    #AlexaPlus #BrandOpportunities #SmartSelling #Digital
    Ah, the latest buzz: "Why Alexa+ is an unparalleled opportunity for brands." Because who wouldn’t want to chat with a smart speaker that’s just as likely to sell you a kitchen gadget as it is to provide you with the weather? Forget genuine human interaction; it’s all about that sweet, sweet conversion. Why connect with your audience when you can just let Alexa do the talking (and selling) for you? After all, nothing screams brand loyalty quite like a device that knows your shopping habits better than your spouse. "Alexa, please remind me to question my life choices as I add yet another unnecessary item to my cart!" Embrace the future, folks! #AlexaPlus #BrandOpportunities #SmartSelling #Digital
    WWW.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM
    Why Alexa+ is an unparalleled opportunity for brands
    This isn't just about conversation; it's about conversion
    1 Reacties 0 aandelen
  • Retail Reboot: Major Global Brands Transform End-to-End Operations With NVIDIA

    AI is packing and shipping efficiency for the retail and consumer packaged goodsindustries, with a majority of surveyed companies in the space reporting the technology is increasing revenue and reducing operational costs.
    Global brands are reimagining every facet of their businesses with AI, from how products are designed and manufactured to how they’re marketed, shipped and experienced in-store and online.
    At NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech, industry leaders including L’Oréal, LVMH and Nestlé shared how they’re using tools like AI agents and physical AI — powered by NVIDIA AI and simulation technologies — across every step of the product lifecycle to enhance operations and experiences for partners, customers and employees.
    3D Digital Twins and AI Transform Marketing, Advertising and Product Design
    The meeting of generative AI and 3D product digital twins results in unlimited creative potential.
    Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA and Accenture to launch a new, AI-powered in-house service that will create high-quality product content at scale for e-commerce and digital media channels.
    The new content service, based on digital twins powered by the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, creates exact 3D virtual replicas of physical products. Product packaging can be adjusted or localized digitally, enabling seamless integration into various environments, such as seasonal campaigns or channel-specific formats. This means that new creative content can be generated without having to constantly reshoot from scratch.
    Image courtesy of Nestlé
    The service is developed in partnership with Accenture Song, using Accenture AI Refinery built on NVIDIA Omniverse for advanced digital twin creation. It uses NVIDIA AI Enterprise for generative AI, hosted on Microsoft Azure for robust cloud infrastructure.
    Nestlé already has a baseline of 4,000 3D digital products — mainly for global brands — with the ambition to convert a total of 10,000 products into digital twins in the next two years across global and local brands.
    LVMH, the world’s leading luxury goods company, home to 75 distinguished maisons, is bringing 3D digital twins to its content production processes through its wine and spirits division, Moët Hennessy.
    The group partnered with content configuration engine Grip to develop a solution using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, which enables the creation of 3D digital twins that power content variation production. With Grip’s solution, Moët Hennessy teams can quickly generate digital marketing assets and experiences to promote luxury products at scale.
    The initiative, led by Capucine Lafarge and Chloé Fournier, has been recognized by LVMH as a leading approach to scaling content creation.
    Image courtesy of Grip
    L’Oréal Gives Marketing and Online Shopping an AI Makeover
    Innovation starts at the drawing board. Today, that board is digital — and it’s powered by AI.
    L’Oréal Groupe, the world’s leading beauty player, announced its collaboration with NVIDIA today. Through this collaboration, L’Oréal and its partner ecosystem will leverage the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform to transform its consumer beauty experiences, marketing and advertising content pipelines.
    “AI doesn’t think with the same constraints as a human being. That opens new avenues for creativity,” said Anne Machet, global head of content and entertainment at L’Oréal. “Generative AI enables our teams and partner agencies to explore creative possibilities.”
    CreAItech, L’Oréal’s generative AI content platform, is augmenting the creativity of marketing and content teams. Combining a modular ecosystem of models, expertise, technologies and partners — including NVIDIA — CreAltech empowers marketers to generate thousands of unique, on-brand images, videos and lines of text for diverse platforms and global audiences.
    The solution empowers L’Oréal’s marketing teams to quickly iterate on campaigns that improve consumer engagement across social media, e-commerce content and influencer marketing — driving higher conversion rates.

    Noli.com, the first AI-powered multi-brand marketplace startup founded and backed by the  L’Oréal Groupe, is reinventing how people discover and shop for beauty products.
    Noli’s AI Beauty Matchmaker experience uses L’Oréal Groupe’s century-long expertise in beauty, including its extensive knowledge of beauty science, beauty tech and consumer insights, built from over 1 million skin data points and analysis of thousands of product formulations. It gives users a BeautyDNA profile with expert-level guidance and personalized product recommendations for skincare and haircare.
    “Beauty shoppers are often overwhelmed by choice and struggling to find the products that are right for them,” said Amos Susskind, founder and CEO of Noli. “By applying the latest AI models accelerated by NVIDIA and Accenture to the unparalleled knowledge base and expertise of the L’Oréal Groupe, we can provide hyper-personalized, explainable recommendations to our users.” 

    The Accenture AI Refinery, powered by NVIDIA AI Enterprise, will provide the platform for Noli to experiment and scale. Noli’s new agent models will use NVIDIA NIM and NVIDIA NeMo microservices, including NeMo Retriever, running on Microsoft Azure.
    Rapid Innovation With the NVIDIA Partner Ecosystem
    NVIDIA’s ecosystem of solution provider partners empowers retail and CPG companies to innovate faster, personalize customer experiences, and optimize operations with NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI.
    Global digital agency Monks is reshaping the landscape of AI-driven marketing, creative production and enterprise transformation. At the heart of their innovation lies the Monks.Flow platform that enhances both the speed and sophistication of creative workflows through NVIDIA Omniverse, NVIDIA NIM microservices and Triton Inference Server for lightning-fast inference.
    AI image solutions provider Bria is helping retail giants like Lidl and L’Oreal to enhance marketing asset creation. Bria AI transforms static product images into compelling, dynamic advertisements that can be quickly scaled for use across any marketing need.
    The company’s generative AI platform uses NVIDIA Triton Inference Server software and the NVIDIA TensorRT software development kit for accelerated inference, as well as NVIDIA NIM and NeMo microservices for quick image generation at scale.
    Physical AI Brings Acceleration to Supply Chain and Logistics
    AI’s impact extends far beyond the digital world. Physical AI-powered warehousing robots, for example, are helping maximize efficiency in retail supply chain operations. Four in five retail companies have reported that AI has helped reduce supply chain operational costs, with 25% reporting cost reductions of at least 10%.
    Technology providers Lyric, KoiReader Technologies and Exotec are tackling the challenges of integrating AI into complex warehouse environments.
    Lyric is using the NVIDIA cuOpt GPU-accelerated solver for warehouse network planning and route optimization, and is collaborating with NVIDIA to apply the technology to broader supply chain decision-making problems. KoiReader Technologies is tapping the NVIDIA Metropolis stack for its computer vision solutions within logistics, supply chain and manufacturing environments using the KoiVision Platform. And Exotec is using NVIDIA CUDA libraries and the NVIDIA JetPack software development kit for embedded robotic systems in warehouse and distribution centers.
    From real-time robotics orchestration to predictive maintenance, these solutions are delivering impact on uptime, throughput and cost savings for supply chain operations.
    Learn more by joining a follow-up discussion on digital twins and AI-powered creativity with Microsoft, Nestlé, Accenture and NVIDIA at Cannes Lions on Monday, June 16.
    Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at VivaTech, and explore GTC Paris sessions.
    #retail #reboot #major #global #brands
    Retail Reboot: Major Global Brands Transform End-to-End Operations With NVIDIA
    AI is packing and shipping efficiency for the retail and consumer packaged goodsindustries, with a majority of surveyed companies in the space reporting the technology is increasing revenue and reducing operational costs. Global brands are reimagining every facet of their businesses with AI, from how products are designed and manufactured to how they’re marketed, shipped and experienced in-store and online. At NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech, industry leaders including L’Oréal, LVMH and Nestlé shared how they’re using tools like AI agents and physical AI — powered by NVIDIA AI and simulation technologies — across every step of the product lifecycle to enhance operations and experiences for partners, customers and employees. 3D Digital Twins and AI Transform Marketing, Advertising and Product Design The meeting of generative AI and 3D product digital twins results in unlimited creative potential. Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA and Accenture to launch a new, AI-powered in-house service that will create high-quality product content at scale for e-commerce and digital media channels. The new content service, based on digital twins powered by the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, creates exact 3D virtual replicas of physical products. Product packaging can be adjusted or localized digitally, enabling seamless integration into various environments, such as seasonal campaigns or channel-specific formats. This means that new creative content can be generated without having to constantly reshoot from scratch. Image courtesy of Nestlé The service is developed in partnership with Accenture Song, using Accenture AI Refinery built on NVIDIA Omniverse for advanced digital twin creation. It uses NVIDIA AI Enterprise for generative AI, hosted on Microsoft Azure for robust cloud infrastructure. Nestlé already has a baseline of 4,000 3D digital products — mainly for global brands — with the ambition to convert a total of 10,000 products into digital twins in the next two years across global and local brands. LVMH, the world’s leading luxury goods company, home to 75 distinguished maisons, is bringing 3D digital twins to its content production processes through its wine and spirits division, Moët Hennessy. The group partnered with content configuration engine Grip to develop a solution using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, which enables the creation of 3D digital twins that power content variation production. With Grip’s solution, Moët Hennessy teams can quickly generate digital marketing assets and experiences to promote luxury products at scale. The initiative, led by Capucine Lafarge and Chloé Fournier, has been recognized by LVMH as a leading approach to scaling content creation. Image courtesy of Grip L’Oréal Gives Marketing and Online Shopping an AI Makeover Innovation starts at the drawing board. Today, that board is digital — and it’s powered by AI. L’Oréal Groupe, the world’s leading beauty player, announced its collaboration with NVIDIA today. Through this collaboration, L’Oréal and its partner ecosystem will leverage the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform to transform its consumer beauty experiences, marketing and advertising content pipelines. “AI doesn’t think with the same constraints as a human being. That opens new avenues for creativity,” said Anne Machet, global head of content and entertainment at L’Oréal. “Generative AI enables our teams and partner agencies to explore creative possibilities.” CreAItech, L’Oréal’s generative AI content platform, is augmenting the creativity of marketing and content teams. Combining a modular ecosystem of models, expertise, technologies and partners — including NVIDIA — CreAltech empowers marketers to generate thousands of unique, on-brand images, videos and lines of text for diverse platforms and global audiences. The solution empowers L’Oréal’s marketing teams to quickly iterate on campaigns that improve consumer engagement across social media, e-commerce content and influencer marketing — driving higher conversion rates. Noli.com, the first AI-powered multi-brand marketplace startup founded and backed by the  L’Oréal Groupe, is reinventing how people discover and shop for beauty products. Noli’s AI Beauty Matchmaker experience uses L’Oréal Groupe’s century-long expertise in beauty, including its extensive knowledge of beauty science, beauty tech and consumer insights, built from over 1 million skin data points and analysis of thousands of product formulations. It gives users a BeautyDNA profile with expert-level guidance and personalized product recommendations for skincare and haircare. “Beauty shoppers are often overwhelmed by choice and struggling to find the products that are right for them,” said Amos Susskind, founder and CEO of Noli. “By applying the latest AI models accelerated by NVIDIA and Accenture to the unparalleled knowledge base and expertise of the L’Oréal Groupe, we can provide hyper-personalized, explainable recommendations to our users.”  The Accenture AI Refinery, powered by NVIDIA AI Enterprise, will provide the platform for Noli to experiment and scale. Noli’s new agent models will use NVIDIA NIM and NVIDIA NeMo microservices, including NeMo Retriever, running on Microsoft Azure. Rapid Innovation With the NVIDIA Partner Ecosystem NVIDIA’s ecosystem of solution provider partners empowers retail and CPG companies to innovate faster, personalize customer experiences, and optimize operations with NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI. Global digital agency Monks is reshaping the landscape of AI-driven marketing, creative production and enterprise transformation. At the heart of their innovation lies the Monks.Flow platform that enhances both the speed and sophistication of creative workflows through NVIDIA Omniverse, NVIDIA NIM microservices and Triton Inference Server for lightning-fast inference. AI image solutions provider Bria is helping retail giants like Lidl and L’Oreal to enhance marketing asset creation. Bria AI transforms static product images into compelling, dynamic advertisements that can be quickly scaled for use across any marketing need. The company’s generative AI platform uses NVIDIA Triton Inference Server software and the NVIDIA TensorRT software development kit for accelerated inference, as well as NVIDIA NIM and NeMo microservices for quick image generation at scale. Physical AI Brings Acceleration to Supply Chain and Logistics AI’s impact extends far beyond the digital world. Physical AI-powered warehousing robots, for example, are helping maximize efficiency in retail supply chain operations. Four in five retail companies have reported that AI has helped reduce supply chain operational costs, with 25% reporting cost reductions of at least 10%. Technology providers Lyric, KoiReader Technologies and Exotec are tackling the challenges of integrating AI into complex warehouse environments. Lyric is using the NVIDIA cuOpt GPU-accelerated solver for warehouse network planning and route optimization, and is collaborating with NVIDIA to apply the technology to broader supply chain decision-making problems. KoiReader Technologies is tapping the NVIDIA Metropolis stack for its computer vision solutions within logistics, supply chain and manufacturing environments using the KoiVision Platform. And Exotec is using NVIDIA CUDA libraries and the NVIDIA JetPack software development kit for embedded robotic systems in warehouse and distribution centers. From real-time robotics orchestration to predictive maintenance, these solutions are delivering impact on uptime, throughput and cost savings for supply chain operations. Learn more by joining a follow-up discussion on digital twins and AI-powered creativity with Microsoft, Nestlé, Accenture and NVIDIA at Cannes Lions on Monday, June 16. Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at VivaTech, and explore GTC Paris sessions. #retail #reboot #major #global #brands
    BLOGS.NVIDIA.COM
    Retail Reboot: Major Global Brands Transform End-to-End Operations With NVIDIA
    AI is packing and shipping efficiency for the retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries, with a majority of surveyed companies in the space reporting the technology is increasing revenue and reducing operational costs. Global brands are reimagining every facet of their businesses with AI, from how products are designed and manufactured to how they’re marketed, shipped and experienced in-store and online. At NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech, industry leaders including L’Oréal, LVMH and Nestlé shared how they’re using tools like AI agents and physical AI — powered by NVIDIA AI and simulation technologies — across every step of the product lifecycle to enhance operations and experiences for partners, customers and employees. 3D Digital Twins and AI Transform Marketing, Advertising and Product Design The meeting of generative AI and 3D product digital twins results in unlimited creative potential. Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA and Accenture to launch a new, AI-powered in-house service that will create high-quality product content at scale for e-commerce and digital media channels. The new content service, based on digital twins powered by the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, creates exact 3D virtual replicas of physical products. Product packaging can be adjusted or localized digitally, enabling seamless integration into various environments, such as seasonal campaigns or channel-specific formats. This means that new creative content can be generated without having to constantly reshoot from scratch. Image courtesy of Nestlé The service is developed in partnership with Accenture Song, using Accenture AI Refinery built on NVIDIA Omniverse for advanced digital twin creation. It uses NVIDIA AI Enterprise for generative AI, hosted on Microsoft Azure for robust cloud infrastructure. Nestlé already has a baseline of 4,000 3D digital products — mainly for global brands — with the ambition to convert a total of 10,000 products into digital twins in the next two years across global and local brands. LVMH, the world’s leading luxury goods company, home to 75 distinguished maisons, is bringing 3D digital twins to its content production processes through its wine and spirits division, Moët Hennessy. The group partnered with content configuration engine Grip to develop a solution using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, which enables the creation of 3D digital twins that power content variation production. With Grip’s solution, Moët Hennessy teams can quickly generate digital marketing assets and experiences to promote luxury products at scale. The initiative, led by Capucine Lafarge and Chloé Fournier, has been recognized by LVMH as a leading approach to scaling content creation. Image courtesy of Grip L’Oréal Gives Marketing and Online Shopping an AI Makeover Innovation starts at the drawing board. Today, that board is digital — and it’s powered by AI. L’Oréal Groupe, the world’s leading beauty player, announced its collaboration with NVIDIA today. Through this collaboration, L’Oréal and its partner ecosystem will leverage the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform to transform its consumer beauty experiences, marketing and advertising content pipelines. “AI doesn’t think with the same constraints as a human being. That opens new avenues for creativity,” said Anne Machet, global head of content and entertainment at L’Oréal. “Generative AI enables our teams and partner agencies to explore creative possibilities.” CreAItech, L’Oréal’s generative AI content platform, is augmenting the creativity of marketing and content teams. Combining a modular ecosystem of models, expertise, technologies and partners — including NVIDIA — CreAltech empowers marketers to generate thousands of unique, on-brand images, videos and lines of text for diverse platforms and global audiences. The solution empowers L’Oréal’s marketing teams to quickly iterate on campaigns that improve consumer engagement across social media, e-commerce content and influencer marketing — driving higher conversion rates. Noli.com, the first AI-powered multi-brand marketplace startup founded and backed by the  L’Oréal Groupe, is reinventing how people discover and shop for beauty products. Noli’s AI Beauty Matchmaker experience uses L’Oréal Groupe’s century-long expertise in beauty, including its extensive knowledge of beauty science, beauty tech and consumer insights, built from over 1 million skin data points and analysis of thousands of product formulations. It gives users a BeautyDNA profile with expert-level guidance and personalized product recommendations for skincare and haircare. “Beauty shoppers are often overwhelmed by choice and struggling to find the products that are right for them,” said Amos Susskind, founder and CEO of Noli. “By applying the latest AI models accelerated by NVIDIA and Accenture to the unparalleled knowledge base and expertise of the L’Oréal Groupe, we can provide hyper-personalized, explainable recommendations to our users.”  https://blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Noli_Demo.mp4 The Accenture AI Refinery, powered by NVIDIA AI Enterprise, will provide the platform for Noli to experiment and scale. Noli’s new agent models will use NVIDIA NIM and NVIDIA NeMo microservices, including NeMo Retriever, running on Microsoft Azure. Rapid Innovation With the NVIDIA Partner Ecosystem NVIDIA’s ecosystem of solution provider partners empowers retail and CPG companies to innovate faster, personalize customer experiences, and optimize operations with NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI. Global digital agency Monks is reshaping the landscape of AI-driven marketing, creative production and enterprise transformation. At the heart of their innovation lies the Monks.Flow platform that enhances both the speed and sophistication of creative workflows through NVIDIA Omniverse, NVIDIA NIM microservices and Triton Inference Server for lightning-fast inference. AI image solutions provider Bria is helping retail giants like Lidl and L’Oreal to enhance marketing asset creation. Bria AI transforms static product images into compelling, dynamic advertisements that can be quickly scaled for use across any marketing need. The company’s generative AI platform uses NVIDIA Triton Inference Server software and the NVIDIA TensorRT software development kit for accelerated inference, as well as NVIDIA NIM and NeMo microservices for quick image generation at scale. Physical AI Brings Acceleration to Supply Chain and Logistics AI’s impact extends far beyond the digital world. Physical AI-powered warehousing robots, for example, are helping maximize efficiency in retail supply chain operations. Four in five retail companies have reported that AI has helped reduce supply chain operational costs, with 25% reporting cost reductions of at least 10%. Technology providers Lyric, KoiReader Technologies and Exotec are tackling the challenges of integrating AI into complex warehouse environments. Lyric is using the NVIDIA cuOpt GPU-accelerated solver for warehouse network planning and route optimization, and is collaborating with NVIDIA to apply the technology to broader supply chain decision-making problems. KoiReader Technologies is tapping the NVIDIA Metropolis stack for its computer vision solutions within logistics, supply chain and manufacturing environments using the KoiVision Platform. And Exotec is using NVIDIA CUDA libraries and the NVIDIA JetPack software development kit for embedded robotic systems in warehouse and distribution centers. From real-time robotics orchestration to predictive maintenance, these solutions are delivering impact on uptime, throughput and cost savings for supply chain operations. Learn more by joining a follow-up discussion on digital twins and AI-powered creativity with Microsoft, Nestlé, Accenture and NVIDIA at Cannes Lions on Monday, June 16. Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at VivaTech, and explore GTC Paris sessions.
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  • So, Target decided to play Santa Claus after the disastrous pre-order experience for the Switch 2. You know, just a little late gift to say "Sorry for the wait, here’s a $50 gift card!" Because nothing says "we care" quite like a slap on the wrist with a plastic card. I mean, who needs timely deliveries when you can have a little shopping spree to distract from the agony of waiting days for your shiny new console? Bravo, Target, truly a masterclass in customer service!

    #Target #Switch2 #CustomerServiceFail #GiftCardGimmick #LateIsTheNewOnTime
    So, Target decided to play Santa Claus after the disastrous pre-order experience for the Switch 2. You know, just a little late gift to say "Sorry for the wait, here’s a $50 gift card!" Because nothing says "we care" quite like a slap on the wrist with a plastic card. I mean, who needs timely deliveries when you can have a little shopping spree to distract from the agony of waiting days for your shiny new console? Bravo, Target, truly a masterclass in customer service! #Target #Switch2 #CustomerServiceFail #GiftCardGimmick #LateIsTheNewOnTime
    KOTAKU.COM
    Target Making Up For Bungled Switch 2 Deliveries With $50 Gift Cards
    Pre-ordering a Switch 2 was a horrible, terrible experience. And on top of all the bullshit involved in just securing one in the first place, if you were able to snag one through Target, you might not have gotten your Switch until a few days after it
    1 Reacties 0 aandelen
  • In a world overflowing with data, have you ever wondered about the magic of data analysis? It's not just about numbers; it's about transforming information into powerful decisions that can change lives! Imagine being able to see patterns in your daily choices, from online shopping to your favorite tunes!

    Learning data analysis opens up a universe of possibilities. It empowers you to interpret information and make informed decisions that can lead to success, whether personally or professionally. So, why not dive into this fascinating world? Every bit of data is a stepping stone to your dreams!

    Let’s embrace the journey of understanding data and unravel the incredible stories it tells! Together, we can make a difference!
    🚀✨ In a world overflowing with data, have you ever wondered about the magic of data analysis? 🌍💡 It's not just about numbers; it's about transforming information into powerful decisions that can change lives! Imagine being able to see patterns in your daily choices, from online shopping to your favorite tunes! 🎵💳 Learning data analysis opens up a universe of possibilities. It empowers you to interpret information and make informed decisions that can lead to success, whether personally or professionally. So, why not dive into this fascinating world? Every bit of data is a stepping stone to your dreams! 🌈📈 Let’s embrace the journey of understanding data and unravel the incredible stories it tells! Together, we can make a difference!
    ¿Qué es el análisis de datos y por qué aprenderlo?
    Vivimos en un mundo donde los datos están por todas partes. Desde las compras que haces online hasta la música que escuchas o las decisiones que toma una empresa… todo genera información. Pero esos datos, por sí solos, no significan nada. Lo qu
    1 Reacties 0 aandelen
  • Competition: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria

    An open international competition is being held to transform the central market area of Pazardzhik, BulgariaThe ‘Pazardzhik Central Market Area’ competition – organised by OPTIMISTAS on behalf of the Municipality of Pazardzhik – seeks innovative urban and architectural solutions to revitalise the historic market zone which serves as a key commercial and social hub for the wider city centre.
    The competition invites participants to propose a new vision for one of the city’s most significant public spaces located a short distance from Mineral Baths Park, Saedinenie Square and a shopping centre. The project aims to deliver a contemporary, multifunctional public space that strengthens the identity and vibrancy of Pazardzhik.
    Competition site: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria

    According to the brief: ‘This is a unique opportunity for creators from all over the world to contribute to the development of Pazardzhik’s central area with ideas that preserve cultural heritage and inspire future generations.
    ‘A chance is emerging for bold architectural and urban inspiration that will confidently combine history with modernity, creating a new recognisable face for the city.
    ‘The Municipality of Pazardzhik believes that responsibility towards the urban environment is a duty to both past and future generations.
    ‘The launch of this competition demonstrates our choice to plan thoughtfully, create carefully, and attract ideas with an open heart. The responsibility to preserve and develop the spirit of the city market is our mission and commitment to the city and its residents.’
    Located 112km southeast of Sofia, Pazardzhik – named after the Turkish word for market – is a historic city on the banks of the Maritsa River with around 50,000 inhabitants. The latest contest comes less than a year after an international contest was held to upgrade the historic market square of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria.
    The latest competition calls for a new vision for Pazardzhik’s main market – reorganising trading spaces, improving pedestrian and cycling access, integrating greenery and relaxation zones, resolving vehicle and parking issues and ensuring accessibility.
    The contest site, located in the heart of Pazardzhik, is characterised by its historic market function, proximity to key civic and cultural institutions, and its potential to serve as a catalyst for broader urban regeneration.
    Designs will be expected to include covered and open market areas, modern amenities and multifunctional, year-round public space.
    The competition is open to all Bulgarian and international architects. The competition language is Bulgarian and submissions will be assessed anonymously by a yet-to-be-announced jury featuring seven international members.
    Submissions will be evaluated 25 per cent on urban concept, 25 per cent on functional solution, 20 per cent on innovation, 20 per cent on design and 10 per cent on project value.
    The overall winner – due to be announced on 17 September – will receive a €7,500 prize while a second prize of €5,000 and third prize of €2,500 will also be awarded. The winning team will also be invited to negotiate for an estimated €75,000 contract for further design development and the implementation of their proposal.

    How to apply
    Deadline: 1 September

    Competition funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik
    Project funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik
    Owner of site: Municipality of Pazardzhik
    Contact: pazardzhikmarket@competition.bgVisit the competition website for more information
    #competition #pazardzhik #market #bulgaria
    Competition: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria
    An open international competition is being held to transform the central market area of Pazardzhik, BulgariaThe ‘Pazardzhik Central Market Area’ competition – organised by OPTIMISTAS on behalf of the Municipality of Pazardzhik – seeks innovative urban and architectural solutions to revitalise the historic market zone which serves as a key commercial and social hub for the wider city centre. The competition invites participants to propose a new vision for one of the city’s most significant public spaces located a short distance from Mineral Baths Park, Saedinenie Square and a shopping centre. The project aims to deliver a contemporary, multifunctional public space that strengthens the identity and vibrancy of Pazardzhik. Competition site: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria According to the brief: ‘This is a unique opportunity for creators from all over the world to contribute to the development of Pazardzhik’s central area with ideas that preserve cultural heritage and inspire future generations. ‘A chance is emerging for bold architectural and urban inspiration that will confidently combine history with modernity, creating a new recognisable face for the city. ‘The Municipality of Pazardzhik believes that responsibility towards the urban environment is a duty to both past and future generations. ‘The launch of this competition demonstrates our choice to plan thoughtfully, create carefully, and attract ideas with an open heart. The responsibility to preserve and develop the spirit of the city market is our mission and commitment to the city and its residents.’ Located 112km southeast of Sofia, Pazardzhik – named after the Turkish word for market – is a historic city on the banks of the Maritsa River with around 50,000 inhabitants. The latest contest comes less than a year after an international contest was held to upgrade the historic market square of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria. The latest competition calls for a new vision for Pazardzhik’s main market – reorganising trading spaces, improving pedestrian and cycling access, integrating greenery and relaxation zones, resolving vehicle and parking issues and ensuring accessibility. The contest site, located in the heart of Pazardzhik, is characterised by its historic market function, proximity to key civic and cultural institutions, and its potential to serve as a catalyst for broader urban regeneration. Designs will be expected to include covered and open market areas, modern amenities and multifunctional, year-round public space. The competition is open to all Bulgarian and international architects. The competition language is Bulgarian and submissions will be assessed anonymously by a yet-to-be-announced jury featuring seven international members. Submissions will be evaluated 25 per cent on urban concept, 25 per cent on functional solution, 20 per cent on innovation, 20 per cent on design and 10 per cent on project value. The overall winner – due to be announced on 17 September – will receive a €7,500 prize while a second prize of €5,000 and third prize of €2,500 will also be awarded. The winning team will also be invited to negotiate for an estimated €75,000 contract for further design development and the implementation of their proposal. How to apply Deadline: 1 September Competition funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik Project funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik Owner of site: Municipality of Pazardzhik Contact: pazardzhikmarket@competition.bgVisit the competition website for more information #competition #pazardzhik #market #bulgaria
    WWW.ARCHITECTURAL-REVIEW.COM
    Competition: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria
    An open international competition is being held to transform the central market area of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria (Deadline: 1 September) The ‘Pazardzhik Central Market Area’ competition – organised by OPTIMISTAS on behalf of the Municipality of Pazardzhik – seeks innovative urban and architectural solutions to revitalise the historic market zone which serves as a key commercial and social hub for the wider city centre. The competition invites participants to propose a new vision for one of the city’s most significant public spaces located a short distance from Mineral Baths Park, Saedinenie Square and a shopping centre. The project aims to deliver a contemporary, multifunctional public space that strengthens the identity and vibrancy of Pazardzhik. Competition site: Pazardzhik market, Bulgaria According to the brief: ‘This is a unique opportunity for creators from all over the world to contribute to the development of Pazardzhik’s central area with ideas that preserve cultural heritage and inspire future generations. ‘A chance is emerging for bold architectural and urban inspiration that will confidently combine history with modernity, creating a new recognisable face for the city. ‘The Municipality of Pazardzhik believes that responsibility towards the urban environment is a duty to both past and future generations. ‘The launch of this competition demonstrates our choice to plan thoughtfully, create carefully, and attract ideas with an open heart. The responsibility to preserve and develop the spirit of the city market is our mission and commitment to the city and its residents.’ Located 112km southeast of Sofia, Pazardzhik – named after the Turkish word for market – is a historic city on the banks of the Maritsa River with around 50,000 inhabitants. The latest contest comes less than a year after an international contest was held to upgrade the historic market square of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria. The latest competition calls for a new vision for Pazardzhik’s main market – reorganising trading spaces, improving pedestrian and cycling access, integrating greenery and relaxation zones, resolving vehicle and parking issues and ensuring accessibility. The contest site, located in the heart of Pazardzhik, is characterised by its historic market function, proximity to key civic and cultural institutions, and its potential to serve as a catalyst for broader urban regeneration. Designs will be expected to include covered and open market areas, modern amenities and multifunctional, year-round public space. The competition is open to all Bulgarian and international architects. The competition language is Bulgarian and submissions will be assessed anonymously by a yet-to-be-announced jury featuring seven international members. Submissions will be evaluated 25 per cent on urban concept, 25 per cent on functional solution, 20 per cent on innovation, 20 per cent on design and 10 per cent on project value. The overall winner – due to be announced on 17 September – will receive a €7,500 prize while a second prize of €5,000 and third prize of €2,500 will also be awarded. The winning team will also be invited to negotiate for an estimated €75,000 contract for further design development and the implementation of their proposal. How to apply Deadline: 1 September Competition funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik Project funding source: Municipality of Pazardzhik Owner of site(s): Municipality of Pazardzhik Contact: pazardzhikmarket@competition.bgVisit the competition website for more information
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  • Why Designers Get Stuck In The Details And How To Stop

    You’ve drawn fifty versions of the same screen — and you still hate every one of them. Begrudgingly, you pick three, show them to your product manager, and hear: “Looks cool, but the idea doesn’t work.” Sound familiar?
    In this article, I’ll unpack why designers fall into detail work at the wrong moment, examining both process pitfalls and the underlying psychological reasons, as understanding these traps is the first step to overcoming them. I’ll also share tactics I use to climb out of that trap.
    Reason #1 You’re Afraid To Show Rough Work
    We designers worship detail. We’re taught that true craft equals razor‑sharp typography, perfect grids, and pixel precision. So the minute a task arrives, we pop open Figma and start polishing long before polish is needed.
    I’ve skipped the sketch phase more times than I care to admit. I told myself it would be faster, yet I always ended up spending hours producing a tidy mock‑up when a scribbled thumbnail would have sparked a five‑minute chat with my product manager. Rough sketches felt “unprofessional,” so I hid them.
    The cost? Lost time, wasted energy — and, by the third redo, teammates were quietly wondering if I even understood the brief.
    The real problem here is the habit: we open Figma and start perfecting the UI before we’ve even solved the problem.
    So why do we hide these rough sketches? It’s not just a bad habit or plain silly. There are solid psychological reasons behind it. We often just call it perfectionism, but it’s deeper than wanting things neat. Digging into the psychologyshows there are a couple of flavors driving this:

    Socially prescribed perfectionismIt’s that nagging feeling that everyone else expects perfect work from you, which makes showing anything rough feel like walking into the lion’s den.
    Self-oriented perfectionismWhere you’re the one setting impossibly high standards for yourself, leading to brutal self-criticism if anything looks slightly off.

    Either way, the result’s the same: showing unfinished work feels wrong, and you miss out on that vital early feedback.
    Back to the design side, remember that clients rarely see architects’ first pencil sketches, but these sketches still exist; they guide structural choices before the 3D render. Treat your thumbnails the same way — artifacts meant to collapse uncertainty, not portfolio pieces. Once stakeholders see the upside, roughness becomes a badge of speed, not sloppiness. So, the key is to consciously make that shift:
    Treat early sketches as disposable tools for thinking and actively share them to get feedback faster.

    Reason #2: You Fix The Symptom, Not The Cause
    Before tackling any task, we need to understand what business outcome we’re aiming for. Product managers might come to us asking to enlarge the payment button in the shopping cart because users aren’t noticing it. The suggested solution itself isn’t necessarily bad, but before redesigning the button, we should ask, “What data suggests they aren’t noticing it?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your product manager. On the contrary, these questions help ensure you’re on the same page and working with the same data.
    From my experience, here are several reasons why users might not be clicking that coveted button:

    Users don’t understand that this step is for payment.
    They understand it’s about payment but expect order confirmation first.
    Due to incorrect translation, users don’t understand what the button means.
    Lack of trust signals.
    Unexpected additional coststhat appear at this stage.
    Technical issues.

    Now, imagine you simply did what the manager suggested. Would you have solved the problem? Hardly.
    Moreover, the responsibility for the unresolved issue would fall on you, as the interface solution lies within the design domain. The product manager actually did their job correctly by identifying a problem: suspiciously, few users are clicking the button.
    Psychologically, taking on this bigger role isn’t easy. It means overcoming the fear of making mistakes and the discomfort of exploring unclear problems rather than just doing tasks. This shift means seeing ourselves as partners who create value — even if it means fighting a hesitation to question product managers— and understanding that using our product logic expertise proactively is crucial for modern designers.
    There’s another critical reason why we, designers, need to be a bit like product managers: the rise of AI. I deliberately used a simple example about enlarging a button, but I’m confident that in the near future, AI will easily handle routine design tasks. This worries me, but at the same time, I’m already gladly stepping into the product manager’s territory: understanding product and business metrics, formulating hypotheses, conducting research, and so on. It might sound like I’m taking work away from PMs, but believe me, they undoubtedly have enough on their plates and are usually more than happy to delegate some responsibilities to designers.
    Reason #3: You’re Solving The Wrong Problem
    Before solving anything, ask whether the problem even deserves your attention.
    During a major home‑screen redesign, our goal was to drive more users into paid services. The initial hypothesis — making service buttons bigger and brighter might help returning users — seemed reasonable enough to test. However, even when A/B testsshowed minimal impact, we continued to tweak those buttons.
    Only later did it click: the home screen isn’t the place to sell; visitors open the app to start, not to buy. We removed that promo block, and nothing broke. Contextual entry points deeper into the journey performed brilliantly. Lesson learned:
    Without the right context, any visual tweak is lipstick on a pig.

    Why did we get stuck polishing buttons instead of stopping sooner? It’s easy to get tunnel vision. Psychologically, it’s likely the good old sunk cost fallacy kicking in: we’d already invested time in the buttons, so stopping felt like wasting that effort, even though the data wasn’t promising.
    It’s just easier to keep fiddling with something familiar than to admit we need a new plan. Perhaps the simple question I should have asked myself when results stalled was: “Are we optimizing the right thing or just polishing something that fundamentally doesn’t fit the user’s primary goal here?” That alone might have saved hours.
    Reason #4: You’re Drowning In Unactionable Feedback
    We all discuss our work with colleagues. But here’s a crucial point: what kind of question do you pose to kick off that discussion? If your go-to is “What do you think?” well, that question might lead you down a rabbit hole of personal opinions rather than actionable insights. While experienced colleagues will cut through the noise, others, unsure what to evaluate, might comment on anything and everything — fonts, button colors, even when you desperately need to discuss a user flow.
    What matters here are two things:

    The question you ask,
    The context you give.

    That means clearly stating the problem, what you’ve learned, and how your idea aims to fix it.
    For instance:
    “The problem is our payment conversion rate has dropped by X%. I’ve interviewed users and found they abandon payment because they don’t understand how the total amount is calculated. My solution is to show a detailed cost breakdown. Do you think this actually solves the problem for them?”

    Here, you’ve stated the problem, shared your insight, explained your solution, and asked a direct question. It’s even better if you prepare a list of specific sub-questions. For instance: “Are all items in the cost breakdown clear?” or “Does the placement of this breakdown feel intuitive within the payment flow?”
    Another good habit is to keep your rough sketches and previous iterations handy. Some of your colleagues’ suggestions might be things you’ve already tried. It’s great if you can discuss them immediately to either revisit those ideas or definitively set them aside.
    I’m not a psychologist, but experience tells me that, psychologically, the reluctance to be this specific often stems from a fear of our solution being rejected. We tend to internalize feedback: a seemingly innocent comment like, “Have you considered other ways to organize this section?” or “Perhaps explore a different structure for this part?” can instantly morph in our minds into “You completely messed up the structure. You’re a bad designer.” Imposter syndrome, in all its glory.
    So, to wrap up this point, here are two recommendations:

    Prepare for every design discussion.A couple of focused questions will yield far more valuable input than a vague “So, what do you think?”.
    Actively work on separating feedback on your design from your self-worth.If a mistake is pointed out, acknowledge it, learn from it, and you’ll be less likely to repeat it. This is often easier said than done. For me, it took years of working with a psychotherapist. If you struggle with this, I sincerely wish you strength in overcoming it.

    Reason #5 You’re Just Tired
    Sometimes, the issue isn’t strategic at all — it’s fatigue. Fussing over icon corners can feel like a cozy bunker when your brain is fried. There’s a name for this: decision fatigue. Basically, your brain’s battery for hard thinking is low, so it hides out in the easy, comfy zone of pixel-pushing.
    A striking example comes from a New York Times article titled “Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?.” It described how judges deciding on release requests were far more likely to grant release early in the daycompared to late in the daysimply because their decision-making energy was depleted. Luckily, designers rarely hold someone’s freedom in their hands, but the example dramatically shows how fatigue can impact our judgment and productivity.
    What helps here:

    Swap tasks.Trade tickets with another designer; novelty resets your focus.
    Talk to another designer.If NDA permits, ask peers outside the team for a sanity check.
    Step away.Even a ten‑minute walk can do more than a double‑shot espresso.

    By the way, I came up with these ideas while walking around my office. I was lucky to work near a river, and those short walks quickly turned into a helpful habit.

    And one more trick that helps me snap out of detail mode early: if I catch myself making around 20 little tweaks — changing font weight, color, border radius — I just stop. Over time, it turned into a habit. I have a similar one with Instagram: by the third reel, my brain quietly asks, “Wait, weren’t we working?” Funny how that kind of nudge saves a ton of time.
    Four Steps I Use to Avoid Drowning In Detail
    Knowing these potential traps, here’s the practical process I use to stay on track:
    1. Define the Core Problem & Business Goal
    Before anything, dig deep: what’s the actual problem we’re solving, not just the requested task or a surface-level symptom? Ask ‘why’ repeatedly. What user pain or business need are we addressing? Then, state the clear business goal: “What metric am I moving, and do we have data to prove this is the right lever?” If retention is the goal, decide whether push reminders, gamification, or personalised content is the best route. The wrong lever, or tackling a symptom instead of the cause, dooms everything downstream.
    2. Choose the MechanicOnce the core problem and goal are clear, lock the solution principle or ‘mechanic’ first. Going with a game layer? Decide if it’s leaderboards, streaks, or badges. Write it down. Then move on. No UI yet. This keeps the focus high-level before diving into pixels.
    3. Wireframe the Flow & Get Focused Feedback
    Now open Figma. Map screens, layout, and transitions. Boxes and arrows are enough. Keep the fidelity low so the discussion stays on the flow, not colour. Crucially, when you share these early wires, ask specific questions and provide clear contextto get actionable feedback, not just vague opinions.
    4. Polish the VisualsI only let myself tweak grids, type scales, and shadows after the flow is validated. If progress stalls, or before a major polish effort, I surface the work in a design critique — again using targeted questions and clear context — instead of hiding in version 47. This ensures detailing serves the now-validated solution.
    Even for something as small as a single button, running these four checkpoints takes about ten minutes and saves hours of decorative dithering.
    Wrapping Up
    Next time you feel the pull to vanish into mock‑ups before the problem is nailed down, pause and ask what you might be avoiding. Yes, that can expose an uncomfortable truth. But pausing to ask what you might be avoiding — maybe the fuzzy core problem, or just asking for tough feedback — gives you the power to face the real issue head-on. It keeps the project focused on solving the right problem, not just perfecting a flawed solution.
    Attention to detail is a superpower when used at the right moment. Obsessing over pixels too soon, though, is a bad habit and a warning light telling us the process needs a rethink.
    #why #designers #get #stuck #details
    Why Designers Get Stuck In The Details And How To Stop
    You’ve drawn fifty versions of the same screen — and you still hate every one of them. Begrudgingly, you pick three, show them to your product manager, and hear: “Looks cool, but the idea doesn’t work.” Sound familiar? In this article, I’ll unpack why designers fall into detail work at the wrong moment, examining both process pitfalls and the underlying psychological reasons, as understanding these traps is the first step to overcoming them. I’ll also share tactics I use to climb out of that trap. Reason #1 You’re Afraid To Show Rough Work We designers worship detail. We’re taught that true craft equals razor‑sharp typography, perfect grids, and pixel precision. So the minute a task arrives, we pop open Figma and start polishing long before polish is needed. I’ve skipped the sketch phase more times than I care to admit. I told myself it would be faster, yet I always ended up spending hours producing a tidy mock‑up when a scribbled thumbnail would have sparked a five‑minute chat with my product manager. Rough sketches felt “unprofessional,” so I hid them. The cost? Lost time, wasted energy — and, by the third redo, teammates were quietly wondering if I even understood the brief. The real problem here is the habit: we open Figma and start perfecting the UI before we’ve even solved the problem. So why do we hide these rough sketches? It’s not just a bad habit or plain silly. There are solid psychological reasons behind it. We often just call it perfectionism, but it’s deeper than wanting things neat. Digging into the psychologyshows there are a couple of flavors driving this: Socially prescribed perfectionismIt’s that nagging feeling that everyone else expects perfect work from you, which makes showing anything rough feel like walking into the lion’s den. Self-oriented perfectionismWhere you’re the one setting impossibly high standards for yourself, leading to brutal self-criticism if anything looks slightly off. Either way, the result’s the same: showing unfinished work feels wrong, and you miss out on that vital early feedback. Back to the design side, remember that clients rarely see architects’ first pencil sketches, but these sketches still exist; they guide structural choices before the 3D render. Treat your thumbnails the same way — artifacts meant to collapse uncertainty, not portfolio pieces. Once stakeholders see the upside, roughness becomes a badge of speed, not sloppiness. So, the key is to consciously make that shift: Treat early sketches as disposable tools for thinking and actively share them to get feedback faster. Reason #2: You Fix The Symptom, Not The Cause Before tackling any task, we need to understand what business outcome we’re aiming for. Product managers might come to us asking to enlarge the payment button in the shopping cart because users aren’t noticing it. The suggested solution itself isn’t necessarily bad, but before redesigning the button, we should ask, “What data suggests they aren’t noticing it?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your product manager. On the contrary, these questions help ensure you’re on the same page and working with the same data. From my experience, here are several reasons why users might not be clicking that coveted button: Users don’t understand that this step is for payment. They understand it’s about payment but expect order confirmation first. Due to incorrect translation, users don’t understand what the button means. Lack of trust signals. Unexpected additional coststhat appear at this stage. Technical issues. Now, imagine you simply did what the manager suggested. Would you have solved the problem? Hardly. Moreover, the responsibility for the unresolved issue would fall on you, as the interface solution lies within the design domain. The product manager actually did their job correctly by identifying a problem: suspiciously, few users are clicking the button. Psychologically, taking on this bigger role isn’t easy. It means overcoming the fear of making mistakes and the discomfort of exploring unclear problems rather than just doing tasks. This shift means seeing ourselves as partners who create value — even if it means fighting a hesitation to question product managers— and understanding that using our product logic expertise proactively is crucial for modern designers. There’s another critical reason why we, designers, need to be a bit like product managers: the rise of AI. I deliberately used a simple example about enlarging a button, but I’m confident that in the near future, AI will easily handle routine design tasks. This worries me, but at the same time, I’m already gladly stepping into the product manager’s territory: understanding product and business metrics, formulating hypotheses, conducting research, and so on. It might sound like I’m taking work away from PMs, but believe me, they undoubtedly have enough on their plates and are usually more than happy to delegate some responsibilities to designers. Reason #3: You’re Solving The Wrong Problem Before solving anything, ask whether the problem even deserves your attention. During a major home‑screen redesign, our goal was to drive more users into paid services. The initial hypothesis — making service buttons bigger and brighter might help returning users — seemed reasonable enough to test. However, even when A/B testsshowed minimal impact, we continued to tweak those buttons. Only later did it click: the home screen isn’t the place to sell; visitors open the app to start, not to buy. We removed that promo block, and nothing broke. Contextual entry points deeper into the journey performed brilliantly. Lesson learned: Without the right context, any visual tweak is lipstick on a pig. Why did we get stuck polishing buttons instead of stopping sooner? It’s easy to get tunnel vision. Psychologically, it’s likely the good old sunk cost fallacy kicking in: we’d already invested time in the buttons, so stopping felt like wasting that effort, even though the data wasn’t promising. It’s just easier to keep fiddling with something familiar than to admit we need a new plan. Perhaps the simple question I should have asked myself when results stalled was: “Are we optimizing the right thing or just polishing something that fundamentally doesn’t fit the user’s primary goal here?” That alone might have saved hours. Reason #4: You’re Drowning In Unactionable Feedback We all discuss our work with colleagues. But here’s a crucial point: what kind of question do you pose to kick off that discussion? If your go-to is “What do you think?” well, that question might lead you down a rabbit hole of personal opinions rather than actionable insights. While experienced colleagues will cut through the noise, others, unsure what to evaluate, might comment on anything and everything — fonts, button colors, even when you desperately need to discuss a user flow. What matters here are two things: The question you ask, The context you give. That means clearly stating the problem, what you’ve learned, and how your idea aims to fix it. For instance: “The problem is our payment conversion rate has dropped by X%. I’ve interviewed users and found they abandon payment because they don’t understand how the total amount is calculated. My solution is to show a detailed cost breakdown. Do you think this actually solves the problem for them?” Here, you’ve stated the problem, shared your insight, explained your solution, and asked a direct question. It’s even better if you prepare a list of specific sub-questions. For instance: “Are all items in the cost breakdown clear?” or “Does the placement of this breakdown feel intuitive within the payment flow?” Another good habit is to keep your rough sketches and previous iterations handy. Some of your colleagues’ suggestions might be things you’ve already tried. It’s great if you can discuss them immediately to either revisit those ideas or definitively set them aside. I’m not a psychologist, but experience tells me that, psychologically, the reluctance to be this specific often stems from a fear of our solution being rejected. We tend to internalize feedback: a seemingly innocent comment like, “Have you considered other ways to organize this section?” or “Perhaps explore a different structure for this part?” can instantly morph in our minds into “You completely messed up the structure. You’re a bad designer.” Imposter syndrome, in all its glory. So, to wrap up this point, here are two recommendations: Prepare for every design discussion.A couple of focused questions will yield far more valuable input than a vague “So, what do you think?”. Actively work on separating feedback on your design from your self-worth.If a mistake is pointed out, acknowledge it, learn from it, and you’ll be less likely to repeat it. This is often easier said than done. For me, it took years of working with a psychotherapist. If you struggle with this, I sincerely wish you strength in overcoming it. Reason #5 You’re Just Tired Sometimes, the issue isn’t strategic at all — it’s fatigue. Fussing over icon corners can feel like a cozy bunker when your brain is fried. There’s a name for this: decision fatigue. Basically, your brain’s battery for hard thinking is low, so it hides out in the easy, comfy zone of pixel-pushing. A striking example comes from a New York Times article titled “Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?.” It described how judges deciding on release requests were far more likely to grant release early in the daycompared to late in the daysimply because their decision-making energy was depleted. Luckily, designers rarely hold someone’s freedom in their hands, but the example dramatically shows how fatigue can impact our judgment and productivity. What helps here: Swap tasks.Trade tickets with another designer; novelty resets your focus. Talk to another designer.If NDA permits, ask peers outside the team for a sanity check. Step away.Even a ten‑minute walk can do more than a double‑shot espresso. By the way, I came up with these ideas while walking around my office. I was lucky to work near a river, and those short walks quickly turned into a helpful habit. And one more trick that helps me snap out of detail mode early: if I catch myself making around 20 little tweaks — changing font weight, color, border radius — I just stop. Over time, it turned into a habit. I have a similar one with Instagram: by the third reel, my brain quietly asks, “Wait, weren’t we working?” Funny how that kind of nudge saves a ton of time. Four Steps I Use to Avoid Drowning In Detail Knowing these potential traps, here’s the practical process I use to stay on track: 1. Define the Core Problem & Business Goal Before anything, dig deep: what’s the actual problem we’re solving, not just the requested task or a surface-level symptom? Ask ‘why’ repeatedly. What user pain or business need are we addressing? Then, state the clear business goal: “What metric am I moving, and do we have data to prove this is the right lever?” If retention is the goal, decide whether push reminders, gamification, or personalised content is the best route. The wrong lever, or tackling a symptom instead of the cause, dooms everything downstream. 2. Choose the MechanicOnce the core problem and goal are clear, lock the solution principle or ‘mechanic’ first. Going with a game layer? Decide if it’s leaderboards, streaks, or badges. Write it down. Then move on. No UI yet. This keeps the focus high-level before diving into pixels. 3. Wireframe the Flow & Get Focused Feedback Now open Figma. Map screens, layout, and transitions. Boxes and arrows are enough. Keep the fidelity low so the discussion stays on the flow, not colour. Crucially, when you share these early wires, ask specific questions and provide clear contextto get actionable feedback, not just vague opinions. 4. Polish the VisualsI only let myself tweak grids, type scales, and shadows after the flow is validated. If progress stalls, or before a major polish effort, I surface the work in a design critique — again using targeted questions and clear context — instead of hiding in version 47. This ensures detailing serves the now-validated solution. Even for something as small as a single button, running these four checkpoints takes about ten minutes and saves hours of decorative dithering. Wrapping Up Next time you feel the pull to vanish into mock‑ups before the problem is nailed down, pause and ask what you might be avoiding. Yes, that can expose an uncomfortable truth. But pausing to ask what you might be avoiding — maybe the fuzzy core problem, or just asking for tough feedback — gives you the power to face the real issue head-on. It keeps the project focused on solving the right problem, not just perfecting a flawed solution. Attention to detail is a superpower when used at the right moment. Obsessing over pixels too soon, though, is a bad habit and a warning light telling us the process needs a rethink. #why #designers #get #stuck #details
    SMASHINGMAGAZINE.COM
    Why Designers Get Stuck In The Details And How To Stop
    You’ve drawn fifty versions of the same screen — and you still hate every one of them. Begrudgingly, you pick three, show them to your product manager, and hear: “Looks cool, but the idea doesn’t work.” Sound familiar? In this article, I’ll unpack why designers fall into detail work at the wrong moment, examining both process pitfalls and the underlying psychological reasons, as understanding these traps is the first step to overcoming them. I’ll also share tactics I use to climb out of that trap. Reason #1 You’re Afraid To Show Rough Work We designers worship detail. We’re taught that true craft equals razor‑sharp typography, perfect grids, and pixel precision. So the minute a task arrives, we pop open Figma and start polishing long before polish is needed. I’ve skipped the sketch phase more times than I care to admit. I told myself it would be faster, yet I always ended up spending hours producing a tidy mock‑up when a scribbled thumbnail would have sparked a five‑minute chat with my product manager. Rough sketches felt “unprofessional,” so I hid them. The cost? Lost time, wasted energy — and, by the third redo, teammates were quietly wondering if I even understood the brief. The real problem here is the habit: we open Figma and start perfecting the UI before we’ve even solved the problem. So why do we hide these rough sketches? It’s not just a bad habit or plain silly. There are solid psychological reasons behind it. We often just call it perfectionism, but it’s deeper than wanting things neat. Digging into the psychology (like the research by Hewitt and Flett) shows there are a couple of flavors driving this: Socially prescribed perfectionismIt’s that nagging feeling that everyone else expects perfect work from you, which makes showing anything rough feel like walking into the lion’s den. Self-oriented perfectionismWhere you’re the one setting impossibly high standards for yourself, leading to brutal self-criticism if anything looks slightly off. Either way, the result’s the same: showing unfinished work feels wrong, and you miss out on that vital early feedback. Back to the design side, remember that clients rarely see architects’ first pencil sketches, but these sketches still exist; they guide structural choices before the 3D render. Treat your thumbnails the same way — artifacts meant to collapse uncertainty, not portfolio pieces. Once stakeholders see the upside, roughness becomes a badge of speed, not sloppiness. So, the key is to consciously make that shift: Treat early sketches as disposable tools for thinking and actively share them to get feedback faster. Reason #2: You Fix The Symptom, Not The Cause Before tackling any task, we need to understand what business outcome we’re aiming for. Product managers might come to us asking to enlarge the payment button in the shopping cart because users aren’t noticing it. The suggested solution itself isn’t necessarily bad, but before redesigning the button, we should ask, “What data suggests they aren’t noticing it?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your product manager. On the contrary, these questions help ensure you’re on the same page and working with the same data. From my experience, here are several reasons why users might not be clicking that coveted button: Users don’t understand that this step is for payment. They understand it’s about payment but expect order confirmation first. Due to incorrect translation, users don’t understand what the button means. Lack of trust signals (no security icons, unclear seller information). Unexpected additional costs (hidden fees, shipping) that appear at this stage. Technical issues (inactive button, page freezing). Now, imagine you simply did what the manager suggested. Would you have solved the problem? Hardly. Moreover, the responsibility for the unresolved issue would fall on you, as the interface solution lies within the design domain. The product manager actually did their job correctly by identifying a problem: suspiciously, few users are clicking the button. Psychologically, taking on this bigger role isn’t easy. It means overcoming the fear of making mistakes and the discomfort of exploring unclear problems rather than just doing tasks. This shift means seeing ourselves as partners who create value — even if it means fighting a hesitation to question product managers (which might come from a fear of speaking up or a desire to avoid challenging authority) — and understanding that using our product logic expertise proactively is crucial for modern designers. There’s another critical reason why we, designers, need to be a bit like product managers: the rise of AI. I deliberately used a simple example about enlarging a button, but I’m confident that in the near future, AI will easily handle routine design tasks. This worries me, but at the same time, I’m already gladly stepping into the product manager’s territory: understanding product and business metrics, formulating hypotheses, conducting research, and so on. It might sound like I’m taking work away from PMs, but believe me, they undoubtedly have enough on their plates and are usually more than happy to delegate some responsibilities to designers. Reason #3: You’re Solving The Wrong Problem Before solving anything, ask whether the problem even deserves your attention. During a major home‑screen redesign, our goal was to drive more users into paid services. The initial hypothesis — making service buttons bigger and brighter might help returning users — seemed reasonable enough to test. However, even when A/B tests (a method of comparing two versions of a design to determine which performs better) showed minimal impact, we continued to tweak those buttons. Only later did it click: the home screen isn’t the place to sell; visitors open the app to start, not to buy. We removed that promo block, and nothing broke. Contextual entry points deeper into the journey performed brilliantly. Lesson learned: Without the right context, any visual tweak is lipstick on a pig. Why did we get stuck polishing buttons instead of stopping sooner? It’s easy to get tunnel vision. Psychologically, it’s likely the good old sunk cost fallacy kicking in: we’d already invested time in the buttons, so stopping felt like wasting that effort, even though the data wasn’t promising. It’s just easier to keep fiddling with something familiar than to admit we need a new plan. Perhaps the simple question I should have asked myself when results stalled was: “Are we optimizing the right thing or just polishing something that fundamentally doesn’t fit the user’s primary goal here?” That alone might have saved hours. Reason #4: You’re Drowning In Unactionable Feedback We all discuss our work with colleagues. But here’s a crucial point: what kind of question do you pose to kick off that discussion? If your go-to is “What do you think?” well, that question might lead you down a rabbit hole of personal opinions rather than actionable insights. While experienced colleagues will cut through the noise, others, unsure what to evaluate, might comment on anything and everything — fonts, button colors, even when you desperately need to discuss a user flow. What matters here are two things: The question you ask, The context you give. That means clearly stating the problem, what you’ve learned, and how your idea aims to fix it. For instance: “The problem is our payment conversion rate has dropped by X%. I’ve interviewed users and found they abandon payment because they don’t understand how the total amount is calculated. My solution is to show a detailed cost breakdown. Do you think this actually solves the problem for them?” Here, you’ve stated the problem (conversion drop), shared your insight (user confusion), explained your solution (cost breakdown), and asked a direct question. It’s even better if you prepare a list of specific sub-questions. For instance: “Are all items in the cost breakdown clear?” or “Does the placement of this breakdown feel intuitive within the payment flow?” Another good habit is to keep your rough sketches and previous iterations handy. Some of your colleagues’ suggestions might be things you’ve already tried. It’s great if you can discuss them immediately to either revisit those ideas or definitively set them aside. I’m not a psychologist, but experience tells me that, psychologically, the reluctance to be this specific often stems from a fear of our solution being rejected. We tend to internalize feedback: a seemingly innocent comment like, “Have you considered other ways to organize this section?” or “Perhaps explore a different structure for this part?” can instantly morph in our minds into “You completely messed up the structure. You’re a bad designer.” Imposter syndrome, in all its glory. So, to wrap up this point, here are two recommendations: Prepare for every design discussion.A couple of focused questions will yield far more valuable input than a vague “So, what do you think?”. Actively work on separating feedback on your design from your self-worth.If a mistake is pointed out, acknowledge it, learn from it, and you’ll be less likely to repeat it. This is often easier said than done. For me, it took years of working with a psychotherapist. If you struggle with this, I sincerely wish you strength in overcoming it. Reason #5 You’re Just Tired Sometimes, the issue isn’t strategic at all — it’s fatigue. Fussing over icon corners can feel like a cozy bunker when your brain is fried. There’s a name for this: decision fatigue. Basically, your brain’s battery for hard thinking is low, so it hides out in the easy, comfy zone of pixel-pushing. A striking example comes from a New York Times article titled “Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?.” It described how judges deciding on release requests were far more likely to grant release early in the day (about 70% of cases) compared to late in the day (less than 10%) simply because their decision-making energy was depleted. Luckily, designers rarely hold someone’s freedom in their hands, but the example dramatically shows how fatigue can impact our judgment and productivity. What helps here: Swap tasks.Trade tickets with another designer; novelty resets your focus. Talk to another designer.If NDA permits, ask peers outside the team for a sanity check. Step away.Even a ten‑minute walk can do more than a double‑shot espresso. By the way, I came up with these ideas while walking around my office. I was lucky to work near a river, and those short walks quickly turned into a helpful habit. And one more trick that helps me snap out of detail mode early: if I catch myself making around 20 little tweaks — changing font weight, color, border radius — I just stop. Over time, it turned into a habit. I have a similar one with Instagram: by the third reel, my brain quietly asks, “Wait, weren’t we working?” Funny how that kind of nudge saves a ton of time. Four Steps I Use to Avoid Drowning In Detail Knowing these potential traps, here’s the practical process I use to stay on track: 1. Define the Core Problem & Business Goal Before anything, dig deep: what’s the actual problem we’re solving, not just the requested task or a surface-level symptom? Ask ‘why’ repeatedly. What user pain or business need are we addressing? Then, state the clear business goal: “What metric am I moving, and do we have data to prove this is the right lever?” If retention is the goal, decide whether push reminders, gamification, or personalised content is the best route. The wrong lever, or tackling a symptom instead of the cause, dooms everything downstream. 2. Choose the Mechanic (Solution Principle) Once the core problem and goal are clear, lock the solution principle or ‘mechanic’ first. Going with a game layer? Decide if it’s leaderboards, streaks, or badges. Write it down. Then move on. No UI yet. This keeps the focus high-level before diving into pixels. 3. Wireframe the Flow & Get Focused Feedback Now open Figma. Map screens, layout, and transitions. Boxes and arrows are enough. Keep the fidelity low so the discussion stays on the flow, not colour. Crucially, when you share these early wires, ask specific questions and provide clear context (as discussed in ‘Reason #4’) to get actionable feedback, not just vague opinions. 4. Polish the Visuals (Mindfully) I only let myself tweak grids, type scales, and shadows after the flow is validated. If progress stalls, or before a major polish effort, I surface the work in a design critique — again using targeted questions and clear context — instead of hiding in version 47. This ensures detailing serves the now-validated solution. Even for something as small as a single button, running these four checkpoints takes about ten minutes and saves hours of decorative dithering. Wrapping Up Next time you feel the pull to vanish into mock‑ups before the problem is nailed down, pause and ask what you might be avoiding. Yes, that can expose an uncomfortable truth. But pausing to ask what you might be avoiding — maybe the fuzzy core problem, or just asking for tough feedback — gives you the power to face the real issue head-on. It keeps the project focused on solving the right problem, not just perfecting a flawed solution. Attention to detail is a superpower when used at the right moment. Obsessing over pixels too soon, though, is a bad habit and a warning light telling us the process needs a rethink.
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  • Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview

    Reading Time: 6 minutes
    What is marketing without data? Assumptions. Guesses. Fluff.
    For Chapter 6 of our book, “The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die,” we spoke with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, to explore how engagement data can truly inform critical business decisions. 
    Alec discusses the different types of customer behaviors that matter most, how to separate meaningful information from the rest, and the role of systems that learn over time to create tailored customer experiences.
    This interview provides insights into using data for real-time actions and shaping the future of marketing. Prepare to learn about AI decision-making and how a focus on data is changing how we engage with customers.

     
    Alec Haase Q&A Interview
    1. What types of customer engagement data are most valuable for making strategic business decisions?
    It’s a culmination of everything.
    Behavioral signals — the actual conversions and micro-conversions that users take within your product or website.
    Obviously, that’s things like purchases. But there are also other behavioral signals marketers should be using and thinking about. Things like micro-conversions — maybe that’s shopping for a product, clicking to learn more about a product, or visiting a certain page on your website.
    Behind that, you also need to have all your user data to tie that to.

    So I know someone took said action; I can follow up with them in email or out on paid social. I need the user identifiers to do that.

    2. How do you distinguish between data that is actionable versus data that is just noise?
    Data that’s actionable includes the conversions and micro-conversions — very clear instances of “someone did this.” I can react to or measure those.
    What’s becoming a bit of a challenge for marketers is understanding that there’s other data that is valuable for machine learning or reinforcement learning models, things like tags on the types of products customers are interacting with.
    Maybe there’s category information about that product, or color information. That would otherwise look like noise to the average marketer. But behind the scenes, it can be used for reinforcement learning.

    There is definitely the “clear-cut” actionable data, but marketers shouldn’t be quick to classify things as noise because the rise in machine learning and reinforcement learning will make that data more valuable.

    3. How can customer engagement data be used to identify and prioritize new business opportunities?
    At Hightouch, we don’t necessarily think about retroactive analysis. We have a system where we have customer engagement data firing in that we then have real-time scores reacting to.
    An interesting example is when you have machine learning and reinforcement learning models running. In the pet retailer example I gave you, the system is able to figure out what to prioritize.
    The concept of reinforcement learning is not a marketer making rules to say, “I know this type of thing works well on this type of audience.”

    It’s the machine itself using the data to determine what attribute responds well to which offer, recommendation, or marketing campaign.

    4. How can marketers ensure their use of customer engagement data aligns with the broader business objectives?
    It starts with the objectives. It’s starting with the desired outcome and working your way back. That whole flip of the paradigm is starting with outcomes and letting the system optimize. What are you trying to drive, and then back into the types of experiences that can make that happen?
    There’s personalization.
    When we talk about data-driven experiences and personalization, Spotify Wrapped is the North Star. For Spotify Wrapped, you want to drive customer stickiness and create a brand. To make that happen, you want to send a personalized email. What components do you want in that email?

    Maybe it’s top five songs, top five artists, and then you can back into the actual event data you need to make that happen.

    5. What role does engagement data play in influencing cross-functional decisions such as those in product development, sales, or customer service?
    For product development, it’s product analytics — knowing what features users are using, or seeing in heat maps where users are clicking.
    Sales is similar. We’re using behavioral signals like what types of content they’re reading on the site to help inform what they would be interested in — the types of products or the types of use cases.

    For customer service, you can look at errors they’ve run into in the past or specific purchases they’ve made, so that when you’re helping them the next time they engage with you, you know exactly what their past behaviors were and what products they could be calling about.

    6. What are some challenges marketers face when trying to translate customer engagement data into actionable insights?
    Access to data is one challenge. You might not know what data you have because marketers historically may not have been used to the systems where data is stored.
    Historically, that’s been pretty siloed away from them. Rich behavioral data and other data across the business was stored somewhere else.
    Now, as more companies embrace the data warehouse at the center of their business, it gives everyone a true single place where data can be stored.

    Marketers are working more with data teams, understanding more about the data they have, and using that data to power downstream use cases, personalization, reinforcement learning, or general business insights.

    7. How do you address skepticism or resistance from stakeholders when presenting data-driven recommendations?
    As a marketer, I think proof is key. The best thing is if you’ve actually run a test. “I think we should do this. I ran a small test, and it’s showing that this is actually proving out.” Being able to clearly explain and justify your reasoning with data is super important.

    8. What technology or tools have you found most effective for gathering and analyzing customer engagement data?
    Any type of behavioral event collection, specifically ones that write to the cloud data warehouse, is the critical component. Your data team is operating off the data warehouse.
    Having an event collection product that stores data in that central spot is really important if you want to use the other data when making recommendations.
    You want to get everything into the data warehouse where it can be used both for insights and for putting into action.

    For Spotify Wrapped, you want to collect behavioral event signals like songs listened to or concerts attended, writing to the warehouse so that you can get insights back — how many songs were played this year, projections for next month — but then you can also use those behavioral events in downstream platforms to fire off personalized emails with product recommendations or Spotify Wrapped-style experiences.

    9. How do you see the role of customer engagement data evolving in shaping business strategies over the next five years?

    What we’re excited about is the concept of AI Decisioning — having AI agents actually using customer data to train their own models and decision-making to create personalized experiences.
    We’re sitting on top of all this behavioral data, engagement data, and user attributes, and our system is learning from all of that to make the best decisions across downstream systems.
    Whether that’s as simple as driving a loyalty program and figuring out what emails to send or what on-site experiences to show, or exposing insights that might lead you to completely change your business strategy, we see engagement data as the fuel to the engine of reinforcement learning, machine learning, AI agents, this whole next wave of Martech that’s just now coming.
    But it all starts with having the data to train those systems.

    I think that behavioral data is the fuel of modern Martech, and that only holds more true as Martech platforms adopt these decisioning and AI capabilities, because they’re only as good as the data that’s training the models.

     

     
    This interview Q&A was hosted with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, for Chapter 6 of The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die.
    Download the PDF or request a physical copy of the book here.
    The post Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview appeared first on MoEngage.
    #alec #haase #qampampa #customer #engagement
    Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview
    Reading Time: 6 minutes What is marketing without data? Assumptions. Guesses. Fluff. For Chapter 6 of our book, “The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die,” we spoke with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, to explore how engagement data can truly inform critical business decisions.  Alec discusses the different types of customer behaviors that matter most, how to separate meaningful information from the rest, and the role of systems that learn over time to create tailored customer experiences. This interview provides insights into using data for real-time actions and shaping the future of marketing. Prepare to learn about AI decision-making and how a focus on data is changing how we engage with customers.   Alec Haase Q&A Interview 1. What types of customer engagement data are most valuable for making strategic business decisions? It’s a culmination of everything. Behavioral signals — the actual conversions and micro-conversions that users take within your product or website. Obviously, that’s things like purchases. But there are also other behavioral signals marketers should be using and thinking about. Things like micro-conversions — maybe that’s shopping for a product, clicking to learn more about a product, or visiting a certain page on your website. Behind that, you also need to have all your user data to tie that to. So I know someone took said action; I can follow up with them in email or out on paid social. I need the user identifiers to do that. 2. How do you distinguish between data that is actionable versus data that is just noise? Data that’s actionable includes the conversions and micro-conversions — very clear instances of “someone did this.” I can react to or measure those. What’s becoming a bit of a challenge for marketers is understanding that there’s other data that is valuable for machine learning or reinforcement learning models, things like tags on the types of products customers are interacting with. Maybe there’s category information about that product, or color information. That would otherwise look like noise to the average marketer. But behind the scenes, it can be used for reinforcement learning. There is definitely the “clear-cut” actionable data, but marketers shouldn’t be quick to classify things as noise because the rise in machine learning and reinforcement learning will make that data more valuable. 3. How can customer engagement data be used to identify and prioritize new business opportunities? At Hightouch, we don’t necessarily think about retroactive analysis. We have a system where we have customer engagement data firing in that we then have real-time scores reacting to. An interesting example is when you have machine learning and reinforcement learning models running. In the pet retailer example I gave you, the system is able to figure out what to prioritize. The concept of reinforcement learning is not a marketer making rules to say, “I know this type of thing works well on this type of audience.” It’s the machine itself using the data to determine what attribute responds well to which offer, recommendation, or marketing campaign. 4. How can marketers ensure their use of customer engagement data aligns with the broader business objectives? It starts with the objectives. It’s starting with the desired outcome and working your way back. That whole flip of the paradigm is starting with outcomes and letting the system optimize. What are you trying to drive, and then back into the types of experiences that can make that happen? There’s personalization. When we talk about data-driven experiences and personalization, Spotify Wrapped is the North Star. For Spotify Wrapped, you want to drive customer stickiness and create a brand. To make that happen, you want to send a personalized email. What components do you want in that email? Maybe it’s top five songs, top five artists, and then you can back into the actual event data you need to make that happen. 5. What role does engagement data play in influencing cross-functional decisions such as those in product development, sales, or customer service? For product development, it’s product analytics — knowing what features users are using, or seeing in heat maps where users are clicking. Sales is similar. We’re using behavioral signals like what types of content they’re reading on the site to help inform what they would be interested in — the types of products or the types of use cases. For customer service, you can look at errors they’ve run into in the past or specific purchases they’ve made, so that when you’re helping them the next time they engage with you, you know exactly what their past behaviors were and what products they could be calling about. 6. What are some challenges marketers face when trying to translate customer engagement data into actionable insights? Access to data is one challenge. You might not know what data you have because marketers historically may not have been used to the systems where data is stored. Historically, that’s been pretty siloed away from them. Rich behavioral data and other data across the business was stored somewhere else. Now, as more companies embrace the data warehouse at the center of their business, it gives everyone a true single place where data can be stored. Marketers are working more with data teams, understanding more about the data they have, and using that data to power downstream use cases, personalization, reinforcement learning, or general business insights. 7. How do you address skepticism or resistance from stakeholders when presenting data-driven recommendations? As a marketer, I think proof is key. The best thing is if you’ve actually run a test. “I think we should do this. I ran a small test, and it’s showing that this is actually proving out.” Being able to clearly explain and justify your reasoning with data is super important. 8. What technology or tools have you found most effective for gathering and analyzing customer engagement data? Any type of behavioral event collection, specifically ones that write to the cloud data warehouse, is the critical component. Your data team is operating off the data warehouse. Having an event collection product that stores data in that central spot is really important if you want to use the other data when making recommendations. You want to get everything into the data warehouse where it can be used both for insights and for putting into action. For Spotify Wrapped, you want to collect behavioral event signals like songs listened to or concerts attended, writing to the warehouse so that you can get insights back — how many songs were played this year, projections for next month — but then you can also use those behavioral events in downstream platforms to fire off personalized emails with product recommendations or Spotify Wrapped-style experiences. 9. How do you see the role of customer engagement data evolving in shaping business strategies over the next five years? What we’re excited about is the concept of AI Decisioning — having AI agents actually using customer data to train their own models and decision-making to create personalized experiences. We’re sitting on top of all this behavioral data, engagement data, and user attributes, and our system is learning from all of that to make the best decisions across downstream systems. Whether that’s as simple as driving a loyalty program and figuring out what emails to send or what on-site experiences to show, or exposing insights that might lead you to completely change your business strategy, we see engagement data as the fuel to the engine of reinforcement learning, machine learning, AI agents, this whole next wave of Martech that’s just now coming. But it all starts with having the data to train those systems. I think that behavioral data is the fuel of modern Martech, and that only holds more true as Martech platforms adopt these decisioning and AI capabilities, because they’re only as good as the data that’s training the models.     This interview Q&A was hosted with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, for Chapter 6 of The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die. Download the PDF or request a physical copy of the book here. The post Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview appeared first on MoEngage. #alec #haase #qampampa #customer #engagement
    WWW.MOENGAGE.COM
    Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview
    Reading Time: 6 minutes What is marketing without data? Assumptions. Guesses. Fluff. For Chapter 6 of our book, “The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die,” we spoke with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, to explore how engagement data can truly inform critical business decisions.  Alec discusses the different types of customer behaviors that matter most, how to separate meaningful information from the rest, and the role of systems that learn over time to create tailored customer experiences. This interview provides insights into using data for real-time actions and shaping the future of marketing. Prepare to learn about AI decision-making and how a focus on data is changing how we engage with customers.   Alec Haase Q&A Interview 1. What types of customer engagement data are most valuable for making strategic business decisions? It’s a culmination of everything. Behavioral signals — the actual conversions and micro-conversions that users take within your product or website. Obviously, that’s things like purchases. But there are also other behavioral signals marketers should be using and thinking about. Things like micro-conversions — maybe that’s shopping for a product, clicking to learn more about a product, or visiting a certain page on your website. Behind that, you also need to have all your user data to tie that to. So I know someone took said action; I can follow up with them in email or out on paid social. I need the user identifiers to do that. 2. How do you distinguish between data that is actionable versus data that is just noise? Data that’s actionable includes the conversions and micro-conversions — very clear instances of “someone did this.” I can react to or measure those. What’s becoming a bit of a challenge for marketers is understanding that there’s other data that is valuable for machine learning or reinforcement learning models, things like tags on the types of products customers are interacting with. Maybe there’s category information about that product, or color information. That would otherwise look like noise to the average marketer. But behind the scenes, it can be used for reinforcement learning. There is definitely the “clear-cut” actionable data, but marketers shouldn’t be quick to classify things as noise because the rise in machine learning and reinforcement learning will make that data more valuable. 3. How can customer engagement data be used to identify and prioritize new business opportunities? At Hightouch, we don’t necessarily think about retroactive analysis. We have a system where we have customer engagement data firing in that we then have real-time scores reacting to. An interesting example is when you have machine learning and reinforcement learning models running. In the pet retailer example I gave you, the system is able to figure out what to prioritize. The concept of reinforcement learning is not a marketer making rules to say, “I know this type of thing works well on this type of audience.” It’s the machine itself using the data to determine what attribute responds well to which offer, recommendation, or marketing campaign. 4. How can marketers ensure their use of customer engagement data aligns with the broader business objectives? It starts with the objectives. It’s starting with the desired outcome and working your way back. That whole flip of the paradigm is starting with outcomes and letting the system optimize. What are you trying to drive, and then back into the types of experiences that can make that happen? There’s personalization. When we talk about data-driven experiences and personalization, Spotify Wrapped is the North Star. For Spotify Wrapped, you want to drive customer stickiness and create a brand. To make that happen, you want to send a personalized email. What components do you want in that email? Maybe it’s top five songs, top five artists, and then you can back into the actual event data you need to make that happen. 5. What role does engagement data play in influencing cross-functional decisions such as those in product development, sales, or customer service? For product development, it’s product analytics — knowing what features users are using, or seeing in heat maps where users are clicking. Sales is similar. We’re using behavioral signals like what types of content they’re reading on the site to help inform what they would be interested in — the types of products or the types of use cases. For customer service, you can look at errors they’ve run into in the past or specific purchases they’ve made, so that when you’re helping them the next time they engage with you, you know exactly what their past behaviors were and what products they could be calling about. 6. What are some challenges marketers face when trying to translate customer engagement data into actionable insights? Access to data is one challenge. You might not know what data you have because marketers historically may not have been used to the systems where data is stored. Historically, that’s been pretty siloed away from them. Rich behavioral data and other data across the business was stored somewhere else. Now, as more companies embrace the data warehouse at the center of their business, it gives everyone a true single place where data can be stored. Marketers are working more with data teams, understanding more about the data they have, and using that data to power downstream use cases, personalization, reinforcement learning, or general business insights. 7. How do you address skepticism or resistance from stakeholders when presenting data-driven recommendations? As a marketer, I think proof is key. The best thing is if you’ve actually run a test. “I think we should do this. I ran a small test, and it’s showing that this is actually proving out.” Being able to clearly explain and justify your reasoning with data is super important. 8. What technology or tools have you found most effective for gathering and analyzing customer engagement data? Any type of behavioral event collection, specifically ones that write to the cloud data warehouse, is the critical component. Your data team is operating off the data warehouse. Having an event collection product that stores data in that central spot is really important if you want to use the other data when making recommendations. You want to get everything into the data warehouse where it can be used both for insights and for putting into action. For Spotify Wrapped, you want to collect behavioral event signals like songs listened to or concerts attended, writing to the warehouse so that you can get insights back — how many songs were played this year, projections for next month — but then you can also use those behavioral events in downstream platforms to fire off personalized emails with product recommendations or Spotify Wrapped-style experiences. 9. How do you see the role of customer engagement data evolving in shaping business strategies over the next five years? What we’re excited about is the concept of AI Decisioning — having AI agents actually using customer data to train their own models and decision-making to create personalized experiences. We’re sitting on top of all this behavioral data, engagement data, and user attributes, and our system is learning from all of that to make the best decisions across downstream systems. Whether that’s as simple as driving a loyalty program and figuring out what emails to send or what on-site experiences to show, or exposing insights that might lead you to completely change your business strategy, we see engagement data as the fuel to the engine of reinforcement learning, machine learning, AI agents, this whole next wave of Martech that’s just now coming. But it all starts with having the data to train those systems. I think that behavioral data is the fuel of modern Martech, and that only holds more true as Martech platforms adopt these decisioning and AI capabilities, because they’re only as good as the data that’s training the models.     This interview Q&A was hosted with Alec Haase, Product GTM Lead, Commerce and AI at Hightouch, for Chapter 6 of The Customer Engagement Book: Adapt or Die. Download the PDF or request a physical copy of the book here. The post Alec Haase Q&A: Customer Engagement Book Interview appeared first on MoEngage.
    0 Reacties 0 aandelen
  • How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago online for free

    Credit: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

    TL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is starting with a number of really interesting fixtures, including USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago. Things have been pretty rough for USA recently, but they'll be hoping to start afresh in this special tournament. The opening game against Trinidad and Tobago is going to be tricky, but USA will be confident of progressing through the group stage.If you want to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

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    When is USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago?USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at PayPal Park.How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago for freeUSA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is available to live stream for free on YouTube.

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    These free live stream is not available in North or Central America, but fans in excluded territories can still watch this game for free with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP addressand connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Concacaf Gold Cup from anywhere in the world.Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free by following these simple steps:Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPNDownload the app to your device of choiceOpen up the app and connect to a server in the UKVisit YouTubeLive stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world

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    ExpressVPNonly at ExpressVPNThe best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobagobefore recovering your investment.If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.What is the best VPN for YouTube?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on YouTube, for a number of reasons:Servers in 105 countriesEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is always secureFast connection speedsUp to eight simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just.Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

    Joseph Green
    Global Shopping Editor

    Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
    #how #watch #usa #trinidad #tobago
    How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago online for free
    Credit: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images TL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is starting with a number of really interesting fixtures, including USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago. Things have been pretty rough for USA recently, but they'll be hoping to start afresh in this special tournament. The opening game against Trinidad and Tobago is going to be tricky, but USA will be confident of progressing through the group stage.If you want to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. You May Also Like When is USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago?USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at PayPal Park.How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago for freeUSA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is available to live stream for free on YouTube. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! These free live stream is not available in North or Central America, but fans in excluded territories can still watch this game for free with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP addressand connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Concacaf Gold Cup from anywhere in the world.Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free by following these simple steps:Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPNDownload the app to your device of choiceOpen up the app and connect to a server in the UKVisit YouTubeLive stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPNonly at ExpressVPNThe best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobagobefore recovering your investment.If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.What is the best VPN for YouTube?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on YouTube, for a number of reasons:Servers in 105 countriesEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is always secureFast connection speedsUp to eight simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just.Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free with ExpressVPN. Joseph Green Global Shopping Editor Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen. #how #watch #usa #trinidad #tobago
    MASHABLE.COM
    How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago online for free
    Credit: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images TL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is starting with a number of really interesting fixtures, including USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago. Things have been pretty rough for USA recently, but they'll be hoping to start afresh in this special tournament. The opening game against Trinidad and Tobago is going to be tricky, but USA will be confident of progressing through the group stage.If you want to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. You May Also Like When is USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago?USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at PayPal Park.How to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago for freeUSA vs. Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is available to live stream for free on YouTube. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! These free live stream is not available in North or Central America, but fans in excluded territories can still watch this game for free with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Concacaf Gold Cup from anywhere in the world.Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free by following these simple steps:Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)Open up the app and connect to a server in the UKVisit YouTubeLive stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago (plus the rest of the tournament) before recovering your investment.If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.What is the best VPN for YouTube?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on YouTube, for a number of reasons:Servers in 105 countriesEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is always secureFast connection speedsUp to eight simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free with ExpressVPN. Joseph Green Global Shopping Editor Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
    0 Reacties 0 aandelen
  • Local architect gets green light for Leeds student tower

    Source: Enjoy DesignHow the new scheme would look when built
    Proposals for a 37-storey student accommodation tower in the middle of Leeds have been given the green light by local planners.
    The scheme for Town Centre Securities will see 100 Merrion Centre, part of the 1960s-built shopping centre of the same name, demolished and replaced with more than 1,000 bedrooms.
    A neighbouring building called Wade House, built in the mid-60s, would be revamped to include more than 200 bed spaces across its 13 storeys. Work will involve stripping back the building and adding an extra storey.
    The development will also include a cinema, gym, co-working spaces and rooftop terraces.
    The tower has been drawn up by local architect Enjoy Design with others working on the scheme including project manager and QS Rex Procter, M&E engineer Hoare Lea and civil and structural engineer Adept. Planning consultant is ID Planning.
    #local #architect #gets #green #light
    Local architect gets green light for Leeds student tower
    Source: Enjoy DesignHow the new scheme would look when built Proposals for a 37-storey student accommodation tower in the middle of Leeds have been given the green light by local planners. The scheme for Town Centre Securities will see 100 Merrion Centre, part of the 1960s-built shopping centre of the same name, demolished and replaced with more than 1,000 bedrooms. A neighbouring building called Wade House, built in the mid-60s, would be revamped to include more than 200 bed spaces across its 13 storeys. Work will involve stripping back the building and adding an extra storey. The development will also include a cinema, gym, co-working spaces and rooftop terraces. The tower has been drawn up by local architect Enjoy Design with others working on the scheme including project manager and QS Rex Procter, M&E engineer Hoare Lea and civil and structural engineer Adept. Planning consultant is ID Planning. #local #architect #gets #green #light
    WWW.BDONLINE.CO.UK
    Local architect gets green light for Leeds student tower
    Source: Enjoy DesignHow the new scheme would look when built Proposals for a 37-storey student accommodation tower in the middle of Leeds have been given the green light by local planners. The scheme for Town Centre Securities will see 100 Merrion Centre, part of the 1960s-built shopping centre of the same name, demolished and replaced with more than 1,000 bedrooms. A neighbouring building called Wade House, built in the mid-60s, would be revamped to include more than 200 bed spaces across its 13 storeys. Work will involve stripping back the building and adding an extra storey. The development will also include a cinema, gym, co-working spaces and rooftop terraces. The tower has been drawn up by local architect Enjoy Design with others working on the scheme including project manager and QS Rex Procter, M&E engineer Hoare Lea and civil and structural engineer Adept. Planning consultant is ID Planning.
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  • The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools

    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The ClassicCarter Counter Stoolat Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stoolat Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Offat WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Offat WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stoolat nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leatherseat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stoolsat West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stoolat framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stoolat ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stoolat AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stoolat Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Offat Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stoolat sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stoolat assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stoolat WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information.
    #best #barstools #counter #stools
    The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools
    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The ClassicCarter Counter Stoolat Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stoolat Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Offat WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Offat WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stoolat nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leatherseat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stoolsat West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stoolat framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stoolat ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stoolat AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stoolat Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Offat Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stoolat sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stoolat assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stoolat WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information. #best #barstools #counter #stools
    WWW.ELLEDECOR.COM
    The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools
    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The Classic (with a Back) Carter Counter Stool$398 at Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stool$648 at Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Off$165 $140 at WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Off$399 $256 at WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stool$3,400 at nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool $249 at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leather (versus fabric) seat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stools$449 at West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stool$610 at framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool $1,110 at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stool$129 at ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stool$36 at AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool $48 at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stool$598 at Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Off$264 $167 at Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stool$880 at sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stool$1,200 at assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stool$35 at WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information.
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