Interesting Visualization on the Credit Crisis, Except...

Ran across this little video story that explains the credit crisis using pretty good visuals to accompany. I certainly (think I) understand it better having watched it; however, there was one bit that really burned me up:

Why, you ask? Because of the underlying idiotic cultural assumptions made with this visualization. You have to remember--even though things like this flash by in a few seconds, the creator of this thing put significant thought and effort into "what would a high-risk homeowner look like?" This is, by the way, compared to the previously shown normal/low-risk homeowners. The differences?

• The man is fat. Clearly anyone who is fat is higher risk, no? We're talking about higher risk of default, folks. Last time I checked, "are you fat?" is not on any applications for mortgages. ... Yet. Yes, I am fat, and I take offense. I have excellent credit and what I think would count for a pretty high moral code... The creator of this visualization is buying into cultural stereotypes here that fat people are lower on the social totem pole. Bite me. There's a lot to bite...
• They're smoking. Again, this is in the same vein. I don't smoke, not because I'm better than those that do but because I just never got hooked on it. I consider myself fortunate (not proud) in that respect. But does smoking make you more likely to default on a loan? No... Again, the creator of this piece is showing his cultural prejudice.
• What really caught my eye (and ears) and made my blood temperature rise, though, was that this family has four children while the less risky family has only one child (and a dog, of course). Not only that, the four children are crying while the one is happily swinging between Mother and Father's arms. Clearly, not only are the parents with only one child less risky but they must be better parents, too!

This is just ignorant, moronic, unthinking, social bigotry at its finest. The folks profiled by this visualization are what America runs on--salt of the earth types who aren't consumed with self image, who value family enough to have larger ones, and generally are some of the most dependable and hardworking people you'll meet. The government actually provides incentives to have children because, despite the mushyheadedness of some like Pelosi, supporting couples to bear and raise children is about the most time-proven policy in history--it's good for society. Building strong, large families is a cornerstone of society, not a sub-prime risk.

Some other, better options more in line with reality and what lenders actually care about:

• Someone just coming out of jail? I mean, I seem to recall they do ask if you've been convicted of a felony on mortgage apps.
• Someone standing in a line at the unemployment office? Surely not having a job would be considered high risk for a loan.
• Or how about the same one-child family in chic designer clothes, with unnecessary H2 and Lexus SUVs, buying a McMansion they don't need in the "nice" part of town? I think folks drowning in debt, no matter how affluent they seem on the outside, would be high risk.

It wouldn't be hard to dream up some good, realistic visualizations like this rather than let your prejudices be your guide. Just take a look at a few of the mortgage applications to see what they ask about or even do a little research to determine factors that affect credit scores in general.

This fellow Jarvis might be a good motion and information designer, but he clearly needs to get his head on straight when it comes to social issues.

One Would Expect More From Mercedes

..especially from a "hip, new" Web community targeted at 20-30-somethings and trendily called "Generation Benz."

I got an email a few days ago saying my account would be deactivated due to inactivity to make room for others who really want to participate. Sure, let me give my scarce time to provide you with a free testbed for your marketing. (You know that annoying line of commercials for the new, smaller SUV? They tried those out on us a while ago. I said "nuh uh," but I clearly was in the minority.)

It's a good idea, trying to get feedback early on, but really?!?, on the Web you have to "make room" for more people? Seriously? I didn't realize database space was so scarce that my little user account needed to be closed.

Anyways, I truly didn't care because their site is one of the less usable sites I've visited in recent memory and because I'm not really that interested in it. I'm not that much of an MB fan. :)

I would have just let it go, but then I get this in the mail today:

Really?!? You couldn't actually send a simple form email and replace my name in the right spot?

Dear Moderator @ GenerationBenz.com, you really need to work harder on carrying the classy MB brand and experience on to your "cutting edge" community Web site. It's a shame, really. One would expect more from Mercedes.

iPhone + Pandora + FM Transmitter = Audible Joy

On the drive home Friday I had one of the moments of joy you rarely get when dealing with technology. You see, I'm something of a mobile luddite. Until last month, I stodgily refused to get a "smart" phone. I did actually try a couple (LG XV 6600 and a Blackberry [old one]), but unlike others who either really have to have that mobile data connection or really just love punishment, I decided that all I really need is for my phone to be a phone. I didn't even have a text plan, even though some of my friends liked to txt me and cost me money occasionally. :)

Well, I've been keeping my eye on the iPhone since it came out. I expected the hubbub to die out over time and to hear the "real" story of what it was like to have one. But everyone I talked to who had one said they love it--not just like it, but love it. Their faces literally brightened up when talking about it. Sure it has such and such an issue, but who cares!

I actually became more or less sold on it about six months or so ago--after the 3G came out, I waited again and talked to folks about it. And they were even happier. Unfortunately, like many I suppose, I was stuck in the last half of my two-year contract with Verizon, so I still had to wait. I was even going to give the Storm a chance, but Verizon blew that.

So anyways, I couldn't take it any longer. And since I had a good excuse (to be able to keep up with email during my 4th son's birth), I went ahead and signed up about a month early. I've been a proud iPhone owner (and proud father) ever since and continue to be very happy with it overall. But on Friday, I had a particularly delicious experience.

You see, I hadn't really yet taken advantage of it as a music player much. I listen to a lot of audio books in my truck, so the dearth of good music on the radio doesn't bug me usually. But Friday, I was in a mood, a mood for "Gold Digger" by a certain Mr. West. Those who don't know me well probably assume I only listen to classical or something (which I do, especially choral--like Orff), but I like a little System and some Luda when I'm feeling pumped up (or want to get that way). I customized by car stereos just as much as the next guy growing up. :)

So I grabbed my iPhone, tapped on Pandora (which is just amazing in itself!), typed in "gold dig," and it prompted me with auto complete. I picked it, and Pandora created a station for me based on that. Then I just plugged my Monster FM transmitter into the phone, tuned over to it, and blam, I was getting my fix of window-shaking bass (okay, not window-shaking; my truck stereo is factory...)! Within a few seconds, I trumped what people pay Sirius for, only better!

And then, as if that weren't enough, the wifey called, and Pandora automagically paused while I took the call with her coming over the speakers via the transmitter. After that, it was a seamless resume in Pandora. Wow. I was shocked it worked so smoothly.

And there's more! One thing that's not so great about music in the car is that you have to wait for a song to finish or just deal with not finishing it when you need to get out. Thanks to Pandora on the iPhone (with its built-in speakers), I was able to take my music with me. Only glitch was that it pauses when you unplug the line out, which would be a nifty feature if, say, it accidentally disconnected. I guess it would be hard for it to know accidental vs intentional disconnects, so I'll forgive it that one. ;)

So what did they do right?

The iPhone itself is emblematic of good service design--the kind of design that doesn't just look at making a great product (a an awesome device like the iPhone) but also at the entire experience summed up as a complete service--the wireless 3G service for good internet connectivity, the integrated iTunes store for expanding the audiovisual experience, and probably most importantly, the app store.

It reminds me of when I was a lad. The Nintendo had been popular for a while, and my mom was going to give us a game console for Christmas to replace our aged Atari 2600 (viva Asteroids!). I was sold on the Nintendo--had played Super Mario Brothers at friends' houses, Duck Hunt, Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!, and Zelda, among others. Great games! But my brother had done some research; he told me that technically, the Sega was a better game system. I still don't know if that was true, but he sure thought so! He finally convinced me, an unfortunate decision--the only decent game I remember on it is Double Dragon.

The point? Well, the point is that I think a thriving third party community is essential for the true success in any kind of platform-like service (game console, operating system, development framework, etc.). This has certainly been proven true with the iPhone as well. It wouldn't be as good as it is were it not for the thriving third-party community that has sprung up through their app store. Apple gets it and is actively marketing it ("there's an app for that"). You can have the best technology, the most technical functionality among your competitors, but if you don't successfully stimulate third parties, I think it will just wither and die.   

I guess it's sort of an extension of (a precursor to?) the whole crowdsourcing idea, though maybe under the more traditional capitalist banner. However you slice it, having a closed platform is a bad idea. Encouraging extension, adaptation, and participation is essential to surviving in the platform world. How that extends to other, less-platformy solutions will require thought; we shouldn't just add it because we can, but if the question comes up, should we make this X open or proprietary?, chances are that you should make it open.

And yet there seems to be more to it than that. You need to have some quality controls so the system doesn't get flooded with garbage. Having style guides is a good idea. Having a review and approval process to make sure the extensions conform may be a better idea. It depends, but if your success depends on overall high quality UX, then surely some quality control is warranted because it is unlikely that people will blame the particular extensions. When people get a blue screen in Windows, they don't blame device driver vendors--they blame Windows. I tend to think just having a review process will axe a lot of garbage that might otherwise surface--many people won't bother making and submitting stuff if they don't think it will fly.

On the other hand, the folks at Current.tv did a presentation last year at UX Week, and they advocate a publish then filter approach. If I recall correctly, they segregate the unfiltered stuff on a separate site and then have a dedicated site for the higher quality, filtered stuff. It's a good hybrid approach if you can get critical mass.

But I digress, I think the key things here are the quality of the phone device itself, the quality of the built-in services that compliment it, and a rich, quality controlled third-party ecosystem that extend the solution further than they could ever do on their own while not degrading the experience too much. Pandora works well in my scenario because all of these things are in place, and of course Pandora is just awesome on its own, making for a just darn good experience.