Installation was judged against the device price, not against peace of mind.

Most had already decided how to install. On the basic packages, the fee looked high next to the hardware, even for people who wanted it.

Contract details read as hidden costs.

People expected a subscription they could cancel any time. A fixed-term contract felt like a catch.

Customers shop for what happens in an emergency, not for features.

Their questions were about outcomes: Is the police called for me? What happens after a false alarm? Can security see me 24/7? The pages mostly answered with features.

When options look alike, people delay the decision.

Front-door and outdoor packages blurred together, and monitoring plans blurred into add-ons. Unclear choices added hesitation right at checkout.

People wanted levels of access, not all or nothing.

Emergency-only, one-off and ongoing access are three different relationships.

People worried more about the product failing than about the guest.

A neighbor arriving off-schedule and setting off an alert, or facial recognition opening the door with no one checking. Everyone wanted a backup code.

Deloitte ran a four-day design sprint on value-added services in the automotive sector, together with the firm’s blockchain specialists. I co-facilitated, framing the exercises and running the voting rounds. The brief came from the leasing side of the industry.

Residual value is one of the industry’s least predictable numbers. Leasing companies estimate it from depreciation, age, distance, market confidence and model trends, and the spread of models and brands makes any single estimate unreliable. The uncertainty gets priced into leasing rates and paid by the customer.

It accounts for a large share of an EV’s residual value, and replacement costs enough to justify diagnostics on its own. What determines it is charging behavior, and charging behavior belongs to a driver who carries none of the cost.

Research covered both sides of the problem. Interviews with automotive and leasing experts framed battery health commercially, as a driver of residual value. Interviews with drivers showed it barely registers as a concern. Findings were clustered into How Might We statements and prioritized by vote into a single sprint question.

Battery condition isn’t visible in the vehicle, and few drivers knew which behaviors affect it: state of charge kept between 20 and 80 percent, charging frequency and duration, fast charging, heat build-up and load. They use a car they don’t own and return it on a fixed date, while the cost lands years later with the leasing company. Any solution had to include education as part of the service, not a support page.

Two mechanics, borrowed from loyalty design: points and status for battery-friendly charging, and a battery with a face and a voice that drivers feel responsible for. Drivers get rewards and a visible battery; the leasing side gets a verified charging record, secured by blockchain, that feeds into residual value.

The prototype was tested with EV owners, a leasing expert, an EV subscription user and a battery expert. Rewards linked to the lease, like status and better leasing terms, resonated more than a points shop. The sprint produced a tested prototype, a refined service concept and a pitch direction for automotive clients. The open question is whether reward mechanics shift charging behavior at fleet scale, and by enough to move residual value.

Consumer perspective.

How might we shift Waterworks into the psychological awareness and consideration set for full-service luxury?

Brand perspective.

How might we create a timeless and timely brand that exudes luxury yet reacts to current trends, breaking stereotypes of seriousness?

Omni-channel communication on full-service.

Lead with the full kitchen and bath, and step back from the word “faucet”.

New word associations.

Build associations with metal, luxury, cabinet, second home and euro-charm.

Life stages, not demographics.

Customers move through phases such as working professional, single household, marriage, divorce, children, second home, mid-life and impaired vision. Meeting them in their current stage leads to personalized design and long-term loyalty.

Seasonal showrooms.

Showrooms that move with the emotional calendar, from winter warmth to spring renewal.

Private cooking sessions.

Exclusive after-hours access to cook in your future kitchen before you buy it.

Smart cabinetry.

Tech- and light-integrated cabinets that fuse future technology with traditional material.

Culture and humor.

High-end satirical art and cultural references that place Waterworks in the context of real life at home.

Positioning across three core audience segments.

Strategic positioning for each participant group, translated into differentiated value propositions for community partners and institutional funders.

A B2B partnership framework.

Audience segmentation translated into targeted partner strategies, defining organizational fit, value alignment and system-level integration pathways.

A thought leadership strategy.

Executive leadership positioned as trusted voices in the intergenerational, aging and youth development space: audience priorities, messaging pillars, content architecture and communication principles for LinkedIn.

A multi-generational value proposition.

The program positioned as a system for bridging distinct age groups through structured relational experiences.

Intellectual property.

IP formalized across methodology and curriculum, built around the repurposing of existing Sesame Street media.

Scaling priorities.

Program architecture and scaling priorities, including a focus on youth leadership development and partnership-driven growth.

Brand guidelines.

Audiences, strategy, identity, funnel, psychology, color, typography, voice and photography in one reference.

A communications SSOT.

Vision and mission, taglines, elevator pitches, key messages, proof points, approved patient stories and spokesperson guidance.

Audience positioning.

The curious public, who need to feel something before they’ll read anything, and people living with Lyme+, who need organized, trustworthy support and to have their experience believed.

Lead with one person.

Identifiable victim effect: one named person moves people more than a statistic about millions.

Give before asking.

Reciprocity: a story or a resource comes before any request for a donation or share.

Make it about all of us.

Unity: people move for community, not causes. “We’re all one tick bite away from this.”

Frame what’s at stake.

Loss aversion: loss motivates more than an equivalent gain, so donation asks focus on what’s at stake, not the transaction.

Fans.

Loyal Housing Works customers who shop for antiques and unique finds.

Familiars.

Customers who know the assortment and shop for specific needs.

Critics.

People less familiar with the store, or looking for a different experience.

Mapped with an iceberg framework, from the visible store experience down to the cause.

Improved experience.

How might we make Housing Works more inviting as a shopping destination? A more curated, cohesive experience across stores that embraces positive eclecticism and a unique thrift identity.

Brand × customer identity.

How might Housing Works use its heritage status to attract new and long-time thrifters? Appeal more to Fans, convert Familiars and win over Critics.

Differentiated offering.

How might we turn a treasure hunt into a customer experience that drives sales? Lean into shoppers who value higher-value items and the stories that come with them.

Elevated cause.

How might we make shopping at Housing Works as good as volunteering? Put a face to the fight and show how each purchase helps beneficiaries reach goals, such as a progress ticker that moves with every sale.

By design.

Planned and scarce, like a Jordan sneaker drop.

By serendipity.

Unplanned and found, like an unexpected moment on the subway. The thrift rack already works this way.

“The Jacketivist.”

A Levi’s jacket imagined as belonging to an activist during the 1980s AIDS crisis, waiting for a new owner to carry on its legacy.

“The Hopeful Denizen.”

White jeans with cross embroidery, each stitch a moment of strength and resilience.

Emotional attachment.

Loss aversion: the pain of losing is psychologically about twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining.

Participation.

Sensory touch: tactile engagement creates early emotional bonds.

Storytelling.

IKEA effect: people disproportionately value what they helped create.