Affinity

We’re loving the Wicked x collaboration for the St Pancras Christmas Tree this year 😊 Some real craft, fun and creativity has gone into it. Well done to all involved.

Today feels like a day where some good news might be valued! 😊

https://www.positive.news/society/total-net-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-the-eu-dropped-last-year

Together, people and businesses have the power to make this world a better place to live in. Value for people = Growth for business.

Total net greenhouse gas emissions in the EU dropped by 8% last year The reduction is close to that recorded in Europe at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when flights were grounded and factories shut

Happy New Year! Yes, you read it right!

We’ve been thinking for some time that our team would benefit from celebrating New Year at the start of Spring rather than January 1st...

And, even for those who want to stick to that or another date, we still feel Spring Equinox needs more of a celebration than most people give it.

Here’s why:

> On the Spring equinox day, every location on the planet experiences an equal amount of time in the light and in the darkness. It’s a momentous day!

> Many people, in the Northern Hemisphere, find January a bit bleak and are still in a post-festive hibernation state.

> The harshness of Winter slows us down and, for our mental and physical wellbeing, we should try to live in time with the rhythms of nature.

> Nature springs into life across the whole of the Northern hemisphere.

> In many traditional cultures, and in some present-day cultures, new year began and still begins at this time.

> Even the financial year of most businesses ends and starts again at this time of year.

Who else thinks it would make a better New Year? And who disagrees?

We love this.

Cleaning and tidying are good for the mind, not just your environment.

And, typically, the same principles apply to branding, experience design and organizational culture. Less clutter = more effective. And continuous, iterative improvement produces the best outcomes.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/world-economic-forum_as-well-as-decluttering-your-mind-cleaning-activity-7098982118931714048-BZyO/

www.linkedin.com

WHAT DO WE DO WITH AI?

Last week’s letter from 300 leading AI experts on “mitigating the risk of extinction from AI” inevitably created a Tsunami of doomsday forecasts.

It could potentially evolve beyond our control, destabilise whole societies through misinformation and/or put 300 million people out of work. It could even be weaponised for cyber and other forms of warfare with catastrophic outcomes.

Yet, on the flips side—and as my LinkedIn feed loves to tell me—it could usher in a new era that transforms our entire world for the better.

Beyond the hype and drama, it feels like we really need to give AI’s impact a lot more ‘action-focussed’ thought. All of us. Governments, businesses, charities, think tanks, Joe Bloggs. There are sooo many questions we need answers to…

How do we authenticate what we see online? How do we harness the power of AI to solve our toughest, planet-wide challenges? How do we ensure AI is doing jobs accurately and safely? How do we develop and adapt ourselves for what’s coming? How should we cooperate on AI internationally?

For starters—and yes, we know we're biased—we feel design has a key role to play…

Design Thinking and similar methodologies put human needs at the centre of problem solving. They also simplify complex challenges by solving them collaboratively, iteratively and ‘piece-by-piece’. Two mandatory start points for tackling the challenges and opportunities AI creates.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

We love this! A great example of technology being harnessed for human need. And it feels like there's huge potential for it to be developed further. Very nice Benjamin!

https://www.chronotrains.com

Chronotrains See how far you can travel by train in 5h from any station in Europe on this interactive map.

Is the world falling out of love with remote working?

According to the BBC:

“The most recent official figures suggest the majority of people - 63.9% - never work from home, while 21.4% work from the office and remotely. Just 7.8% of workers were based at home permanently, the survey found.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/blackrock-call-staff-back-office-least-four-days-week-memo-2023-05-16/

Let us know your thoughts.

BlackRock to call staff back to office at least four days a week - memo BlackRock Inc , the world's largest asset manager, has asked its staff to return to office at least four days a week, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

Mental health problems cost the UK economy more than £117 billion a year. (Mental Health Foundation)

Globally, the World Health Organisation puts that cost at US$ 1 trillion per year.

These problems negatively impact productivity, engagement, retention, collaboration, innovation, costs and profits.

So, aside from the ethical reasons for supporting employees with their mental health and wellbeing, it pays businesses to be proactive on this issue.

And a big part of this is creating a human-centred workplace and employee experience—an environment that recognises and supports people with their individual needs, emotions and challenges. An environment that enables people and business to thrive together.

Let’s make a difference.

Happy International Women's Day to all the amazing women in the world. Thank you for your incredible contributions and achievements, often in the face of adversity and inequality.

Read about some of those amazing women below!

And remember, we can all embrace equity by challenging gender stereotypes, calling out discrimination and drawing attention to bias.

https://lnkd.in/e-memvHF

The Nobel Prize on LinkedIn: Women who changed the world | 70 comments Happy International Women's Day! We're celebrating women who have changed the world. Here are all of the amazing women who have received the and… | 70 comments on LinkedIn

“To build brand love, companies need to do more than just tell customers what they offer or how they stand out. They need to fully understand their customers’ journeys and find meaningful ways to impact and improve their lives.”

This is one of the key reasons we founded Affinity.

Click the link for the rest of this short but excellent article by Hang Nguyen—Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University

https://venturebeat.com/enterprise-analytics/to-build-love-for-your-brand-focus-on-customer-experience-and-innovation



https://www.linkedin.com/in/hang-hannah-nguyen-9ba35a8/

Hang (Hannah) Nguyen - Associate Professor - Michigan State University | LinkedIn View Hang (Hannah) Nguyen’s profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. Hang (Hannah) has 7 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Hang (Hannah)’s connections and jobs at similar companies.