e Magus

  This Diwali holidays, apart from the regular cleaning of the house, I also spent time clearing out old files, an archive of past pitch decks/presentations, from my laptop to save space. As I went through these remnants of previous efforts, one thing became clear: the pitches that resonated most with clients and were successful, were those that was anecdotal rather than data-heavy. Rather than charts, graphs, and research reports that dominated the slides, it was structured narratives, telling a story that clients connected with. What kept me thinking was, why do we instinctively lean towards stories, and why do stories often win over data? Our everyday interactions offer clues. Stories, whether in advertising, news, or casual conversations, are more memorable and engaging than standalone facts. Psychologists have long suggested that humans are “wired” for stories. Studies such as those by Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow , reveal the power of heuristic biases—me...

How Weight Influences Perception and Engagement in Communication In the world of advertising, the debate between traditional and digital media has become almost as enduring as the mediums themselves. While digital platforms increasingly dominate the contemporary landscape, many industry veterans still swear by the effectiveness of print ads, direct mailers, and other tangible forms of communication. Their reasoning might not simply be nostalgia or a Neo-Luddite behaviour —it could hinge on something more substantial: the weight of the medium itself. I remember as a child, my mother used to judge the quality and perceived usefulness of kitchenware—typically stainless steel—often by its weight. The same held true for furniture or household items; heavier meant better. Even plumper children were once considered "healthier." Seen through a different lens, the concept of weight as a proxy for value shows up in the metaphor “penny wise, pound foolish.” Beyond the monetary differenc...

O f late (no pun), I have been observing that appointments never happens on time. Either it gets delayed by minutes, or sometimes postponed at the last minute to a different day!  By virtue of what the reason is, appointments can be broadly divided into, appointment for Meeting activity viewing Meeting Appointment:    In India, other than the fact, respect for others time is not on anyone’s watch-list; When it comes to internal meetings, people have a common excuse for late coming - my previous meeting got extended, I’ve an important mail to send across, something urgent has come up (official/personal).  Eternal meetings are more messy - Got stuck in traffic, The printer is not working (classic advertising agency servicing folks speak),  Activity appointment: The most irritating thing during an activity is, It is an important call, I need to attend to this ; SMSing, Checking your mails on BB or smartphones, and to the more audac...

An ecommerce site design is the ultimate test for UX, because, unlike corporate websites or portals, the entire business model hinges on the ability of the website to sell the products it hosts. Most website designs are built on the basic principles of - categorization, searchability, findability, relevance, cross-sell up-sell opportunities, product information, easy check-out etc. While these principles do hold good for successful design of any ecommerce website and are necessary, I think adding on 2 more components to your UX strategy would make the website design far more effective. One is based on the basic human behaviour and the Second based on experiences in real life Other than the fulfillment of a want or a need, we also shop to possess. Act of possession (for food, security) etc has been one of the earliest occupation of human societies. Some where down the lane, the division of labour happened, where men were predominantly working as Hunters & women as Ga...