Meaningful Experiences [Sept 2020]

Building Placeware - Right now, I’m working on Placeware - camera-based customer analytics for physical businesses. By providing activity heatmaps of a space along with various trackable counts in people and groups over time, we allow businesses to optimize things such as layout, ad placement, employee count, etc. It’s been pretty thrilling working on this for the better part of 2020, quickly iterating on product while launching pilot tests in various stores. I think a part of the reason why is because it’s an indescribable (the BEST) feeling when you see someone use something you make and find it legitimately useful. It is also eye-opening to hear owners of small businesses who most of the time come from completely different backgrounds talk about the many problems they face daily and how they try to solve them. Having built this from the ground up with a friend of mine adds to that excitement.

Random Conversations - Sometime when I see other people, I’ll ask them something random. When my parents were shopping for furniture, I asked an owner why he invested in it. I asked a cashier at Trader Joe’s what she hates most about the job. I’ve asked friends about things they wish they knew, but currently don’t know about their life. The diversity in response as someone conveys their perspective on random things is amazing to hear and allows me to appreciate the giant world we live in.

Eating Orange Chicken - see this.