Posts tagged “odor”

Valerie’s War Story: Rank order

This story comes to us courtesy of Valerie Green, Research & Strategy Manager at Teague.

I was recently working on an air freshener project. It’s important to note at the onset that I live in Seattle, enjoy fresh air most of the year, and don’t favor perfumes or fragrances in my home. So it was already a bit of torture to go into three homes a day over the course of a week and smell all these strong, artificial fragrances. Most participants used multiple air fresheners in the home, and they would spray the air fresheners multiple times during the interviews. As the lead interviewer I would of course participate, sniffing the air appreciatively when they exclaimed how much they loved the scents.

The types of people who use air fresheners in their home like to create welcoming home environments, so most of the homes we visited were nicely kept up and relatively organized. Nancy’s (not her real name) home was a different story. We walked into a wall of stink. At first I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but shortly after the interview started Nancy told me her three small dogs were indoor dogs (as if there is such a thing). In this case, it meant that they peed and pooped indoors. That’s when I noticed a pee pad in a corner, while other people on the interview noticed some poop indoors. I figured this would be a short interview.

The saddest thing is that Nancy, like the other participants, talked about wanting her home to smell good for herself and guests, and how much she loves air fresheners! It would have been incredibly awkward and inappropriate to say anything, so I kept my mouth shut and just nodded in affirmation…

Brandon’s War Story – CATastrophe

Brandon Satanek (Twitter, blog) is a User Experience Designer who lives in Michigan, trying to make everyday products better. He tells a story about a multi-sensory fieldwork experience.

I’ll never forget the sight of that poor kitten munching on a cockroach. Our mission was relatively simple. Being employed by a large computer peripheral maker, we were to interview small businesses to see how they were using our products. The visit that brisk winter morning was to a costume rental shop that also did some tailoring. Upon entering the store, we were greeted with a smell, which if called pungent, would be a kind and generous description. The owners, well, they must have had very large hearts.

I am actually a cat person (maybe it’s their independence I admire). So, the presence of a gaggle of feline friends could have been a welcome site. But unfortunately, I don’t think the owners were up to the task of caring for that many cats. In 2012 terminology, they would now be referred to as “hoarders.” This was not a well-heeled, venture capital-rich setting; the building had a raw plywood floor and the employees were doing the best they could to make a go of it. However, that flooring clearly did not help the smell-retention factor for animals that have periodic bladder control issues.

In many ways, the visit was worthwhile. As might be predicted, their computer system was not the latest, and it was good to see the struggles they had installing our software because of it. But, once that installation was underway, we experienced perhaps the slowest moving progress bar known in existence. Or maybe it just felt that way. Minutes drifted by before another column of pixels filled. It could have been the fumes playing tricks on my eyes, but I swear I saw that progress bar move backwards on occasion.

My teammate and I began to develop various coping mechanisms. At first, we would periodically take breaths using the tops of our shirts as a crude filtering system. We were able to pull this off because we had positioned ourselves outside of the main office area, and outside of view. Later, we began to make excuses for trips out to the car for supplies (aka fresh air). How were they to know we really weren’t low on batteries or videotape? Unfortunately, the moderator was not so lucky and remained stuck with the participant. Yes, I do feel guilty about that.

Our minds drifted and I began to wonder why anyone would actually leave clothes for mending there; perhaps their skills or prices were amazing. It was around this time when another creature joined the party. A cockroach skittered across the floor. A kitten gave chase. It did not end well for either, in my opinion. My teammate made that face which looked like she was gagging at the sight. Maybe this was just for effect…but maybe not.

The visit ended uneventfully once the product was finally functional. In reality, I escaped with an interesting story and some clothes that needed freshening by the cold breeze entering my car during the drive home. I’m not so certain if those cats had a similarly good fate.

ChittahChattah Quickies

  • National Geographic: The fragrance – In the new National Geographic range there are two natural scents available: Japan Tatami and Nevada Desert Flower. These are two gorgeous and authentic scents inspired by tradition and natural wonders.

    Japan Tatami is a fresh and soothing scent inspired by the Igusa grass, traditionally used by the Japanese to make Tatami mats. This authentic fragrance has a fresh scent with dry herbs and chamomile touches.

    Nevada Desert Flower is a delicate floral fragrance inspired by the natural wonders of the Nevada desert, where the Nevada desert flower only has a chance to bloom when winter rains are heavy. Its scent combines the sweet notes of apricot and green herbal notes enhanced with fresh spices.

ChittahChattah Quickies

  • Mandles – Candles for Men (tagline: Candles on Testosterone) – Here at the Mandle Company you will find some of the most unique man candles in the world. No matter how strange it may be, every man has a favorite smell. including
    Amsterdam, Auto Shop, Sex on the Beach, Stogie, Bass Killer, Camp Breakfast, Campfire Smoke, Clay Dough, Cruise Ship Deck, Dirt, Fresh Tin, Grass, Jim, Jack & Johnny, Kegger, Meat & Potatoes, Morning Brew, Peanut Butter, Rawhide, Skunk, Swimsuit Model, The Slab, Space Cake, Vampire Repellant, Wild West, Wood Shop

Don’t smell like “any other guy”


Already tired of the Play-Doh parfum? Get yourself some Eau de Stilton.

Nigel White, from the Stilton Cheese Makers Association, said: “The perfume has a very earthy, musky, herby type of background which is very different to the very sweet perfumes you smell wafting down the street as someone walks past you.”

Mr White added that the smell was not to everyone’s taste and that there had been a mixed reaction to the perfume.

Uh, right. Just because you can extend a brand, doesn’t mean you should!

Thanks, Dem!

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