One summer, on top of working at the concert hall mentioned in the last customer stories post, I also worked on a project for the New York State Technology Enterprise Commission (NYSTEC) and the finance commissioner of Saratoga Springs. They were looking to invest in some “smart city” technological advancements for Saratoga Springs. In order to make the best possible investment, they needed detailed information about what the people of Saratoga Springs would use the most. This is where my peers and I came in. We designed a survey and personally interviewed business owners and others living and working in Saratoga.
This was a really interesting experience. Many of the people I interviewed had a lot to say about the improvements most important to them, and the requests that I should make of NYSTEC and the commissioner. There were a couple of general themes in the pool of customers I talked to.
A
1. The Luddites
Many of the people I spoke with were initially against any improvements at all due to a fear of technology. Especially people of an older demographic. There were many worries, including privacy, glitches, and too high of a possibility for ethical issues by the hands of the government. When faced with this, I took some time to explain each of the initiatives and how they would directly improve their lives. I also spent some time assuaging their technophobic worries, explaining that many of these improvements had no capability for privacy issues, and wouldn’t be at the complete control of the government. Once they got past these issues, they continued the interview process and gave the relevant information about their preferences that we needed for our report.
A
2. Business Owners / Employees
Many of the people we interviewed were concerned somehow that a higher level of focus on these initiatives would cause issues for their businesses. They raised concerns about changes in taxes, improper implementation, and a general fear of change to the city changing their capability to do business. Many of the initiatives we were asking about would only have the potential to improve the lives of business owners in Saratoga, like smart traffic systems, promoting economic development, and investments in innovation and entrepreneurship. I explained this to them, and afterward, they were much more open to the ideas.
There was one business owner in particular that I got into an intellectual debate with about how these initiatives might impact the homeless issue currently going on in Saratoga Springs at the time of the discussion. We disagreed on this issue, but the important part is that we had a cordial and constructive discussion about it and how the initiatives would help both sides of the problem.
At the end of the survey period, we summarized our findings by issue, demographic, and general trends of customer preference. We then presented these findings to the board of NYSTEC, which included management from many different prominent tech companies in the area. While we were presenting, we brought up general themes of how customers were worried and that they should be addressed on the whole before moving forward to ensure support. The powerpoint presentation that provided the structure for this presentation is up on my Linkedin if anyone is curious to see it.
