1. Crash Course on Creativity
Observation Lab – Marek Vanzura
Before you enter the store:
Does the store draw you in? If so, how?
Bookstore – Absolutely. I really like books, thus many of them behind the shop window is pretty
strong attractor.
Florist's – Yes. The green color all over the shop window is very catchy.
Clothing store – Not much.
Fitness store – At a first sight no. I almost missed it.
Pharmacy – No way. The bed smell of pharmacy and sterile white color everywhere is not nice
attractor.
Model shop – Yes. Many airplane models remind me something of my childhood.
Is the door open or closed?
Bookstore – The door is closed.
Florist's – The door is open.
Clothing store – The door is open, respectively there are no doors at all.
Fitness store – The door is slightly open, perhaps the last costumer was in hurry and closed it
wrong.
Pharmacy – The door is closed but there are automatic doors which open when anyone pass them.
Model shop – The door is closed.
How does this make you feel?
Bookstore – I like it, because there is very busy street around it.
Florist's – It makes me happy because I can smell the flowers.
Clothing store – I feel like the entrance into the shop will eat me.
Fitness store – First thought was something like previous costumer was in hurry, but on second
thought I became a little bit afraid – is the seller angry or rude and repulses costumers?
Pharmacy – I like hi tech.
Model shop – The shop is very small and closed door makes it more friendly.
How big is the sign lettering and in what font?
Bookstore – The sign is approximately one meter high and five meters in length. It is pretty big but
it catches attention. The font looks like some letters from old books. That's nice.
Florist's – The sign is small and in very boring font. Nothing special.
Clothing store – The sign is all over the entrance, so about four meters in lenght. And font is the
same for this shop all around the world.
Fitness store – There is sheet above the entrance with some strange font. It looks queer.
Pharmacy – There is a big sign of medicine and very ordinarily written Pharmacy.
Model shop – Very stylistic sign with silhouettes of planes.
What does it tell you about the store?
Bookstore – It tells me something like we sell books which are very ancient.
Florist's – It seems to me like some family shop.
Clothing store – There were very professional man who designed this logo.
Fitness store – It seems to me like they firstly sell and then make the other things.
Pharmacy – There is a pharmacy. We do not care how we look, we just sell medicaments.
Model shop – This seems to me like shop which is operated by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

2. Environment:
What is the color scheme of the store? How does this affect you?
Bookstore – Wooden bookshelves make everything brown. But together with colourful books create
a real symphony of colors inserted into rigid brown frames.
Florist's – The only impression here is the green. Flowers everywhere. And some occasional
colourful blossoms. I like it very much.
Clothing store – There are colorful clothes in the shelves and on desks. But differently shaped
colours due to different types of clothes. It is very catchy but makes me a little bit lost here.
Fitness store – The store is all white and main colors are products. I see it like a shop without
artistic intentions.
Pharmacy – Everything here is white or chromatic or from glass. This looks very sterile.
Model shop – The main part of this shop are boxes of plastic models. Thus I can see cars, ariplanes,
ships everywhere.
What type of floor does the store have? How does this effect the environment?
Bookstore – There is a carpet. It makes steps much more quieter. And I can fell the warm from it.
Florist's – There is a linoleum. I think this is very good for cleaning because some loam may drop
from flowers.
Clothing store – There is partly linoleum and partly carpet. It is like border or something.
Fitness store – There are tiles. The store is not big, so tiles look here nicely.
Pharmacy – There is linoleum. I think that reason is the same as in the case of florist's – easy
cleaning which is important in medical environments.
Model shop – It looks like wooden floor, like parquets. They are very used but harmonize with
wooden model of ship.
How high is the ceiling? How does this feel?
Bookstore – It is nearly two and half meters high. I feel it very friendly.
Florist's – The shop itself is very small and the ceiling is about two meters high.
Clothing store – Ceiling is about three and half meters high. This is nice, I think that nobody may
feel here claustrophobic.
Fitness store – About three meters high ceiling. I am feeling here very well.
Pharmacy – Ceiling is more than three meters high. But it is strange feeling because everything here
is in the same color – white.
Model shop – About two and half meters high ceiling. Very nice.
How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you?
Bookstore – There is primarily artificial light made by tungstens. Brightness is accurate. I can read
everything without any problem.
Florist's – There is a combination of natural light and artificial light. And they mix with green leaves
of flowers.
Clothing store – Purely artificial light. It is logical because the store is in a middle of a huge
building.
Fitness store – There is a very small window, thus the main source of light is a tungsten. It has very
nice temperature of light so it is very nice.
Pharmacy – Very strong lights with unpleasant temperature of light. Maybe it kills microbes.
Model shop – Some light comes from a window. And there is not any other light turned on. So there
is a little bit shadow.
How loud is the environment?
Bookstore – Very quiet. There is calm and nobody talks loudly. And noise from the outside is
attenuated by doors.
Florist's – There is calm.

3. Clothing store – Very high level of noise. I do not feel here comfortable.
Fitness store – Very quiet place.
Pharmacy – Some distractions from the outside because there is a higway on a street.
Model shop – Quiet.
What is causing the noise?
Bookstore – There is no noise because everyone is quiet and door works well and absorbs
everything from the outside.
Florist's – There is no noise.
Clothing store – Many things. A very loud radio here, a lot of costumers and people outside the
shop who pass it.
Fitness store – Nothing, there is no noise.
Pharmacy – Traffic on a busy highway.
Model shop – Nothing.
Is there music playing? If so, does it fit the environment?
Bookstore – Yes, there is music but it is so quiet that it is not almost audible. It fits very well with
the shop.
Florist's – No, absolutely without music.
Clothing store – Yes, there is a music. And it is very annoying because it is pretty loud. On the other
hand it fits with progressive lives of young customers.
Fitness store – Yes, some ordinary radio is playing here. Just like a radio in a car. I can listen to
songs and news.
Pharmacy – No. I think that music here would be inappropriate.
Model shop – Yes. Some radio station is playing here.
Is the store warm or cold?
Bookstore – Warm. Outside is almost winter but inside is very friendly temperature.
Florist's – Rather cold. It depends on open door. But it is probably good for flowers.
Clothing store – Very warmth.
Fitness store – I think that there is the best temperature of all shops from this list.
Pharmacy – Rather warmth.
Model shop – Similar to Bookstore. I like this temperature.
Is the store crowded with merchandise or is it sparse?
Bookstore – Very crowded with merchandise. All bookshelves are full of books.
Florist's – It is crowded but I can see some places empty with missing plants.
Clothing store – Very crowded, clothes are everywhere. It is like clothes apocalypse.
Fitness store – I could imagine more merchandise here.
Pharmacy – Everywhere are medicaments, so it is crowded.
Model shop – A lot of boxes of plastic models tell me that this is a crowded place.
Does the store have a distinctive smell?
Bookstore – Well, yes, it does. The smell of books and paper.
Florist's – Absolutely! The smell of flowers and loam is everwhere. It is magical.
Clothing store – Yes, there is a distinctive smell of clothes.
Fitness store – I do not think so. Nothing special or extraordinary I can smell here.
Pharmacy – Yes. The smell of sterile environment.
Model shop – I would expect special smell of glue but there is none.
Where is the cash register located?
Bookstore – There are many cash desks. Main one is located very near to entrance and exit.

4. Florist's – On the opposite side of entrance.
Clothing store – There are two cash desks. Each one on the other side of entrance door, so first on
the left and second on the right.
Fitness store – Just one cash desk opposite to the entrance.
Pharmacy – Three cash desks on the left hand side of a hall.
Model shop – This shop is very small and cash desk is almost everywhere.
How visible is the store security?
Bookstore – Very. A guard walks here and some security cameras are located in corners of rooms.
Florist's – I cannot see any security camera. It means that there is none or it is very well hidden.
Clothing store – Two guys here stay near the entry door. And a lot of security cameras I can see.
Fitness store – I cannot see security cameras but the shop assistant looks like bulldog.
Pharmacy – Just a few security cameras above the entrance.
Model shop – I cannot find any security camera.
How long do you want to stay in this store?
Bookstore – I am fascinating by books, so I would like to stay here for an hour or more.
Florist's – It is very small shop, so I can see everything in just few minutes.
Clothing store – This shop is big but I do not like it here, so I want to leave as soon as possible.
Fitness store – There is not much stuff to look at, so I can leave it in few minutes.
Pharmacy – I want to leave as soon as possible.
Model shop – So many boxes here take my attention for a very long time despite the small size of
this shop.
Does the environment influence the perceived value of the merchandise?
Bookstore – I would say yes. Everything looks more sumptuously.
Florist's – I do not think so.
Clothing store – Well, yes. Together with loud music clothes seem much more cool.
Fitness store – No, I do not see any influence of environment on the products here.
Pharmacy – I do not think so because visits here are not for fun, but just for known products and
then environment should has no influence.
Model shop – Maybe. A lot of models all around may motivate someone to buy something.
Personnel:
How long does it take before a sales person initiates contact?
Bookstore – Relatively very long because if I do not ask seller he does not offer me help.
Florist's – I got seller's attention right I enter the shop. It is small and stuff here very friendly.
Clothing store – From five to ten minutes. I can firstly go around and watch products and after these
minutes someone come to me and offer me a help.
Fitness store – Just after entry to the shop.
Pharmacy – There are queues, so they notice me when I approach desk.
Model shop – Just after entry to the shop.
Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each customer?
Bookstore – Yes, they have plan of bookshelves in their heads and show me where I can find book
which I want.
Florist's – I do not think so. The seller just sells flowers. There is no need for some procedure.
Clothing store – Yes, their words are pretty same.
Fitness store – No, he just asks me what I need and then reply. I do not think that this is a script.
Pharmacy – Yes, when they describe how to use something and so on, they use scripts.
Model shop – No, he doesn't. He act spontaneously.

5. Does the salesperson treat different customers differently?
Bookstore – No. The same acts for everyone.
Florist's – In a way. Reactions depends on needs of customers.
Clothing store – They try to act the same way with everyone but they are not very good. They
favorize people on what they think about them.
Fitness store – No, he doesn't.
Pharmacy – No, they are professionals. The same procedure for everyone.
Model shop – Yes. The seller is listening to everybody's needs and then reply on actual basis.
What is the ratio of salespeople to customers?
Bookstore – It is somewhere around 1 : 5 (it means one salesman to 5 customers).
Florist's – It is mainly 1 : 1, ocassionally 1 : 2-3.
Clothing store – It is somewhere around 1 : 6.
Fitness store – It is mainly 1 : 1, ocassionally 1 : 2.
Pharmacy – It is somewhere around 1 : 7.
Model shop – It is mainly 1 : 1, ocassionally 1 : 3.
What age and gender are the employees?
Bookstore – Age is from 20 to 45 and there are half men and half women.
Florist's – Age is about 35 and gender is woman.
Clothing store – Age is from 18 to 30 and all are women.
Fitness store – Age is about 28 and there is only man.
Pharmacy – Age is from 30 to 50 and all of them were women.
Model shop – Age is about 50 and there is just one man.
Are the salespeople using the store products?
Bookstore – I cannot say, I didn't see anyone who was reading in his working hours. But I think that
all of them read books.
Florist's – I do not know, but probably she has her flowers at home as well.
Clothing store – Yes, they wear some part from their collection.
Fitness store – I think so, because salesman looks like he uses product which he sells.
Pharmacy – I think yes, because almost everyone uses some medicaments.
Model shop – Yes, he is very talented modeller.
Do the salespeople have a uniform?
Bookstore – Yes, they wear uniform.
Florist's – No, she doesn't.
Clothing store – In part, they all wear the same part of their regular collection, so everyone may buy
it too.
Fitness store – No, he doesn't.
Pharmacy – Yes, they wear uniform.
Model shop – No, he doesn't.
Do the salespeople match the stores image?
Bookstore – I think yes, because they all look very serious.
Florist's – Yes, the seller is very happy and nice person and this fits very well with flourishing
flowers.
Clothing store – I think yes, they try to look very cool and spontaneous, so they promote their
products.
Fitness store – Well, yes. The seller is a bodybuilder so he is the right man on the right place.
Pharmacy – I think that we cannot speak about something like image in a case of pharmacies. It is
pharmacy. It doesn't try to look differently or make its own image.

6. Model shop – I do not think so. He just sells what he loves.
Products:
What is the first product that you notice?
Bookstore – Books. And they were also the last product I noticed.
Florist's – Plants. A plant with a beautiful red blossom.
Clothing store – T-shirts right in front of the entrance.
Fitness store – Huge boxes of proteins.
Pharmacy – Small boxes of medicaments on shelves.
Model shop – Big wooden ship (but in fact it was not product, it was decoration).
Is there a central display table with featured products?
Bookstore – Yes, there is a table with bestsellers and with the newest books.
Florist's – No, shop is small and there is no place for it.
Clothing store – Yes, many tables with the newest collections and also with products which are for
special price.
Fitness store – No, nothing is more important than anything else.
Pharmacy – No, everything is on shelves with no importance over the others.
Model shop – No, there is no central display.
Where are items that are “for sale” located in the store?
Bookstore – Very near to entrance and exit.
Florist's – I do not see any special place.
Clothing store – Items for sale are placed on special tables with huge marks over them.
Fitness store – There are not special places.
Pharmacy – There are not special places.
Model shop – On the side of cash desk.
How are the products arranged? By function? By price? By color?
Bookstore – Books are arranged by their themes and alphabetically. So autobiographies together,
science-fictions together, cookbooks together and so on.
Florist's – I cannot see any order in arrangement of products.
Clothing store – Clothes are arranged by their functions or types and also by producents (firms who
created them).
Fitness store – Products are arranged by types and ingredients which they contain.
Pharmacy – There is some mysterious scheme. I do not know.
Model shop – Products are arranged by their types, so cars together, airplanes together etc.
Are there free samples or demonstrations?
Bookstore – I can take any of books and read some part of it.
Florist's – No, but everything is shown here.
Clothing store – All sortiment may be tried.
Fitness store – No, there is none of these.
Pharmacy – No, I can try nothing.
Model shop – There are demonstrations in a sense that I can see some complete models.
What products are at eye level?
Bookstore – Just books. And with no special priority.
Florist's – It is interesting, there are cactuses at eye level. The seller is probably some kind of a
joker.
Clothing store – There hang parts of a new collection at eye level.
Fitness store – There are protein bars at eye level.

7. Pharmacy – Some drugs. I do not understand names and all look the same.
Model shop – Boxes with models of tanks.
What items in the store are in the least accessible locations?
Bookstore – Everything is accesible with the same degree.
Florist's – The least accesible are the most exotic and thus the most expensive flowers.
Clothing store – The least accesible are the most expensive clothes, in locked boxes.
Fitness store – There is everything accessible with the same degree.
Pharmacy – Everything is accessible with the same degree, customers have to ask sellers.
Model shop – The least accessible are the oldest models on the top shelf.
Where are the most and least expensive products located?
Bookstore – The cheapest books have special desk. The most expensive products do not have some
special place.
Florist's – The most expensive flowers are behind the seller. The other are placed elsewhere.
Clothing store – The most expensive clothes are locked in some special lockers and customers have
to ask seller for opening them. Items on sale have special desk.
Fitness store – There is no order for cheap and expensive items.
Pharmacy – There are not privileged places for something.
Model shop – There are no special places for the most or the least expensive products.
Are the prices of the products easy to find?
Bookstore – Well, prices are written on backs of books, so after removing book from bookshelf it is
easy to find out a price.
Florist's – Yes, there are labels with prices.
Clothing store – Yes, prices are on labels hanging from clothes and also on special tables near
products.
Fitness store – Yes, there are labels on products.
Pharmacy – No, there are not labels, customers have to ask seller.
Model shop – Not much, on some places yes, on another no.
Are there impulse items near the cash register?
Bookstore – Yes, for example bookmarks and postcards.
Florist's – Yes, some ceramic products.
Clothing store – No, I do not think so, just regular sortiment.
Fitness store – Yes, some magazines.
Pharmacy – No, there are none.
Model shop – No, there are none.
Customers:
Are most customers alone or with someone else? What is the relationship?
Bookstore – Customers are mostly in pairs. They look like man and wife or boyfriend and
girlfriend.
Florist's – Customers come here alone.
Clothing store – Customers are mostly in pairs, they look like friends.
Fitness store – Customers come here alone.
Pharmacy – Customers come here alone, very occasionally in pairs. In this case they look like
parent with a kid.
Model shop – Customers come here alone.
What is the average age and gender of the customers?
Bookstore – Average age of customers is perhaps around 27. They are mostly women.

8. Florist's – Average age of customers is around 40. They are only women.
Clothing store – Average age of customers is around 20. They are mostly women.
Fitness store – Average age of customers is around 25. There were only men.
Pharmacy – Average age of customers is around 42. They are half men and half women.
Model shop – Average age of costumers is around 35. There were just men.
When a customer enters the store, do they tend to walk in the same path or direction?
Bookstore – Yes, because there is just one entry corridor where people can go.
Florist's – Well, yes, because there are not possibilities to go somewhere else because of the size of
shop.
Clothing store – No, almost everyone walks different pathways.
Fitness store – Yes and no. There are two possible pathways. And customers choose one of them, so
they walk differently but in the same pathways.
Pharmacy – Yes, because there are painted lines where they have to go.
Model shop – Not exactly. The shop is very small, but almost everyone is catched by different
objects inside, so the pathways differ.
How long do customers stay in the store, on average?
Bookstore – Average time of stay is about 15 minutes.
Florist's – Very short stays here, about 2 minutes.
Clothing store – Very long stays, nearly about 30 minutes.
Fitness store – Short stays, about 3 minutes.
Pharmacy – Relatively long stays due to long queues. Approximately 18 minutes.
Model shop – Short stays, about 5 minutes long.
Do customer touch the products? Is this encouraged?
Bookstore – Yes, customers take books and browse them. It is encouraged.
Florist's – No, customers don't touch plants. But it is not forbidden.
Clothing store – Yes, customers touch products. It is encouraged.
Fitness store – No, there is no need to touch products. But it is not forbidden.
Pharmacy – No, customers just get what they want but do not touch something before they buy it.
Model shop – Yes, customers very often closely look at products.
Do most customers appear to be on a mission or are they browsing?
Bookstore – Customers mostly seem like they have some free time and came spend it here.
Florist's – Customers were mostly on a mission. They came with concrete goals.
Clothing store – It is hard to say. It looks like half of them are just browsing and the other half is
looking for something concrete.
Fitness store – Customers here are looking for something concrete.
Pharmacy – Well, mostly are customers looking for something concrete but sometimes they ask
seller for advice and tips.
Model shop – Customers look like they are just browsing.
What percent of customers purchase products in the store?
Bookstore – Approximately 25 %.
Florist's – Approximately 90 %.
Clothing store – Approximately 45 %.
Fitness store – Approximately 95 %.
Pharmacy – Almost 100 %.
Model shop – Approximately 30 %.