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Friday, October 10, 2014

Looking at the Same Thing From Other People's Point of View

It's not what we do, it's what people see

This is the picture of a box used to collect books for donation, placed in a library where I worked as a cleaner. But instead of accumulating books, almost everyday it is filled with trash. What would be your first impression of the people who come to this library?

Before jumping to conclusions, let's take a closer look. First of all the design of this box makes it look like a recycle bin or perhaps a trash bin. Secondly, it is placed right at the entrance of the library. Third, there is a 'No Food & Drinks Allowed' sign at the entrance. But more importantly, look how this box look like from the view of a person coming into a library holding a half-empty Gatorade and a half-bar of Snickers:

Now what is your impression of these people?