Consumer Psychology

The Unvarnished Ledger - Part 2: The Subscription Trap

6 June 2020·378 words·2 mins

Human Systems and Behavior Personal Finance Subscription Economy Behavioral Economics Consumer Behavior Zero Marginal Cost Consumer Psychology Decision-Making and Bias Policy and Critique Political Economy

How zero marginal cost business models exploit the margin of indifference—and why those $9.99 fees add up to a budget-busting torrent.

The Unvarnished Ledger: Personal Finance Without the Platitudes

5 June 2020·146 words·1 min

Human Systems and Behavior Personal Finance Latte Factor Subscription Trap Productivity Paradox Experience Premium Optimization Consumer Psychology Decision-Making and Bias Policy and Critique Political Economy

A brutally honest examination of everyday financial decisions—from your morning coffee to your subscription creep—through the lens of behavioral economics and monetary reality.

The Unvarnished Ledger - Part 1: The Latte Factor

5 June 2020·556 words·3 mins

Human Systems and Behavior Personal Finance Inflation Behavioral Economics Consumer Behavior Monetary Policy Consumer Psychology Decision-Making and Bias Policy and Critique Political Economy

How monetary policy quietly shrinks your morning ritual—and why your daily coffee has become a leading economic indicator.

Design Lessons from the World's Biggest Flops - Part 3: Stop Lying to Yourself! Why the Scientific Method is Your Product's Best Friend

4 May 2020·649 words·4 mins

Systems and Innovation Product Design Scientific Method Bias Reduction A/B Testing Design and Innovation Decision-Making and Bias Consumer Psychology

Overcome psychological biases in product design by adopting scientific testing: form hypotheses, test rigorously, and confront the data.

Design Lessons from the World's Biggest Flops - Part 2: The Pilot's Secret: 3 Ways to Turn Your Failures into Future Success

3 May 2020·727 words·4 mins

Systems and Innovation Product Design Failure Analysis Post-Mortem Learning From Mistakes Design and Innovation Decision-Making and Bias Consumer Psychology

How airline pilots and doctors turn failures into lessons: systematic post-mortems, owning design flaws, and documenting insights for future success.

Design Lessons from the World's Biggest Flops - Part 1: Your Product Works, But Your Customers Hate It: The Secret to 'Experience Failure'

2 May 2020·638 words·3 mins

Systems and Innovation Product Design Experience Failure Customer Experience User Frustration Design and Innovation Decision-Making and Bias Consumer Psychology

Why technically sound products still fail: the hidden trap of experience failure where usability doesn't equal desirability.

Design Lessons from the World's Biggest Flops

2 May 2020·106 words·1 min

Systems and Innovation Product Design Experience Failure Customer Experience Scientific Method Post-Mortem Analysis Design Psychology Design and Innovation Decision-Making and Bias Consumer Psychology

Uncover the hidden reasons why great products fail—not from technical breakdowns, but from experience failures that frustrate users. Learn from Victor Lombardi's insights on turning flops into future successes through systematic learning, scientific testing, and customer-centric design.