Open House - A behind-the-scenes view of Manage My Home

Great service is just one text away!

One of the driving concepts behind Manage My Home is that we help you get more done at home. For this reason we are always looking for new ways to help you do just that. This week we are pleased to announce the introduction of Text2Call.

Get instant access to expert home pros with a single text message. Don't put service on hold. Just text 694663 (MYHOME) the service you need — REPAIR, CLEAN, REMODEL or INSTALL — and a pro will call you right away to start helping. And if you're looking for a part for a product you own, just text PART, and a Sears PartsDirect representative will be on the phone within seconds to help you find the part or accessory you need.

-Garret, Industrial Designer

The Product is About the User

Everyday, there are hundreds of new entries in the field of "nifty features" for your website.  Everyday, people make suggestions about your site good and bad.  So the question is - how do you make sure you build a great, simple product, stay focused and also make sure you take advantage of new technology and experiences.

It sounds a bit "duh" but the simple answer - focus on the user.  This means understanding their feedback, looking at how they are using your features, but also bringing to your product the design and experiences that led you to start building it in the first place. 

On Manage My Home, I received feedback from a user yesterday suggesting changes to how you look up an owners manual that was identical to how we used to do it.  And you can imagine, the way we used to do it would get feedback on more ways to find the manual which led to the improvements we instituted.  So who is right?  The users complaining about the old way or the users complaining about the new way.

As the product leader in any good experience, you know one thing - they both are right.  The question is, who do you listen to?  I follow three simple rules: 

1. If you can bring all the feedback together in a cohesive simple experience, that should be the goal; 
2. If the feedback is in conflict, remember the users you want to love your product because you can't always be all things to all people - and design for them;
3. Most important, use the opportunity to create a lasting dialogue with all of your users.  Someone who is giving you real feedback is incredibly important - both as a user that cares enough and one that could be a goldmine if insight.

So, as always, we would love your feedback on Manage My Home. 

-Jim, Chief Home Manager

Jim is currently working on organizing his closet - something that the casual observer would say has already been done but its not perfect until it looks like a boutique store in the West Village.

The Housing Mess in My Life: To Refinance or Not

Last year, when we bought our house, I finally achieved that all important milestone - my parents could officially say I was an adult.  It was the last checkmark I needed for my Mom to think that I could have a solid, stable adult life and confront the big decisions ahead easily - I mean, I navigated real estate and mortgages - I can handle anything!  Or so I thought.

The recent turmoil in the housing market (yes, an understatement I know) has left us as new homeowners a little confused.  Should we worry that our home value has dropped?  I mean, how does it really affect us if we weren't planning on selling next month.    Should we look at that bigger house down the street that would let us have a dog and a backyard because the prices are low?  Well, not sure we could sell our house even if we wanted to.  Should we think about refinancing to get a lower interest rate?  Um, let someone yet again crawl into my credit score, make my palms all sweaty, comment on my college credit card payment history all to save a percentage point - I don't think so. 

Perhaps I said that too quickly.  Refinancing is one activity that we thought might apply to us - and considering I live with a very active micro-manager of finances and it might save us money, I was told to pursue.  So I did. 

After a little research, I found help from a place I would not have expected - Microsoft.  MSN Money had a great article to confirm what I hoped - that I wouldn't have to go through the pain of refinancing.  We aren't sure we are going to stay in our house long enough to make it worth the effort.  In addition, we are also pretty comfortable with our current payment so the extra effort might not really "save" us money. 

Now - that is not the case with all, or even most, homeowners.  I'm hoping that we can quickly help homeowners know what help they can get and if they need it at all.  A proclamation that hits the New York Times front page or the opening segment on Fox News doesn't mean I know what to do for my own decisions as a new homeowner.   

-Jim, Chief Home Manager

The Soundtrack of my Home?

A few weeks ago, we were in a small store in the West Village in New York that I love. As I was sitting in a clearly eco-friendly chair, waiting for the rest of my group to finish up, I was caught by this very calm feeling. Jack Johnson was playing in the background, images of California were around me, the floors were a light reclaimed beachwood and the world was very - well for lack of a better term - "chill."  I even commented to my friend Lisa - I would love to come home to this every night after work.

When we got back to our Chicago greystone - I tried to recreate that feeling. I turned on the stereo, played my Jack Johnson playlist, sat in my favorite chair - and nothing.  It wasn't the same. Our furniture is a bit too casual modern, doesn't have that laid back feel - and it made me think - well what music would work in our house.  I racked my brain - Dave Matthews?  nah - our house is far too preppy. The Beatles?  definitely not eclectic enough.  Coldplay?  not that cliche. Anyway, I couldn't figure it out but it bothered me.

Let me sidetrack just a bit. When we bought our house, it came with pre-wired speakers and a cool in-wall remote control system. Granted, they didn't tell us we would have to pay a year's college tuition to buy the machine that powered it but once you are in the house, well, you have to have it!  If you don't have such a system, don't worry - there is a lot you can do yourself.  Check out our home theater installation project for help!  Anyway, I love our music system - and I love turning it on during my Saturday mornings, I love having it on when we have friends over, and I love that I can listen to NPR in the office but walk out to our kitchen and hear The Police. However, it has created a serious problem.

I don't have a soundtrack - to my home.

And apparently, I'm not the only person with this problem. The New York Times ran a story about this very issue - the emergence of personal home soundtracks and the accompanying professionals who can help you do it. Yet another part of home ownership I didn't anticipate!

Ah - another thing to add to my list. Finding my personal soundtrack stylist. However, with the holidays approaching, bills to be paid, and well not being independently wealthy - I think I will have to do it myself.  On that note, I'm off to my iPod to figure out the perfect song for my house.

-Jim, the Chief Home Manager and House Soundtrack DJ

The noises our house makes.

So I just got off the phone with my better half - and apparently there was a floor vibration accompanied by a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot.  Of course, immediately I thought, get up on the couch as the sound was coming from downstairs so of course if something happened, it would be near the floor! 

At this point in the conversation, my mind started to wander to our house in general (my mind wandering is not unusual even at the most inappropriate times like pending danger).  I started thinking of all the strange noises a house makes - more often at night of course.  There are some nights the blower for the heating system kicks in and I think it sounds like someone running through the kitchen.  Or the times when I hear the tree scrape against the bedroom window due to wind and I think its someone nefariously opening the back door to rob us.  None of these have been the case. 

In general, these noises are normal for our 1910 greystone building.  However, part of what I need Manage My Home to do is give me the answers to simple questions - and then help me decide if I should do anything about them.  For the blower, I needed a tune-up; for the windy tree, I needed to grow up and not be scared.

Oh, and the noise just heard at home - it was the front door slamming too loudly.  I now have a to-do for what was until now a work free Saturday. Oh well. 

 

For other examples of strange noises in your house and what to do about them, you can check out our article on them.

-Jim, Chief Home Manager