Tom Guarriello, a designer and creativity consultant, uses YouTube as a low-cost way to study how people actually live. He watches videos to stay connected to real customer experiences instead of working in isolation. He asks what insights you've found on the platform for your own work.
Well, hi, it's Tom Guarriello. Today I wanted to do something that I haven't done before, I don't think, and that is to talk a little bit more about the work that I do and ask you guys some questions that are on my mind about YouTube and about what you do. So the consulting firm that I'm a principal in along with my partner Peggy. Hi, Peggy. We specialize in helping organizations to develop cultures of creativity. I've spent the last 15 years or so of my career working in organizations that create new products, and specifically I've worked a lot in the fashion design industry and worked with designers to develop new ideas and to get those ideas actually implemented in their organizations. It's great work, and it's, it's been terrific because the people in the design industry are amazingly creative, very endlessly interesting, and just exploring new innovative ideas all the time. Um, so I became interested in YouTube. One of the reasons I became interested in YouTube is because, um, you know, in the, in the, in the design, in the world of design, uh, learning how people are living their lives on a day-to-day basis is a very important, um, input to helping designers to really stay focused on customers and not so much focused on themselves. You know, one of the things about being a creative person is that you can get very caught up in your own way of looking at things, and having a strong creative vision is great, but sometimes that creative vision might obscure you to the way real people live on a day-to-day basis. So one of the things that I started doing when I first got here to YouTube and really had no intention of actually doing much in the way of producing videos was to, you know, like Chauncey the Gardener in Being There, I like to watch. You know, I was here to watch. I wanted to see what what people were saying and doing and trying to understand the relevance of what was going on here to my clients and the way that they create new products. Well, obviously I've jumped in with both feet and done more than just being here to watch. Uh, and the question that I, uh, wanted to pose to you today was, uh, what relevance do you think if any, YouTube has to your work. What, uh, have you learned anything here? What have you learned here that is relevant to what you do, uh, when you're not here? Uh, so I'm very interested in knowing that. And, and, uh, so I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. And, um, you know, videos would be great, comments are great. And, uh, thanks a lot, appreciate you watching.
