We haven’t posted much lately.
Not because there’s nothing to say — just too much happening at once.
Between Seoul for Marina's 25th birthday and John's too many flights across time zones, we definitely added more life to our days.
What stuck most wasn’t the cities or the chaos — it was a single quote, and a Reddit user.
The upset power user: When bad experiences create louder voices
While doing an AI-supported research for a client, Gemini showed us a user who posted in three separate Reddit threads to complain about a single delivery experience.
That’s not just frustration — that’s advocacy, weaponized.
Great word of mouth doesn’t come from happy users. It comes from emotionally charged users. The ones who feel seen, heard, or betrayed. That’s where brand narratives are shaped — in the margins between delight and disaster.
That’s even more powerful for users who are dealing with sensitive needs on e-commerce. In this case, the issue was a delivery of a prescription medication — and the emotional spike gets higher as the user can't miss a day.
A question that remains in this research revolves around whether people notice that prescription products need to be analyzed by humans before shipping, and the urgency may cloud their judgment. How to ensure users understand the “fine print” when all they want is to solve their problem? That’s a piece of research in itself that can bring many test ideas to solve it.
In the end, people won't remember what you did, they won't remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Designing for that emotional spike — not just usability — is where the real leverage sits.
The most important thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor
Howard Marks, the chairman and co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, is renowned for his insightful assessments of market opportunity and risk.
After four decades of ascending to the top of the investment management profession, he is today sought out by the world's leading value investors.
His memos brim with insightful commentary and a time-tested, fundamental philosophy. Now, for the first time, all readers can benefit from Marks's wisdom, concentrated into a single volume that speaks to both the amateur and seasoned investor.
I’ve been thinking about this one deeply.
I own $LVMH, which is a great asset, no doubt. But I likely bought it wrong. In hindsight, it was bad timing and bad price.
It's not like I'm trying to time the market, but Marks would have a better estimate of the business's value and would consider how much of its capital is reliant on foreign markets and all the cash flow risks that arise.
Great companies won't excuse poor investment entry points. In a market where everyone’s chasing quality, price matters. That’s not pessimism—it’s discipline.
Louis Vuitton Group and Google feel like the most uncertain stocks in the portfolio right now.
I've been working on my investing philosophy for a while as I experience different market moods and swings. We've been living history with the fastest turnaround in the Fear & Greed Index to date, back to greedy bull.
Don't Miss
Women in Experimentation 2025. It is FREE to attend, online, and delivers enough value to warrant the time you might spend binge-watching your favorite Netflix series. Save your seat for July 9th.
Next up
On June 2nd, we’re off to London to reach Experimentation Elite in Birmingham on the 4th and 5th. We're covering both days with Convert.com and getting a few people on camera as part of the fun.
Share this post