Enhance

1. Describe your featured media and how it will enhance the user’s life and experience.

Microsoft Surface is mainly used for retail but also in automotive, financial, health, and hospitality industries. Specifically it strives to enhance customer experience, increase customer loyalty, attract new customers, grow revenue, and reduce the cost of service. These are all aspects that would enhance the customer experience in any one of these growing and extremely important industries.

In the retail industry, Surface can recognizer devices such as cell phones that allow the customers to download information or products directly to their phones. Customers can use Surface to design anything, whether it is a bedroom, wardrobe, or even menu planning. In the automotive industry customers have the tools available to build a virtual car and compare everything from finance options to colours. In financial services it would be possible to personalize customer contracts as well as adding to customer loyalty by making a more personal lounge setting around the Surface. In the health care industry Microsoft Surface would allow for easy self check-in as well as allowing a comfortable setting for patients and doctors to collaborate on treatment options. In the hospitality industry the main way to enhance the customers experience is the development of “loyalty cards” which will immediately display the customers’ favourite drinks or meals. Also the Surface would be able to provide interactive tours as well as travel destinations.

The Microsoft Surface aims to provide convenience and extend the human capability. It provides a visual and memorable experience for the customers which can be used to single customers or large groups. This is done to issue an enhanced customer experience. 

Retrieve

2. Outline the elements this invention retrieves from past technologies.

            Microsoft Surface retrieves the more personal feeling of doing business even when staff is less used. The Surface is cleverly designed to give the idea of a customized experience. With the use of “loyalty cards” and the recognition of mobile devices the customers are more attracted to do business at a Surface location. The previously repressed idea of customer loyalty is now going to be brought forth again with this stylish and practical design. The Surface can be used to find information on the Internet while being able to use this less recent technology in a new way. Also the Surface can be used in order to retrieve the also less recent technologies of designing technologies and cell phones.

Obsolesce

3. State what this new media will obsolesce.

Microsoft Surface will obsolesce the use of staff in some jobs where staff is not necessarily needed. This would be helpful in increasing revenue for the company. For example instead of having a receptionist to check in the days appointments Surface could provide the same service. Surface can easily provide self check-ins. Also this would allow customers or even patients to view their previous files without having to meet with a busy staff member. For example a customer could view a customized snowboard in which the information was on their phone. They could then go to a Surface and just place it on the table and the snowboard document could pop up. Also a patient could review x-rays or other patient information on the phone. Also in financial industries customers could review and compare financial plans without meeting with staff.

The Surface also has the capability of obsolescing basic computers used in some industries in the customer sector (to some extent). This is because if companies went with the Surface chances are very few of them would still need the basic computer when the Surface can do most of the jobs a computer can do but has extra functions as well. Obviously some tasks computers would still be needed for however for basic customer satisfaction and customer loyalty the Surface does the job much better. With the mobile device and “loyalty card” recognition the Surface could without a doubt replace the computer in many aspects. 

Reverse

4. Define what factors this invention will reverse when pushed to its outer limit. 

            If the Surface were to be used too dependably or pushed to its outer limit there is a chance that one point Microsoft Surface could obsolesce (staff) could be almost completely removed. If custom creations we able to be accessed merely from a table then it is actually possible people may stop meeting with staff at custom shops completely. Also the basic tasks that staff that people perform at hospitality could be completely taken over by the Surface. Especially at custom shops it is possible that custom work (e.g. snowboards) could lose some of their appeal if it is more accessible and done without a personal consultation. In this way Surface could reverse the importance of human interaction in retail, service, and hospitality indistries.