Information, by a broad definition, is systematically structured, processed and organised information designed for a specific purpose. It gives context to previously unprocessed information and allows effective decision making. For instance, a single customer’s sale at your restaurant as a special occasion is information it becomes information the more the business can identify the popular or least common dish. In addition, information systems help companies collect and provide accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive customer information.
In the world today, the definition of “information” has expanded to include many different concepts. In the context of the information booth, I suggest that there are five different types of information: usability, relevance, value, relationships and context. Each type has its own meaning. We’ll discuss each in greater detail below.
Usability means the ability to use the information right away. For example, a customer could be asking for directions to your new store and you ask them if they are looking for a hamburger or softdrink. If they are in an acute state of need and have just left the fast food restaurant, they will get your information with ease. Relevant usability means the ability to process information after a reasonable amount of time (e.g. after 10 minutes of browsing a page on your website).
Relation meaning is what the customer perceives to be a relationship between the company and its customers. For instance, if you were to look at your recent webinars, you would see that about 80% of the people that attend your webinars are looking for a solution to a pressing problem. This relationship is considered relevant because it relates to the services or products you are providing. In the context of the example given above, the connection would be “I need a hamburger” and “I use hamburger coupons” would be the appropriate way of connecting the two concepts.
Problem solving is the act of resolving a problem that presents itself. In the context of the Gilgamesh desert incident, we saw that Gilgamesh was able to solve the crisis and stop it from spreading. This was seen as a relevant example of problem solving. Problem solving then became the action of resolving a problem in a creative way in order to generate new ideas or make the existing ideas better.
What does this mean for the case of information products? If your customers are looking for a solution to a problem that they have, it is important to provide them with the best solution possible. In other words, you must give your customers what they are looking for, and the best solution for that problem. But you must do this while keeping the purpose of your product in mind. You don’t want to create a whitewash out of your information product because that would be like creating a recipe that your customers will hate, so instead you should create something useful and that they will find useful for their search.