Curio Research Quarterly Vol. 24

Last Monday was Earth Day! Let me update you on Curio Research news before we celebrate the planet and do something good.

Business

Work

I finished my interview and diary study project for Spatial Research + Design. I got an authentic, in-depth look at a gaming site’s registration and onboarding process using a biometric identity check while maintaining participant privacy during the research. It went really well, and I got enough step-by-step details that I was able to turn the insights into a journey map to show where the specific pain points are in the process. Journey Mapping the findings made them really easy to understand and clearly identified the areas needing the most attention from the clients.

Now it’s time to get to work on Sixzero’s iterative design prototyping research, and I’m still available to take on new projects. Reach out if you have upcoming research needs.

Leadership

I’m currently taking on a more supportive role while presiding over the QRCA. I’m working with the current VP and the Governance and Oversight Committee in assessing pitches from different association management agencies and the Website Task Force in their efforts. Right now, the Task Force is working on a report and information architecture proposal. I’m starting the SEO process by identifying our current top search terms and seeing if we can expand into other terms that would benefit the organization.

Conferences

The QRCA’s annual conference was a smashing success. I walked away with tons of notes and a stack of business cards. Presenting the awards to all of the well-deserving members was definitely a highlight. Now, I’m looking forward to the 2025 conference in Philly.

Business and Sustainability

It was Earth Day recently, folks, and that means we’re seeing a lot of disingenuous platitudes about the environment and plans for being carbon-neutral at some future date. Greenwashing is abundant, and consumers are skeptical and aware. Now, these empty promises are being called to account through lawsuits, saying that their greenwashing amounts to false advertising. I give these accountability efforts a supportive round of applause.

With the charged political atmosphere being what it is and the acceptance of human-caused climate change being a strong indicator of one’s political allegiance, companies are stepping back from efforts to proclaim their green bonafides. Instead, they are greenhushing—doing the work (albeit slowly) but being quiet about it—not celebrating every incremental win.

I’m glad this means the work is still being done, but the public can’t hold these institutions to account. How will we know what progress is being made if it’s not publicized? I’m afraid that people who care about these issues will continue to be dissatisfied with the pace of change and either give up or relentlessly push for more.

I recently led a study on messaging technology and sustainability. When I talked to business leaders, one thing that came through was the desire for credit for the progress already made. Changing the course of a big ship doesn’t happen right away. Incremental positive steps can go a long way on the path to sustainability. From a research perspective, I want to find out if there are ways companies can crow about these small wins that consumers will care about. A message environmentalists can, at the very least, give a begrudging nod of recognition. One thing I know for sure is that greenhushing won’t cut it.

Personal

Travel

Recently, we took a trip to the Path of Totality to watch the solar eclipse. We drove to a small town just south of Indianapolis, parked near a field at a county fairground, and waited for one celestial body to pass in front of another. The experience was surreal: the brief period of dusk while watching the bright ring of the sun around the black shadow of the moon and the satellite passing in front of both. It was definitely worth the trip. Maybe we’ll try again when the next eclipse passes over North America in 20 years.

After the eclipse, we drove on to Louisville, where we enjoyed some bourbon. Then we headed to Nashville, where we ate truffled chicken and dumplings and caught Los Straighjackets' 30th-anniversary show. We ended the trip in St. Louis to have dinner at a reparative restaurant serving food indigenous to the Ozarks. It was quite the experience.

Media

Let’s list some TV series I thoroughly enjoyed these past few months:

• Fargo Season 5 - I don’t know how they do it, but that show hits it out of the park every time. This season focused on ridiculous sovereign citizen movements and the subject of debt. Monetary debt and social debt. What we owe each other and ourselves. Juno Temple and Lemorne Morris (whom I adore from The New Girl) were a delight.

• 3 Body Problem—My husband read this book and was excited to see it made into a series. If you haven’t watched it, you should. I hope you enjoy getting a taste of quantum physics while contemplating an alien invasion. I’m looking forward to the next season.

• The New Look - This biopic series is mainly about Christian Dior and how he helped revive French couture following the Nazi occupation of France, but it is also about the complexity of what people do to survive during war. What is the line between survival and collaboration with the enemy? No one is pure, but some can face their truth better than others.

• Big Mood—This show stars Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) as a young bipolar playwright trying to manage her meds and writer's block with the support of her best friend, who is messy in equally entertaining ways. This show is hilarious, and I’m enjoying every episode. 

And then there’s Civil War. We watched this movie at the Alamo Drafthouse in St Louis, and it left me shaken. It was purposely vague about sides and gave you the point of view of photojournalists who must witness and be impartial. I found watching American icons be blown to bits and otherwise ordinary citizens acting on their darkest impulses deeply disturbing. I recommend watching it once, but I never see myself watching it again.

Giving Back

So far, I’ve recertified and renewed my membership with 1% for the Planet. Now that the weather is warming, I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty again with the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

Happy Earth Day! Do good things and make good choices.

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