I have found myself in some interesting research situations in my career, but none quite like my recent project. This time I was talking to people because they were HOMELESS. Along with Kristen Johnson, a fellow envisioner at Continuum, Chris Miller, a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design,  I was selected to organize a workshop at the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC) 2008. This year’s conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark and focused on using fast and efficient research methods to understand social problems, like homelessness.

Then came the hard part…we actually had to do the research.

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Is there too much convenience in our world today? To find new ways to make money, companies naturally try to make it easier to buy and use their products and services – and they put a lot of energy into this. But as they make things easier for consumers, are they making consumers lives more difficult? We may be approaching the edge of having too much convenience.

As we travel and interview people, some of the stories that we hear shed light on this. People tell us about the things they’re doing to make it harder – not easier – for them to do things like spending money or eating food. Can you imagine someone putting a credit card in water and freezing it to help them stop and think before they spend? It’s happening. But on the other side, the New York Times reported that at least one 401k provider is issuing debit cards to allow consumers to effortlessly borrow from their retirement savings.

There’s been a lot of innovation energy (and marketing energy) put around bringing consumers’ impulses and decisions closer together. As we approach the possibility of too much convenience, a new growth opportunity lies in helping people push them apart instead.