1. To what extent is packaging important in marketing a product? Give an example of how a package influenced your decision to buy (or not buy) something.
-As stated in the articles, packaging is very important to the marketing of a product. The packaging is what the buyer identifies with and remembers. It's what sticks in their mind when they think of the product. If the product has a very unattractive package, then that's what sticks in the buyer's mind. This may not necessarily mean that they won't buy the product, because if it is a good product it will sell, but the packaging is just so important to help the consumer relate to the product. An example of this is when I buy Body Wash at Target. There are about 7 or 8 brands of body wash to choose from, and they're all about the same price, some more expensive than others. I have seen ads for some of them on TV, which does influence my decision a little bit, but basically I pick the one that look most appealing. If it has a cool "scent" like "sport rush" or something that just sounds cool, then I am influenced to buy that kind of body wash. I like good color coordination, and I will naturally be attracted to the packaging that has a good color scheme.

2. What other products have iconic packaging?

One that I can think of is A1 steak sauce. When asked what kind of package in comes in, pretty much any person thinks of the glass, squared container with the giant A1 logo on the front. This is another example of an excellent product that has excellent packaging, like coca-cola or heinz. The Al container is very simple but at the same time it's quite distinct with its shape: square bottom and its long, thin neck and of course the delicious A1 steak sauce inside. A little off topic, but its advertisements are very distinct and rememberable as well with the "Yeah, it's that important" theme. A1 combines good marketing with a tasty, delicious sauce to come up with an excellent product that sells extremely well.

3. What usability issues exist for packaging? Give examples of particularly good or bad packaging from a usability perspective.

The main usability issue in packaging is visibility. The packaging of a product has to be able to tell the consumer exactly what kind of product it is using the packaging. In addition to giving the buyer instructions about how to use the product, the designers have to make it attractive. Also, the designers have to make it easy for the buyer to see how the packaging is used. For example, some salad dressing uses a squeeze bottle and some use a bottle that has to be shaken out and not squeezed. The designers must let the buyer know what he's buying, give him instructions, but at the same time make the packaging memorable and attractive. The designers also have to give the user a good conceptual model of what the product is used for--the designers should use the packaging to make how to use the product obvious for the user. All in all, the packaging should be simple, attractive, and should show the user how to use the product. I think squeeze bottles of dressing, as mentioned, is an example of well designed packaging because the designers make how to use the product obvious by having a plastic bottle with a special, smaller opening at the top. Also, it usually says on the packaging whether or not is is a squeeze bottle. An example of horrible packaging is packaging for my flash drive. That is the hardest packaging to open. The point of the packaging is to protect the flash drive, and it did a good job of that. However, it is so hard to get open, it makes the protective packaging obsolete. There has to be a better way to package it so that it not only protects the flash drive but also is easy to open. One good thing it accomplishes is it is clear, so the flash drive is visible to the buyer.