Meet The Motivational Mirror

It’s no secret that a compliment can be a real self-esteem booster and an instant pick-me-up on a bad day.  Receiving one unsolicited, however, is a rare occurrence in this day and age, especially when the media is geared to lower self-esteem.  Swedish furniture company IKEA has decided to try and remedy this by giving out some compliments of its own.

The Motivational Mirror is a new installation in one of IKEA’s London stores that is essentially a smart mirror that doles out compliments. Using a Kinect motion sensor, along with a series of complex coding, the mirror can deliver personalized compliments triggered when a person walks in front of it.

http://youtu.be/W30-HQXhB-E

This latest addition to the store comes after found that in a study they commission, just under half of the British people they interview received no compliments in an average week, although 26% reveled that just one kind word in their direction would help them like themselves a little bit more.

Myriam Ruffo, Head of Bedrooms and Bathrooms, IKEA UK & Ireland says that it’s the size of the gesture that matters:

"It’s often the small things that make the biggest difference – something that became evident in our recently published Life at Home report which studied how Britons feel in the morning.  We believe that starting the day positively, by having a good night’s sleep, quality time with loved ones, or a boost to our self-esteem, will have knock-on effects that shape not only the mood of the individual, but that of the nation."

If the mirror proves to be successful in elevating customers’ moods (and maybe even bolster sales a bit), these magical mirrors might make it into other stores in the UK and Ireland.  For now, this is just one part of IKEA’s A to Zzz tips, small ways to improve everyday life, a new campaign they just launched.

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Article by Sara Roncero-Menendez via psfk.com