Tree on the beach in Maui…
Photo Break Jan 3
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Photo Break
Hard Problems
Over the weekend, I finished Adam Richardson’s book entitled Innovation X: Why a Company’s Toughest Problems Are It’s Greatest Advantages. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical at first. Seemed a bit obvious on title, however, as I read a preview on my handy Kindle App, I saw some early nuggets of good information.
It likely starts with Richardson’s background. He is part of the frog design team, a company known for some great work across a wide range of industries and disciplines. The great thing about the book is the examples that Richardson incorporates to support key points he makes throughout the text. The title of the book, Innovation X, comes from the identification of what Richardson calls X Problems. He defines X Problems as those where not only is the solution to the problem difficult, but also even the definition. He also points out:
- Competition is getting better and more diverse.
- Customer demands and expectations continue to rise.
- Customer are looking for integrated solutions and systems – not just stand alone products.
- Iterative approaches to problems are necessary to find resolution.
Richardson highlights a number of things that company’s tend to lose sight of these days. He looks at the iPod as an example. He notes that the “iPod succeeded by being a systems solution, not a hardware solution, to the problem of digital music”. He uses additional examples from HP and Dell (admittedly, I chuckled. The book was published in 2010. Clearly both HP and Dell have some different perspectives – and different types of case studies going on…).
Richardson spends the majority of the book defining various angles that make up X Problems. Interestingly, he closes by outlining four truths:
- Customer experience is everyone’s business – expectations continue to skyrocket on the part of the customer and all should be focused on solving those needs.
- Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything can that can be counted should – self explanatory
- Talent matters – very obvious throughout the book that without good talent, you are not even at the starting blocks.
- It starts at the top – as leaders, we have to set the tone and provide the runway to allow for difficult problems to be solved.
Overall a good book and an easy read. Great way to think about hard problems…
Photo Break
Thinking about this view from the top of Haleakala on the island of Maui. Put it on your bucket list if you have not been there.
The Next “Mobile” Platform
The next mobile platform has been evolving for a number of years – too many years in fact. This platform has incredible power, potentially limitless screen space, and in most cases already had speech control. That platform is of course, your vehicle.
Like many, I have watched vehicle capabilities evolve from enhanced stereo controls (where you could – stand back – actually change the color of the display), to social media on wheels. Many even mid-priced models offer voice-enabled audio controls, turn by turn navigation, and even the ability to read and respond to Twitter and Facebook.
However, it has taken an unbelievably long time to get to this point. Capabilities that evolve on a true mobile device can go from concept to production in a matter of months in some cases. And your car? You’d be lucky to get something in 24 months. And when it does become available, it will likely be a proprietary implementation with little if any upgradeability. I know the answer as to why. Trickle out the technology and sooner or later, it will offer just enough wow factor for you to pony up for a new set of wheels.
Of course the larger problem is that I already have my mobile device, which is actually taking on more and more functions for me (browsing, wallet, loyalty cards, home automation control, social, oh – and a phone). I have my social media configured, my task management tools enabled, my messaging functions setup with the right filters and alerts, as well as my contacts. Why do I have to configure the same thing again within my vehicle?
I can appreciate that, however, I think there is a better way. I would like to see auto manufacturers actually create a platform by which your mobile device and its applications integrates into the car. BMW has taken a good first step at this with BMW Connected. Ford has some capabilities with the Sync option. The downside to both of these is that they are optional. Ford even goes further by offering four different configurations of Sync. I would think it would be far easier for auto manufacturers to create a platform for others to build on. They could then focus on building auto-specific capabilities into the apps as complements (and differentiators). Seems that has been done before on the mobile front…
Here’s to looking forward to that next new mobile platform – maybe with the 400hp feature but not hands free.
Photo Break
Show Me
I read an interesting post on Fast Company yesterday that got me to thinking about the transition we have made over the years in the way we have interacted via social channels. For those old enough to remember (and live through some of the pain) social communication used to be via a BBS (Bulletin Board System). We dialed up through our 2400bps modems (the privileged folks had 9600bps hardware), and conversed verbosely through various services.
Usher in the world of Facebook where we provided updates and musings to our friends and family. Twitter comes along so we can do the same only using code words (for length) and URL shorteners (because we really want to say and share a lot but we fake it by using TinyURL). And now, as Fast Company talks about in their posting, we (and companies) are using pictures to convey what used to be through words.
I think this is actually a really good and interesting transition. Pictures convey a lot about a product in a very short amount of time as we are able to process a lot about a picture much faster than reading ramblings from a product vendor (or someone posting random views on technology…). For those that leverage Pinterest and Instagram on the personal side, postings also tell a lot about the individual – not just in the subject of the picture, but even composition, effects utilized, and even color. All of that in what would have taken “1,000 words”.
From a product vendor perspective, pictures allow for a broader level of feedback than purely descriptions or specifications. It also has the potential to create a tighter connection with the prospective purchaser. They potentially see themselves (or through their friends) as part of the product. All before purchase.
So what is the next transition? Can it get any easier than a simple picture shared or pinned? Someone is going to have to show me how it can get any easier.
A Photo Break
Reviewing some pictures from Monterey, CA trip earlier this year (eg6 conference – go if you ever get the opportunity). Great shot of the bay area.
Talk to Me
Speech is everywhere. By everywhere, I mean everywhere in the world of technology and interaction. And it is getting really good. Even IBM has seen the light (IBM – Watson to Super Siri) Some may argue, however, I would posit that the more significant problem is the implementation of speech and not the technology itself. But more on that later…
My first work with speech recognition was many years ago, working for a couple of very advanced cardiology firms in Kansas City. At the time, we were experimenting with electronic medical records. We were also exploring how the cardiologists could dictate chart notes and have them automatically transcribed into the patient record. At the time, Dragon, then a very small firm, had an application that could be loaded on a machine and in only two weeks, learn the style and tone of the person dictating. In case anyone was curious, doctors as much as i appreciate them, have zero patience for such things. A couple of adventurous docs worked with us, but in the end we passed on any sort of deployment.
Times and technology have changed. I’ve gone from technology that required 2 weeks of constant training (with questionable accuracy) to capabilities that can sit on your mobile device, recognize your voice through cloud services (thanks Nuance), and provide a complete multimodal experience. All in less than 2 seconds. Speech is in your car, built into your computer, and even into your television. While hopefully more friendly than HAL, this era of speech enablement shows incredible promise. It will take some time to get people acclimated to a new normal. As long as there is a focus on quality (take note auto manufacturers – we can’t have a static platform – you need to embrace the cloud) and a strong element of design (the right use of speech and visual prompts), speech will become a natural way for us to interact – with technology.
Welcome to a new era of interaction – talk to me.
There’s Potential for Yahoo
In a great post this morning by Louie Herr on Digital Trends (http://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/can-yahoo-retain-the-talent-for-a-turnaround/) he looks at what the future of Yahoo looks like with Marissa Mayer now at the helm. The commentary looks at the potential of the company and the dependency on attracting – and retaining – the right talent.
I feel strongly that indeed with the right talent, Yahoo has a good chance to make a good comeback. This has been hotly debated within the tech community in large part because so much of Yahoo’s core properties have been sitting essentially dormant for so long. Talent is absolutely what will make or break Yahoo’s potential. Yahoo has a great core product set, however, it needs strong engineering and UX leadership to revamp the offerings. What is going to be key is getting that leadership in place – quickly. Strong leadership will attract the engineering talent that Louie notes as missing.
Yahoo is unfortunately one of the business school case study examples of a company that lost its way. What appears to never have been in place – or at least adhered to – was a strong set of strategies coupled with a stated mission. One of Mayer’s first tasks should be to evaluate the various Yahoo properties, determine the underlying mission of the company, the strategies that will help it accomplish said mission, and then build a complementary leadership team.
Do I think Yahoo has a fighting chance? Absolutely. Do I think the window is short to turn things around? Absolutely. I am a consumer of many Yahoo products and hope they can find their way.
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