Category Archives: Innovation

Turning Customer Service Interactions into Innovation Briefs

Deep Listening

Turning Customer Service Interactions into Innovation Briefs

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato
LAST UPDATED: January 5, 2026 at 11:12AM

In our current world, many organizations are making a fatal strategic error. They are treating customer service as a cost center to be minimized through automation rather than a fountain of intelligence to be mined for growth. As we navigate a world where AI agents handle the transactional “how-to” questions, the interactions that remain with human agents — or advanced AI collaborators — are the most complex, emotionally charged, and insight-rich data points an organization possesses. To move forward, we must master the art of Deep Listening.

Deep Listening is the practice of looking past the immediate request or complaint to identify the underlying friction that exists in the customer’s life. Every support ticket is a signal. Every frustrated chat session is a map to a market gap. As a specialist in Human-Centered Innovation™, I believe that innovation is change with impact, and the highest impact often comes from solving the “unspoken” problems hidden within your service logs. We must stop closing tickets and start opening Innovation Briefs.

“The most expensive data in the world is the feedback you have already paid for through your service department but never actually heard. A customer’s complaint is not a nuisance; it is a ‘useful seed of invention’ wrapped in a moment of friction.” — Braden Kelley

From Transactional Support to Strategic Insights

In the traditional model, a customer calls, an agent solves the problem, and the case is closed. The metric for success is Average Handle Time (AHT) — a metric that encourages speed over understanding. In a 2026 innovation-led economy, AHT is a trap. If an agent (human or AI) identifies a recurring systemic issue and documents it as a potential innovation, that interaction is infinitely more valuable than a ten-second “resolution” that leaves the root cause intact.

This shift requires us to dismantle the Corporate Antibody that separates “Support” from “Product.” When the service team is siloed, the insights they gather are seen as noise rather than signal. Deep Listening requires a cultural infrastructure where frontline insights have a direct, high-speed rail to the research and development labs.

Case Study 1: The Fintech “Invisible Barrier”

The Challenge: A leading digital banking startup noticed a surge in “abandoned” account setups in early 2025. Standard metrics suggested the UI was fine, and technical support reported no bugs. Most agents were simply walking users through the final step manually.

The Deep Listening Pivot: Instead of focusing on “fixing the user,” the team analyzed the emotional context of the service calls. They discovered that users weren’t confused by the buttons; they were anxious about the security terminology used during the final authorization. The friction wasn’t technical; it was psychological.

The Result: By transforming these service calls into an Innovation Brief, the product team redesigned the onboarding to use “Reassuring Language Design.” Conversion increased by 40% in one month. The “service issue” became the blueprint for a new competitive advantage in user trust.

Case Study 2: Sustainable Logistics and the Packaging Pivot

The Challenge: A global e-commerce giant was receiving thousands of inquiries about “excessive packaging.” Transactional support was instructed to apologize and offer a small credit. This was costing the company millions in credits and carbon footprint.

The Deep Listening Pivot: The company empowered their agents to tag these calls for a cross-functional “Innovation Task Force.” The agents shared that customers weren’t just complaining about waste; they were actively suggesting “returnable” packaging solutions during their rants.

The Result: This feedback led to the creation of the “Circular Box” initiative — a subscription-based packaging model that is now a standalone revenue stream. By listening to the intent behind the frustration, the company turned a service headache into a sustainable business model innovation.

Leading Companies and Startups to Watch

As we move deeper into 2026, several players are redefining the intersection of service and innovation. Gong and Chorus.ai have paved the way for “revenue intelligence,” but keep a close eye on Viable and Maze, which are using agentic AI to synthesize qualitative customer feedback into structured innovation roadmaps in real-time. Zendesk is also evolving, moving away from simple ticketing toward “Service-Led Growth” frameworks. In the startup space, companies like Enterpret are leading the charge in unearthing these useful seeds of invention across fragmented feedback channels, ensuring that no human insight is left on the cutting room floor.

Conclusion: Leading with Empathy and Agency

To succeed in a disrupted market, we must move beyond the “Efficiency Trap.” We must provide our service teams with the psychological safety and agency to act as researchers. When an employee feels that their observation can lead to a fundamental change in the company’s direction, their engagement skyrockets. This is the heart of Human-Centered Innovation™.

Remember, if you are searching for an innovation speaker to help your organization bridge the gap between customer pain and product gain, suggest Braden Kelley. The path to the future is paved with the conversations you are having today. Make sure you are actually listening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an “Innovation Brief” in customer service?

An Innovation Brief is a structured document that moves beyond solving a single customer’s problem to identifying a recurring systemic friction point. It includes the context of the pain, the potential market impact, and a proposed human-centered solution for the product or service design team.

How does Deep Listening differ from active listening?

While active listening focuses on understanding and validating the person in the moment, Deep Listening adds a layer of strategic inquiry. It seeks to understand the “systemic why” behind the interaction — looking for patterns that signal a need for broader organizational change or innovation.

How do you overcome the “Corporate Antibody” when service suggests innovation?

You must align the incentives. When the product team is measured by the reduction of “preventable service volume” and the service team is measured by “insights contributed,” the two groups naturally collaborate. Innovation is a team sport that starts with the front line.

Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.

Image credits: Google Gemini

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Psychological Safety as a Competitive Advantage in the Disrupted Market

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Psychological Safety as a Competitive Advantage in the Disrupted Market

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato
LAST UPDATED: January 4, 2026 at 11:41AM

In our technological future, where agentic AI and autonomous systems have compressed innovation cycles from months to mere hours, organizations are facing a paradox. As we lean further into the “Efficiency OS” of the digital age, the most critical bottleneck to success isn’t technical debt—it’s emotional debt. We are discovering that the ultimate “hardware” upgrade for a disrupted market isn’t found in a server rack, but in the shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.

As a global innovation speaker and practitioner of Human-Centered Change™, I have spent years helping leaders understand that innovation is change with impact. However, you cannot have impact if your culture is optimized for silence. In a world of constant disruption, psychological safety is no longer a “nice-to-have” HR initiative; it is the strategic foundation upon which all competitive advantages are built. It is the only force capable of disarming the Corporate Antibody—that organizational immune system that kills new ideas to protect the status quo.

“In the 2026 landscape of AI-driven disruption, your fastest processor isn’t silicon — it’s the collective trust of your team. Without psychological safety, innovation is just a nervous system without a spine. If your people are afraid to be wrong, they will never be right enough to change the world.” — Braden Kelley

The Cost of Fear in the “Future Present”

In our current 2026 market, the stakes of silence have never been higher. When employees feel they must self-censor to avoid looking ignorant, incompetent, or disruptive, the organization loses the very “useful seeds of invention” it needs to survive. We call this Collective Atrophy. When safety is low, the brain’s amygdala stays on high alert, redirecting energy away from the prefrontal cortex—the center of creativity and problem-solving. Essentially, a fear-based culture is a neurologically throttled culture.

To FutureHack your way to a more resilient organization, you must move beyond the “Efficiency Trap.” True agility doesn’t come from working faster; it comes from learning faster. And learning requires the vulnerability to admit what we don’t know.

Case Study 1: Google’s Project Aristotle and the Proof of Trust

One of the most defining moments in the study of high-performance teams was Google’s internal research initiative, Project Aristotle. After years of analyzing over 180 teams to find the “perfect” mix of skills, degrees, and personality types, the data yielded a shocking result: who was on the team mattered far less than how the team worked together.

The Insight: Psychological safety was the number one predictor of team success. Teams where members felt safe to share “half-baked” ideas and admit mistakes outperformed those composed of individual “superstars” who were afraid of losing status. In 2026, this remains the gold standard. Google demonstrated that when you lower the cost of failure, you raise the ceiling of innovation.

Case Study 2: The Boeing 737 MAX and the Tragedy of Silence

Conversely, we can look at the catastrophic failure of the Boeing 737 MAX as a sobering lesson in the absence of safety. Investigations revealed a culture where engineers felt pressured to prioritize speed and cost over safety. The “Corporate Antibody” was so strong that dissenting voices were sidelined or silenced, leading to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality regarding critical technical flaws.

The Lesson: This was not just a technical failure; it was a cultural one. When psychological safety is removed from complex systems design, the results are measured in lives lost and billions in market value destroyed. It proves that a lack of safety is a strategic risk that no amount of efficiency can offset.

Conclusion: Building the Safety Net

To lead in 2026, you must become a curator of trust. This means rewarding the “messenger” even when the news is bad. It means modeling vulnerability by admitting your own gaps in knowledge. Most importantly, it means realizing that Human-Centered Change™ starts with the person, not the process. When your team feels safe enough to be their authentic selves, they don’t just work harder—they innovate with a passion that no machine can replicate. The future belongs to the psychologically safe. Let’s start building it today.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is psychological safety about being “nice”?

No. Psychological safety is about candor. It’s about being able to disagree, challenge ideas, and deliver hard truths without fear of social or professional retribution. In fact, being “too nice” often leads to a lack of safety because people withhold critical feedback to avoid conflict.

2. How does psychological safety differ from “low standards”?

Psychological safety and high standards are not mutually exclusive. High-performing teams exist in the “Learning Zone,” where safety is high AND standards are high. When safety is low but standards are high, people live in the “Anxiety Zone,” which leads to burnout and errors.

3. Can you build psychological safety in a remote or AI-driven environment?

Absolutely. In 2026, it is even more vital. Leaders must use digital tools to create “intentional togetherness.” This involves active listening in virtual meetings, ensuring equitable airtime for all participants, and using “empathy engines” to understand the human sentiment behind the data.

Image credits: Pixabay

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Democratizing Investment in Employee Ideas

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Internal Crowdfunding

Democratizing Investment in Employee Ideas

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato
LAST UPDATED: January 4, 2026 at 9:53AM

In our current world, the traditional hierarchies of innovation are not just outdated; they are becoming a liability. For years, the path an idea took from a front-line employee to a realized project was fraught with gatekeepers, budget cycles, and the ever-present “corporate antibody.” We relied on a small group of executives to play the role of the all-knowing Oracle, deciding which useful seeds of invention deserved water and which should be left to wither. But as I have long advocated, innovation is change with impact, and impact is maximized when the power to invest is placed back into the hands of the community.

Internal Crowdfunding is the architectural shift we need to move from a “permission-based” culture to an “empowerment-based” one. By allowing employees to act as micro-Venture Capitalists within their own organizations, we aren’t just funding projects; we are rebuilding the Psychological Contract. We are telling our people that we trust their judgment, their expertise, and their passion. In 2026, the most successful organizations are those that have democratized the “Yes,” ensuring that brilliance can emerge from any corner of the enterprise, regardless of title or department.

“The greatest untapped resource in any organization is not the data in its servers, but the dormant ‘investor’ within every employee. When we democratize the funding of ideas, we transform a workforce of task-takers into a community of future-builders.” — Braden Kelley

The Mechanics of Democratized Innovation

Internal crowdfunding typically involves allocating a specific “innovation budget” to employees in the form of virtual tokens or actual micro-grants. These individuals then “invest” their tokens into the projects proposed by their peers. This creates a Marketplace of Ideas where the signal of collective intelligence replaces the noise of political maneuvering. It provides a mechanism for Human-Centered Innovation™ by ensuring that the problems being solved are the ones the employees actually feel and see every day.

This approach effectively bypasses the “Innovation Theater” often seen in standard suggestion boxes. When people have “skin in the game” — even if that skin is virtual currency — they become more discerning. They ask better questions, offer more constructive feedback, and become natural champions for the projects they choose to support. This is the essence of FutureHacking™: using the present’s social dynamics to force a more equitable and innovative future.

Case Study 1: Siemens and the “Quick Pitch” Revolution

The Challenge: Siemens, a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, faced the challenge of a “legacy mindset” where ideas from younger engineers or non-technical staff were often ignored in favor of established product roadmaps.

The Approach: They implemented an internal crowdfunding platform where employees were given “i-coins.” Employees could post 90-second video pitches for process improvements or product features. If a pitch reached a certain funding threshold from the community, the company committed to providing the “time and tools” (rather than just cash) to prototype the idea.

The Result: Over 1,500 projects were funded in the first two years. More importantly, the data showed that the community-funded projects had a 30% higher success rate in reaching the prototyping stage than those selected by a traditional management committee. It proved that the corporate antibody is weakest when the community stands together.

Case Study 2: Bosch and the “Innovation Framework”

The Challenge: Bosch needed to pivot toward digital services and software-driven solutions but found that the rigid budget cycles of their hardware divisions were stifling “lean” experimentation.

The Approach: Bosch established an internal crowdfunding mechanism as part of their broader innovation ecosystem. They allowed teams to “raise” small amounts of seed funding from their colleagues to prove a concept before ever presenting to a formal board. This effectively acted as a pre-seed round that filtered out the noise and surfaced the most viable useful seeds of invention.

The Result: This democratized investment led to the development of several new IoT-based service lines that now account for a significant portion of their growth. By shifting the “Proof of Concept” burden to the community, Bosch accelerated their transformation and significantly improved employee engagement scores.

Conclusion: From Resources to Investors

To truly embrace Human-Centered Innovation™, we must stop viewing our employees as “resources” to be managed and start seeing them as “investors” in the company’s future. Internal crowdfunding is the tool that facilitates this mental shift. It requires us to unlearn the “command and control” operating system of the past and install a new, more transparent system based on trust and collective agency.

If you are looking for an innovation speaker or a thought partner to help your organization navigate these complex shifts requiring innovation and transformation, I suggest Braden Kelley because he is always focused on the human side of the equation. We don’t innovate for the sake of the technology; we innovate for the sake of the people. Democratizing investment is the highest expression of that principle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does internal crowdfunding prevent “popularity contests” over quality?

By combining crowdfunding with “Social Proof” and peer-review mechanics, the best platforms allow for critical feedback alongside the investment. Additionally, many companies use a “hybrid” model where community funding unlocks a formal review by experts, ensuring that the ideas are both popular and viable.

What is the “Corporate Antibody” in this context?

The corporate antibody is the organizational resistance to change. In innovation, it often manifests as mid-level managers who “kill” new ideas to protect their existing budgets or status quo. Internal crowdfunding bypasses these antibodies by allowing ideas to get traction through peer support first.

Can virtual tokens really drive real innovation?

Yes, because the tokens represent social capital and influence. Even without a direct cash value, the act of “backing” a colleague’s project creates a sense of shared ownership and accountability. In 2026, the psychological reward of being an “early investor” in a successful company project is a powerful motivator.

Image credits: Google Gemini

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The Neuroscience of Unlearning

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Making Room for New Operating Systems

Why unlearning is the hidden challenge of transformation and how leaders can design environments that enable cognitive renewal.

The Neuroscience of Unlearning

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato
LAST UPDATED: January 1, 2026 at 12:54PM

In our current world, we are witnessing a phenomenon that most traditional business models were never designed to handle: the absolute necessity of erasure. For decades, the mantra of the corporate world was “continuous learning.” We built massive infrastructures dedicated to upskilling, reskilling, and the acquisition of new knowledge. But in 2026, as agentic AI and autonomous systems begin to handle the transactional “grunt work” of innovation, we are discovering that the true bottleneck to progress isn’t a lack of new information. It is the overwhelming presence of old information.

To move forward, we must understand the Neuroscience of Unlearning. We aren’t just updating software; we are attempting to overwrite deeply encoded biological “operating systems” that have been reinforced by years of success, survival, and habit. As a globally recognized innovation speaker, I frequently remind my audiences that innovation is change with impact, and you cannot have impact if your mental real estate is fully occupied by the ghosts of yesterday’s best practices.

“The hardest part of innovation is not the learning of new things, but the unlearning of old ones. We are trying to run a 2026 AI-driven OS on a 1995 hierarchical mindset, and the biological friction is what we misinterpret as resistance to change.” — Braden Kelley

The Biology of Cognitive Inertia

Our brains are masterpieces of efficiency. Through a process called Long-Term Potentiation (LTP), the neural pathways we use most frequently become “paved” with myelin, a fatty substance that speeds up electrical signals. This is why a seasoned executive can make a complex decision in seconds—their brain has built a high-speed expressway for that specific pattern of thought. However, this efficiency is also a cage. When the environment changes—as it has so drastically with the rise of decentralized work and generative collaboration—those expressways lead to the wrong destination.

Unlearning requires Long-Term Depression (LTD), the biological process of weakening synaptic connections. Unlike learning, which feels additive and exciting, unlearning feels like a loss. It is metabolically expensive and emotionally taxing. It requires us to activate our metacognition—our ability to think about our thinking—and consciously inhibit the dominant neural networks that tell us, “this is how we’ve always done it.” This is where the Corporate Antibody lives; it isn’t just a cultural problem, it is a neurological one.

Case Study 1: The Kodak “Comfort Trap”

The Challenge: Despite inventing the first digital camera in 1975, Kodak famously failed to capitalize on the technology, eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2012. Many attribute this to a lack of technical foresight, but the root cause was a failure of unlearning.

The Cognitive Friction: Kodak’s “Operating System” was built on the chemical process of film and the high-margin razor-and-blade model of silver-halide paper. Their leaders were neurologically “wired” to see the world through the lens of physical consumables. Digital photography wasn’t just a new tool; it required unlearning the very definition of their business. They couldn’t “depress” the neural pathways associated with film fast enough to make room for the digital ecosystem.

The Lesson: Knowledge is a power, but it can also create blind spots. Kodak’s experts were so good at the old game that they were biologically incapable of playing a new one.

Upgrading the Human OS

In 2026, the shift is even more profound. We are unlearning the concept of “work as a location” and “management as oversight.” Leading organizations are now focusing on Human-AI Teaming, where the human role shifts from originator to curator. This requires a radical unlearning of individual ego. To succeed today, a leader must unlearn the need to be the “smartest person in the room” and instead become the most “connective person in the network.”

Case Study 2: Microsoft’s Growth Mindset Transformation

The Challenge: Prior to Satya Nadella’s tenure, Microsoft was defined by a “know-it-all” culture. Internal competition was fierce, and silos were reinforced by a psychological contract that rewarded individual brilliance over collective innovation.

The Unlearning Strategy: Nadella didn’t just introduce new products; he mandated a shift to a “learn-it-all” (and “unlearn-it-all”) philosophy. This was a Human-Centered Change masterclass. By prioritizing psychological safety, he allowed employees to admit what they didn’t know. This lowered the “threat response” in the brain, making it neurologically possible for employees to dismantle old competitive habits and embrace a cloud-first, collaborative mindset.

The Result: By unlearning the “Windows-only” worldview, Microsoft reclaimed its position as a market leader, proving that cultural transformation is, at its heart, a massive exercise in neural rewiring.

Leading Companies and Startups to Watch

As we navigate 2026, watch companies like Anthropic, whose “Constitutional AI” approach is forcing us to unlearn traditional prompt engineering in favor of ethical alignment. BetterUp is another key player, using behavioral science and coaching to help employees “unlearn” burnout-inducing habits. In the productivity space, Atlassian is leading the way by unlearning the traditional office-centric model and replacing it with “Intentional Togetherness,” a framework that uses data to determine when physical presence actually drives value. Also, keep an eye on startups like Tessl and Vapi, which are redefining the “OS of work” by automating the transactional, forcing us to unlearn our reliance on manual task management and focus instead on high-value human creativity.

“Unlearning feels like failure to the brain, even when it is the smartest move available.” — Braden Kelley

Conclusion: Making Room for the Future

To get to the future first, you must be willing to travel light. The “useful seeds of invention” are often buried under the weeds of outdated assumptions. As you look at your own organization or career, ask yourself: What am I holding onto because it made me successful in 2020? What “best practices” have become “worst habits” in a 2026 economy? The Neuroscience of Unlearning tells us that while it is difficult to change, it is biologically possible. We simply need to provide our brains—and our teams—with the safety, time, and intentionality required to clear the path for a new operating system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is unlearning harder than learning?

Learning is additive and often triggers the reward centers of the brain. Unlearning requires weakening existing, myelinated neural pathways (Long-Term Depression), which the brain perceives as a loss or a threat. It is more metabolically expensive and emotionally difficult to “delete” than to “save.”

What is a “Corporate Antibody”?

It is the natural organizational resistance to change. Just as a biological antibody attacks a foreign virus, an organization’s existing culture, processes, and “successful” mental models will attack new ideas that threaten the status quo. Successful unlearning requires “disarming” these antibodies through psychological safety.

How can a leader encourage unlearning in their team?

Leaders must model vulnerability. By moving from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” mindset, they create a safe space for others to question outdated habits. Using frameworks like the Change Planning Toolkit™ helps make this transition structured rather than chaotic.

Image credits: Google Gemini

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The Relationship between Human-Centered Design and User Experience

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The Relationship between Human-Centered Design and User Experience

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

User experience (UX) and Human-Centered Design (HCD) are two popular topics in the field of web and software design. While UX and HCD are related, they are not the same thing. Understanding the distinction between UX and HCD is crucial for designers who want to create the best possible experiences for their users.

At its core, UX is the process of creating a product or service that is easy to use and provides a positive user experience. UX designers focus on making sure that the user can successfully complete their desired task. This often involves research, analysis, and testing to ensure that the product or service meets the user’s needs.

On the other hand, HCD is a process of designing products and services that focus on the needs and wants of the user. This involves researching users and their contexts to better understand the user’s motivations, behaviors, and preferences. Designers then use this information to create solutions that are tailored to the user’s needs.

The relationship between UX and HCD is symbiotic. UX design focuses on creating a product or service that meets the user’s needs, but HCD takes this a step further. By understanding the user, HCD can create a product or service that is tailored to the user’s needs and preferences, resulting in a more positive user experience.

For example, a UX designer may create a website that is easy to use, but an HCD designer may take this a step further and make the website more visually appealing, adding elements such as animations or illustrations that the user will find interesting. This will make the user more likely to use the website and have a positive experience.

In conclusion, UX and HCD are related but distinct design processes. UX focuses on creating a functional product or service, while HCD takes this a step further and creates solutions that are tailored to the user’s needs. By understanding the relationship between UX and HCD, designers can create more engaging and enjoyable experiences for their users.

SPECIAL BONUS: Braden Kelley’s Problem Finding Canvas can be a super useful starting point for doing design thinking or human-centered design.

“The Problem Finding Canvas should help you investigate a handful of areas to explore, choose the one most important to you, extract all of the potential challenges and opportunities and choose one to prioritize.”

Image credit: Pixabay

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Innovating at Cloud Speed

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Innovating at Cloud Speed

Innovation in the software industry continues unabated. No longer do we have to program computers directly in ones and zeroes, with cumbersome paper punch cards, or even to craft every line of code by hand. We have entered a new era of technology capability with modular software, code libraries, autonomous databases that maintain themselves, finance applications with artificial intelligence and machine learning that enhance experiences and outcomes, and even software that can write other software.

But it is not just technology that is advancing. At the same time, we have created advances in process optimization and how we manage people, while also creating new tools that help us be more efficient and effective in our work. This intersection of improvements in people, process, technology and tools, has allowed us to create a steady stream of innovation and make it possible for the nimblest organizations to continue to meet or exceed ever changing customer expectations.

A new research report, Agile Finance Unleashed: The Key Traits of Digital Finance Leaders, finds that the most advanced finance teams are moving toward a more agile operating model, powered by software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and emerging technologies. AI, machine learning, digital assistants and chatbots, predictive analytics, and other innovations are automating routine tasks, freeing up finance talent to analyze new business opportunities and change course quickly.

“CFOs are driving cloud migration because it just makes sense,” said Oracle CEO Mark Hurd to an audience of finance executives during a 2018 event. “It reduces expenses, increases efficiency and creates more opportunity to truly innovate.”

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Developing an Innovation Strategy for Your Business

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Developing an Innovation Strategy for Your Business

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Developing an innovation strategy for your business is an important step in staying competitive in an ever-changing market. An effective innovation strategy will help you to create and develop new products, services, or processes that will give you a competitive edge. Whether you are a start-up, a small business, or a large corporation, a well-thought-out innovation strategy can be the key to long-term success.

The first step to developing an innovation strategy is to understand the current market and industry trends. Take the time to research your competitors, their strategies, and the current market trends. This will provide you with a better understanding of what strategies your competitors are using, what strategies may be successful, and what strategies may need to be modified or changed.

Once you have a better understanding of the market, the next step is to determine your own innovation goals. These goals should be specific and measurable, and should include short-term, mid-term, and long-term objectives. Your goals should also be realistic, achievable, and measurable.

Once you have established your innovation goals, you will need to decide on the best way to reach them. This could involve using existing resources, such as staff, technology, or capital. It could also involve investing in new resources, such as research and development, or contracting out specific tasks.

Your innovation strategy should also include a timeline for implementation. This will help you to track progress and make adjustments as needed. Additionally, you should consider setting milestones along the way to measure progress and ensure that the strategy is on track.

Finally, your innovation strategy should include a plan for evaluating the success of the strategy. You should consider both quantitative and qualitative measures, such as customer feedback and sales figures. Regularly evaluating the strategy will help you identify any areas for improvement, and make sure that your strategy is still relevant and effective.

Developing an innovation strategy for your business is essential for staying competitive in the market. Taking the time to understand the current market trends, set measurable goals, and develop a plan for implementation and evaluation are all key steps to developing a successful innovation strategy.

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Applying Human-Centered Design to Create Innovative Solutions

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Applying Human-Centered Design to Create Innovative Solutions

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Innovation is the lifeblood of any successful business. In today’s competitive market, organizations must stay ahead of the curve in order to remain competitive. In order to do this, companies are turning to Human-Centered Design (HCD) to create new products and services that meet the needs of their customers.

At its core, HCD is a process that focuses on the customers’ needs and wants in order to create meaningful products and services. This process involves understanding the customer’s experience and expectations, defining the problem, and then creating a solution. HCD is not just focused on creating products; it is also used to create processes and services.

The goal of HCD is to create innovative solutions that are tailored to the customer’s needs. By understanding the customer’s experience, companies can develop products and services that accurately reflect the customer’s needs. This helps to ensure that the solution is not only effective, but also attractive and attractive to the customer.

HCD is an iterative process that involves several steps. First, companies must understand their customer’s needs and wants. This can be done through market research, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Once the customer’s needs are established, companies can begin to develop a solution.

The next step is to design the solution. This involves creating a prototype and testing it with customers to gather feedback. The feedback can then be used to refine the design and make improvements. The goal is to create a product or service that is intuitive, efficient, and suitable for the customer’s needs.

Finally, companies must ensure that the solution is tested and verified before it is released for use. This helps to ensure that the product or service is safe and effective. The feedback gathered during the testing phase can also be used to further refine the solution if necessary.

As you design your product using human-centered methods, be sure and keep in mind the five secrets of successful product design:

1. Understand customer needs and develop a product to meet them: The first step in creating a successful product is to perform market research to gain insight into customer needs and preferences. Develop a product that meets those needs and provides a solution to a problem.

2. Create a unique product: Research the market and make sure the product you are creating is unique and different from what is already available.

3. Focus on quality: Quality is essential for a successful product. Ensure that your product is reliable and meets the customer’s expectations.

4. Utilize effective marketing: Marketing is a key factor in the success of any product. Utilize effective marketing strategies to spread awareness of your product.

5. Listen to customer feedback: Getting feedback from customers is essential to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your product. Use the feedback to refine and improve your product.

Human-Centered Design is an invaluable tool for any company looking to innovate and create solutions that meet the needs of their customers. By understanding the customer’s needs and wants and developing a solution that reflects those needs, companies can create products and services that are attractive and effective. HCD is a powerful tool that can help companies stay ahead of the competition and create meaningful solutions for their customers.

SPECIAL BONUS: Braden Kelley’s Problem Finding Canvas can be a super useful starting point for doing design thinking or human-centered design.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Design Thinking and Its Benefits for Businesses

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Design Thinking and Its Benefits for Businesses

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Design thinking has become an increasingly popular concept in business circles in recent years, primarily due to its potential to help businesses drive innovation and create successful products and services. Design thinking is an approach to problem-solving that emphasizes the human element and focuses on understanding the needs of customers. It involves elements from both design and engineering, and encourages collaboration between product developers, engineers, designers, and other stakeholders to create new solutions.

1. Design Thinking Creates Customer-Centered Problem Solving

At its core, design thinking involves putting the customer at the center of the problem-solving process. Rather than starting with a solution and working backwards, design thinking encourages businesses to look at the problem from the customer’s perspective and work towards a solution that meets their needs. This allows businesses to create products and services that are tailored to customers’ needs, and that offer a unique experience.

2. Goes Beyond Traditional Problem Solving

One of the main advantages of using design thinking is that it allows businesses to move beyond traditional problem-solving methods. By examining the problem from the customer’s point of view, businesses can come up with innovative solutions that may not have been possible using traditional approaches. Additionally, by collaborating with different stakeholders, businesses can ensure that all relevant perspectives are taken into account when designing a product or service.

3. Helps Create More Efficient and Effective Products and Services

Another benefit of design thinking is that it can help businesses create more efficient and cost-effective products and services. By understanding the customer’s needs, businesses can design products and services that are more likely to be successful in the marketplace. This not only allows businesses to save money on research and development costs, but also helps them ensure that the final product meets the customer’s expectations.

4. Fosters a Culture of Creativity and Collaboration

Finally, design thinking can help businesses foster a culture of creativity and collaboration. By involving multiple stakeholders in the problem-solving process, businesses can encourage employees to think outside of the box and come up with innovative solutions. This can lead to higher levels of engagement and motivation, which can in turn lead to better products and services.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, design thinking offers a number of benefits for businesses. By involving customers in the problem-solving process and encouraging collaboration between different stakeholders, businesses can create products and services that are tailored to customer needs and are more likely to be successful. Additionally, design thinking can help businesses create more efficient and cost-effective products, as well as foster a culture of creativity and collaboration. For these reasons, design thinking is an invaluable tool for businesses looking to drive innovation and stay ahead of the competition.

SPECIAL BONUS: Braden Kelley’s Problem Finding Canvas can be a super useful starting point for doing design thinking or human-centered design.

Image credit: Pixabay

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What is Qualitative Research?

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What is Qualitative Research?

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Qualitative research is a type of research that deals with the collection and analysis of non-numeric data. This type of research is used to explore and understand the experiences, beliefs, and motivations of individuals or groups. Qualitative research is often used to gain insights into social, cultural, and even political phenomena.

Qualitative research is used to explore a variety of topics, including culture, values, beliefs, and behavior. By using qualitative methods, researchers can capture the complexity of human experience. For example, qualitative research can be used to investigate how people make decisions, what motivates them, and how they interact with their environment. Qualitative research can also be used to uncover deeper insights into how people think, feel, and behave.

Qualitative research can take many forms, including interviews, focus groups, and observational studies. Each of these techniques has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all involve collecting and analyzing data from participants. Interviews involve asking questions and gathering responses from participants, while focus groups involve gathering a group of people together to discuss a particular topic. Observational studies involve observing participants in their natural environment.

Qualitative research is an important tool for gaining insights into social and cultural phenomena. By using qualitative methods, researchers can capture the complexity of human experience, which is often difficult to measure using quantitative methods. Qualitative research is also useful for exploring emerging trends and developing new theories. Ultimately, qualitative research enables researchers to gain deeper insights into their topic of interest.

Image credit: Pixabay

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