PROJECTS
BUILDING DIVERSITY
The inspiration for an innovation can come from an unexpected source. It is not limited to the initial concept but reinforced as a fundamental attribute of agile innovation. Diversity is a key success factor for the creative problem solving needed to keep a demanding project on track You never know where the solution to the latest problem is going to come from.
Learning by Doing is one of the best ways to enhance diversity. The projects listed below are a few examples of a pro-active commitment to explore emerging trends and the latest technologies. All contain at least one unique innovation vector and cover a mix of strategic market analysis, technical advances, business development and software application development,
COVID-19
The current pandemic has disrupted just about every aspect of business as usual with broad and deep economic impact in addition to the staggering human cost. A definitive recovery plan remains elusive with overall uncertainty continuing to grow the longer it remains without a clear end date.
We’re not sure what the “new normal” is going to look like, but we expect it will be different with a need for proactive mitigation methods. We’ve been looking into a couple of technologies with the potential to provide some measure of active response to the known conditions. The challenges include optimizing the effectiveness of the underlying principle and creating the commerical channels to market deployment.
iFMR
Exploring a visionary approach to generate deeper insights into human behavior using the latest technology to capture what people *really* think when they are taking pyschological profile tests. Most studies are well administered, but to a very limited population (generally white college students). There is considerable benefit to increasing the size and variety of the test pool for greater scientific usefulness.
This potential for a broader approach has been enabled by the proliferation of smart phones and tablets to support remote testing. Proprietary video processing algorithms are implemented as monitors to validate the test results based on physical "tells" that no human being can consciously control.
In addition to better science and insights with the results, this could enable a disruptive breakthrough into marketing insights. There are bound to be ethical challenges with such capability, so the plan includes protocols as a key consideration in the development.
UV4HC
This project explores the potential beyond the existing application of utilizing short wavelength ultraviolet light (UVC) to disinfect hospital facilities. The concept has only been implemented for hand held instruments or with a "xenon tube wielding shop-vac" which must be wheeled into a room, secured to prevent human access and then activated to achieve some level of disinfection. We see greater benefit in a solution capable of seemless integration into a hospital's infrastracture. This includes the automated data logging and reporting for audits.
The developments for solid state sources to provide the levels and wavelengths needed for an integrated solution are starting to take shape. We’ve begun the analysis to document a business case for the most compelling solution, not just any solution.
BandVU
The music industry has been completely disrupted by the emergence of digital media and streaming platforms. The fundamental issue of how musicians engage their audience and earn a sustainable living is facing unprecedented challenges. Music has always been about people connecting with people and the current pandemic is making that even harder.
Which means there's never been a better time to explore a different approach for Music 2.0. The rapid adoption of an app like Zoom has the potential to become a "verb" (i.e. as in "google") and drive video as the defacto way to experience the art of music.
The app offers a unique dimension of personal interactivity to create a deeper engagement and richer end user experience. The business case enables multiple revenue streams, all well positioned to meet the interests and potential of a broad demographic.
4D DataViz
Data analytics present the potential for tremendous insight, but only if you can "see" what you need to know. As the "new oil", data is being generated in huge volumes but the means to display the significance of these dutifully mined nuggets turns out to be the real challenge as insight lies buried in complex and nuanced interactions. Algorithms continue to evolve but the value and impact of key insights remains bound by the ability to present and process complex data.
This project explores ways to show sector, domain, expertise and contribution for complex innovation projects in one interactive UI. The resource set is large and mutable, the number of projects large and the scope of past experience difficult to communicate. We're drawing on the classic tomes by Tufte and looking at tools such as Processing 2.0 and D3 to see how well it might be integrated for a range of applications.
YCB
An intuitive smart phone app designed to track personal creativity training activity. Inspired by and completely based on the book "Your Creative Brain" by noted Harvard psychologist, lecturer and educator Shelley Carson, this easy to use assistant inspires, reminds and documents your path to greater creativity.
Only available on Android at the moment, which might not make a lot of sense, but it was done as a project for a class. iOS development is unfunded and low on the priority list until somebody decides it's worth the effort to port the original implementation.
It might be suggested the Android user base is in greater need of creativity training than an Apple user. :-)