March 11, 2020

What’s the difference between UX and UI?

Justin Daab Creative, Design Thinking, User Experience, User Experience Design

For any experience to truly connect with people, it must engage both halves of their brain. Now, we understand that this mythical separation of domain between the right and left hemispheres of the brain is more rooted in pop culture than science, but it is still an apt framework for this discussion. While some like to say UX and UI are two sides of the same coin, I think it’s more apt to call them two halves of the same brain. The analytical versus the aesthetic. The data versus the qualia. The objective versus the subjective. You get the idea. But what does that mean for how we might understand the individual disciplines themselves?

February 28, 2020

Brainstorming vs. Ideation

Christy Hogan Hutchinson Corporate Innovation, Design Thinking, Product & Service Ideation, Strategy

You’ve undoubtedly been in brainstorming sessions. Some of these sessions have likely been fruitful, others disappointing. We often get asked how ideation is different from brainstorming on “Brilliant.”— a podcast hosted by Magnani’s president. One guest distinguished the two types of sessions by asserting most brainstorms are simply “meetings… with better food.” But beyond that perhaps undeserved jab at brainstorming, there are several aspects that separate brainstorms from formal ideation.

February 14, 2020

What is futurecasting (and why should you care)?

Justin Daab Customer & Market Insights, Innovation, Market Research, Strategy

There are two paths to innovation. One resides in our timeline just beyond now—solving a problem that exists today with technologies and resources available today. For comparison’s sake, let’s call it simple forecasting. The other path resides in our timeline years into the future—solving a problem that is, at least according to the tea leaves of trends and R&D pipelines, imminent, using technologies or resources that may not be currently available. That’s futurecasting.

February 13, 2020

From Enterprise To Ivory Tower

Magnani Podcast

Justin is joined by John Tuders, former SVP, Product and Payments Innovation for Bank of America, currently PhD candidate and adjunct Professor of Innovation at University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Justin and John talk about what it’s like to forge a career in innovation and what innovation actually means in a large enterprise setting. They examine why some institutions are better suited for innovation than others and why. And they chat about what it means to teach innovation and why it’s an important area of study for anyone studying business.

January 17, 2020

Tesla’s innovation is in the doghouse

Justin Daab Innovation, Strategy, User Experience Design

Watching the world’s automakers respond (or not, as the case may be) to Tesla, has been interesting, to say the least. I find it fascinating to see an established market watch a competitor waltz in and secure a beachhead in a successful new category, with a near-zero response from the established powers for years.

January 8, 2020

Is 2020 the decade of brands as platforms for change?

Christy Hogan Hutchinson Branding, Customer & Market Insights, Marketing Strategy & Planning, Strategy

According to Nielsen, Gen Z now comprises 26% of the media audience. And Magnani’s own proprietary research with Gen Z’s show members of this generation believe that they have been dealt a hard hand in comparison to previous generations. They are concerned about large and complicated global issues, such as climate change and gun violence. And are very aware that the actions they (and we all) take today will impact their future.

December 13, 2019

Five sensational gift ideas for the innovator in your life

Justin Daab Innovation

Innovators are notoriously tough people to buy gifts for. They’re early adopters, so the stuff they likely want isn’t on sale yet, or worse, they couldn’t wait and already bought whatever it is for themselves. They get bored easily, so to be worth our effort and hard-earned dollars, the things you buy for them really need to offer thoughtful and engaging enough experiences to bring them back, time and time again. So, how can you find something truly sensational to give them? We thought it might make sense to talk about some of the most innovative items available, one sense at a time!

December 9, 2019

It Gets Real!

Magnani Podcast

Justin is joined by Thaddeus Wong, Co-CEO of @Properties (atproperties.com). Justin and Thad talk about employee and customer experience as a competitive advantage, using conversation as a framework for crafting a digital experience, integrating downstream services into the sales transaction, the growth of iBuyer organizations, and the emerging use of blockchain, video and machine learning in the transaction experience. They also talk about the stark market realities surrounding the failed WeWork IPO and the future of the real estate industry. Finally, we announce the publication of Justin’s new book, “Innovate. Activate. Accelerate. A 30-day boot camp for your business brain.” Now available on Amazon.

December 5, 2019

Three reasons Uber should never have invested in self-driving technology.

Justin Daab Corporate Innovation, Innovation, Strategy

There’s a classic Venn diagram generally attributed to Ideo’s Tim Brown that points to the reality that for an idea to be considered an innovation, it needs to satisfy three criteria: desirability (people would want it), feasibility (it is something that can realistically be created) and viability (it can be made and offered in a way that makes financial sense for the business). Academics or inspired home tinkerers may be satisfied with any combination of one or two of these qualities, but a business, especially a publicly held business, needs to satisfy all three.