Highlights of some key sessions I attended at SXSW 2015. The bias is towards innovation and healthcare. How to set up your business for success, think differently, leverage new technology and engage your customers.
2. Some images and highlights from SXSW
interactive 2015 in Austin Texas, with personal
commentary and opinion
Introduction
Note: links to event
in bottom right
corner of slides
3. The Innovator's DNA: The
Five Innovation Skills
• Anyone can innovate – only 1/3 of an
innovators skills are genetic
• 95% of your ideas will suck – bring in
outside thinking
• Future communications will be sensitive
to our mood
• Teachers ask questions, students
answer. We are not taught to ask the
right questions
• Innovation now comes from teams not
individuals
• Novelty is rarely innovation
• Process and metrics are good words
Event link:Hal Gregersen
The 5 skills
1) Associational thinking
2) Questioning
3) Observing
4) Networking
5) Experimenting
4. Biz Stone on Creativity
and Redefining Success
• Whatever you do, you need to have
100% emotional investment and you
will have indefatigable drive
• Mindfulness is key to creativity
• The future of marketing is philanthropy
– people are attracted to meaning
• If you want to be able to succeed
spectacularly you need to be able to fail
spectacularly
Event link:
Biz Stone
5. Hacking the Brain: What's Next
for Neuro-Health?
• Fascinating discussion of the use of sensors to
measure cognition and deterioration (e.g.
Alzheimers)
• Example of a disabled patient controlling a plane
(flight simulator) intuitively using thought,
unencumbered by motor function
• In the future robots won’t be autonomous – we will
control them directly with sensors in our brains
Event link:
Geoffrey Ling
(DARPA)
6. How Is Big Pharma Interacting with Tech Startups?
• A session for start ups on how to approach and navigate the maze of ‘Big Pharma’
• Finding the decision makers is tough and IF you get a deal expect to put some ‘skin in the
game’
• Partner with trusted agencies to understand pharma and approach them
• Megan Lopresto claimed Boehringer is more innovative being privately owned and not
answering to shareholders
Event link:
7. Innovation- Healthcare Beyond Medical Devices
• Sensors in, on or around our bodies will evolve into passive, silent monitors to active treaters
of disease
• The price of privacy - Jon Werner (Adidas) talked how the need for encryption causes latency
and reduced service levels
• The power of big data combined with sensors - predictive analytics and sensors will offer an
alert before an elderly person falls.
Event link:
8. Paid Editing of Wikipedia: Getting Past "Gotcha”
• Big companies struggle with Wikipedia’s lack of hierarchy and speed to implement changes
‘There is no deadline!’
• Self editing of pages of conflicted pages is a no-no unless repairing vandalism or working in
some non english speaking country pages
• Some useful resources here
Event link:
9. Creating A Digital
Engagement Strategy
for Leaders
• Authentic leadership example of Telstra
CEO David Thodey jumping into
customer service tweets
• Thodey also asked his staff
spontaneously, to give examples of
time wasting processes, promising they
would be removed or explained
• Social media leadership is not about
trying to be perfect, rather accepting
failure and learning
• Essentially around a culture of sharing
and relationships
Event link:
Charlene Li
(Altimeter)
10. Advocates vs Agitators:
the Social Influence
• In social media you need to be
available 24/7, obvious? Not to some
banks who take 2 days to respond
• Southwestern airlines cite great
relationship between customer
advocacy and legal teams to improve
service via social media
• Don’t give the persistent detractors the
oxygen of a response – that is what
they want
• Social is ready to grow up in business –
connecting with customers and
delivering more revenue
Event link:
11. Race to the Fifth Screen
• Is the 5th screen on a table, as watch or is it really a screen at all?
• It is not numbers of screens but ensuring the current ones are integrated
• Using augmented reality to get content on any screen and make anything a screen
Event link:
12. Magical UX and the
Internet of Things
• The phone is the first ‘internet of things’
object for everyone
• Interactivity between screens and
seamlessly moving objects around.
Nice video example
• Its not about screens but about
ubiquitous computing
• Automation can have its dark side
• How smart does your bed have to be
before you are afraid to sleep in it
• The problem with google glass – it was
a technology project. The computer
should be as invisible as possible
Event link:
Josh Clark
(Global Moxie)
13. Evolve or Die: The Traditional Agency Revolution
• Will social and digital job titles exist in 2 years? Should they?
• Digital is a great opportunity to create stuff (that actually matters)
• A risk tolerance towards failure is required
• Move away from the full service ‘do-it-all’ agency to a range of partners
• Form strong media relationships and partnerships with Google, Facebook, You Tube etc
• Oh and make sure your culture is fun
Event link: