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This week on Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Jamie Sermon, the Vice President of Engineering, Robotics and Automation at UPS. Jamie has been at UPS for over 15 years and knows the company intimately. He also knows that you can't solve logistics problems if you're not thinking about the customer at every step. Jamie shares how his upbringing in the Bahamas and his studies in physical therapy in Cuba helped shape his people's first approach. He also shares how he creates space for experimentation and how automation can be used to create opportunities for people, not take them away. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Jamie SermonLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
ABOUT BRYAN:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/bryanmeszarosWebsites:openeyeglobal.com (Company)marketscale.com/industries/podcast-network/experience-by-design/ (Experience By Design Podcast)experienceunitedsocialclub.com (Experience United Social Club)email: bmeszaros@openeyeglobal.comBio:Bryan Meszaros is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. As the founder of OpenEye Global, he proved that a small, focused team can deliver big results and helped shape the early evolution of digital engagement.He later made history as the youngest President of SEGD and the first with a digital centric background, while also contributing to the Digital Signage Federation and Shop! Association to advance industry standards.Bryan is also the founder of the Experience United Social Club (XUSC), an international networking series all about bringing together creative minds from the AV, digital signage, and design industries to share ideas and collaborate. With global experience across Europe and APAC, he has spoken at major events including EuroShop, ISE, InfoComm, and DSE, and regularly contributes to leading industry publications.Dedicated to pushing boundaries, Bryan remains focused on shaping what comes next in digital signage and experiential design.SHOW INTRO:SHOW INTRO:Welcome to Episode 83! of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast…In every episode we continue to follow our catch phrase of having “Dynamic Dialogues About DATA: Design, Architecture, Technology and the Arts.” And as we continue on this journey there will be thought provoking futurists, AI technology mavens, retailers, international hotel design executives as well as designers and architects of brand experience places.We'll talk with authors and people focused on wellness and sustainable design practices as well as neuroscientists who will continue to help us look at the built environment and the connections between our mind-body and the built world around us. We'll also have guests who are creative marketing masters from international brands and people who have started and grown some of the companies that are striking a new path for us follow.If you like what you hear on the NXTLVL Experience Design show, make sure to subscribe, like, comment and share with colleagues, friends and family.The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is always grateful for the support of VMSD magazine. VMSD brings us, in the brand experience world, the International Retail Design Conference. I think the IRDC is one of the best retail design conferences that there is bringing together the world of retailers, brands and experience place makers every year for two days of engaging conversations and pushing us to keep on talking about what makes retailing relevant. You will find the archive of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast on VMSD.com.Thanks also goes to Shop Association the only global retail trade association dedicated to elevating the in-store experience. SHOP Association represents companies and affiliates from 25 countries and brings value to their members through research, networking, education, events and awards. Check then out on SHOPAssociation.org Today, EPISODE 83… I talk with Bryan Meszaros founder of EpenEye Global. Bryan is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. Naturally, in a world that is increasingly digitally mediated, Bryan's business is significantly focused on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a tool in his experience place-making toolbox.We'll get to more of how Bryan sees the use of AI in digital applications in brand experience places in a minute but... first a few thoughts…* * * *I grew up on Star Trek. They original version with Shatner as Captain James T Kirk. These were the sightly campy years in black and white but wonderfully prescient in foretelling what was to come. I used to say that my father, who lived to the ripe old age of 97 was so into it that was holding out until he could just beam up through the transporter to the next phase of his existence. We all watched, my 4 brothers and I every week, my mom? Well not so much…I got used to thinking about digital communication, robots, space travel and technology integrated into our lives facilitating everything from washing dishes to extending lifespans. There isn't a day that goes by now where my media consumption doesn't include something on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence. Both the amazing and the alarming. How it will make workplaces completely different replacing much of what we now do with human brain and brawn with algorithms and computer chips that can fit 1000 computers from the old Star Trek days on your fingertip. How it is changing the way human brains are wired, though when it comes to our neural networks that trundle along at a speed ridiculously slow compared to the digital pace of change that is exponential and moving at the speed of light.How as a visualization tool it is becoming indistinguishable from real life people and places. Creating deep fakes that are so good at impersonating humans that avatars are no longer cartoonish but facsimiles of us that are, well, exactly like us - but whose knowledge base is the compendium of all human knowledge that can be accessed on the internet and provide cogent answers to well-crafted prompts and have them served up in a few seconds. ‘The times they are a changin' but at a pace that even Dillan couldn't have imagined. Don't even get me started about when we finally, and I don't think it is going to take too long, get to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and what that portends for humankind. I am often concerned for my sons and the world they are growing into as young adults. I wish sometimes that they'd have had the experience of growing up in the 60's and 70's when times were simpler – but of course they weren't really. Every decade has it's messes – sometime beautiful sometimes not and sometimes each of these ends of the human experience spectrum were happening at the same time.What we are experiencing now is evolution at a revolutionary pace. A slow simmering flame has exploded into a blast furn ace of change propelling us all, whether we like it or not, on a path that at times seems to be heading towards the edger of a cliff. Concerned? Well you'd have good reason to be.But then again, if you accept the Ray Bradburry adage of sometimes while standing at the edge of the cliff ‘you need to jump and build your wings on the way down', may we all then transform in midflight into some sort of lemmings with wings.The subject of AI has surfaced a number of times on this podcast notably with data visualization artists like Refik Anadol and architect artist Samar Younes, spatial computing specialist and near futurist Neil Redding and Synchronicity Architect Justin Bolognino. Each of these creators and theorists shape the AI narrative to their own ends, each of them proclaiming the virtues and vices of the technology.Uses of AI in design and architecture, as well as other industries, is multifarious and, I would admit, well beyond my more general appreciation for using it as an ideation tool and writing assistant in my everyday work.In the world of experience design there are at least 2 ways - although I would guess many more - to look at it:- on a very basic level there is the physical integration of digital media facilitated by Ai and then there is actual content that ends up on the digital interface – be it a touch screen kiosk, a display array in a sports bar or an enormous multi-story wall in Times Square. Getting these screens to work with the environment is always a challenge. Mainly I believe because they come as an afterthought rather than an integrated design solution and part of a digital experience strategy.In the second case of content, one size does not fit all. Places and people are different. The same content being played on those screens all day are visual noise detracting from overall experience rather than enhancing it. These days, every minute of every day things are changing. Why should digital content on screen of any size and shape be any different?If purveyors of brand experiences are not changing content to adapt to customers everchanging needs across the journey, digital content simply becomes part of the visual texture of the environment slipping into irrelevancy and lending nothing to the embodied memory of a place.This is one area Ai is able to change the game – creating content to meet customer needs more directly. Now it would be difficult, if not impossible to change digital content in Times Square to continually meet the needs of the thousands of people in that digital epicenter in New York. But then we all carry cell phones – person digital devices. All of those phones are geolocated. Each of those those has an address – a personal identifier about who it belongs to and bunch of other information about you – personal, financial, home address, etc.Are a bunch of guys at google looking at you individually as you make your way across Times Square – not really – but your Hazel and Gretel trail of ones and zeros from purchases, GPS searches, app use, etc., etc., tell a lot about you should anyone want to do a little digital forensics.The idea here is that we are giving up this information every time we turn our phones on. That information isn't snatched from us without our consent (generally) it's in our service agreement terms and conditions – that impossibly long text that most of us scroll through to the end and click “agree.”But that information could be used to make your path across Times Square more relevant to you. Perhaps your device communicates with other devices or screens and changes the content that you see.This isn't quite Minority Report yet, where Tom Cruise courses through a store and the displays are talking to him because they recognize his retinas – but it is possible to create messaging that is more personalized to you, specifically, as a customer.Digital signage can change either on the wall of as shelf signage.It is about recognizing your customer and understanding that they are used to creating experience narratives that are more relevant to them because they, in part, have contributed to their making. Want to stay relevant to your customers, new or old? Support their collaboration in the shopping journey offering up opportunities for them to write themselves into the narrative. Story and strategy must be connected. Doing good by your customer is about building a relationship and Ai can support that effort but including engaging digital content that recognizes them as individuals, with relatable and relevant messaging.But the whole enterprise needs to be seamless. Sometime I think that the best tech is the tech you don't see, but it think it is also perfectly OK to see it if there are no disconnects in journey. Signature moments in the customer journey have to link up so the customer follows the bouncing ball from their first connection point through the purchase moment and then beyond. And this is where this episode's guest comes into the picture.Bryan Meszaros is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. As the founder of OpenEye Global, he proved that a small, focused team can deliver big results and helped shape the early evolution of digital engagement.Bryan was the youngest President of SEGD and the first with a digital centric background, while also contributing to the Digital Signage Federation and Shop! Association to advance industry standards.He is also the founder of the Experience United Social Club (XUSC), an international networking series all about bringing together creative minds from the AV, digital signage, and design industries to share ideas and collaborate. With global experience across Europe and APAC, he has spoken at major events including EuroShop, ISE, InfoComm, and DSE, and regularly contributes to leading industry publications.Bryan likes the idea of staying dedicated to pushing boundaries, so he is a natural fit for the show. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645 (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently shares his experience and insight on various industry boards including: VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, the Interactive Customer Experience Association, Sign Research Foundation's Program Committee as well as the Center For Retail Transformation at George Mason University.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore. In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. I caught up with Bryan at the SHOP Marketplace event in Charlotte and chatted about his focus on shaping what comes next in digital signage and experiential design. The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production is by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.
In this episode from the archives Tammy is joined by Jessica Hartley, the Head of Design and Customer Experience for CCB Finance, Tech and Data Analytics at JPMorganChase. Jessica has over 20 years of experience helping clients leverage digital innovation and is passionate about driving employee engagement and culture. Tammy and Jessica talk about what authenticity really means at work and why it's so much more than just how you present yourself. Jessica also shares her thoughts on how AI is transforming workplaces and how it can be used to improve both the client and employee experience.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Jessica Hartley Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Sarah Jacob Singh, CPTO at Medbridge, a digital healthcare platform. In this episode, Sarah shares: * Why AI means all companies have to act like startups again, with product more tightly integrated from engineering all the way to go-to-market * How many Product Managers are evolving into Product Engineers - building prototypes, shipping code, and helping developer teams innovate faster * The ways Medbridge is leveraging AI-enabled Product Engineers to ship big bets weekly instead of quarterly Links Sarah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjacobsingh/ Medbridge: https://www.medbridge.com/ Chapters 00:00: Introduction 01:53: Sarah's career journey 03:56: The expanding role of product management 08:22: The impact of AI on product and engineering 11:35: Prototyping and feedback loops 17:20: AI adoption in healthcare 19:04: What is the “product engineer”? 22:47: In-house vs. Purchased solutions 29:13: Medbridge's upcoming hackathon 30:54: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Sarah Jacob Singh.
In this episode from the archives Tammy sit down with Donald Chestnut. Donald has worked at some of the world's largest brands like Unilever, Target, Disney, General Motors and Coke and is now writing a book on why companies should move away from customer experience and towards customer centered growth. Tammy and Donald talk about his people-first approach to digital experience and Donald shares his secret to digital transformation - that the real key to transformation isn't technology, it's people! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Donald Chestnut Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SaaS Scaled - Interviews about SaaS Startups, Analytics, & Operations
Today, we're joined Danny Tomsett is CEO at UneeQ, the leader in digital human technology. We talk about:The growth of AI brand ambassadorsThe greatest irony of professional corporate life: How we train Barriers to adopting digital human trainingHow simulations can help develop soft skills and dealing with high stress situationsThe problems that needed to be solved to create incredible human-like experiences
Today, we're joined by serial entrepreneur Raj Singh. His multiple exits have landed him in product leadership roles at companies like Salesforce.com, and, most currently, as a VP of Product at Mozilla, where he's leading the team creating new AI products for SMBs. In this episode, Raj shares: * How his companies navigated multiple pivots, with innovations from ChatGPT and Zoom leading most recently to an acquisition by Mozilla * What makes “agentic browsers” the next major interface for the web, and how they could change everything from ad models to API access * And why Mozilla's stewardship of Gecko, one of only three major browser engines, is essential to keeping the internet open in the age of AI Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajansingh/ Mozilla: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/ Chapters 00:00: Introduction 01:50: Raj's entrepreneurial journey 03:52: The evolution of meeting summarization tools 07:51: Raj's product pivot 08:26: Adapting to video communication during the pandemic 16:05: Pulse's viral growth and Mozilla acquisition 20:25: AI and browser integration 27:10: Mozilla's role in browser innovation 30:58: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Raj Singh.
This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by speaker, storyteller and cultural wayfinder Kainoa Horcajo. Through his firm Mo'olelo Group, Kainoa has found a way to transform Hawaiian wisdom into business insights and experience design. Kainoa and Tammy discuss the importance of storytelling and how finding the why and the how is the most important thing a business can do. Kainoa also shares how he finds the balance between tradition and innovation and how to weave culture into the very fiber of your business. Links: Kainoa Horcajo Mo'olelo GroupSimon Sinek Organic intelligence: A conversation with Rika NakazawaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Karen Chao, Chief Product Officer at Flowspace, an ecommerce logistics platform, where she's also taken on a role as head of marketing. Previously, Karen held product leadership roles at Apple, Replicon, Innit, and more. In this episode, Karen shares: How she ended up running Marketing on top of Product, and how bringing these two functions under one leader has improved go-to-market for Flowspace The biggest surprises she's uncovered running marketing as a product leader, from chaotic tool stacks to the next wave of AI-powered go-to-market automation And how Flowspace's product team uses AI tools like Cursor and Claude to accelerate discovery and prototyping, and even ship small bug fixes straight to production without Engineers involved Links Karen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen1chao/ Flowspace: https://flow.space/ Resources (Ethically) cheat your way to $250M+ | Mikal Lewis, Product Exec. (Whole Foods, Nordstrom): https://youtu.be/5txeT2U_YQo Chapters 00:00: Intro 02:06: Karen's career highlights 03:59: How Karen and Flowspace are using AI in their team workflows 15:11: The intersection of product and marketing 22:13: What's surprised Karen most about transitioning from product to marketing 29:12: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Karen Chao.
I am back from the FTT Fintech Festival, hosted by VC Innovations and taking place in London. I was hosting a panel on attracting the next generation of customers to mutuals, which are member-owned financial institutions offering different types of services and products. I was lucky enough to have a great group of panelists, and it was a great event over two days. To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. The event was full of really engaging conversations and panels around a host of topics in the intersection of finance and technology. Since I'm not a finance professional, I wasn't sure how I would integrate into the event and conversations with people there. Plus it was the British and Irish financial systems that were being discussed, which I know basically nothing about. However, despite these important and obvious differences between my knowledge and the knowledge of other attendees, there was enough in common to make conversations pretty easy.The main thing we had in common was that we were all interested in creating experiences of all kinds. There were conversations around customer, user, employee, and digital experiences. There was also mention of frictionless financial experiences, security experiences, and experience-driven identity. It was pretty easy to find the common ground since everything was about experience research and design at some level. Those in industry were interested to hear what us in academia were doing around experience design teaching. Another theme was the impact of artificial intelligence as an element of fintech. Amongst all the conversations of AI was the question of whether or not a “digital first” strategy makes sense for customers seeking financial services. It was clear that people in general, and some specific populations, want to experience the authentic touch of a human being in their interactions. This led to some discussion about what to do with the bank branch. If we are moving to a digital first strategy, then why have branches? At the same time, people want to have the convenience of digital. What if we could have both? The warm touch of a human being at a branch along with the convenience of digital. Enter my guest today on Experience by Design, Victor Cho. Victor has a long career of digital transformation and now is CEO of Emovid. Emovid's product combines the authenticity of face-to-face conversations with the improved efficiency outcomes of AI through the use of video-based communication. Another element of his work is an emphasis on stakeholder capitalism, and businesses contributing to improving society. We talk about his path to CEO success, and how his interest in his Commodore 64 started it. He describes how his business education and religious upbringing combined to prioritize social responsibility over personal gain. We also talk about how we need to create authentic communication in a tech era. Victor shared updates on Emovid's progress, including their platform launch and plans for a new generative AI imaging solution focused on maintaining authenticity in communications. He highlighted the importance of considering the broader impacts of technology and the need for ethical decision-making in its implementation. This conversation would have been right at home at the FTT Fintech Festival, and it is a perfect time to share the conversation with you. Vincent Cho: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-cho-/Emovid: https://www.emovid.com/
On today's episode of LaunchPod, we've got something special for you. Normally, you'd have to join us in person at one of the dinners we host for product leaders to hear this talk from Oji Udezue. But the response has been so great, we had to bring him onto the show again. Oji has previously held product leadership roles at Typeform, Twitter, Calendly, and Atlassian. Today, he's joining us to share a major problem in product delivery that he's seeing as AI adoption increases across teams. In this episode, we discuss: * The “three-speed problem,” as Oji calls it – how AI will bring about a 10x increase in engineering velocity. But where does that leave product management and go-to-market teams if they can't keep up? * Why AI is a BS term, as it's really five new AND distinct capabilities – and how to use those as a framework for smarter product strategy * And how his “shipyard model” for product teams will ensure you keep up and thrive, even as AI reshapes how we build software Links Oji's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/ ProductMind: https://www.productmind.co/ Building Rocketships: Product Management for High-Growth Companies: https://www.productmind.co/building-rocketships-book Resources Oji's past LaunchPod episode: https://www.productmind.co/building-rocketships-book Claude: https://claude.ai/ Cursor: https://cursor.com/ Windsurf: https://windsurf.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 1:21 Building Rocket Ships by Oji and Ezinne Udezue 1:55 What is the shipyard model in product? 5:20 The evolution of technology: Why AI is just a new technology level 7:50 The 5 flavors of AI 13:23 The limiting function of development is no longer the speed of engineering – but what is it now? 17:05 Solving the three-speed problem 21:32 Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Oji Udezue.
Hur bevarar man känslan av kraft, prestanda och kvalitet när mötet med varumärket flyttar till det digitala? I det här avsnittet möter vi Marcus Åström, Head of Digital Experience på Scania, som berättar om vägen från stål till skärm, och hur tradition möter teknologi i Scanias digitala resa. Ett samtal om ledarskap, kultur och varför den bästa innovationen inte alltid handlar om teknik utan om känsla.
This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by longtime friend and recent addition to the Launch by NTT DATA team to lead, Murphy Freelen. Murphy has a proven track record of bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to deliver breakthrough innovative solutions. Murphy reflects on her personal journey working in the music and media industries and how those creative skills transfer to tech and product development. Tammy and Murphy also discuss the role of leadership and listening in fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and how technology, particularly AI, is reshaping the creative process. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Murphy FreelenJetZeroLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When it comes to your digital experience, how often does a ‘great idea' from a senior leader's gut feeling get completely dismantled by actual user data?Agility requires the willingness to be wrong and the systems to prove it quickly. It's about building a culture that values learning over being right and relentlessly iterates based on real human behavior, not internal assumptions. Today, we're going to talk about moving beyond ‘best practice' and intuition to build a truly data-driven digital experience. We'll explore how to create a disciplined conversion rate optimization program where usability testing, A/B experimentation, and personalization aren't just separate tactics, but a unified system, especially within a powerful platform like SitecoreAI, to build experiences that adapt to customer needs, not just our assumptions about them. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, George Chang, Senior Director, Digital Experience & Technology Corporate Marketing at Hexagon AB. About George Chang George Chang is the Senior Director of Digital Experience at Hexagon, leading digital transformation efforts to modernize web experiences, streamline operations, and drive business impact. With 25+ years of experience in development, marketing technology, content strategy, and digital platforms, he brings a unique ability to turn technical insights into strategic impact. A 9-time Sitecore MVP, George is an active voice in the DX community, advocating for scalable, user-centric experiences. George Chang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgechang/ Resources Hexagon AB: https://www.hexagon.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
When it comes to your digital experience, how often does a ‘great idea' from a senior leader's gut feeling get completely dismantled by actual user data?Agility requires the willingness to be wrong and the systems to prove it quickly. It's about building a culture that values learning over being right and relentlessly iterates based on real human behavior, not internal assumptions. Today, we're going to talk about moving beyond ‘best practice' and intuition to build a truly data-driven digital experience. We'll explore how to create a disciplined conversion rate optimization program where usability testing, A/B experimentation, and personalization aren't just separate tactics, but a unified system, especially within a powerful platform like SitecoreAI, to build experiences that adapt to customer needs, not just our assumptions about them. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, George Chang, Senior Director, Digital Experience & Technology Corporate Marketing at Hexagon AB. About George Chang George Chang is the Senior Director of Digital Experience at Hexagon, leading digital transformation efforts to modernize web experiences, streamline operations, and drive business impact. With 25+ years of experience in development, marketing technology, content strategy, and digital platforms, he brings a unique ability to turn technical insights into strategic impact. A 9-time Sitecore MVP, George is an active voice in the DX community, advocating for scalable, user-centric experiences. George Chang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgechang/ Resources Hexagon AB: https://www.hexagon.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
What's the key to breaking through and capturing attention? Finding new and unexpected places to connect with your audience. One of the most fascinating ways to do this is to create an experiential digital experience. In this Quick Hit, you'll learn how from Zack Sugarman, the Former Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of SUPERPLASTIC. They're the world's top creator of animated celebs, vinyl toys, and digital goods. Catch the full episode here
This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by Jason Warner, co-founder and CEO of Poolside. Jason has over 20 years of experience leading teams and developing innovative technologies including GitHub Co-pilot, and he's done that all while leading with heart. In this episode, Jason emphasizes the importance of empathetic leadership and why treating people like humans, not commodities, is actually better for the business. He also explores the impact of AI on the future of work and the potential for technology to enhance human capabilities. He makes the case that giving AI to your junior employees will turn them into senior employees! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Jason Warner poolside Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Trevin Chow, Chief Product Officer at Big Cartel, an ecommerce platform for independent creators to turn their art into income. Previously, Trevin held product leadership roles at Nike, Microsoft, Axon, and more. In this episode, Trevin shares: How they thread the needle between brand history and innovation — respecting a 20+ year legacy while still driving towards the future His process for creating “simple magic” by making features so simple, they delight users — even if that trades less customization for better ease of use How AI is transforming product and design workflows by drastically cutting down the time between idea and innovation And what product leaders can learn from rethinking simple as a benefit rather than a constraint Links LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevin/ Navan: https://www.bigcartel.com/ Resources Lovable: https://lovable.dev/ Unblocked: https://getunblocked.com/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 03:22: The product journey that led Trevin to Big Cartel 05:55: Big Cartel's 20+ year legacy and how they look at innovation 12:28: Why simplicity can trump complexity in software 13:26: Products and features that delight ft. an example from Alaska Airlines 18:03: Why Big Cartel launched a "pause subscription" button, and the value it drove 21:09: What makes features appear "magical" in today's product landscape 23:06: The overlap between product management and product design 23:40: Trevin's guide to hiring for curiosity and grit 33:17: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Trevin Chow.
In this episode from the archives Tammy sits down with Martina Lee Strickland. Martina is a unicorn in the healthcare industry. She's worked in the industry for over 20 years and is now the Chief Growth Officer at Clever Care Health Plan, a healthcare company that provides culturally-sensitive Medicare options. She joins Tammy to talk about her work driving community engagement in the healthcare industry. Martina talks about the importance of authenticity in connecting with clients, particularly those in underserved communities, and shares some of the tech she's excited about that could transform the industry and improve client access. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Martina Lee StricklandClever Care See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're talking with Curtis Stevens, who, until recently, was Tinder's Director of Product Consumer Insights, and prior to that held product leadership roles at Qualtrics, Amazon, and more. In this episode, Curtis shares: How AI can actually be a tool for human connection His process behind Tinder's transformation into customer-centricity, with real, measurable results How to balance short-term user joy with long-term product innovation and future features And how AI is driving customer experience changes faster than research can follow, and what you can do to keep up Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtis-b-stevens/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 03:03: Curtis Stevens' product journey 7:40: Challenges and strategies in customer experience 14:54: Curtis' journey workshops 20:41: AI's role in customer research 27:41: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Curtis Stevens.
KSBM Radio: The Voice of Townview continues our #SBM50 & #TMC30 Alumni Series with Brandon Collier, TAG Class of 1999. After 15 years in sales, Brandon discovered his passion for User Experience (UX) Design and now serves as Manager of Digital Experience at Dallas College, shaping meaningful digital interactions for students and the community.Join us as he shares his journey, lessons learned, and how he bridges creativity, technology, and human connection.
KSBM Radio: The Voice of Townview continues our #SBM50 & #TMC30 Alumni Series with Brandon Collier, TAG Class of 1999. After 15 years in sales, Brandon discovered his passion for User Experience (UX) Design and now serves as Manager of Digital Experience at Dallas College, shaping meaningful digital interactions for students and the community.Join us as he shares his journey, lessons learned, and how he bridges creativity, technology, and human connection.
On today's episode, we're talking with Rajitha Chaparala, VP of Product at Procore, a construction management solution and one of the most successful examples of vertical SaaS out there today. In this episode, we discuss: How Rajitha and her team are using LLMs to streamline complex processes like requests for information (RFIs), project revisions, and construction site walkthroughs Why building trust and showing real, immediate value were key to getting AI buy-in from construction professionals, historically hesitant to adopt new tech Why Rajitha believes this is construction's moment for AI, and how the shift from skepticism to curiosity happened almost overnight Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajithachaparala/ Procore: www.procore.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:48: The complexity of construction and technology adoption 02:00: AI streamlining Requests for Information (RFIs) in construction 04:00: Why LLMs are ideal for construction's unstructured data 06:00: Building trust for AI adoption 08:00: The future of construction thanks to AI adoption Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Rajitha Chaparala.
On this episode from the archives, Dani Snyder talks leading design teams out of their silos As someone who started out as an industrial designer and who is now the Head of Design AI, Servicing and Communications at JPMorganChase, Dani Snyder deeply understands the design process and organizational design. This week Dani joins Tammy to talk about how to empower design teams. She shares strategies to help align design teams with organizational strategic goals and encourages designers to break out of their silos and remain curious about all aspects of the design process. Links: Dani SnyderSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Client expectations in wealth management have leapt ahead: investors want the same seamless, mobile, and personalized experience they get from Netflix, Uber and even their bank. Yet most firms still rely on portals few clients open and emails lost in crowded inboxes, creating gaps in engagement, advice delivery, and growth. In this episode of The … Read More Read More
Today, we're joined again by Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear. In this episode, Nan shares: Why you're wrong to think of AI as a way to reduce costs -- and why the real value is in enabling new work that was previously impossible The 3 must-haves he's deduced from across the most successful AI products to produce consistently great outcomes for users The behind-the-scenes details of Linear's new Agent Interaction Guidelines Links Nan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ Nan's X: https://x.com/thenanyu?lang=en Linear: https://linear.app/ Linear's previous episode of LaunchPod: https://youtu.be/7ISWLoQtNOc?si=dNKmSdQ98eqis_JW Resources Linear's Agent Interaction Guidelines: https://linear.app/developers/aig Granola.ai: https://www.granola.ai/ Cursor: https://cursor.com/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 03:24: Using AI as a harness, the systems and context layers that make AI tools repeatable and useful at scale 07:54: Scaling AI tools to ensure consistency and quality 14:14: Analyzing user interaction, tweak time, and feedback 18:29: Linear's new Agent Interaction Guidelines 22:14: How AI is changing the role of engineers 27:42: AI's impact on junior roles 30:10: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Nan Yu.
Noelle Russell compares AI to a baby tiger, it's super cute when it's small but it can quickly grow into something huge and dangerous. As the CEO and founder of the AI Leadership Institute and as an early developer on Amazon Alexa, Noelle has a deep understanding of scaling and selling AI. This week Noelle joins Tammy to discuss why she's so passionate about teaching individuals and organizations about AI and how companies can leverage AI in the right way. It's time to learn how to tame the tiger! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Noelle Russell Scaling Responsible AI AI Leadership Institute Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this must-listen episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back Rob Garf, now VP and Head of Industry Strategy at Cordial, to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing, consumer engagement, and the future of retail personalization.A longtime retail strategist and thought leader, Garf brings decades of experience “at the intersection of retail, consumer, and technology.” Now leading strategy at the high-growth marketing tech firm Cordial, he shares insights from their new North American study, Brands Battle for Attention as AI Redefines the Funnel. The research explores how retailers and consumers are responding to today's marketing noise, and how brands can stand out with authenticity and relevance instead of more messages.Garf explains how AI is collapsing the traditional marketing funnel, transforming “discovery by channel” into “discovery by conversation.” With a third of consumers now engaging with personal AI agents like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity, he outlines what this means for marketers who must ensure their products and content are discoverable in an AI-first world.The conversation dives into the challenges retailers face with legacy marketing stacks, data fragmentation, and a loss of trust in their own data. Garf argues that success lies in unifying systems, embedding AI directly into workflows, and focusing relentlessly on consumer intent—understanding not only what customers buy but what they're trying to accomplish in the moment.Beyond the technology, Garf emphasizes the importance of brand storytelling, creative emotion, and the “humanization of digital experiences.” He discusses how AI and brand voice can coexist to deliver meaningful, personalized engagement across every channel—from email and SMS to emerging conversational interfaces.To conclude, Garf offers practical advice for marketers adopting AI: start with clear customer problems, get your data house in order, and manage organizational change with empathy and alignment. The goal, he says, isn't to replace humans but to empower them and deliver the effortless, relevant experiences consumers expect.Whether you're a marketer, technologist, or retail leader, this episode provides actionable insights on how to thrive at the intersection of AI, personalization, and brand authenticity in a rapidly changing digital landscape. The Voice of Retail podcast is presented by Hale, a performance marketing partner trusted by brands like ASICS, Saje, and Orangetheory to scale with focus and impact. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.
Today, we're joined by Shakir Karim (Senior VP of Product) and Karthik Chakkarapani (CIO & Senior VP of Corporate Operations) from Zuora. In this episode, Shakir and Karthik discuss: Why they believe AI is a bigger inflection point than web, mobile, or cloud Their internal AI agent workflow that automatically resolves thousands of service requests instantly, freeing teams to focus on strategy How they cut a major feature deployment step from 14 days to 10 minutes using Claude Code Why prompt-a-thons and hackathons have been vital for driving not just AI adoption but AI literacy Links Shakir's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shakir-karim/ Karthik's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chakraj/ Zuora: https://www.zuora.com/ Resources Trupeer: https://www.trupeer.ai/ Gemini Storybook: https://gemini.google/overview/storybook/ NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 02:15: Zuora's 10x initiative 07:00: Zuora's internal AI agent 10:00: Accelerating content creation using Trupeer 12:00: Cutting video content creation down from 4 weeks to 5 hours 17:00: AI in practical workflow 22:00: Scaling AI innovation and literacy internally 28:32: AI prompathons and hackathons 29:54: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guests: Karthik Chakkarapani and Shakir Karim.
This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by Serena Malik, a recent graduate from Columbia University, to discuss the role of AI in shaping the future workforce. They discuss the challenges faced by Gen Z in entering the job market, the importance of AI literacy, and the ethical implications of using AI in education and beyond. Serena shares her experiences in UX/UI design and her passion for leveraging technology to create positive change in the world.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Project PearlsFuture Faces Foundation Manila Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Zac Hays, CPO at Luxury Presence, a fast-growing real estate tech platform that made a huge bet on AI adoption across the company.. In this episode, we discuss: Luxury Presence's 30x Value Principle and how they rethought goals and projects to have exponential-level impact The AI design sprint process that allowed the company to 20x product velocity How their mandatory AI bug triage policy has cut resolution time by 80% Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacthepm/ Zac's AI-Powered Design Print Playbook: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-powered-design-sprint-playbook-v01-zac-hays-iu1dc/ Luxury Presence: https://www.luxurypresence.com/ AirOps: https://www.airops.com/ Userbrain: https://www.userbrain.com/en/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 03:31: How Luxury Presence started tinkering with AI 08:15: Automating bug fixes (the 80% reduction) 10:50: Zac's "AI Design Sprint" process 14:00: Using AI to tackle tech debt and codebase rewrites 19:04: Building an "autonomous" AI marketing team 22:22: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Zac Hays.
Is your brand agile enough for the changing expectations of your customers in a world increasingly driven by AI? Agility requires more than just fast reactions; it demands proactive adaptation, continuous learning, and a willingness to embrace emerging technologies. It also requires understanding how these technologies can transform customer experience and drive business value. Today, we are in New York City at Contentsquares CX Circle and we're going to talk about the convergence of digital experience analytics and the power of voice of the customer insights, particularly in light of the increasing impact of AI. We'll also dive into how these insights can drive a more agile and customer-centric approach to brand building. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Dave Anderson, VP of Product Marketing at Contentsquare. About Dave Anderson Dave Anderson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveando/ Resources Contentsquare: https://www.contentsquare.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
David Armano has a special knack for seeing trends before they arrive. This week David joins Tammy to cut through the AI hype and explain how AI is actually transforming how we work and how we think. David compares AI to the technological transformations in the past and shows how it differs, namely that it impacts almost all levels of the enterprise. David also talks about how different generations are being impacted by AI and why Gen X is especially suited to AI. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: David by Design David by Design - The Obsolete TruthLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Phil Lakin, Head of Enterprise Innovation at Zapier. In this episode, we discuss: How Phil built No-Code Ops into a thriving community and SaaS product - and what led to its acquisition by Zapier Why Phil ended up leading the initiative on Zapier's first solution-based product, and the decision process behind making it Lead Router How Zapier is driving AI transformation across both their org and others with hands-on bootcamps, agent workflows, and a 97% AI literacy rate among employees Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-lakin/ Zapier: https://zapier.com/ NoCodeOps: https://www.nocodeops.com/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 01:30: How Phil built the No-Code Ops community and why Zapier acquired it 05:45: Building Lead Router and how it shaped Zapier's roadmap 10:20: Building with Zapier Primitives 15:10: How Zapier achieved 97% AI literacy 20:25: AI agents and workflow automation 26:40: Tactics for bringing employees on board with new AI tools 32:55: What other companies can learn from Zapier's AI transformation 39:15: Where Phil sees AI, no-code, and automation heading next. 44:00: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Phil Lakin.
How is Optimizely reshaping experimentation with AI? Cory Liebgott, VP of Product at Optimizely, joins LaunchPod to share how her team is using AI into both customer-facing solutions and their own product workflows. Cory shares how her team: Uses Copilot and Claude for everything from PRD writing and meeting recaps to translating technical language into accessible insights Developed OptiGPT, an internal AI assistant that surfaces customer data, product knowledge, and HR policies in seconds Built a customer-facing AI query tool that also became a surprise hit internally for measuring customer health and engagement Encourages a culture of experimentation where PMs demo and share AI tools, turning emergent use cases into productivity boosts across teams Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliebgott/ Optimizely: https://www.optimizely.com/ Chapters 00:38 Exploring AI tools as a team 01:43 Real-world AI productivity wins 03:16 Inside OptiGPT: Optimizely's AI assistant 04:08 Using AI for research and prototyping 05:10 When AI surprises: Emergent capabilities 06:22 Lessons learned: Sharing and experimenting Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Cory Liebgott.
Andy Wardlaw is a talent advisor who has placed a number of visionaries across sectors and across the world. He's also seen how talent acquisition and placement has changed as technologies have come and gone. This week Tammy and Andy discuss how to spot creative tech talent and how to recognize if they will be successful in their new transformational roles. They also discuss how leaders can lean in and leverage AI to bridge the gap between creativity and technology. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today, we're joined by Michael Krafft, CPO at FoundersCard, a membership community for entrepreneurs and executives offering exclusive perks and VIP treatment. Previously, Michael worked in investment banking, led product teams at American Express, and played a key role in turning around Alight, an HR-tech firm, ahead of its IPO. In this episode, we discuss: How Michael uses AI to be a 1-person Product team at a profitable startup with more than 250K members His AI-driven discovery engine that automates interviews, segments users, and turns feedback into roadmap-shaping insights Why working as both a leader and IC lets him move from idea to prototype to product in record time with tools like V-Zero and Lovable The simple test that boosted paid conversions by 50%—and how he runs growth experiments far beyond his team's size Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-krafft/ FoundersCard: https://founderscard.com/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:04 How AI Drove Down CAC and Fueled Growth 06:06 Using AI to Analyze Customer Interviews 09:10 Turning Feedback Into Roadmap Insights 12:13 AI-Powered Discovery Engine for PMs 15:17 One-Person Product Team With AI Tools 18:20 Scaling Insights Beyond Human Bandwidth 21:23 Automating PRDs With AI 24:25 From Idea to Prototype in an Afternoon 27:28 Running Growth Experiments With AI 30:31 Conversions, Retention, and AI Testing 33:33 Customer Insights That Shape the Roadmap 36:36 Paid Conversion Boosts With AI 39:37 Final Takeaways for Product Leaders Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Michael Krafft.
Unlock the future of product management with AI. In this episode of LaunchPod, we dive into the top 4 AI workflows every product manager needs, from automating user research to building smarter prototypes and running faster experiments. Hear real stories from product leaders who are already using AI to: *Turn hours of customer interviews into actionable insights *Prototype and test new features in record time *Automate PRDs and documentation without losing quality *Drive data-backed decisions that accelerate growth Chapters 00:00 Why AI is changing product management 00:30 Avoiding missteps with AI-powered customer insights 02:00 Prototyping and testing faster with AI tools 04:00 Automating PRDs and product documentation 06:30 Using AI for smarter data analysis and decision making 09:00 Balancing AI with product intuition and strategy 11:00 The future of AI in product workflows Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guests: Derek Pharr, Neha Monga, Roman Gun, and Sierra Hahn-Ventrell.
Kim Curley lives by the phrase “we are humans that go to work, we are not workers that go home to human.” Kim is the Global OCM Leader at NTT DATA and is dedicated to finding human-first AI solutions. This week Kim joins Tammy to discuss change management and AI. Kim shares tips on how she gets people to move past the fear of change and the winning question she asks when people are hesitant to adopt AI solutions - “how's that working out for you?”Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Kim Curley Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. DweckLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How is Optimizely reshaping experimentation with AI? Cory Liebgott, VP of Product at Optimizely, joins LaunchPod to share how her team is building agentic AI tools that put customer trust at the center. Cory shares how her team: Pivoted away from risky benchmarking AI to focus on agentic AI tailored to each customer's brand and data Launched Opal, Optimizely's AI suite built on Google Gemini, with strict governance to keep customer data secure Developed experimentation agents that suggest test ideas, run experiments, and summarize results Built internal AI tools like OptiGPT to streamline workflows, from PRDs to customer research, boosting productivity across teams Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliebgott/ Optimizely: https://www.optimizely.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:52 Implementing Agentic AI at Optimizely 04:58 The Importance of Customer Feedback 06:27 Using AI Tools Internally at Optimizely 15:30 DocuSign and the Squeaky Wheel Problem 30:36 Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Cory Liebgott.
SummaryIn this conversation, Eric, the founder and creative director at Cosmic, discusses the intersection of digital strategy and social impact. He shares insights on how organizations can effectively engage their communities through authentic storytelling and marketing. The discussion covers the evolution of Cosmic as a niche agency, the challenges of social impact marketing, and the importance of building meaningful connections in a crowded digital landscape. Eric emphasizes the need for organizations to find their unique purpose and to measure their impact beyond traditional metrics, advocating for a more authentic approach to marketing that resonates with audiences.TakeawaysCosmic specializes in helping social impact organizations tell their stories effectively.The transition to a niche focus can be challenging but rewarding.Authenticity in messaging is crucial for engaging audiences.Building a community around a cause is more effective than traditional marketing.Digital storytelling plays a vital role in social change efforts.Organizations must measure impact in meaningful ways, not just through vanity metrics.Finding purpose in marketing can lead to more fulfilling work.The balance between marketing and authenticity is essential for long-term success.Investing in core channels like websites and email is crucial for sustainability.The future of digital experiences lies in fostering genuine connections.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Social Impact and Digital Strategy02:37 The Evolution of Cosmic and Niche Specialization05:41 Navigating the Challenges of Social Impact Marketing08:42The Importance of Authenticity in Messaging11:34 Building Community and Engagement in Social Impact13:59 The Role of Digital Storytelling in Social Change17:21 The Future of Digital Experiences and Community Building19:59 Measuring Impact and Success in Social Marketing23:00 Finding Purpose in Marketing and Business Practices25:21 The Balance Between Marketing and Authenticity28:27 Conclusion and Key TakeawaysCredits:Hosted by Ryan Roghaar and Michael SmithProduced by Ryan RoghaarTheme music: "Perfect Day" by OPM The Eggs Podcast Spotify playlist:bit.ly/eggstunesThe Plugs:The Show: eggscast.com@eggshow on twitter and instagramOn iTunes: itun.es/i6dX3pCOnStitcher: bit.ly/eggs_on_stitcherAlso available on Google Play Music!Mike "DJ Ontic": Shows and info: djontic.com@djontic on twitterRyan Roghaar:rogha.ar
Rika Nakazawa is a firm believer in the magic of the universe. That magic, according to Rika, comes from something she calls organic intelligence. This week on Catalyst, Tammy sits down with Rika, the Chief Commercial Innovation Officer at NTT, to discuss the future of innovation, sustainability and space technology. Rika explains how this concept of organic intelligence can help shift the way people think about resource management, energy efficiency and Artificial Intelligence. She also shares some of the research she's doing in the world of space and satellite technology - could data centers in space be the next big thing!? Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Rika Nakazawa Ray Wang - AI Exponentials McKinsey - Annual Technology Trends Report Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute:Sam's Club completes major website and app refresh with new "global intent center" that personalizes shopping experience based on fulfillment choice, while expanding club fulfillment spaces to support growing e-commerce business.Apple transforms buy now pay later access by integrating third-party services like Klarna and Affirm directly into iPhone Wallet app, making installment payments more visible and frictionless ahead of iPhone 17 launch.Office Depot launches nationwide "15-Minute Pickup Promise" for online orders, offering $15 coupons if in-store or curbside pickup takes longer than promised timeframe.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!
How is AI changing the game for sports betting? Marty Styles, VP of Product at Pro Football Focus (PFF), visits LaunchPod to share how his team is bringing pro-grade football analytics, trusted by every NFL team, to everyday bettors. Marty shares how his team: Built Key Insights, an AI-powered feature that simplifies 200+ data points per play into actionable betting takeaways Designed the Player Prop Tool, which combines PFF's grades with market odds to reveal hidden betting edges Used Play Finder and AI-driven film study to transform raw data into instant, searchable insights Positioned PFF as the “Bloomberg Terminal of sports betting”, giving bettors the same edge NFL teams rely on Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-styles/ PFF: https://www.pff.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:46 The Value of PFF's Data 02:14 Transitioning from B2B to B2C 03:17 Understanding the Sports Betting Market 04:38 The Role of AI in PFF's Products 09:00 Simplifying Complex Data for Consumers 10:32 Key Insights and AI Integration 14:20 Ensuring Accuracy and Trust in AI Outputs 17:20 Introducing the Player Prop Tool 19:36 Targeting Intermediate Bettors 22:12 Product Marketing Strategy 25:53 AI and Data Analysis in Betting 29:32 Future of AI in Sports Analytics 33:23 Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Marty Styles.
This week on Catalyst, Tammy is joined by the singular Sindhu Srivastava. Sindhu grew up in a small town in India then went on to study at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology and Wharton and is now the CEO of three companies - We Crush Events, Meaningful Data and We Crush AI. In this conversation Sindhu gets vulnerable with Tammy about her first experience with an executive coach and how it forced her to confront the things that were holding her back from being a better leader. She also speaks about her company Girls who CEO which seeks to empower young girls and gives them the tools they need to become confident CEOs later in life. Sindhu also talks about why she's so excited about LLMs and how they can be used to harness human complexities instead of reducing them. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Sindhu SrivastavaMan's Search for Meaning How to Be an Antiracist Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
NTT DATA's CEO on staying true to his values as he leads the company into the future In this episode from the archives Tammy is joined by NTT DATA's Global CEO Abhijit Dubey. Abhijit and Tammy discuss the importance of remaining grounded as a leader and Abhijit shares tips on how to overcome imposter syndrome - yes, CEOs can experience imposter syndrome too! He also shares his vision of where the industry is going with agentic AI and how we might onboard AI agents in the future. Links: Abhijit DubeyAbhijit Dubey - World Economic Forum See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Benoit Berthoux on the opportunities and risks of founding a startup in the age of AIIn early 2023 Benoit Berthoux saw that generative AI was expanding possibilities for how people work. Benoit wanted to develop a tool that implemented seamlessly into their workflows instead of adding yet another tool. From this Mindy was born, helping people harness the benefits of generative AI without having to become prompt engineers. This week on Catalyst, Benoit joins Tammy to talk about how the newest technology is being used to meet users where they're at. They discuss the promise of new tech and the rise of creative startups. They also discuss some of the challenges of operating a startup right now - namely that things are moving so fast it can be hard to keep up. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Mindy Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Leslie Shannon on why if you're trying to replicate the physical world in the digital realm you're doing it wrong This week on Catalyst Tammy sits down with Jeopardy winner, author of Virtual Natives and Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting for Nokia, Leslie Shannon. Leslie has a deep passion for combining technology and art and is now working to understand what technology is coming next. In this episode, Leslie and Tammy discuss the importance of harnessing our creativity as we look to the future. They discuss Leslie's book Virtual Natives and how the younger generation is creating new opportunities to fix broken industries with innovative technologies. Leslie also shares tips on how to transform your job into something that better suits you and your company - a skill she is very adept at. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Virtual Natives Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alicia Graham on how Claimable is using AI to help people appeal denied health claimsAlicia Graham has seen firsthand how unjust health insurance denials have impacted people across the United States. Enter Claimable, a product that helps individuals challenge denied health claims. With an 80% success rate and a record of helping people get coverage in just days, Claimable is giving power to patients. This week Alicia Graham, the founder and COO of Claimable, joins Tammy to talk about the company's human-centered, custom AI-powered platform. They discuss how Claimable crafts custom appeals for patients and how they are helping Americans reduce barriers to care and get out of medical debt.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Claimable Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If the web is no longer one-size-fits-all and instead geared towards segments of one, how do brands avoid creating a thousand disconnected experiences, and manage each experience effectively? Agility requires embracing both technology and customer behavior shifts at the same time—without losing your brand voice. Today we're going to talk about how AI and more connected digital experiences are shaping the future of the web.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Eric Stine, CEO of Sitecore. About Eric Stine Eric Stine is the Chief Executive Officer of Sitecore, driving the company's vision and strategy to enable brands to create digital experiences so powerful they connect the world. Eric was previously Chief Operating Officer, where he led all customer-facing functions. Before Sitecore, Eric was Chief Executive Officer of Elemica. Previously, he was Chief Commercial Officer of Skillsoft and Chief Revenue Officer of Qualtrics. Eric has also held executive roles at companies such as SAP, Ciber, and Blackboard. Eric earned a law degree at Boston University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts at Northwestern University, where he and his husband are the founders of the Eric and Neil Stine-Markman Scholarships. They are the first permanent endowments at either institution directing funds toward LGBTQ+ students. Eric Stine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-stine-ceo-sitecore/ Resources Sitecore: https://www.sitecore.com https://www.sitecore.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150" Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company