Designing Wearables for Connected Health

Posted by Carrie Yury on Jun 17, 2015 9:54:00 AM

At the 2015 Wearable World Congress, BeyondCurious interviewed companies on the cutting edge of wearables in order to understand how they get user feedback as they develop wearable products. In this video, Andy Flanagan, CEO of Telcare, discusses how his company involves the voice of the customer in developing a connected platform for people with diabetes. His user base is diverse, ranging from kids aged 5 to the elderly. Flanagan shares lessons learned in designing a better product by involving customers in design. One of his key takeaways is to avoid over-engineering the product. "Sexy and cool" may not work for creating a device that an elderly person uses to manage his or her health. 

View our video for more insight from Andy Flanagan.

Read More

Why You Need a Change Agent to Innovate

Posted by Nikki Barua on May 21, 2015 11:43:37 AM

Innovation in a business requires not only a different approach to developing new ideas but also the right kind of leader. In all the work we do as an innovation agency, I have noticed that every breakthrough has something in common: a strong leader on the client team. And I'm not talking about an executive who defines leadership solely by how well a project is managed; I mean a leader who possesses the vision to understand how change can transform an entire company and knows how to inspire others to advocate for change, too. I call this kind of leader a change agent.

Read More

How Apple Watch Will Make Utility Cool

Posted by David Deal on Apr 22, 2015 5:35:13 PM

On its best days, Apple shapes consumer behavior. And we are seeing Apple on its best day with the launch of Apple Watch. One of the world's most valuable brands seeks to turn everyday consumer behavior (such as paying for coffee or reading the news) into a more graceful, fluid action by encouraging watch owners to swipe our wrists or merely glance at a fashionable device we wear. In essence, Apple wants to make utility cool. Thanks to the onslaught of branded apps being developed for the device, Apple will likely turn its vision into reality. Following is a glimpse of significant third-party apps that will influence how we manage our lives in five key ways.

Read More

What Apple Watch Means to Brands

Posted by David Deal on Apr 9, 2015 8:46:00 AM

Apple Watch is coming, and it's going to have a big impact on brands.  

The Apple Watch, available on April 24, 2015, has been praised, vilified, and dissected by a wide-ranging audience, including everyday consumers, technology geeks, Apple fans, and fashionistas. The new product has also injected some strong style mojo into the Apple brand. But should businesses care about the Watch? Absolutely. Apple Watch will have far-reaching impacts on several industries, from healthcare to automotive and retail. The Watch, which blurs the line between mobile and wearables, will pressure brands across the board to make mobile experiences more personal and less intrusive. 

Read More

The Quantified Self: How Technology is Transforming Health

Posted by Nikki Barua on Feb 2, 2015 4:14:00 PM

Recent advancements in technology and the increasingly vast array of digital devices available has led to a huge transformation in both the fitness industry and healthcare. The availability of devices that can track everything from heart rate to fertility-levels means that consumers are now able to proactively monitor and improve their own health through these innovative technologies. 

Read More

Top 10 Tech Trends for 2015

Posted by Gabrielle Woodson on Dec 31, 2014 5:23:00 AM
Photo credit: The Huffington Post

In a world of constantly emerging new technologies, what trends will have the biggest impact on our lives? There are numerous predictions about which technology will be the most transformative and game changing. We picked the top 10 based on their potential to create disruptive change in 2015.  

Read More

Nothing to Fear: How Agile Research Uncovers The Unknown

Posted by Carrie Yury on Nov 21, 2014 8:41:00 PM

Credit: Jon-Eric Melsæter

 Recently I was talking to a technologist friend who said that he thinks most companies are hesitant to include research into their design process because people fear the unknown. Call me naïve, but I was shocked to hear that. To me, while research may start with unknowns, its task is the discovery of knowledge. And knowledge is power -- especially knowledge about your target user. However, the more I thought about what he said, the more intrigued I became with the idea. 

Read More

On a Mission to Help a New Kind of Company Thrive

Posted by Carrie Yury on Nov 10, 2014 9:58:00 AM

After founding and running Web 2.0 conferences for a number of years, John Battelle was fed up. The co-founder of Wired had had it up to here with status quo conference rooms and generic hotel ballrooms. So, while mountain biking with friend Brian Monahan, the two came up with an idea that would turn the conference on its head. 

Read More

The Future of the Pharmacy: In-Store Digital and American Health

Posted by Carrie Yury on Nov 4, 2014 3:22:00 PM

Changes abound in how Americans are thinking about healthcare. The Affordable Care Act has wrought tremendous changes in the overall healthcare marketplace, as the focus on patients as healthcare consumers—along with the mandate to incorporate digital technology—has led to industry transformation. One sector at the center of the American’s evolving relationship with healthcare is the retail pharmacy. 

Read More

Robert Plant's Rules for Brand Reinvention

Posted by David Deal on Oct 1, 2014 3:50:00 PM

 Robert Plant, master of reinvention 

Brand reinvention sounds like a lofty, even noble concept. But adapting your brand to changing market conditions and customer behaviors is hard. Just ask Blockbuster (dead in the water) or The New York Times (fighting for its future). If you are a company faced with the daunting challenge of brand reinvention, a 66-year-old rock-and-roll singer has a few lessons for you. Robert Plant, once the living symbol of youthful hedonism during his days with Led Zeppelin, has successfully reinvented himself. As his body and voice have aged, his audience has changed, and the music industry has been upended, he is now receiving the best reviews of his career and selling strong as a solo artist. Here is his formula for success:

Read More