Getting Started: Hands-On Digital Innovation

Getting started:

HANDS-ON DIGITAL INNOVATION Takings from Mjølner’s events @ Internet Week Denmark 2015

TOPIC

REACHING YOUR DIGITAL POTENTIAL WITH HANDS-ON INNOVATION Technology gives us endless possibilities, and they are

A half-day workshop for representatives from six

not reserved to large companies.

SME’s.

Digital and technological growth is about getting the

A showcase where we listened, learned, and debated

most out of what you already have, or what you can

with seven digital innovators.

easily get.

The participants at our events have already benefited With hands-on digital innovation, you can – whether

from the knowledge-sharing and our hands-on tools. In

you make money on car repairs, children’s clothes, or

this booklet, we bring them to you in the hope that they

anything in between – benefit from technology in one

can inspire new ideas for your business, and set you on

way or another.

the path to fulfill your digital potential.

At Internet Week Denmark, we set out to prove this

Enjoy!

point by hosting two events about hands-on digital innovation.

*Some external content is in Danish.

TRENDS

IOT, DATA, USERS, AND SERVITIZATION To kick off our half-day workshop, IT Consultant, Gustav,

smartphones, computers, and fitness trackers,

and UX Consultant, Kasper, gave our six participants

we see everything from refrigerators to shoes,

insight into tech trends and new consumer patterns.

cars etc. being connected. These things can then communicate and exchange data with one another,

The participants were a mixed bunch, representing

paving way for an abundance of new possibilities.

different industries, approaches, and products.

Big Data To spark inspiration, Gustav and Kasper used cases from

Our many digital tools generate data constantly,

a wide range of businesses. These are some highlights

and the amount is growing exponentially. Data can

from their presentation.

be used in endless ways and when used correctly, it can be both descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive.

Internet of Things

Especially, the prescriptive side of data is interesting,

The number and diversity of things connected

allowing us to prescribe valuable actions, based on

to the internet is rising rapidly. In addition to our

predicted behaviors, and historical patterns.

Experience Is Business!

services and contexts accompanying it. With data

If you haven’t already begun, you need to start

and connectivity, there is an entirely new area for

thinking about your customers’ experiences with your

traditional manufacturers to differentiate their

product or service. Everything from functionality,

products.

user friendliness, branding, and appearance matters to the overall user experience. It is important to detect and understand all the opportunities you

Want to Learn more about Tech Trends and Customer Patterns?

have to influence your customers.

Contact Gustav or Kasper for some insights!

Servitization Many manufacturing companies are starting to see

Gustav Kastrup Nielsen Kasper Mathias Svendsen

the business potential of adding digital services

IT Consultant

UX Consultant

to their physical products. Key to a successful

gkn@mjolner.dk

kms@mjolner.dk

business is not only the product itself, but the

+45 60 23 53 01

+45 41 95 36 23

TOOLS

TWO TOOLS TO KICK-START YOUR USER-CENTRIC DIGITAL INNOVATION There are multiple ways to challenge your existing

more detail, defining the name, age, and position of

concepts and detect new areas of business . To get your

your customer. It also pushes you to investigate your

ideas flowing, try two of our user-centric innovation

customers’ excitements and frustrations.

tools (the ones we used at the workshop), Customer Bio and Service Blueprint.

Ask yourself: Who are our customers and what matters to them?

Customer Bio This first tool helps you specify some information

Service Blueprint

about your customer. We always recommend in-

Your filled-out Customer Bio is the point of departure

depth customer studies as a ground for your digital

when using this next tool. The Service Blueprint is a

development, but the Customer Bio is a good place to

guide that helps you understand what your business

start - remember, the better you know your customers

and service actually gives your customer. The aim is

the better you are at finding your next business venture.

to understand what your customer thinks about your

The Customer Bio helps you describe your customer in

product or service at any given time - both good and bad.

The Service Blueprint is designed to help you investigate

Do You Want to Know More?

the journey your customer goes through when using

You are always welcome to contact us for an informal

your product or service. Using it right, enables you

talk about digital innovation, agile development, user

to outline the characteristics and functionalities of

interfaces, or digital business development in general.

your interaction. It is important to understand that

Whether you are interested in a workshop or some brief

each point of customer interaction, or lack thereof, is

support in using the tools, feel free to contact:

affecting the way your customer views your brand and products. Customer interactions can be both physical

Christina Dencker KjĂŚrgaard

and/or digital.

Innovation & Design Manager cdk@mjolner.dk

Ask yourself:

+ 45 41 95 36 08

Where do our customers meet us, how, and why? Do we help them in the best possible way?

Download the tools here!

Customer Bio

Service Blueprint

TALKS

WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE DIGITAL INNOVATORS? Our second event was a showcase celebrating Danish

Smartphone Feel on Low-Cost Hardware

innovators with case presentations from Sekoia,

Draupner Graphics presented TouchGFX, which is a

Draupner Graphics, SEGES, Mobilize Me, Kamstrup,

unique software framework that enables smartphone

Kanda, and Danske Bank.

graphics on low-cost and low-resource hardware.

On our YouTube Channel, you can see all the

Google Glass Helps Farmers in the Stables

presentations in full length. Below is a short recap to

SEGES developed an app for Google Glass which makes

help you choose!

it easy for farmers to get information about their livestock, register data, and plan events while keeping

Freeing Up Time for Citizen Care

their hands free for other tasks.

Sekoia is a digital solution for elder and special care providers. The solution helps staff escape the paper

App Helps People with Cognitive Disabilities

tyranny, spend more time on citizens care, minimize

Mobilize Me is a tool that supports kids, young people,

errors, and reduce stress.

and adults with cognitive disabilities. It helps users

structure their days visually without drawing attention

Two Years with Fast and Easy Payment

to their disabilities.

It is hard to believe that it has only been two years since Danske Bank made mobile payment possible in

Rapid Meter Reading Made Easy with READy

Denmark. With Mobile Pay, you can easily send and

READy makes it fast and effective to read water meters

request money, and you can also use it in physical stores.

using a smartphone. It is a simple and cost-effective solution for utility companies, property owners, and

Want to Get in Contact with a Presenter?

administration management.

Let Signe help you out!

Can Virtual Reality Improve Rehabilitation?

In cooperation with Hammel Neurocenter, Kanda is

Signe Juul Madsen

looking into the possibilities of using Virtual Reality to

Communication Manager

make the rehabilitation easier and more interesting.

sjm@mjolner.dk

Learn more in this episode of Harddisken.

+ 45 41 95 36 04

THOUGHTS

DEBATE WITH THE INNOVATORS: USERS, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS Our showcase ended with a debate. The audience asked

We even spent the night at elder and special care homes

questions about the innovators’ journey from idea to

to get a feeling of how the staff operate and what their

digital product. Here are some key points.

challenges are. If we do not care about our users’ needs

What Do You Do to Understand Your Users and Why ?

During the debate, it was apparent that all the innovators found it extremely valuable to know their users and their routines well. Here are some different takes on how to do it, and what it is worth.

Become as close as possible with your users. Experience their everyday lives, and use their recommendations

somebody else will, and their product will be better.

Brian Sandholdt, Sekoia We didn’t exactly spend the night with our users, but we did spend a lot of time on continuous evaluation of our prototype. We compared it to data about what users want. It really made a difference to the final READy app.

Hans Christian Jørgensen, Kamstrup

for your products. For our Google Glass app, we

How Did You Overcome the Challenges You Faced?

worked closely with both students and farmers.

The challenges the innovators faced in the process from

Nicolai Fog Hansen, SEGES

idea to digital product became another point of interest

for the audience. Here are some pointers on those

Our main challenge was entering an existing marked.

issues and how the innovators overcame them.

What we did to overcome it was finding world-leading business partners who could introduce us to potential

With MobilePay, it took time for the users to embrace

customers, and make a business out of TouchGFX.

the new payment method. We want to implement

Jørgen Mygind, Draupner Graphics

MobilePay in stores nationwide now, but we know that making users try something new takes time.

As a new business owner, it is hard to make ends meet.

Peter Gregersen, Danske Bank

You need to accept that a lot of money and effort must be put into your business to make it work. Then, a little

Understanding users’ wants and needs proved to be a

piece of advice for people, who are new in business: Don’t

challenge. It was almost as if we didn’t speak the same

count the hours of your work. Make the hours count!

language. By developing a prototype and showing it to

Kristian Emil Andreasen, Kanda

them, it was easier for them to concretize their ideas.

René Brøndberg-Bras, Mobilize Me

Watch the debate in full-length here.

Do You Want to Take Your Business Further?

If you want to boost the ideation and innovation process for yourself, your employees, or your business in general, give us a call.

We are always open for a noncommittal talk about workshops, hands-on digital innovation, customer relations, user interfaces, and much more.

Brian Gottorp Jeppesen Chief Executive Officer brj@mjolner.dk + 45 41 95 36 26

Mjølner Informatics A/S

Finlandsgade 10, DK-8200 Aarhus N

+45 70 27 43 43

www.mjolner.dk

info@mjolner.dk