Strategy & Innovation Articles
Work-Life Balance Isn’t the Goal
Work-Life Balance is a great start. But, I think we can do better… I don’t think we were ever meant to attempt to compartmentalize work and life in some sort of balancing act. Work bleeds into life. Life bleeds into work. A hard season at home shows up at your desk. A stressful stretch at […]
Why I Evaluate IT Services Like Products on a Shelf
One way I look at IT is through a product lens. Evaluating each product or service provided as something you’d choose to buy from the store. Sometimes you have options, sometimes there’s only one solution available. This mindset stems from my time as a Product Manager at a digital services company, where I focused on […]
Planning-First AI Methodology: The Foundation of Successful AI Collaboration
Why starting with understanding, not code, is the key to unlocking AI’s full potential in software development Picture this: You’re 7 hours into your work day, you’re on your third cup of coffee, and the AI just generated 200 lines of code that compile perfectly… and do absolutely nothing you wanted. Sound familiar? If you’ve […]
How to Make Bets That Pay Off: Effective Prototyping for Product Organizations
Many product organizations today face similar struggles: delivery cycles take longer than expected, timeframes are unpredictable, and schedules lead to unforeseen costs and outcomes. Often, designed, built, and delivered features go unused, ultimately failing to achieve the desired business results. We’ve seen these struggles appear when organizations pursue a solution without understanding critical assumptions about […]
Optimizing Discoverability in 5 Simple Steps: Unmatched IA in UX Design
In user experience (UX) design, taxonomy and ontology are two powerful—yet often overlooked—tools. Taxonomies organize information into logical groups, while ontologies define relationships and concepts within a domain. Together, they form the backbone of effective information architecture, making products easier to navigate and more intuitive to use. Before we dive into applying these principles to […]
Harnessing UX Competitive Analysis: A Product Playbook for Strategic Domination
In the digital colosseum, where businesses duke it out for supremacy, User Experience (UX) emerges. It navigates the treacherous road of SaaS, firmware, and B2C/B2B software ventures. Don’t think of design as a trusty sidekick but as a gladiator in its own right. Understanding the immense value of UX in our strategic arsenal is more […]
The Future is Now: Dig Into the Advantages of AI in Agriculture
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing agriculture in major ways. Some of the cutting-edge advantages of AI in agriculture include improved crop management, increased efficiency, and reduced costs. AI Drives Precision Ag One of the most significant advantages of AI in agriculture is improved crop management in precision ag. It allows us to understand data […]
Systems Thinking: Chaos or Clarity? Improve Your Product Design
Exploring the Power of Systems Thinking in Product Design Ever notice how every new project feels like navigating uncharted territory? In many ways, it is. Product design means working within a web of relationships where every decision creates ripple effects, both visible and hidden. To make sense of that complexity, we rely on a powerful […]
AI in Product Management: 3 Powerful Takeaways From Our Christine Itwaru Interview
Most of what I love about hosting our podcast are the insights I glean from conversations with my guests. My chat with Christine Itwaru about AI in Product Management is no exception. We talked about many things, but three parts of our conversation stood out to me. Zac’s Episode Takeaways #1. Get Comfy NOT Being […]
Storyboarding for Client Meeting Success
Storyboarding as a UX Designer One of the most intimidating parts of being an Associate UX Designer is leading client meetings about ideas and interactions. How do you communicate concepts clearly, acknowledge client needs, use your expertise to guide decisions, and keep the conversation focused? There is no universal formula because every client is different, […]
The Common Business Applications of AI That We Rely on Every Day
In the modern era, many of us feel like we understand what AI is. After all, it’s around us every day. It’s in our novels and movies and news. It’s in our businesses and our competitors. It’s in our medicine and our health care. Though we may not think about it, it touches nearly every […]
AgileIndy Conference – Bringing The Best in Indianapolis Tech Back Together
AgileIndy 2023 was buzzing with innovation around all things software development. We were thrilled to be back with so many clients and colleagues for inspiring and thought-provoking conversations about the industry’s future. This year’s keynotes were compelling—Mike Cottmeyer at LeadingAgile and Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller from Agile for Humans—outlining systematic approaches and evidence-based management […]