The Innovation Engine Podcast

This episode of The Innovation Engine features Part 2 of our interview with Jason Cyr, VP and Head of Product Design at Cisco Security. 3Pillar Field CTO Lance Mohring jumps back into the conversation to talk with Jason about how Cisco is able to acquire the most innovative, cutting-edge cybersecurity startups and then integrate their products into one unified, user-centric platform.Jason explains that Cisco embeds designers as low in the organizational structure as possible and is big on the concept of integrated teams. He describes the essential product development triad at any level, where everyone has an equal say: product management, engineering, and design.Then we pivot to AI: how to design for it, how Generative UI may change workflows in the future, and how it could upend user navigation as we know it. Customers aren’t looking for AI chatbots, Jason says. They’re demanding much higher value processes like cybersecurity data and incident analysis. Product designers need to be ready for this future now.Lance and Jason, who are both musicians, wrap up the conversation talking about the intersection between music, technology, creativity, and more.  Episode Highlights:How Cisco integrates design into its product development process through triad teams: product management, engineering, and designJason reports that clients are saying they want more than chatbots from AIWhy the traditional concept of product navigation might be tossed out the window with AI advancementsResources:Listen to part 1 of the discussionConnect with Jason Cyr on LinkedInConnect with Lance Mohring on LinkedIn Check out Jason’s blogs on MediumRead “About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design” by Alan CooperProduced by NOVA Media

How does Cisco produce one of the best-integrated cybersecurity platforms in the world? Jason Cyr, VP and Head of Product Design at Cisco, joins The Innovation Engine to talk with 3Pillar Field CTO Lance Mohring about how design is deeply embedded in Cisco’s product development process.Jason walks us through the market and organizational context that shapes Cisco’s unified product design process, which frequently involves incorporating new products to the overall product mix in the wake of an acquisition. He then gives some specific details on how product design can improve cybersecurity by preventing everyday configuration errors, while also anticipating zero-day vulnerabilities.Jason outlines the Cisco product, design, and engineering team’s unique GOAT process, which stands for Give Outcomes A Try and is influenced by Josh Seiden’s book Outcomes Over Output. The GOAT process allows product managers, engineers, and designers to identify and align on end-user outcomes before the iterative development process even begins.Our conversation is so meaty we had to break it up into two parts. Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we’ll dive into how Jason anticipates AI will impact product design in the near future and much more.Episode Highlights:A firsthand account of the modern history of cybersecurity product designJason explains how product design can reduce cyberattacksThe story of how the Cisco team created their GOAT process and the impact it has hadResources:Connect with Jason Cyr on LinkedInConnect with Lance Mohring on LinkedIn Check out Jason’s blogs on MediumRead “Outcomes Over Output” by Josh SeidenListen to Ep. 197 of The Innovation Engine: How to Drive Outcomes Over Outputs, with Josh SeidenProduced by NOVA Media

David Evans, Director of Global Innovation who builds RAG architectures and cost-control AI systems, and Pankaj Chawla, Chief Innovation Officer focused on responsible GenAI in healthcare, discuss retrieval-augmented generation, why hallucinations occur and how to prevent them, cost-control strategies for hosted models, and architectures to protect patient data and privacy.

In healthcare, it’s the norm for there to be a three-month gap between providing a service and getting paid for it.Our guest today, Zachary Kelly, talks with 3Pillar healthcare industry lead Steve Rowe about what FinTech innovations can do to help physicians and private healthcare practices close that gap. Zachary is the Head of Growth for Chello, a credit line product from Oriental Bank that serves small-to-medium sized healthcare businesses. He explains how their market research showed that healthcare SMBs were facing two main pain points: not having a clear picture of their cash flow, and trouble getting timely access to lines of credit.We then dive into the solutions. We discuss how Chello is bringing the robust use of APIs over from the financial world and integrating it into the healthcare ecosystem. We also discuss how Chello can directly tap into data about claims approval to better underwrite cash injections for practices.If you currently run a healthcare SMB or have hopes of one day starting an independent practice, this episode will get you excited about the brighter future ahead.Episode HighlightsMarket research findings on the FinTech needs of healthcare SMBsDeveloping a tech stack to provide a clearer view of cash flow for practicesHow using claims data can lead to better underwriting quick cash injections for independent physiciansResourcesLearn more at chello.bankConnect with Zachary Kelly on LinkedInFollow Zachary Kelly on TwitterConnect with Steve Rowe on LinkedInRead Steve's latest blog posts for 3PillarProduced by NOVA Media

According to Gartner Research, 60% of new custom business applications will be built using composable products by 2025. So what exactly are composable products, how should they be used, and which businesses should use them? Join 3Pillar Chief Innovation Officer Pankaj Chawla, Information Services Industry Lead Bernie Doone, and Field CTOs Scott Young and Rich Waller as they break down everything you need to know about composable products.Composability and composable business products are a foundational architecture approach, in which companies are essentially creating modular building blocks of software that can then be quickly assembled into internal and external products. They discuss its lengthy list of business benefits: innovation, agility, operational excellence, accelerated business outcomes, and more.But before you jump on the composable products bandwagon, they warn, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, mature companies with multiple products are typically the ones that can fully benefit from this approach. Second, business outcomes should lead the process–don’t just produce the next shiny product because composability makes it easier to do so.Take a listen for a full, well-rounded conversation about composable business products to find out if they’re right for your organization.Episode HighlightsA breakdown of what composable business products are — essentially building blocks of software that can be quickly assembled into products, services, or experiences and, importantly, reused in the future Find out how large and mature a company should be to consider composable business productsUnderstand how composability translates into company culture, enabling innovation at scale and accelerating software development cycles ResourcesConnect with Pankaj Chawla on LinkedInConnect with Bernie Doone on LinkedInConnect with Scott Young on LinkedInConnect with Rich Waller on LinkedInProduced by NOVA Media

Most healthcare organizations — from payers to insurance companies to providers — are so bogged down with maintaining disparate, decades-old legacy systems that they lack the resources to create the technical solutions they want. That’s where Unqork comes into play.3Pillar’s Healthcare Industry Leader, Steve Rowe, hosts this episode and talks with Andrew Sullivan, Industry Partner at Unqork. Unqork is a codeless platform for application building that was founded to help companies eliminate the technical debt that accrues any time companies introduce code-based solutions into their technology stack.Andrew walks us through a few of the challenges commonly seen in the healthcare vertical, including prior authorization systems still being ruled by COBOL and other difficult-to-maintain legacy technologies, client portals that don’t meet customer expectations in 2024, and poorly customized and integrated off-the-shelf SaaS products.Then, Andrew and Steve dive into how Unqork solves these problems. Unqork is a codeless platform for application building that provides users with an easy, modular, drag-and-drop solution for application development. It enables batch processing, mainframe database connections, and APIs to tie systems together, orchestrate data, and put everything users need in a single application. It comes with a library of components that can be easily selected, visually rendered for review by non-tech folks, and then quickly up and running. Steve’s conversation with Andrew will resonate with just about any healthcare executive. 3Pillar is an Unqork partner; if listeners are interested in exploring how to use Unqork to explore some of the topic areas covered in this episode, please feel free to reach out to Steve or Andrew!Resources:Learn more at Unqork.comConnect with Steve Rowe on LinkedInConnect with Andrew Sullivan on LinkedIn Produced by NOVA Media

Steve Rowe, healthcare industry lead with product and strategy experience at payers and health tech firms, shares why healthcare may be entering a golden age of innovation. He discusses structural barriers that slowed progress and how low-code/no-code, RPA, and AI (including vision and ML) are unlocking faster delivery. He also highlights the importance of product discipline and data engineering for scalable change.

On this episode of The Innovation Engine, we dig into the recent past and upcoming future of innovation in the Financial Services industry. Rob Murray, 3Pillar’s Financial Services Industry Leader, moderates a conversation with Jennifer Mun and Albert Thibault, two integral members of our Financial Services industry team.   The trio discusses some of the key trends they saw shaping the FinServ space in 2023, including the evolution of consumer behavior toward a cashless (and sometimes even cardless) society, and examining how data and personalization are revolutionizing customer experiences.Looking ahead to 2024, we predict further enhancements in customer and employee experiences, driven by evolving AI applications and data analytics. We stress the importance of ethical AI deployment and data use in a globalized landscape and the strategic decisions between buying or building solutions.Tune in to this robust conversation as we navigate through these exciting developments and lay out a roadmap for the future of financial services.Episode Highlights:The transition to a cashless economy and its impact on financial services.Data-driven personalization as a key to enhancing customer experiences.The crucial role of talent in driving innovation in financial services.Prospects for AI and data analytics in shaping the future of the industry.The balance between innovation, security, and trust in financial services.Resources:Connect with Rob Murray on LinkedInConnect with Jennifer Mun on LinkedInConnect with Albert Thibault on LinkedInProduced by NOVA Media

Arjun Pillai, co-founder and CEO of Docket and former ZoomInfo product leader, shares GTM-first product management thinking. He talks about planning distribution and users before building. He covers aligning product, packaging and pricing, scaling demos with synthetic data and enablement, and setting measurable adoption goals. He also explains Docket’s customer discovery and prototyping approach.

On this episode of The Innovation Engine Podcast, we dive deep into the realm of innovation, change, and the human resistance to new ideas with David Schonthal, an award-winning professor at the Kellogg School of Management. David, co-originator of the revolutionary "friction theory," sheds light on why promising innovations often stumble before reaching their full potential.David and host Scott Varho explore the profound influence of human psychology on the acceptance and adoption of change. Why do people love the idea of innovation but dread the concept of change? David presents insightful real-world examples, highlighting the necessity of understanding the human element for successful innovation.As the discussion unfolds, listeners will be intrigued by the power of subtle shifts in approach, like shifting change management or marketing strategies to foster self-persuasion. It's an enlightening conversation that delves into the intricacies of introducing change, managing resistance, and ensuring that innovations don't just shine but also find their rightful place in the market.Tune in to discover the hidden challenges that await new ideas and how to navigate them successfully.Episode Highlights:The challenges faced by promising innovations and the nuances of "friction theory," including the four types of frictionThe significance of empathy in product development and the limitations of traditional marketing personasReal-world examples of subtle marketing techniques that can influence consumer perceptionResources:Learn more at davidschonthal.comRead: The Human Element by Loran Nordgren and David SchonthalConnect with David on LinkedInProduced by NOVA Media