Speaking engagements
I frequently guest lecture and participate on panels at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and Northwestern University School of Law. You’ll also find me presenting at entrepreneurship venues such as Health Box, Excelerate Labs, Techweek, and the Founders Institute.
Here are a few of the lectures I’ve being presenting (or working on) lately:
“Building Persuasive Digital Experiences“ – In the end, most digital products succeed based on their ability to persuade customers to believe, feel, or behave in a particular way. This foundational presentation describes an approach to building highly persuasive digital products that connect, engage, and activate customers.
“Customer Experience Innovation” – Lean startup principles tend to be development focused, and often center on the use of a particular product (e.g., a web app). Customer development discussions tend to focus on data collection, and in particular how important it is to get out of the building and talk to prospective customers. User Experience (UX) discussions often focus on the experience of using a particular product (e.g., a web app). But I rarely hear about frameworks, perspectives, and tools that describe digital innovation in the context of the total customer experience (not just the use of a particular user interfaces). In this presentation, I describe a holistic approach to designing delightful customer experiences. I call this process Customer Experience (CX) design.
“Experience Marketing“ – Sales and marketing has evolved considerably since Henry Ford started rolling Model T’s off his assembly line. In this presentation, I try to put in context the evolution from a production oriented economy, to a sales economy, to a marketing economy… and now an “experience economy.” I argue this has significant implications for how we should design, build, optimize, and market almost any product. I show examples, as well as a framework for incorporating some of the best practices in this domain.
“The Psychology of Customer Experience“ – Most of our self-awareness centers on rational, cognitive assessment. Yet the vast majority of our behavior is governed by complex emotional, instinctual, and physiological drivers that have little or nothing to do with our cognitive awareness. In this presentation, I attempt to describe some common psychological principles that profoundly impact how customers view the experience of using digital products, as well as a framework and tools to enable more effective innovation based on psychological principles.
“The Watchmaker’s Digital Nightmare – The rest of the economy may be in the doldrums, but the digital economic is roaring. It’s (mostly) due to the phenomenal opportunities for value creation provided by new technologies, platforms, and consumer attitudes. Unfortunately, the increasing complexity of the digital world means that achieving success requires a growing breadth––and depth–– of expertise. In this presentation, I attempt to describe some of the most important activities in the digital world, along with strategies to succeed at them even if you aren’t an expert.
“Startup Funding Strategies” – This presentation covers the complexities of managing fundraising in the context of a startup business. What are the logical stages of funding? At what points does it make sense to seek funding? How much funding? From whom? What do I need to do to increase the odds of a successful raise? How do I balance all of this while trying to actually build my business?
“Success by a Thousand Cuts” – One of the most dangerous (and common) errors made by entrepreneurs involves taking on tasks that are too big, only to find that their efforts were 90% wasted. For example, building a product and releasing it only to find out that customers don’t want it. This is a new presentation I’ve been planning about how important it is break innovation into small chunks in order to speed throughput, reduce risk, and increase flexibility. I’m incorporating multi-disciplinary concepts ranging from fractal mathematics to industrial operations to scientific research. Stay tuned for more.
“Using a Platform Model to Launch Your Business” –– Coming soon.
“Startup Field Guide“ –– Coming soon.
“Establishing Credibility Online“ –– Coming soon.
“Whatever you do, don’t give them what they ask for” –– Coming soon.
