frogs who attended the SXSW Interactive Festival share their most memorable moments from Austin:

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Highlights from SXSW 2016

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<li><strong>Katie Inglis, Principal Designer: </strong>A quote from John Maeda’s <a href="http://www.kpcb.com/blog/design-in-tech-report-2016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Design in Tech Report</a>: “Thinking critically about design means considering the broader impact of a product or service that goes beyond profitability.” It left me thinking about the true potential impact of a design decision. Planning for the ecosystems of culture, business and the dissemination of information is crucial as we look outside of the screen and design for education, addiction, bias and diversity. We have to consider the ethical questions and implications that are embedded in the act of design.</li>
<li><strong>Emily Chong, VP Global Marketing:</strong> Listening to Megan Smith (CTO of the US government), Laura Weidman Powers (CEO of CODE2040), Michele Madansky and Trae Vassallo speak about <a href="http://elephantinthevalley.com/">Elephant in the Valley</a>, a research study inspired by the Ellen Pao trial on gender bias and inequalities in Silicon Valley. Some of the issues (i.e. feedback &amp; promotion, inclusion, unconscious biases, motherhood, and harassment &amp; safety) were upsetting, but it’s a huge step forward to openly discuss them. I would love to see this research applied to other industries like design, or carried to other parts of the world. Specific stats that have stayed with me include:
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<li>60% of women in tech reported unwanted sexual advances</li>
<li>1 in 3 felt afraid of their personal safety because of work related circumstances</li>
<li>Women in color receive significantly less feedback because their superiors are afraid to offend them</li>
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<li><strong>Alejandro De La Cruz, Senior Marketing Manager:</strong> The Google Fiber happy hour showcased <a href="http://www.tiltbrush.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tilt Brush</a>, a 3D painting software for virtual reality. A team of Hollywood animators sketched goolish monsters in virtual reality and it raised the question: is the next content creator going to be a “VR producer?”</li>
<li><strong>Lindsey Mosby, Executive Strategy Director, Healthcare</strong>: Two quotes from sessions stood out for me:
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<li>“Data is the new oil.” Kevin Plank, UnderArmour CEO</li>
<li>“There are a million cheap seats in the world. If you aren’t in the arena (actually putting yourself on the line), I don’t care what you think.” Brené Brown, Author of Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead</li>
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<li><strong>Amy MacMillan, Global Editor: </strong>frog Umy Boonmarlart took on the complex issues of death and grieving as he discussed how technology can support those who have lost a loved one. He made a point about grief that is both applicable to design and to our interpersonal interactions in general: “We aren’t comfortable with people who are sad – we just want them to be happy. But what they need is empathy and a safe space for grief.”</li>
<li><strong>Robert Tuttle, Executive Technology Director:</strong> Live unscripted coding on WolframAlpha by <a href="http://www.stephenwolfram.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen “Effing” Wolfram</a> himself! Datalicious!</li>
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<p>See a full roundup of quotes, photos, and reactions via our <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23frogSXSW&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SxSW Twitter hashtag</a>.</p>


Alejandro De La Cruz

Amy Macmillan

<p>Alejandro likes talking about the evolution of new media, photography, and all things regarding Mexican culture.</p>


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<p class="b2-alt">As global editor, Amy worked with frogs around the world to craft stories about the impact of design and technology on society.</p>
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Authors

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In the week leading up to the SXSW Interactive Festival, frog asked our Twitter followers to send in questions for CEO Harry West, which he answered in a Periscope that we broadcast from the SXSW Exhibition floor. Below you can see his thoughts on the questions we covered.

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Twitter Asks Harry West

<h2>@CharBarts: What was the best decision you made in life that set you up for future success, and what’s the moral?</h2>
<p><strong>Harry West:</strong> In my life? Let me answer that in two ways: in my life I would say that the answer is clearly marrying my wife. No question. But I suspect the audience might be looking for a little bit more than that. Professionally it was making the move, 25 years ago, to focus on understanding people. Going into their homes, their place of work, hospitals, schools, and places they play to really understand how people live. This includes their values, attitudes and behaviors. Human centered design is about understanding the needs and wants of others, and developing solutions to meet them. And it turns out that has become a big thing. What’s the moral? Always be thinking about why someone else would care about what you do. If you are aware of why someone would care about what you do, then you are more likely to do something that is of value to them — and they are more likely to pay you for it.</p>


<h2>@andrewvanhyfte: Who would frog partner with to solve our global climate change crisis? Can this be solved through service design?</h2>
<p><strong>HW:</strong> I think that global climate change is maybe the most important long-term crisis we face. We are risking the future of our civilization. So it’s really important that we fix it quickly and we aren’t yet doing that. Ultimately I believe that the only solution is to change demand, and in my opinion that means a carbon tax. A carbon tax is the best way to reflect the cost of climate change in the price of the products and services available to us, which in turn will change the demand for different products and services, and drive innovation to reduce their carbon content. As designers we can create new solutions that use less carbon, but until the true cost of the carbon consumption is incorporated into the price of our current lifestyle, most people will not feel that they are able to afford to make the change. People have to want to buy different things. So who should we partner with to solve global climate change? We should partner with governments and NGOs, but we also need to engage in the political process and invest in education that encourages people to make smart decisions.</p>


<h2>@ajpaschka: How would a design company deal with the refugee crisis with empathy?</h2>
<p><strong>HW:</strong> As the great philosopher Clint Eastwood put it, “a man’s got to know his limitations.” The same is true for design firms. frog has made some significant contributions to humanitarian crises by working with United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and helping them to create the <a href="http://www.frogdesign.com/work/un-ocha-humanitarian-data-exchange.html">Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)</a>, a platform that enables workers from the UN, NGOs, government and universities to radically improve data sharing during extreme situations. frog is good at developing communication systems, and that is something that the refugee crisis desperately needs. We are working with other agencies and NGO’s to develop systems that enable them to scale up digital solutions in times of crisis. As in most of what we accomplish, we do it by working with partners and prioritizing human needs and aspirations.</p>


<h2>@digitpx: What are your thoughts on the inclusion of low-income minorities and women in design and technology?</h2>


<p><strong>HW:</strong> If you’re working in design and technology right now, you should not be low income. There is a tremendous demand for talent in this space. If I look internally at frog, at most levels I think we have a fairly even balance of genders – one that reflects the population. This is not true right at the top of the company, and we are working on getting the gender mix to be more even at the leadership level. That is an aspiration for us. Undoubtedly we do not have a good balance of different minority groups in the company, and that is something we have to address. Our problem is that we do not have enough applicants at the right experience level and with the right training to be successful in our company. So what I think we need to do is work with schools and universities to build the pipeline of talent.</p>


<h2>@erhardwimmer:What do you really care about?</h2>
<p><strong>HW:</strong> This one is simple: people. I care about my family, my friends and my colleagues, my clients and their customers. I care about people.</p>


<h2>@byandyphillips: What’s the best way to invest in your future?</h2>
<p><strong>HW:</strong> If you’re a young designer wanting to progress in your career, you need to work incredibly hard and learn constantly. In particular, think about how you can bring more value to your customer. If you expect to be paid for what you do, you need people to want to pay you for what you do. So you have to learn how to deliver value to them. If you’re always asking yourself how you could advance your customer’s business and their goals, I think it will drive you in the right direction.</p>


<h2>@Venture_This: How do you see frog changing over the next 5 years?</h2>
<p><strong>HW:</strong> We will be changing a lot. We will be working even more closely with our clients because what we do is too important to be managed at a distance. We will be working on ever more complex problems: systems that go beyond individual products and services. The problems the world is facing today are much more complex and demand a more sophisticated approach to design and innovation. We will be even more focused on outcomes, and forced to be creative about how to help our clients get things done. And we will be stretched into the complex world of helping organizations change at scale. All of this change will be challenging for people new to design, who might find themselves lost in the complexity at the start. But that is the direction design is moving, and at frog we have to lead the way. We have to be prepared to support change by any means necessary. As an organization, I expect the boundary of our company to become more porous, with more fluidity of people moving in and out of the company, and new ventures and locations opening and closing because that is the way the world is moving. I welcome that. I welcome partnering with other firms to make their employees feel like they are as much a part of frog as someone who is a full time employee. Finally, we are going to be very driven by outcomes. We’re going to be constantly focused on the impact we are having in the world, and that is what will drive new skills, new ways of working, and everything else about the evolution of frog.</p>


<p>As global editor, Amy worked with frogs around the world to craft stories about the impact of design and technology on society.</p>


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Scenes From SXSW 2016

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Blockchain—the technology behind cryptocurrency Bitcoin—is a popular topic among those predicting the future of technology. But what would this abstract and mysterious concept look like for future consumer product and service experiences?

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Interview: Blockchain Security For Consumer Home Automation

<p>We spoke to Robert Tuttle, frog Executive Technology Director and head of <a href="http://www.frogdesign.com/platforms/froglabs.html?utm_campaign=SXSW%202016&amp;utm_source=designmind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frogLabs</a>, about blockchain and its potential to move into a consumer-facing existence.</p>


<h2 style="text-align: center;">frog: First off, what is blockchain and where is it currently implemented?</h2>
<p><strong>Robert Tuttle:</strong> As far as general public understanding is concerned, blockchain is the technology that enables Bitcoin and other emerging digital currencies trying to gain a foothold in the world of financial services. From a high-level technology point of view, it could be described as a distributed database of anonymous transactions that is mathematically secured against revision or deletion. One of the best blockchain technology introductions that I have come across online, and that I highly <a href="http://www.jenitennison.com/2015/05/21/blockchain.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommend, is here</a>.</p>


<h2 style="text-align: center;">We live in an era where high profile security breaches seem all too common these days. Where does blockchain fit into this global security conversation?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong> Blockchain technology can be highly capable for many scenarios where an exchange of data between two parties requires a permanent record of the transaction, along with definitive validation not controlled by a single entity.</p>
<p>The current mindshare and momentum behind blockchain is in financial services, but it is not hard to see the massive amount of data exchange going on in the world today that needs to have much greater security and accountability, such as government elections, healthcare records, or property ownership deeds.</p>
<p>To take it a step further, simple identity management and authentication of users falls into the category of a secure data exchange. This observation led us down a frogLabs experimentation using blockchain for consumer home automation. While there are a number of existing projects and startups taking on ideas for blockchain beyond digital currency (Ethereum is a notable one), we wanted to experiment with the technology in the context of a common user experience challenge.</p>


<h2 style="text-align: center;">Can you tell us a bit more about frogLabs™?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong><a href="http://www.frogdesign.com/platforms/froglabs.html?utm_campaign=SXSW%202016&amp;utm_source=designmind" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> frogLabs</a> projects are how frog performs experimental research and prototyping with emerging technologies, while taking into account user experiences and market realities. As a cutting-edge creative organization, we use an applied science process in frogLabs to dig in much deeper to understand and evaluate technology enablers in tangible ways that our clients will likely encounter in the near future, and which may impact their business models.</p>


<h2 style="text-align: center;">How is frogLabs experimenting with blockchain?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong> Our experiments covered four categories of technical proofs-of-concept that would help validate (or disprove) our hypotheses. We first needed to use a blockchain implementation that gave us the ability to build a service and API around it for both the wallet and the mining pool. For that, we researched and settled on DigitalNote XDN (digitalnote.org) for the purposes of this experiment. We next needed to design a protocol for the login handshake and micropayment exchange between a user and the service that would take the place of current multi-factor authentication methods using strong passwords, SMS codes, etc. We next had to connect this service and protocol as a custom authentication module within an established server framework.</p>
<p>We chose to implement this for Nginx, which is commonly used in reverse proxy configurations as a layer of protection on top of other services. Finally, to complete the experiment with a real-world user experience test, we developed a simple authenticator app using this blockchain service that acts much like other types of multi-factor authenticator apps coming out today from Google, Microsoft, and others.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">What happened next with the experiment?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong> The technical experiments and validation resulted in a packaged concept and functional prototype that I happen to be running live at my own house beyond the lab environment here at frog as a real-world test bed.</p>
<p>First, the combination of the blockchain and reverse proxy software was built into a $35 Raspberry Pi 2 device I could drop in place with my home network and automation gear (door locks, lights, Nest gear, etc.). With some fairly simple configuration, I was able to insert this device in between my home Internet gateway and the rest of my network, creating a blockchain-secured layer between the Internet and my home. A complementary authenticator app for my mobile device is used to receive login confirmation messages, which I can accept or deny when I want access. It is certainly experimental from a user experience perspective, but the technology and security is sound and working well so far in this isolated use case.</p>
<p>There are a number of ongoing questions and areas of exploration regarding scalability that go beyond the initial scope of the lab experiment.</p>


<h2 style="text-align: center;">Do you think blockchain is a viable option for enterprise-grade security for the average consumer?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong> As with any emerging technology being considered for alternate use cases—like we had here with blockchain—we used an applied science approach to generate questions and form hypotheses from both a technical and user experience perspective, in order to directly answer that question.</p>
<p>We first had to consider the practical real-world speed of transaction validation across multiple blockchain implementations. We also had to consider the service provider and developer as a user, in that the introduction of blockchain into the authentication lifecycle should not create a massive disruption and refactoring of code. Simply put, if users have to wait minutes to login using blockchain, then it is a UX fail regardless of how secure it becomes.</p>
<p>Additionally, it becomes a major challenge to adoption if providers have to invest major resources to overhaul current infrastructure to support blockchain in their software and services. Our hypotheses and plans for experimentation led us down a path where we believed we could introduce a blockchain-based login experience that was fast enough and more friendly to the user, while also improving on some of the current complexity arising with account and password management in consumer experiences.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Most consumers have never even heard of blockchain, but you’re saying there’s a chance they could see the technology in the near future. How far out, do you think, are we from seeing blockchain implemented in consumer-friendly products and services?</h2>
<p><strong>RT:</strong> Blockchain is one of those underlying technologies that most consumers may actually never hear about or know they are interacting with, especially if or when it can be teased apart of Bitcoin in public perception. I believe we are at least two to three years away from seeing blockchain technology in real production use on a consumer level outside of current digital currencies, given how critical it is to properly test and validate any new type of security protocol before released into the wild.</p>
<p><em>Catch Robert at SXSW 2016 on Monday March 14, 2016 at 9:30am for his panel “<a href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/2016/events/event_PP53915" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Save the Unicorns! Tooling for Full-Stack Design.</a>”</em></p>
<p><em>Follow us for behind the scenes photos and interviews on <a href="https://twitter.com/frogdesign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/frogdesign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Periscope</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frog_design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></em></p>


In the world of trade shows, there is nothing bigger than the International Consumer Electronics Show. Last week, frogs from around the world joined 200,000 attendees in Las Vegas, Nevada to learn more about the future of connected automobiles, 3D Printing, drones, wearable technology, and more. Below, frog Daniel McCallum (Executive Strategy Director) highlights some quick takeaways from CES 2015.

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Initial Thoughts from CES 2015

<p><strong>Alejandro De La Cruz: What was new at CES 2015?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Daniel McCallum:</strong> There wasn’t really a blockbuster new category, but more of a maturation of the existing categories. Homes are a little smarter, drones a little more accurate, and robots a little more “human.” Things like quantified self and performance Wearables have not progressed as rapidly as I had expected; products are still largely tracking and reporting on a point basis, rather than synthesizing and generating lifestyle or wellness recommendations. And while fashion and Wearables are starting to move closer together, a lot of what was showing was one-dimensional in aesthetic. Withings really stands out as the exception here.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> CES is usually an overwhelmingly screen-saturated trade show. What was the dominant product or experience you saw this year?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> At times it felt like an automotive show. Mercedes provided the most inspiration here, with the luxury self-driving concept car. However, there were lots of announcements from the OEMs, and chipset players – like Nvidia – each jostling for ownership of these new connected platforms. Automotive definitely attracted the most buzz.</p>


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<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Did you see any unique partnerships?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> In particular in the smart home space, a more tangible recognition that the IoT and its numerous sub-components are ecosystems that require interoperability, and that partnerships will be required to truly deliver the customer promise of a smarter home. Work with Nest seems to have the momentum, and Lowes did a good job breaking things down into understandable components, centered around its Iris platform.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> What was the least impressive portion of your experience at the show?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Why are there so many TVs? Why do we focus so much on such incremental advances?</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> In your opinion, any new gadgets without needs?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> As usual, an array of novel-but-probably-useless connected gadgets. My highlight was the connected toothbrush. What also was very clear was an absence of value proposition thinking from many of the exhibitors. One example of many was the terrabyte storage band – positioned as a mass market everyday wearable, but much more compelling when framed in a particular context, like adventure photography. A lot of the exhibitors could do a lot more to communicate their offering with reference to a genuine consumer need.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Any pleasant surprises?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Dish launching Sling, effectively cutting its own cable with a slick OTT offering, including ESPN, at a compelling price point. The first of several exciting developments in the pay TV space this year.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Who had the biggest presence?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Humans. 170,000 of them. Samsung had the largest booth, more accurately defined as its own convention center. The chipset manufacturers (Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia) also commanded a significant presence.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Did anything else anything stand out?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Eye trackers, mood sensors, gesture controllers and biometric authenticators all got sharper, more usable, more compelling. These feel ready to start to integrate into services and offer acceptable usability to become a credible input mode. In addition, 3D printing matured from novelty to application and it was great to see New Matter really stand out on the floor. Finally, there was a notable absence of hype around Glass this year.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Final thoughts?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Why do technology conferences do such a bad job of demonstrating events’ technology solutions? Collecting the badge, ordering a taxi, navigating indoors, even getting on WiFi – all opportunities for next year to showcase more efficient solutions.</p>
<p><strong>ADLC:</strong> Can you sum up CES 2015 in one word?</p>
<p><strong>DM:</strong> Epic.</p>


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<p class="b2-alt">Alejandro likes talking about the evolution of new media, photography, and all things regarding Mexican culture.</p>
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Alejandro De La Cruz

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