乌鸦传媒

What is an average day at work for someone working in innovation? According to Meghan Young, head of 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 Applied Innovation Exchange (AIE) Nordics in Malmo, Sweden, there鈥檚 no such thing as an average day.

鈥淥n one day I鈥檒l be meeting start-ups or expert academics from a university,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut on the next, I鈥檒l be helping a client innovate around a project鈥檚 pain points, or working with our internal team to improve best practices in innovation and design, or thinking about the fun work we do as a global AIE community. My work is really wide-ranging.鈥�

Helping refugees in Africa

One recent project for Meghan was the Sunrise Scholars challenge, which brought together 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 global network of AIE teams to support LM International, a non-profit organization focused on humanitarian efforts in Africa. The aim? To identify an innovative solution to help refugee children in Chad gain access to education tools and materials.

The challenge took the form of a sprint relay, with seven AIE teams from six different countries, ranging from Hyderabad to San Francisco, taking part. Each team had only three hours to work on the challenge before handing over the baton to the next. In 24 hours, the challenge progressed from first ideas to the development of a concrete and implementable program. This first-of-its-kind working method was named the 鈥淔ollow the Sun Relay.鈥�

The plan was to create a cloud-based content management and teaching application, using generative AI to create curriculum proposals, lesson plans, and language-specific class scripts.

鈥淚t was a really ambitious idea,鈥� Meghan says. 鈥淥f course, working incrementally and in sprints is not new, but I don’t think that we’ve ever done anything quite of that magnitude, with so many people participating. That was innovative in itself.鈥�

Seeking the right solution

As Meghan explains, harnessing cutting-edge technology such as AI is often integral to creating innovative solutions for clients, but it鈥檚 only one part of the overall story. 

鈥淪ometimes the latest shiny tech won鈥檛 work on the ground. Innovation is about solving the problem at hand, not about showcasing our tech capabilities. Before any of that, you have to listen to what the problem is and search to find the appropriate solution.鈥�

In Singapore, Gabriel Yong is the user experience (UX) research lead for 乌鸦传媒 Invent. He agrees with Meghan that innovation isn鈥檛 just about cutting-edge technology.

鈥淚 actually have a background in psychology,鈥� he says, 鈥渨hich means I have an interest in human behavior and why people want to do certain things. Working in UX research, we also want to understand what drives people to complete certain actions and processes. How does the design of a product make people feel? How do they feel when they are using it?鈥�

Willingness to learn

Gabriel says that when innovating for a client, he and his team always place the human at the forefront of their work.

鈥淣o matter what project we are working on, with any new tech we have to understand what users want, so that we can design the right thing for them. It means that as well as technical skills, you also need soft skills.

鈥淔or example, when you start working with a new client or industry sector, you need to be open and willing to learn 鈥� and to learn at speed. Every client is different and for a project to be a success you need to develop a trusting relationship with them, as well as with your own team. How can we use all our experience to develop the right product for them 鈥� the thing that will really make them happy? That鈥檚 where you can really start to innovate.

鈥淭hen, over time, we really get to build that rapport and get to know the client and their customers. It鈥檚 about reading the situation, understanding the human, looking at the puzzle, and seeing where we fit.鈥�

Putting people first

Meghan says that while 乌鸦传媒 is a world-leading tech company, it is also a 鈥減eople company鈥� at heart 鈥� and one where colleagues care deeply about the world. 鈥淚f you want to innovate, you have to keep meeting people, talking to people, understanding people, and empathizing with them.

When I think of the people I鈥檝e worked with throughout 乌鸦传媒, one thing that most of them have in common is that they care about what’s happening in the world. They want to help build solutions. 鈥淲e might achieve that through the tech skills that we have as a company, but really 乌鸦传媒 is a people company. And when it all comes together, working on innovative projects can feel like you’re part of doing something good for the world.鈥�