Blog

Boulder, CO—In the latest article from Built In Colorado, InspiringApps’ Creative Director, Aaron Lea, shares his advice on creating simplified user journeys within digital products. How To Simplify User Journeys When do you know it’s time to simplify your product’s user journey? When we design digital apps, we’re always looking for ways to simplify the user journey. Limiting the number of interactions users have to make is a best practice for most apps. The more users have to drill down into extra screens, the more likely they are to leave. I like to think of it this way: design the app like you’re in the Target parking lot and about to go inside the store to buy Tide Pods. As a user, I want to be in and out as quickly as possible. A quick exchange that’s easy for me to use means I’m more prone to open the app the next time I’m in that Target parking lot. It’s often the case that apps are downloaded, opened once, and then deleted. These apps are too cluttered, and people won’t reuse them. On the other hand, when users know it doesn’t take too long to accomplish a task—no guided tours they’re more likely to use the app. A simple experience is a successful experience. Unless we’re creating something like TikTok, we aren’t designing the app to keep users in it. We’re here to help users achieve something or access a specific feature. The fewer interactions it takes to accomplish that, the better the journey. What process do you use to identify opportunities for simplification? App design is an art that involves trusting your instincts. I like to think of this process as similar to editing a script. Editors are great at identifying what’s essential and getting rid of clutter. But their real goal is staying true to what makes the script great—and amplifying that by revealing only what needs to be there. For example, an app may have a component that mirrors the functionality of Slack or Youtube. These are established popular apps. And even the best digital products aren’t going to lure people away from them. Any project, whether it’s designing an app or a home improvement project, can be subject to scope creep. Is that feature really needed? Was it added at the last minute? We all get distracted in the creative journey, and the risk is that we keep getting further away from—or even lose sight of—the reason we started, the problem we wanted to solve. We need to stay true to what inspired us in the beginning to create the app. ART DIRECTOR, AARON LEA | INSPIRINGAPPS, BOULDER CO What are some common traps designers can fall into that result in an overly complicated user journey? One trap is elevating ego over empathy. If the designer doesn’t remove themself and try to see the user’s perspective, they can overly complicate the journey. Designers must constantly evolve, challenge themselves, and put themselves in others’ shoes. ART DIRECTOR, AARON LEA | INSPIRINGAPPS, BOULDER CO Another trap could be the designer finding a new design tool or method they want to use and deciding to use it in a particular product. Novelty is not a substitute for suitability. A good rule of thumb is, don’t force it if it doesn’t deserve to be there. Sometimes, designers get set in their ways. Just because it worked last time doesn’t mean it will work this time too. Or conversely, designers may reinvent the wheel. If the design worked the first time, there’s no need to rethink it. Time management is critical. With mobile apps, people remember the launch, the middle, and the endpoint. A trap could be spending too much time on incidental interstitial areas. Don’t focus all your time there. Take that time and instead pick the three most vital sections—the app’s beginning, the middle, and its exit—and make those experiences ones that keep users coming back. Meet InspiringApps’ Creative Director Aaron Lea We believe that Inspired Employees Make InspiringApps and that our diverse backgrounds, skills, hobbies, and perspectives are what make us a stronger team. Aaron Lea finds his inspiration steeped in pop culture, a tradition of art in his family, and a creative digital design process that enables him to put novel creations back into the world and inspire others as a result.  

When optimizing your enterprise app’s return on investment (ROI), there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each business has unique goals and objectives to consider when creating a successful app. However, some key strategies can help any business maximize ROI for an enterprise app. In this article, we’ll discuss the top eight ways to enhance the ROI of your enterprise app and drive success for your business. From identifying your goals and understanding what you aim to achieve with the app to creating an attractive user interface and gathering customer feedback, this guide will equip you with all the tools you need to ensure maximum success with your enterprise app. Definition of Return on Investment (ROI) Return on investment, or ROI, is the gain generated from an investment. ROI calculations estimate how many dollars you will receive in return for each dollar invested. For example, if you invest $25,000 in enterprise app development and generate a profit of $50,000, your calculated business ROI is 200%. ROI helps business owners understand how well their investments are performing so they can make more informed decisions about where to allocate resources. In addition to increased profits, other benefits of implementing ROI business strategies may include reduced expenses or intangible outcomes such as brand awareness and operating efficiencies. Benefits of ROI for Your Enterprise App When it comes to enterprise app development, ROI is instrumental in achieving goals quickly. Using data collection tools, you can gain insights into customer journeys that will enable you to optimize user experiences while driving costs down. Increase ROI With These Strategies for Enterprise Apps Creating an app is only the beginning of the journey. Enterprises must focus on increasing software ROI through continuous iteration and improvement to maximize each app’s potential. Here are the strategies that can help enterprises increase mobile app ROI: 1. Identify Your Business Goals As a business owner or operator, consider how the mobile application will meet user needs and ultimately help you reach your desired outcomes. Whether it’s increasing customer engagement or improving business operations, your goals and mobile app strategy should be clear from the outset. Furthermore, your objectives should be measurable, achievable, and time-bound so that you have tangible ways of tracking progress and measuring ROI. By taking the time upfront to identify and set realistic goals related to ROI, you can ensure that you’re building an application that serves both users and your bottom line. 2. Measure Performance & Analyze User Behavior Measuring performance and analyzing user behavior is crucial to any successful enterprise app strategy. It allows you to identify growth opportunities and ensure that your app meets the needs of your users—driving engagement and ultimately delivering increased ROI for your business. Understanding what metrics matter most is a crucial aspect of seeing tangible mobile app ROI. At its core, metrics must look beyond the surface of conversion rates and provide a deeper understanding of user behavior—how they interact with your app and what areas could use improvement. Understanding what drives performance and engagement will help determine where to direct your resources for maximum ROI. For example, churn rate can have a direct impact on ROI. Conversely, improving user retention rates by just 5% can produce a 25% to 95% increase in profits and reduce operational costs associated with serving customers. 3. Keep Iterating One key to delivering ROI with an enterprise app is to keep iterating. Enterprises should regularly evaluate the app’s performance, user feedback, and business needs to identify improvement areas for future development. Constant iteration and improvement of the app ensure that it remains relevant and continues to deliver value to its users. Enhance App Features As the business landscape evolves, enterprises must adapt their apps to meet changing needs. By regularly assessing which features resonate with users and which need work, you can better tailor the experience to meet their needs. This will help you achieve your desired ROI and ensure that customers remain satisfied over time. Social Media Integration Social media platforms are an integral part of modern communication and marketing. Enterprises must integrate social media features into their mobile app to leverage this powerful tool for engaging with customers, promoting their brand, and driving sales conversions. Add Interactive Technology Interactive technology, such as 3D visualizations, augmented reality, and virtual reality, can provide a unique and engaging user experience. Enterprises can leverage these technologies to showcase their products and services, provide interactive training, and create immersive marketing campaigns. For example, the free Explore Orion mobile app developed by InspiringApps offers a stunning 3D model, an interactive timeline, a video library of content, interactive trivia—and the ability to send messages to the Moon. The app’s immersive, content-rich user interface shows Lockheed Martin’s historical brand legacy as a leading pioneer in deep space exploration. The in-app experience links the overall brand to help meet key business and marketing goals. Monitor Progress & Make Adjustments as Necessary Finally, don’t forget that successful enterprise apps require ongoing maintenance to remain competitive in today’s market. You can ensure your business maintains its edge over time by staying up-to-date on trends, customer demands, and industry best practices. For example,InspiringApps was tasked with improving existing features, adding new features, building new product lines, and providing continued maintenance for Artifact Uprising, an application that already had a large established user base. The award-winning app expanded to meet the ongoing demands of increasing complexity. In only its second year, the mobile app generated 16% of company revenue. 4. Create an Attractive User Interface As a business leader, you understand the importance of creating an attractive user interface for your enterprise applications. The look and feel of your app is an integral part of the customer experience and plays a significant role in determining whether or not app users will come back again. Ensure Smooth User Interaction A smooth and intuitive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) can make all the difference in user adoption, customer retention, and satisfaction. Enterprises must prioritize UI/UX design to ensure the app is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and visually appealing. To ensure success, it’s essential to focus on three key aspects when designing your user interface: usability, aesthetics, and functionality. You want to ensure that users can easily navigate the app without feeling overwhelmed or confused. Additionally, it would be best to create an aesthetically pleasing interface that resonates with its intended audience. Finally, ensure all features work as they should to guarantee customers the best possible experience. Invest in a Professional Design Team It’s important to remember that the look and feel of your app will play a prominent role in determining its success. A great design team will integrate within the entire app development process, ensuring that your app’s user interface is attractive and functional, providing customers with an easy-to-use experience they’ll want to return to. Investing in the right design team can be the difference between an average ROI and something extraordinary—so we recommend that business owners don’t skimp on this crucial step. 5. Ensure Consistent Quality Across All Platforms Ensuring consistent quality across all platforms is critical for business enterprises striving to maximize the ROI of their digital platforms. After all, if customers have a poor experience on one platform, it can quickly lead to negative reviews and decreased customer loyalty. Cross-Platform Development With the rise of multiple mobile platforms, enterprises must ensure that their app is available on multiple platforms to reach a broader audience of potential customers. Cross-platform apps can increase ROI by reaching more users and providing a seamless experience across different mobile devices. At InspiringApps, we believe that no matter what device a user uses, they should have the same great experience. Our app developers and designers work to ensure consistency in app design from one platform to another. That way, our customers can be sure they’re providing their customers with the same great experience regardless of which device they’re using. We create an environment where users are free to explore without worrying about inconsistent experiences across devices—ultimately leading to a loyal customer base and higher returns for everyone involved. For example, partnering with Fidelity National Financial, InspiringApps helped design and build web, Android, and iOS versions of the inHere® cross-platform app, which has helped over a million users keep their financial futures secure. InspiringApps created an enterprise solution that feels comfortable for users, no matter which platform or device they choose: Our mobile and web teams worked closely to ensure feature parity, delivering a unified solution across Android, iOS, and web browsers. Our design teams reimagined the experience across various device sizes—from phones to large desktop displays. And then, our development teams brought those designs to life using a variety of programming languages and tools—each best for the platform in question. 6. Gather Feedback From Your Customer Base Your customers are the people who use and interact with your app daily, and they can provide invaluable insights into how you can improve user experience and increase customer satisfaction. By taking the time to understand your customers’ needs and wants, you’ll have the opportunity to create an enterprise app that truly stands out in the market. At InspiringApps, we believe getting customer feedback is one of the most critical aspects of creating revolutionary products. We understand that incorporating customer feedback into our designs and processes can create something remarkable—an enterprise app that exceeds expectations and provides users with an unforgettable experience. That’s why we recommend taking a three-step process when gathering feedback from your customer base: Listen to what your customers are saying. Ask for their input on specific topics. Allow them to act on their feedback by providing easy ways to submit suggestions and comments. 7. Enhance Compliance & Security Mindful Data Collection Data collection is crucial for enterprises to gain insights into user behavior, preferences, and needs. However, it is essential to be mindful of data privacy and security. Enterprise mobile apps must include measures to ensure that data is collected securely and ethically and that users know how it is used. Strengthen Security A security breach can be extremely costly. With cyber threats becoming more prevalent, security is critical to mobile app development. Enterprises must prioritize security measures such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and secure data storage to protect sensitive information in business apps. 8. Offer Scalability & Speed Mobile users expect fast and responsive apps. Enterprises must optimize the app’s performance and reduce load times to provide a seamless user experience. This can be achieved through caching, minimizing network requests, and optimizing images. Enterprises must ensure that the app can handle increased traffic and usage as the user base grows. Scalability is critical for the app’s long-term success, and enterprises must plan and prepare for future growth.   “InspiringApps has been an important partner for us for over three years. They helped us create multiple enterprise apps and continue to work alongside us to make enhancements to them as our needs evolve.” HEAD OF IT, MOLSON COORS INTERNATIONAL Concluding Thoughts: Business Strategies, Enterprise Apps & ROI Optimizing an enterprise app’s ROI requires a customized approach considering each business’s unique goals and objectives. However, specific strategies can help maximize ROI for any enterprise app. Effective strategies include identifying business goals that are measurable, achievable, and time-bound, measuring app performance and analyzing user behavior, iterating the app to ensure it remains relevant, creating an attractive user interface, ensuring consistent quality across all platforms, integrating new features, adding interactive technology, and monitoring progress while making necessary adjustments. By following these strategies, enterprises can create successful apps that drive engagement and ROI while delivering user value.

Colorado has evolved as a tech hub in the past decade. The region is home to notable businesses like Apple, Google, and Facebook, among myriads of other diverse local startups. Whether you are kickstarting a startup or building up an established business, there are numerous resources and opportunities to connect to the tech community in Boulder and Denver. The mile-high city is an established entrepreneurial hub with opportunities for brilliant collaboration and innovation. There are many shared spaces to hone your skills or discover a new passion. All pose as great ways to meet interesting people, grow your business network, and stay up to date with the latest developments in the industry. We broke down the top ways for you to get connected to the tech community in Colorado into five main categories: Join a local meetup. Connect at a communal workspace. Participate in events. Hone your tech skills. Join a digital community. Join a Local Meetup Denver and Boulder have numerous groups that meet regularly to connect people across the tech world. Collaborating with other entrepreneurs is invaluable for business growth and success. Here are some of the top networking meetups from intimate to large groups: Looking for a large networking meetup?  New Tech Colorado, the largest “community of geeks” in the state with 14,000+ members, is highly active with plenty of events and networking opportunities. So is Creative Connections, an equally large group for local creatives looking to connect with other like-minded individuals. Unite with other creatives to enjoy a relaxing and innovative space to share ideas and get together with local artists. Looking for a smaller group? If you prefer a more intimate group size, consider House of Genius. With chapters in both cities, they bring together a diverse mix of collaborators from the community for an evening each month filled with disruptive thinking, supportive community alliance, and creative output of innovative ideas. Seeking a group addressing a specific niche in technology? Denver Denver Founders is a vibrant network of 9,000+ members sharing entrepreneurial experiences, knowledge, and connections. From startups to established companies, all are welcome. Denver UX hosts events on everything user experience. With over 3,000 members strong, they host UX events monthly. Boulder Denver BigData offers opportunities to learn and share your experiences with NoSQL and big data technologies. Software development serves up countless meetups covering nearly any topic under the sun. Boulder  Boulder JS is ideal for those interested in delving into the wonders of JavaScript. Boulder Open Coffee is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get into or expand their startup. CodeForBoulder is excellent for techies passionate about nonprofits and volunteering. Flatirons LGBTQ Tech Meetup is a community of LGBTQ folks and allies with a focus on networking. Analyze Boulder is an active group with monthly TED-style talks on various data-focused topics. It’s a space to live, work, and play for data enthusiasts. Women in Tech There are a whole host of ways for women in tech to connect with each other. Find communal support and expert knowledge from women-led meetups. SheSays is an incredible organization that organizes educational events and happy hours with groups in Denver and Boulder. Women Who Code is also in both cities and inspires and empowers women in technical fields to achieve business success. National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) is a non-profit organization that works to correct underrepresentation and increase the meaningful participation of women in computing. Ladies Get Coffee, Women in Tech, and Women Who Startup are fantastic groups for female entrepreneurs and innovators that aim to build community through education and events. Connect at a Communal Workspace Adaptive, collaborative workspaces have become popular in the last few years. Joining a coworking space can be an excellent way to meet new people and share ideas and inspiration. Denver and Boulder are home to larger coworking chains, including Industrious, WeWork, and Galvanize. Prefer a more intimate feel? Here are a few more popular spaces Denver has to offer: Green Spaces and Converge Denver are spaces for the sustainable and forward-thinking entrepreneur. Commons on Champa, an incubator and accelerator space, offers everything from free coworking spaces to free coffee and wifi or private offices for rent. Boulder also has some outstanding local shared spaces: Expansive is one of our favorite unique spaces that also includes nifty perks like local beer on tap. NiCHE Workspaces (Boulder-owned) has both a Pearl Street and a North Boulder location. CAMPWORKS is another lovely Boulder option with an outdoor workspace and proximity to beautiful nature trails.  Participate in Events Events are a great way to connect with other entrepreneurs and gain high-value knowledge in a single session. Boulder has bragging rights as the founding city for the “startup week” concept, and Boulder Startup Week continues to host a fantastic event year after year. Denver Startup Week began a couple of years later but is now the country’s largest (free) entrepreneurial event, bringing thousands of people together. The local chapter of TED, TEDxMileHigh, is also a great gathering to consider, with speakers sharing wisdom and innovative insights on various topics. Given the size of Denver, it’s worth noting that it attracts a lot of great conferences for those in the tech field, from GlueCon to the Digital Summit. Consider setting up an alert on Eventbrite to get notified when something new is coming to town. Hone Your Tech Skills In the fast-moving world of tech, there is always more to learn. You can leverage your desire to improve your skillset to connect to others with similar interests. General Assembly has a vast array of classes on subjects ranging from diversity and inclusion in tech to introduction to branding, visual design, and product management.  Galvanize, which has locations in both Boulder and Denver, offers tech bootcamps. Build your skillset with part-time or full-time courses like data science immersive or Python fundamentals. Turing School is another computer programming school local to Denver, offering 7-month-long full-time programs.  In addition to the above resources, some coworking spaces also host events and classes for their members for an entrance fee. Join a Digital Community  If your schedule is tight, you may prefer networking online. We’ll close with a few online resources to help you keep up with the latest trends and networks. Are you interested in the startup community? We highly recommend joining the Colorado Startups Facebook group, a broad group of over 10,000 startup enthusiasts. It’s also worth signing up for Techstars’ Startup Digest. Sent weekly, it will keep you plugged into the entrepreneurial community through curated events and content. Final Thoughts The wealth of resources available to the Boulder and Denver tech communities is outstanding. We hope you venture out and try one of these value-packed events, meetups, or classes mentioned above. Have any questions on the above material? We’d love to connect; contact us at any time.

Your company has an exceptional idea for a new mobile app—now it’s time for you to share it with the world. Which is the best choice for your app: native, hybrid, or cross-platform app development? Deciding which platform to use can be daunting, but we’re here to simplify the process and save you valuable time. According to Statista, in 2023, the annual number of app downloads is expected to surpass 299 billion and generate more than 935 billion dollars in revenue. And according to Data.ai, people spend 4.8 hours daily on mobile devices, making mobile applications attractive to all kinds of businesses. In a highly-saturated world of mobile app development, there are three main options: native, hybrid, and cross-platform. Each approach has its unique advantages and disadvantages. The best option for your app depends on various factors, including the nature of the project, target audience, budget, and timeline. This article will explore the key differences between native, hybrid, and cross-platform mobile app development and provide insights into which option might be best for your business. Native Application Development A native mobile app is developed for a particular mobile platform using the platform’s native programming language. Native apps offer stellar performance and a smooth user experience because they are optimized for the device’s specific mobile operating system, hardware, and software features. Native apps are also known for their ability to integrate with the mobile device’s hardware features, such as the camera, GPS, and sensors. Native development solutions offer superior design, performance, security, and compliance. You should consider using native development for building complex apps or for an application where heavy data processing is to be expected. Due to the platform’s core development language and APIs, native apps possess superior performance and intuitive UX. InspiringApps developers have extensive experience in native app development using Java for Android and Swift for iOS app development. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of native mobile app development. Pros of Native Mobile Apps Offline functionality: Native users will have access to your app online or offline—making your app easily accessible. App complexity: Native apps are fast and responsive. Is your app complex, with advanced features heavy on data processing? Native development solutions offer speedy performance and great UX. Quality UX: Native development offers intuitive and customizable UX that makes the flow of the app feel natural and seamless. Access to native features: With accessibility to the device’s complete feature set, native apps offer enhanced experiences for users—because they can reach and interact with all functions on the device. Hardware access: Apps that have the ability to directly access file systems, cameras, microphones, proximity sensors, and other hardware specific to mobile operating systems may provide better functionality and performance. App security: Native development is ideal for app security because they have tools for creating built-in security features, such as intelligent fraud detection and file encryption. Cons of Native Mobile Apps Costly: Building native apps can result in a larger expense when planning to launch an app to Google Play and the Apple Store. Time-consuming: Native app development can be time-consuming because your source code requires separate development for each platform, which can be costly and time-consuming. Customer reach: Native apps are only available for download in platform-dedicated app stores and cannot be promoted on multiple app stores—thus resulting in less customer reach. Examples of Native Mobile Apps Some popular examples of native mobile apps include: Waze Spotify WhatsApp Native App Development Tools iOS Development There are several native app development tools available for iOS, including: Objective-C XCode iOS SDK TestFlight Swift Playgrounds Android Development You can develop native Android apps in Java, Kotlin, Scala, and C++ programming languages. Google provides native developers with advanced Android development tools, such as: Android SDK IntelliJ IDEA Firebase Android Jetpack Hybrid Mobile App Development Hybrid development involves building an app using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and then wrapping it in a native shell. This approach allows developers to create apps that work across multiple platforms with a single codebase. However, since an app relies on an embedded browser, it may lead to slower performance and lack of harmony on the user interfaces on different platforms. You should consider choosing hybrid development if you want to create an app quickly—it can be cheaper, faster, and more efficient. Pros of Hybrid Mobile Apps Easy maintenance: Building an app across multiple platforms allows you to test and update apps simultaneously—allowing for easier maintenance. Quick launch: Using a hybrid app development framework could result in a shorter wait time to get your app on the market. Cost reduction: Because you only need to develop a single codebase, you can rely on one team of developers to create an app, which can be more cost-effective. Improved UI + UX: Hybrid apps have the benefits of native and web apps while offering an enhanced user experience. Cons of Hybrid Mobile Apps App vulnerabilities: Hybrid apps are more vulnerable to security threats due to running on web-based technologies. No offline support: There are no offline support capabilities. Performance: Some hybrid solutions combine native and non-native components, which makes the code more complex and may affect the app’s performance. Examples of Hybrid Apps Some popular examples of hybrid mobile apps include: Instagram Twitter Gmail Hybrid App Development Frameworks Ionic Apache Cordova Cross-Platform Mobile App Development Cross-platform apps are built using a single codebase that can run across multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Windows. They use frameworks such as Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin. You should consider a cross-platform approach if your app concept is relatively straightforward because cross-platform apps tend to lag in performance and UX. Cross-platform mobile development has incredible value because you don’t have to hire separate developers for each platform—everything is built in one framework (e.g., React Native). By streamlining app development across multiple platforms, cross-platform frameworks can reduce expenses, save time, and get a better return on investment. Pros of Cross-Platform Apps Single codebase: Updating a cross-platform app is easier because you are dealing with a single codebase. Code reusability between iOS & Android apps: Code built is reusable across platforms and allows you to use a single codebase on multiple platforms. Faster development time: Using a cross-platform framework will result in reusable code and, thus, faster development, enabling you to get your app on the market in less time. Easier maintenance: Cross-platform solutions are easier to maintain because app updates and changes can be made to the codebase, which applies to all platforms. Cons of Cross-Platform App Development Complex integrations: Cross-platform mobile development does not offer platform-specific features—developers may find it challenging to integrate cross-platform apps into local settings. Delayed features: While new software development kit (SDK) releases include new updates and features, cross-platform frameworks require a separate update to access new features. No offline functionality: There are no offline support capabilities. Increased security configurations: Cross-platform applications are more vulnerable to security threats due to running on web-based technologies. Examples of Cross-Platform Mobile Applications Skype Walmart Airbnb Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks Xamarin React Native Flutter Selecting Your Approach To Build a Mobile App Development Time & Speed to Market Developing a native application requires teams of developers with specialized skills for each platform. This can be time-consuming and expensive. When you have a tight timeline, cross-platform and hybrid apps are the way to go. Native development tends to be a more lengthy process due to having to create different versions of the app and a separate codebase for each platform. Development Cost & Budget Your business priorities, budget, and project scope will play a significant factor in which developmental route to take. If your company has a limited budget, hybrid and cross-platform approaches will best fit your needs; a single codebase saves you money by allowing you to reuse code for future use. Security Mobile applications can get targeted with security threats—putting the user’s data and privacy at risk. Native development is ideal for app security because they have tools for creating built-in security features, such as intelligent fraud detection and file encryption. Performance Some apps are high on data and have heavy computing requirements. When looking for speedy performance, opt for native development. Native app development provides users with an intuitive UX, natural features, and familiar buttons and actions. Complexity, Custom UX, or Consistency Across Platforms For complex mobile applications and customized UX—native development is ideal. Native app development offers smooth performance and UX that surpasses hybrid and cross-platform development. If your app requires access to device-specific features, like the camera or GPS, then a native application may be your best bet. While hybrid and cross-platform apps can access some device features, they may not be able to provide the same level of functionality as native apps. Conclusion When developing a mobile app, the choice between hybrid, native, or cross-platform framework depends on various factors. Native apps are built for a specific platform, making them highly responsive and offering a seamless user experience. However, they can be expensive and time-consuming to develop. On the other hand, hybrid apps are easier and faster to develop than native apps. However, hybrid apps may not always be as responsive as native apps, and that can lead to lower user satisfaction. Cross-platform apps, on the other hand, allow developers to write code once in Xamarin, Flutter, or React Native and deploy it across multiple platforms. They are more cost-effective and faster to develop than native apps while still delivering a great user experience. With cross-platform apps, businesses can reach a broad audience and save time and money on development costs. In conclusion, the choice between hybrid, native, and cross-platform depends on your specific business objectives. While native apps offer a superior user experience, they can be expensive to develop. Hybrid apps are faster and easier to develop but may not always offer the same level of responsiveness as native apps. Cross-platform apps offer a cost-effective and efficient solution that can help businesses reach a wide range of users and save on development costs. Ultimately, the ideal choice depends on your business requirements, budget, and timeline. FAQ Native, hybrid, and cross-platform app development: what are the key differences? Native, hybrid, and cross-platform mobile apps differ in UX, UI, development speed, code base, app development costs, time to market, and other factors. Native programming languages cannot be streamlined across platforms, while hybrid and cross-platform can. Native app development refers to the process of building apps specifically for a single platform, such as iOS or Android.This mobile app development approach involves using the core programming languages and tools that are specific to that platform, such as Swift or Objective-C for iOS and Java or Kotlin for Android. Hybrid app development, on the other hand, involves building apps that can run on multiple platforms using a single code base. This is typically done using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are then packaged into a native app wrapper that can be deployed on various platforms. Cross-platform app development is similar to hybrid app development in that it involves building apps that can run on multiple platforms using a single code base. However, cross-platform development typically involves using platform-specific languages and tools that are compiled into native code. Cross-platform development can improve performance and a more native-like user experience than hybrid apps. Native, hybrid, or cross-platform: which app development method is best for my mobile app? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best approach will depend on the specific needs and requirements of your mobile application development project. Each development approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the decision will ultimately depend on factors such as your app’s unique specifications, needs, and goals. When deciding among the respective platforms, consider user experience, development time and cost, desired app performance, required platform support, range of app functionality, maintenance costs, and complexity of updates. Innovation Within Reach ​​Innovative functionality and design are within reach. Whether it is a complex data solution, a custom integration, an internal app for employees, or an app that will deliver messages to the Moon, InspiringApps provides intelligent digital products that delight clients and end users with transformative results. Let’s move your business forward together. Speak with our experts in enterprise solutions.

In this discussion, CEOs Tim Hayden of Brain+Trust and Brad Weber of InspiringApps break down what’s behind the major transformation in data privacy and artificial intelligence—and the opportunities and risks it presents to businesses today. You can watch the webinar replay or skim through the conversation explored below. Data Privacy & AI: The Future Is Here AI has revolutionized how we live, work, play, and communicate. Tools like ChatGPT have tremendous potential to enhance our lives but can also pose significant risks if not harnessed properly. In the latest webinar, Brad and Tim explore privacy concerns as well as the tremendous benefits of artificial intelligence. Are you curious about the future of data privacy and how AI will shape it? Join the CEOs of Brain+Trust and InspiringApps as they discuss what’s behind the rapid transformation in data privacy and where it’s headed next. Join Us for the Next Webinar Join us for our next live webinar for more InspiringApps insights. Sign up to attend our next webinar here. Watch the Full Webinar   About Brain+Trust: Brain+Trust is a strategic consultancy empowering brands to compete at the speed of the customer and grow revenue. By helping brands and leaders make sense of an evolving marketplace, they can better understand their customers and grow their business. Brain+Trust Partners counsels companies and organizations with strategic consulting, governance and compliance, automation, product development and more. About Tim Hayden: With more than 20 years of marketing and business leadership experience, Tim Hayden has been a founder of new ventures and a catalyst for transformational progress within some of the world’s largest brands. Part social anthropologist, part strategic business executive, Tim studies human behavior and how media and mobility are reshaping all of business. From operations to marketing and customer service, he assembles technology and communications initiatives that lead to efficiency and revenue growth. A past and current investor/advisor to technology startups, Tim works with entrepreneurs and ventures to capitalize on opportunities and shifts across many industries. He also proudly serves in executive board and volunteer leadership positions with non-profit organizations. About InspiringApps: App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com. About Brad Weber: Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life. Read the Transcript Stephanie Mikuls Thank you for joining us today on our webinar on “AI & Data Privacy—Navigating the Risks & Opportunities” of this rapidly evolving landscape that we have right now. I’m Stephanie, the marketing director here at InspiringApps. Welcome. This is a joint session between InspiringApps and Brain+Trust, the second in a series of webinars where we’re talking about data privacy restrictions, artificial intelligence, and app and software development in this new space. Brad and Tim, I’ll have you guys introduce yourselves, and then we can just get into it. Tim Hayden Sure, thanks. Brad—great to see you again. I’m Tim Hayden, the CEO of Brain+Trust. At Brain+Trust, we help companies with their first-party data, usually with customer data platforms or hybrid cloud environments. And we are exploring the world of artificial intelligence in an effort to help companies with both privacy and cybersecurity, but also all the mapping of how to go about implementing customer data platforms and hybrid cloud management. I’m excited to be here with you, Brad, because, of course, to leverage all that data, many times you need apps, and that’s what you guys do. Brad Weber That’s true. Thanks. Good to see you again, Tim. I’m Brad Weber. I’m the founder and president of InspiringApps. We design and develop custom web and mobile apps for funded startups and large enterprises and have experience across this space. Certainly, many of our customers are running into the data challenges and privacy challenges that we’ve been talking about in this series. So I’m excited to dive more deeply with you into that, Tim. And today, our focus is on artificial intelligence, specifically, as you mentioned, and the data privacy implications of that. I thought I’d take just a moment and take care of a little “artificial intelligence” housekeeping and talk about what it is, just at a very basic level. As you mentioned, we develop and create custom software solutions. The majority of those solutions—especially in recent decades—have been explicitly programmed. So a lot of what we create is a matter of implementing business rules. It’s: “If this customer’s age is greater than X, then do this.” Or, “If the bank balance is greater than Y, then do this.” There are a lot of explicit rules in the code that cause it to behave the way that it does—and those are very black and white. What we’re talking about with artificial intelligence is really getting into the gray areas and giving the computers and the processors the opportunity to come up with their own solutions. They don’t necessarily have to be explicitly programmed in order to reach conclusions. Those conclusions may be things that you’ve seen in your life. It could be an identification of an object—there are popular apps that will help you identify a planet or a flower or that type of food based on the photo that you take. That’s artificial intelligence that’s driving that to support object recognition in that kind of application. There are also many applications where the technology of the system is given a goal or an outcome, and it has a lot more flexibility in determining what the appropriate or best path is and in reaching that outcome. In order to accomplish all of these things, you need a lot of data. It is not enough to tell the difference between an apple and an orange or an orange and a banana reliably by just using one photo of each. Models that do that sort of thing rely on hundreds or thousands of examples to make those kinds of determinations. Certainly, as you get into more complex challenges like self-driving vehicles or fraud detection in transactions, you need lots and lots and lots of data. And the focus of our last episode together was talking about the privacy implications of that data collection. So that’s probably a good place for us to pick this up and look at privacy through the lens of these advancements in artificial intelligence. Tim Hayden Definitely. And Brad, when you talk about artificial intelligence—I think we mentioned this the last time we spoke, but—it’s math, right? It is. It is really fascinating, complex math—probably not so complex for mathematicians. But it’s not easy math, right? If it was easy math, everybody would be doing it. But it’s math that’s been around for decades. And now that it’s been digitized, it’s able to make sense or basically identify patterns within data. And what we saw most recently just over the last several months and including a very exciting week last week—I don’t think it’s coincidental at all that it happened during South by Southwest—but you know, OpenAI released to the world ChatGPT 4, and I saw on LinkedIn everyone sharing that. I say everyone, but many people are sharing this illustration of a small circle and saying this is ChatGPT 3 and then a much larger circle and saying this is ChatGPT 4 and basically talking about the exponential number of parameters that GPT 4 would have. And, of course, out of the gate, there’s hype around the fact that it can pass a bar exam and be in the 98 percentile versus ChatGPT 3 only being in the 10th percentile. When you look at these things, it’s certainly impressive. But where did the data come from? To your point, Brad. Where, exactly? And this is where I think there are privacy and security concerns and many more that we might get to or might not while we talk today. What OpenAI has access to, and increasingly has more access to, through its relationship with Microsoft and other big tech firms, is essentially data that you, me, and everyone else helped populate the internet with. And many times it was—What kind of car are we shopping for? Or, what are we searching for dinner?—Or, scarily—What are my symptoms? What symptoms do I have? What do they mean that I have? A lot of this data that was public or accessible by OpenAI is now being used to inform those “parameters” and the language model itself to do more. And Brad, I’ll toss it back to you. But I mean, that, to me, is at least questionable. I’m not going to say scary yet, but it’s certainly questionable. Brad Weber Yeah, I agree. There was a great Ars Technica article about the privacy implications of ChatGPT. Their focus, given the timing of the article, was on ChatGPT 3. I don’t have updated numbers for this specifically, but the scale of this was astounding. And what caught my attention were several things. One was just the immense amount of data like you talked about. The number that I saw quoted was that ChatGPT 3 was driven by a vocabulary of 300 billion words that it accumulated. Now, granted, there were many repeated words. It’s not saying that there are 300 billion unique words. But the assembly of those words that it has gathered from blog posts and books and articles and transcripts of webinars and podcasts like we’re sharing right now. The majority of the data appears to be publicly available. But, in the example of books, the author in this article noted that they made a request of ChatGPT to cite a chapter from a copyrighted book. And ChatGPT happily reproduced the entire chapter and provided no copyright annotation for that. So, that’s troubling, certainly, for authors. Tim Hayden It is. Brad Weber But you had mentioned that there could be medical data—we don’t really know what is being shared. And I think that we’ve been somewhat complicit in this in our decades of accepting privacy policies. And, more recently, disclosures about how data might be shared from one platform to partner platforms. This is an example of how that data might be used in surprising ways. As you mentioned, where we individually are, in many ways, populating ChatGPT and other similar engines like this. And I think that’s worth further discussion. Tim Hayden Oh, it absolutely is. I mean, when you talk about terms and conditions and privacy policies and privacy statements that you check and say that you understand—it’s just like car dealer advertising on the 10:00 news, when they say at the very end, very fast, that “The vehicles we’re talking about do not exist on the lot. And if you come in, we reserve the right to throw $2,000 on top of you through the entire process.” The bottom line is the legalese—the fine print—in terms of the wares that we’ve used and in terms of user agreements over the past decade-plus. That’s exactly the data that is being used now to inform and train these language models. And kudos to OpenAI, who has come up with a very sleek, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface for us to be able to leverage—I hate to call it intelligence, but—to leverage some of the math that is able to make sense of our prompts and go find out with a certain degree of correctness. And what it is we’re looking for, the answers that we need, or the answers that we’ve asked it to provide. You know, what’s funny—because you mentioned it earlier about the book and a chapter out of a book—is the U.S. Copyright Office, over the weekend, actually came out with a formal statement saying that they were going to revisit copyright law. And as we do, they left it open-ended. But they said, “We can tell you this much: that if you are using generative AI to produce copy or a book, you cannot claim the copyright to that content.” And I think this is where things are probably for a different webinar and a different conversation for us to have about authenticity. But, certainly, when we think about the one-two punch of private, sensitive, or otherwise nonpublic data that has been used and has been generated in some type of content, or some type of prescriptive advice that one of these language models is providing, it gets a little spooky in this. Now, I will say it. Now, I will say scary, right? This gets scary and a little bit spooky when we think of college students, and we think of someone sitting in their home who is trying to generate a report or type up something for their PPA and claim that they’re the author of it, right? It’s happening. Those kinds of things are happening right now. It’s what we always talk about with “Garbage in. Garbage out.” Maybe it’s not garbage. It’s just somebody else’s. It’s somebody else’s work that’s going somewhere else. And someone else claiming that it’s their own. Brad Weber Yeah. I think it’s an interesting point—that we’re talking about two different aspects of copyright material. One is the copyrighted material that might be used to populate the collection of data that’s being used for generative AI. And then the other is when the AI produces potentially copyrightable material, whether it be in written form or artwork out the other end. And so, I think this is probably one of the larger changes that have come to the Copyright Office in a long time. So it wouldn’t surprise me if this takes them a little while to digest. Tim Hayden Definitely, and I think, in the vein of privacy—I’ve had a few clients who’ve read up on the OpenAI API documents and have asked me, “We can simply plug ChatGPT into our CRM. We can plug it into our marketing automation system.” And the premise is to be able to generate content faster and better. But, what’s happening there, when you make those connections with something that has that processing power—a model that has the ability to identify patterns and to supposedly help you in a utilitarian way—there’s a way, I think, that could backfire, right? I’ve told each of those clients that asked me that question: my short answer is “No, don’t do it.” Stay using ChatGPT in the browser. If you want to have it help you with outlines or help you write a paragraph—sure. But then wordsmith it as your own. But don’t plug it into your systems. Don’t do that. Because that’s where I think we have this opportunity to misstep and move in a direction where certain systems, for better or worse, all of a sudden know things that they shouldn’t or have access to things that they shouldn’t when it comes to information. Brad Weber So we’ve talked a lot in both of our episodes about the implications for personal privacy and personal data. But I think what you’re touching on now is also an important subject. There is plenty of private data in a corporate environment, so would you like to explore that a little further? Tim—I think that’s what you’re talking about, the CRM, right? Tim Hayden Yeah. I mean, you live in Colorado, right? And Colorado has a Colorado data privacy law, as does Utah. California has got a couple of them with CCPA and CPRA. And on January 1, when yours went into force, it did so along with Utah, Connecticut, and Virginia, as well, and a revamp of CPRA. These laws—basically, I giggle a little bit when it’s general counsel or a CFO who’s really worried about a violation of them, and I say absolutely you should be ready for some type of litigious call or letter that will show up because someone says they unsubscribed and you’re still sending them email. That’s been around for a while, and I think we’re going to see that only grow. But the other side of that is: when you read these laws, they’re basically a prescription for restructuring your data to be a better steward of the data that are entrusted to you. When you talk about CRM or customer data platforms, cloud management, all of these systems today, in terms of how they leverage IA/ML, are there to help you move faster internally to the organization. And that, by all means, is proprietary in some regard. That’s proprietary information, a competitive advantage, if you will. If you know why people are buying from you or what’s working and what’s not with business operations, data can help you inform that. Especially if it’s structured and you have the right systems in place to make sense of it, to derive patterns from it, and to detect all of those things. So, I mean, there’s the front side of that too. The interface side of it, which is where I look to you, Brad. I mean, where do apps play in all this, right? Where do apps stand in terms of privilege—of access to information? What do you see happening there, and what does that have to do with this world of privacy, especially when you’re plugging into a CRM or some other large database of information? Brad Weber Yeah, good question. So I think the mobile app specifically, although this certainly applies to web applications as well, oftentimes provide the window into that data that we’re talking about—the immense amount of data that’s driving ChatGPT and its competitors is petabytes of information that’s in the cloud. That certainly eclipses what you’re going to be able to carry around in your pocket anytime soon. So what we see on the client side of this, both web and mobile, are the results often of that analysis that’s happening in the cloud or in a giant server farm that’s coming up with the information or the tips or the driving information for the sales team, or what regions they should focus on, all that sort of thing. The numbers are being crunched oftentimes in the cloud and being presented at the phone or the browser level in order for a user to make sense of it and to be able to write from that. The phones, in particular, we talk about this a little bit in our last episode—are also participating in collecting some of that data, oftentimes through our active input and other times very possibly behind the scenes, whether it’s our location data, our health data, the number of steps that we’ve taken—that sort of information is helping to feed the machine as well. So I think we see it in two different ways. And when you’re talking about the things that corporations and IT departments might be considering and actions that they might be taking in this regard. I think one thing is important, the distinction to make is that they don’t really need the scale of a 300 billion word or phrase vocabulary in order to get answers to their corporate questions. I think what we see is that the questions that our clients want to answer—either about their customer behavior, about their employees, or about products—are much more focused. And so I think it’s far more practical for organizations whose sole purpose is not to answer these questions for the general public but to answer very specific questions about how to improve the performance of their operations and create their own models and manage their own data. Keeping it private within the walls of their organization to perform the analysis and maintain that competitive advantage that you were talking about. Tim Hayden Definitely, I think it’s all fascinating. I think the next time we talk, we probably should talk about edge computing because it’s not just the phone. It’s not just the browser in the conventional or traditional sense. It is machines themselves now that are connected, and they’re also processing millions of signals that come from wheels that go round and piston the churn and traffic that walks by, right? I mean, all the different ways that the world’s connected now. But, you know, back to where we are right now. You know, I’m of the belief I shared this morning in an article that I read from TechCrunch that Google Glass is finally being sunset. And we’ll defer a conversation about Google Glass and all of that for IoT and edge computing because that’s what was happening with Google Glass. There was a lot of processing happening in the frame of the glasses. Right. But the harbinger, I call it, I always thought Google Glass was just not right any time soon because we as humans don’t need a heads-up display. And at the time I said that—this was a decade plus ago—I was a mobile strategist myself, and I was helping companies figure out more things to do utilitarian with mobile apps at the time. But at the same time, I was very cognizant that we don’t need people staring at their phones while they’re driving their cars. We don’t need people staring at them as they’re walking down the street, and as that happened, you know, it just seemed like it wasn’t any safer to have a heads-up visualization and Google Glass. I don’t think it’s too far of a reach to say that where people are enamored right now with ChatGPT and what Microsoft has done with Bing and pulled back a little bit and then come back a little bit more. What Google’s doing right? And what they say they can do and what they will do more of. We could probably talk about them specifically. But do we, as humans, absolutely need to have a Siri or an Alexa or now something that is much deeper and much more capable to constantly be the thing that we go to, to answer a question for us? Especially when we are able-bodied to get around and to experience life ourselves and to know where to query information when we need it, that which is necessary. Right? I understand if you have encyclopedic needs, you’re going to have to go to the internet anyway. But I just wonder—what is the shelf life going to be? What is the run? It looks really good right now. It’s new; it’s shiny. But I don’t know, Brad—what do you think will be in six months, nine months from now, with ChatGPT or any other of these other language models? Brad Weber I think we’re definitely going to see privacy at the forefront of that conversation. I think right now, there is, as you said, such excitement around the tool, and people are learning about what’s possible. What’s interesting is that it isn’t new. You talk about being around for decades. I mean, over 75 years, you can go back into some early research papers, like in the 1940s, talking about the possibilities of this. So the idea isn’t new. And the military—US and others—have been advancing artificial intelligence for a long time. And in public view, I remember early over 20 years ago, meeting teams there were participating in the DARPA’s challenge to create autonomous vehicles that were able to complete a course. It was unknown. And ahead of time, it wasn’t mapped out. They were given a challenge on the day for their vehicle to be able to figure out how to get from point A to point B over really challenging terrain. So those problems have been worked on, and you know what? What that evolves into is Tesla and others working on their self-driving car capabilities and, you know, just other conveniences that are popping up in our everyday lives that we talked about in the last session as well. I think it’s exciting. I think there are a lot of things we’ve talked about that, as you noted, are a little scary. Maybe we’re going a little too far to start. But what’s really exciting is that ChatGPT, in particular, has really thrown the notion of artificial intelligence and ML into the conversations of the general public. And I think that is an important step in the process for us to continue to advance and for that to expand in. So I talked about privacy, and you said what’s coming in the next six months? One thing to note about ChatGPT, it’s entirely text-based at this point. It doesn’t do anything with audio. It doesn’t do anything with video. There are a lot of other areas where we’re most certainly going to see this start to permeate. But this is an important “big bang” to get everyone’s attention at this point. I think it’s an exciting part of the process. Tim Hayden Sure, I absolutely agree. And to that point about privacy, we mentioned the US Copyright Office, right? You have the US Copyright Office, and you have several states that have data privacy laws in place. You have hungry attorneys out there that will make something out of nothing and make something out of something that has substance right now in terms of how data is being used. A client of ours here at Brain+Trust said to me about two weeks ago, “You know, people say that data is the new oil, and certainly, data has value, but data is actually dynamite. At the end of the day, you have to handle it with care.” And that’s where this is going with privacy. It’s where it’s going with security. And I think we’re going to see it to be most fascinating. When we talk about three or four months from now or nine months from now, in 2023, there are a number of economic economists and economic analysts that are forecasting that there will be some type of economic recession. That there will be corners of the economy that will shrink, and there will be others that just continue to grow and expand. AI is certainly one of those that I think we’re just going to watch because it does hold that promise that technology has always given us to do more with less. And it’s proving it day in and day out. But at the end of the day, when you think about patterns, right? We’re coming off the end of a pandemic. We’re just now getting the emergency label removed. And with that, things weren’t normal. This is not a conversation about normal, but things are just not linear. The way that they were, and they won’t be. As we continue to have innovation move at the breakneck pace that it is. So when it comes to predictive analytics, which is what I think I heard, and I forgot who it was, but I saw some people quoting speakers at South by Southwest that said, you know, all ChatGPT is—is fantastic statistical intelligence, right? It’s able to detect patterns. It’s able to identify things based on a problem. But it’s that statistical intelligence. Right. And, you know, it’s something that I see if we look in the future—how smart machines are going to be able to really detect our patterns if the world is changing at the pace that it is. Brad Weber It’s interesting, and I think it’s worth noting before we part or close out on this subject that it’s not all doom and gloom. I mean, it’s important for organizations to think about treating data. I like your references. Data is dynamite, but be very careful with the data they collect. I think it’s important for consumers, the general public, to be aware of the data that they’re sharing and maybe pay a little more attention to that than we have in the past. But there’s really a lot of benefit from this as well. I mean, the science, the technology that we’re talking about is helping with medical advances, you know, being able to review medical imagery and make a diagnosis perhaps more effectively than humans would. Or as an initial screening of that is really helpful. I have just a silly example of where some artificial intelligence has gotten my attention in a positive way. On the road recently, I was taking a couple of long car trips in rental cars and took advantage of the cruise control feature. And although I’m sure plenty of people watching this will be familiar with this, this was new to me: As I approach another vehicle, I’m used to my “cruise control experience of the past” as tapping on the brake very inconveniently. And then once I get around the vehicle that I was approaching, I had to reset my cruise control. And it was a pain. It was a small pain, but a pain. And I am now pleased to find that multiple vehicle manufacturers have an automatic detection feature associated with that cruise control, so I can set a certain speed as I approach another vehicle, the car will automatically start cruising and slowing down on its own. If I just change lanes, it recognizes that there’s no longer vehicle in front of me, and it’ll automatically resume to the speed that I had. That is convenient. It also requires absolutely no personal data from me. Now, there is a ton of data that went into that feature to determine what an appropriate distance is, taking into account the speed of my vehicle and trying to anticipate the speed of the vehicle in front of me. But it doesn’t have to know anything about Brad in order for that to be effective. And I think one of the messages for brands who are looking to add that kind of delightful customer experience is to, again, be critical about the data that you’re collecting and scrutinizing each individual. But is that absolutely necessary for us to know “Brad” individually in order to provide this capability that’s going to add some time to his life or somehow simplify the process of his day-to-day moving around? So some thoughts for you to reflect on there, too, Tim. Tim Hayden I’m with you. Adaptive cruise control and lane assist, and things like that are in place to provide us with a safer life. You know, Apple’s handoff: With just being able to intelligently know that I was listening to a Spotify playlist or a podcast in the car but when I walk in the house and it connects to the wifi, and all of a sudden, Sonos comes on, and it plays there as well. I mean, this is, by all means, really great coding. It is intelligence and with the respect to “if this, then, that” type of logic that is put in the systems now. And this is what I think is fascinating—is that there’s a balancing act. If we want to keep on this path of privacy—we have to understand that opting in and allowing that type of data, which you just described, which isn’t really that much about me, the individual, but me and my disposition in terms of geographic location, in terms of velocity and direction, in terms of the time of day, in terms of maybe the thing or where I was, you know, 5 minutes before or where I happen to be headed next. The fascinating thing is a lot of this is the way that the advertising world works right now. That we can start to deliver programmatically the best message to the right person at the right time. So, a lot of this has already been in play for a while, and I wonder how we’re going to see systems and language models start to inform that as well. If you do have your data structured right and all of your systems, I’m thinking of a customer data platform now where you have 100% of your customer-related technologies that are connected via a real-time API. Most of them, not all would be, but most include both for the real-time API. You’ve got your finger on the pulse of customer behavior all the time. Do you see the language model coming in to automate how that would then go inform a demand-side platform with advertising or even better things that happen within a store and apps that inform people that are working on the floor about customers or certain kinds of customers that are headed that way? And maybe we need to change our script. Maybe we need to move the sweaters to the front of the store—I don’t know. You know how I think, Brad. It’s all connected. And it’s fun to play with in a browser. When are we going to put this thing to real work to help us with that data we have today and to make sure we’re doing so very responsibly? Brad Weber Yeah. And I really think that’s the theme of what we’ve been talking about. I think that’s a good summation. Are there any other key points if we were to bullet, any takeaways that you think are important to revisit here? Tim Hayden You know, what we stated before is to go out and experiment with this, right? If you don’t have an OpenAI account, it’s free. There are things that you can and can’t do with that free account, and think twice before you start to give them $20 a month or any more than that. Right. And certainly, I would say talk to your attorneys and go find legal advice. There’s some of it online, but talk to your personal business attorney who, if it’s not them, they’ll have somebody in the practice or somebody they know who’s been looking at these matters. To understand—is it the smart thing to start to talk to OpenAI about an API connection? Is that really a prudent thing to do right now? And I’d say lastly is what you and I both know. With the data you have today, if you want to employ automation and if you want to really have intelligence that can inform what you do next with your business—you need to look at something like a customer data platform; you need to look at companies like Snowflake that help you organize information that’s in the cloud. That’s where we are today, folks. And those are the two things. Don’t jump off the deep end for the shiny water when what you’re sitting on right now is already pretty much what you would need to innovate and to do some pretty magical things. Brad Weber Remember that there are tools available for organizations to realize the benefits of AI that we’ve been talking about within their own walls of the organization and not necessarily having to jump on (like you said) the latest “shiny solution.” There are more focused tools—more focused solutions that will help companies get to the answers that they need to improve those internal operations. I think that’s great; thank you, Tim. And we alluded to it in this session that you had mentioned as well that there’s a lot going on with the Internet of Things, connected devices, and edge computing. I know you and your customers have a lot of experience with connected vehicles. And so it seems like that would be a great thing for us to turn our attention to next time. Tim Hayden Definitely, we alluded to it, but when you get into the adaptive cruise control and the lane assist, there’s a lot of play there. There’s actually some work we’re doing in that space that I’m looking forward to uncovering with you. Brad Weber Excellent. Terrific. Well, we will look forward to doing this again next month. It’s good to see you, Tim. Take care. Tim Hayden Thanks, Brad.

Colorado has been ranked #4 in “America’s Top States For Business,” according to CNBC. This distinction is in large part due to the significant amount of resources available state-wide. Competitive states like Colorado encourage new ideas and have the resources to support entrepreneurship. We’ve compiled the ultimate list of resources for Colorado entrepreneurs that you can leverage to improve your business success. Namely: Legal Resources for Entrepreneurs: Denver and Boulder entrepreneurs can receive advice on numerous corporate law topics. Financial Resources for Entrepreneurs: Confidently tackle financial questions with the help of mentors and workshops geared toward Colorado entrepreneurs. Networking Opportunities for Entrepreneurs: Festivals, community coalitions, and groups on the Front Range offer the chance to connect, collaborate, and grow. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re in the midst of your business journey, these resources will provide excellent value for every stage of entrepreneurship. Legal Resources for Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial Law Clinic The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to help law students gain real-world experience. One of the ways they do so is by providing free legal counsel to entrepreneurs. Students provide legal advice under the guidance of professors and attorneys. Denver-based entrepreneurs can receive advice on numerous corporate law topics, such as: Commercial contracts Handling intellectual property rights Drawing up shareholder agreements Entrepreneurs need to apply to work with the ELC, and finalists are chosen based on several criteria. Once an application is approved, the entrepreneurs interview with the ELC to determine if a mutual benefit exists. An accepted applicant must sign an engagement letter to ensure commitment. UpCounsel If you have a need that can’t wait for the ELC selection process to run its course, consider checking out UpCounsel. In addition to having a free online repository of articles and forms, thousands of lawyers nationwide are willing to make bids on proposals. You can search for counsel by state, legal area, or topic of interest. CooleyGO In any location, CooleyGO can help you to identify and create all the essential legal documents you need to get started. Whether you want to incorporate your business or protect your intellectual property with a non-disclosure agreement, you’ll find their free, easy-to-use document generator indispensable. They also curate outstanding content on topics ranging from creating a board of directors to selling your company. Financial Resources for Entrepreneurs SCORE Denver Another organization that offers free counsel is SCORE Denver. SCORE assists local entrepreneurs in confidently tackling financial questions. SCORE does everything from pairing you with a mentor in the business world to helping you enroll in workshops on various topics to providing free financial resources. SCORE relies on a dedicated group of local business people who volunteer their time and experience to help those just getting started. Mentoring is free and entirely confidential. SCORE also hosts workshops focused on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Although many workshops are free, some include a small fee. Prefer to do your own business research? SCORE includes an online library dedicated to documents and information about owning a small business. You can find information on a variety of topics from how to finance your company to government statutes that affect your industry. B:Side Fund B:Side Fund (formerly Colorado Lending Source) has a range of loan products and a referral program of partners offering additional lending options. Their blog provides various resources catering to finance and entrepreneurship. Networking Resources for Entrepreneurs  Startup Weeks Both Denver and Boulder host a “Startup Week,” a week-long festival in which hundreds of events are held to showcase—and further build—the culture of innovation in the region. Startup Week is a wonderful free event offering networking opportunities, vast resources, and global culture. Always a sought-after festival, it’s the largest of its kind in North America. Denver Startup Week is the pinnacle of entrepreneurial energy, innovation, and connection. Denver Startup Week: September 18-22, 2023  Boulder Startup Week: May 15-18, 2023  Community The Minority & Women’s Chamber Coalition (MWCC) was formed to give a voice to Colorado minorities and women-owned businesses. MWCC created a leading nonprofit organization, the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC), to advance women’s leadership in an inclusive space. CWCC provides invaluable business connections, resources, and transformative education. While we’re at it, feel free to review these other phenomenal women-led resources: Women Who Code SheSays Ladies Get Coffee Women Who Startup Coaching & Mentorship For those who desire a deeper dive into business coaching, the Denver and Boulder community offers abundant resources. The Founders Network provides mentorship through everything from cohort programs to conferences to private coaching. Techstars, a now global organization founded in Boulder, offers accelerator programs and bootcamps. Similarly, Boomtown’s Boulder Tech Accelerator aims to specifically help tech startups through their intensives.  Meetups Plenty of meetups along the Front Range bring together founders of startups and small businesses. Most meet monthly and focus on curating speakers who can provide insights and resources for entrepreneurs. Denver Founders Network and Boulder Startup Meetup are some of the largest and most popular in the area.  Digital Networking Lately, there has been a significant shift from in-person to digital networking. Numerous top-notch networking opportunities are available with the convenience of logging in anywhere, anytime.  Denver Devs: A Denver-based Discord community for developers, engineers, and designers Women Who Startup: A leading platform for female entrepreneurs and innovators offering online engaging events Startup Colorado: Exciting event programming and business opportunities for the Colorado rural entrepreneur Tech Friends: A fun networking group for entrepreneurs building a website or mobile application Colorado Technology Association (CTA): Meaningful connections through a diverse and inclusive pipeline with a network of 18,000 thought leaders and entrepreneurs Other Resources Not To Overlook Part of the Office of Economic Development & International Trade, Choose Colorado has advice specific to entrepreneurs getting set up within the state. They have up-to-date guidelines on business regulations and legislation by industry. Furthermore, you can find Colorado-specific resources for entrepreneurs, including the Small Business Resource Guide, which takes you through the process of entrepreneurship in Colorado.  Choose Colorado also offers numerous lectures and courses for entrepreneurs and business people. Courses range from “Introduction to QuickBooks Online” to “Marketing Basics” to “Instagram for Business: Basics & Beyond.” Additionally, you’ll find resources for: Filing for occupational licenses Getting proper funding Finding the best free consulting by business area Similarly, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity provides many resources and ideas to help startups and small businesses. You can even meet with business development representatives (with offices at the Commons) for a personalized consultation. Final Thoughts for Boulder & Denver Entrepreneurs As a booming entrepreneurial hub, Colorado has incredible resources for entrepreneurs and innovators. We encourage you to use these resources as a starting point to connect with other techies, immerse yourself in knowledge, and attend leading events.  At InspiringApps, we believe shared collaboration is the key to creating immersive and transformative solutions.  Have any further questions? We’d love to hear from you.

AI + Data Privacy Artificial intelligence has arrived—and the race is on. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how we live, work, play, and communicate. It has tremendous potential to enhance our lives but can pose significant risks if not harnessed properly.  AI technology can detect and prevent data breaches, identify cyber threats, provide secure and encrypted communication channels for businesses, and more. And yet, with great power comes great responsibility. As AI continues to evolve, it poses significant challenges to data privacy, transparency, and accountability.  Join the CEOs of Brain+Trust and InspiringApps on March 21 as they engage in a thought-provoking discussion surrounding the rapid transformation in data privacy, and provide invaluable insights into the direction it’s heading next.  This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the current state of AI + data privacy and its potential implications for businesses in the future. When March 21, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) Registration Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and be part of this important conversation. Click here to RSVP for an informative webinar you don’t want to miss!

Austin has been ranked #1 in “America’s Best Places To Start A Business,” according to CNBC. This is largely due to the significant amount of resources available state-wide. Resources for Austin entrepreneurs abound, with phenomenal resources such as Austin Startup Week, BIGAustin, and Austin Women in Technology. Austin-based nonprofit, PeopleFund, posits that more than 99% of companies in Travis County are considered small businesses—so entrepreneurs in Austin are in good company and at a great vantage point to find phenomenal support systems. We posted a list of resources for entrepreneurs in Boulder and Denver, and since we also have team members in Austin, we felt a similar list could be useful for our friends in Texas. This post will touch on the same four areas of assistance for entrepreneurs in Austin: Legal Resources: As an Austin entrepreneur starting out on your business journey, you can benefit greatly from hiring an attorney as well as learning fundamental laws that impact entrepreneurs, such as intellectual property.  Financial Resources: There are many active organizations that dedicate themselves to providing you with helpful resources to assist you in building the startup of your dreams. Networking Resources: Networking opportunities prove to be invaluable to getting acquainted with fellow entrepreneurs and immersing yourself in the tech world. Educational Resources: Austin entrepreneurs can utilize these resources to empower themselves and innovate for the future. Whether you are just starting out or are in the midst of your business journey, these resources will provide excellent value for every stage of entrepreneurship. Legal Resources for Austin Entrepreneurs RWR Legal: Entrepreneurial Law With offices in both Austin and San Antonio, RWR Legal focuses on entrepreneurial and investment areas of the law. The firm specializes in intellectual property, real estate law, and corporate services, among other legal needs of startups. As they put it: “We are passionate about building businesses—our own and our clients’—to help innovators achieve success.” Legal Garage: Business Law Legal Garage offers similar services to entrepreneurs. They cover areas of law, including filing confidentiality agreements, trademark licenses, and website terms and conditions. The company wants to ensure that entrepreneurs can find the legal services and resources they need at an affordable price point. Lawyer Referral Service: Lawyer & Community Resources Although not specific to entrepreneurs, the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas also offers a way to find the right lawyer for your business. They have an online form for an immediate referral, or you can contact them to ask questions if you need clarification on the type of legal help you need. CooleyGO: Legal Assistance Finally, as noted in our blog post about resources for entrepreneurs in Denver and Boulder, CooleyGO is a valuable online resource that can help you to identify and create all the key legal documents you need to get a business started. Whether you want to incorporate or want to protect IP with a non-disclosure agreement, you’ll find their free, easy-to-use document generator indispensable. They also create and curate outstanding content on everything from creating a board of directors to selling your company. Financial Resources for Austin Entrepreneurs CTAN Austin: Helping Startups Get on Their Feet Financial concerns weigh heavily on many startups. The most active angel organization in the US, Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), helps young startups get on their financial feet. The group helps entrepreneurs secure early-stage investment. CTAN also offers mentorship opportunities and business resources. CTAN operates through a dedicated group of local business people who dedicate their time to helping entrepreneurs but also has a full-time executive director and an investment associate. BiGAUSTIN: Assisting Austin Entrepreneurs With Financial Options BiGAUSTIN is another excellent resource that has a quarter century of experience supporting local small businesses. A micro-lender, BiGAUSTIN helps entrepreneurs find the right loans and financing options for their startups. The nonprofit organization understands the unique financial needs of entrepreneurs during each step of building a company. Likewise, BiG houses Women’s BiZ Inc., a group specifically geared to support the female leaders of Central Texas. Accion: Providing Loan Advice & Assistance Similar to BiGAUSTIN, Accion assists entrepreneurs and small businesses with loans. Just fill out their hassle-free online application that outlines your business goals and the type and amount of financing your young company needs. Need help determining what kind of loan or the amount you need? Accion provides one-on-one advice and solutions. SCORE Austin: Answering All Your Business Questions SCORE Austin, an organization that offers free counsel in multiple cities, assists local entrepreneurs in confidently tackling financial questions. They do everything from pairing you with a mentor in the business world to helping you enroll in workshops on a variety of topics to providing free financial resources. SCORE relies on a dedicated group of local business people who volunteer their time and experience to help those just getting started. Mentoring is free and entirely confidential. USDA B&I Eligibility Map: Checking if You Qualify for USDA-Backed Funding Small business owners/entrepreneurs may want to know if they are eligible for a business loan or a specific loan in relation to what they do. To do this, they can check out a USDA B&I eligibility map to see if it is available in their area. The USDA B&I eligibility map finds out if you qualify for funding in a matter of seconds. Networking Resources for Austin Entrepreneurs Austin Chamber of Commerce: Nonprofit Member Organization It’s always so helpful to “find your people,” and that’s never more true than when faced with the challenges of startup life. Austin Chamber is a nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs meet other startup leaders while focusing on developing businesses as a community. Part of the mission of the Austin Chamber is the growth of the local economy; they believe that when entrepreneurs thrive, so does Austin, and thus are eager to help create community. Capital Factory: Entrepreneurial Co-Working Space Capital Factory is a prime co-working office space home to many entrepreneurs and startups. Beyond offering desk space, they sponsor numerous community events, many free of charge. Whether you have just started down the entrepreneurial path or want to expand your startup, Capital Factory provides valuable workshops and networking opportunities to help your business excel. Expansive is another shared workspace and is a personal InspiringApps favorite. Expansive is just as it sounds—an expansive and thriving workspace. Networking Austin, BuiltIn: Local Professionals Club Networking Austin is a club of local professionals from various industries and companies worth checking out. Membership is broader than just entrepreneurs, but the events offered can still help you build your business and make quality connections. BuiltIn Austin is a tech-oriented meet-up to meet new people and build relationships LinkedIn Local Austin Networking has a strong membership and is a great way to expand your network. Austin Technology Council is a fantastic group with which to network, engage, and share ideas. Educational Resources for Austin Entrepreneurs Austin Technology Incubator (ATI): Bootcamps for Startups Austin Technology Incubator invests itself in the tech solutions of the future. Part of the University of Texas at Austin, the ATI enjoys access to university affiliations as well as corporate partners. You can attend a diverse set of boot camps and workshops with ATI, such as their “Health Care Startup Boot Camp” or “The Art of Combining Social Purpose with Profit.” The City of Austin also has a Small Business Program that offers “business training, educational events, and coaching to empower entrepreneurs.” Events cover topics from how to hire the right employees to understanding business loans. Their website also includes a comprehensive list of outside resources for entrepreneurs. Utilizing Your Resources as an Austin Entrepreneur As you continue to grow your business and face new challenges, we hope you keep some of these resources in mind for future use. No matter what stage you find yourself on the entrepreneurial path, these legal, financial, educational, and networking organizations are great places to turn to for guidance and assistance. We encourage you to utilize these resources as a starting point to connect with other techies, immerse yourself in knowledge, and attend leading events. At InspiringApps, we believe shared collaboration is the key to creating immersive and transformative solutions. Looking to dig deeper? We created this free eBook on app development from a business perspective geared to help innovative entrepreneurs like you succeed.

Whether you are a startup seeking out financial resources, a developer looking to grow professionally, or a business leader interested in networking, there are numerous ways to get connected to the Austin tech scene. Over the past two decades, Austin has evolved as a tech hub, drawing in both larger tech companies like Oracle and Google, as well as countless driven entrepreneurs and tech startups. This influx of tech-minded people has caused the Austin tech scene to flourish, and with it, a whole variety of organizations helping people to get connected, learn, and support one another. Here are some of the top ways you can get plugged into the Austin tech scene: Participate in events, meetups, and other groups for techies. Join an office at a coworking space. Take a class to up your technical skills. Follow key news sources and join online communities. Participate in Events, Meetups, & Groups for Techies If you’re looking to get involved in the Austin tech community, attending events, meetups, and groups is a great way to network, collaborate, and learn from like-minded individuals in the vibrant Austin tech scene. While SXSW and Austin Startup Week are some of the most well-known annual events in the city, there are countless other organizations that meet on a regular basis to collaborate, innovate, and play. Both Austin Open Coffee and Austin Entrepreneurs bring together entrepreneurs and investors at large. LinkedIn Local Austin Networking, while not focused on just technology, is an active group that seeks to make those LinkedIn connections more than just electronic. Join a Local Meetup Not surprisingly, meetup groups exist for nearly every kind of technical discipline: EdTech Austin is a must-attend for exploring the intersection of technology and education. Open Austin is ideal for individuals passionate about open government/data and civic technology. Austin Chapter of Women Who Code (WWC) for women in tech in Austin, the 4,000+ member-strong WWC, is the largest community nationally and is dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. Austin Women in Technology network with fun, successful, savvy, tech-minded community at events and other mediums. Local software development (code-specific) groups include:  Google Developer Group  Austin on Rails Meetup Software groups focused more broadly on bringing together all kinds of software engineers include: Austin Developer Community  Austin DevOps If you’re looking for more of a party vibe, then BASHH, considered Austin’s favorite casual tech networking event by many, may be the right place for you. Similarly, Austin Tech Happy Hour is another long-standing favorite for Austin’s tech community. And if you love the outdoors, Hiking With Geeks is the group for you. Their mission is to create opportunities for people in STEM careers to connect away from the screen and in nature. Get Connected via Coworking Spaces If it’s challenging to get away in the evenings, you can also connect to the Austin tech scene simply by choosing an office at one of the many coworking spaces around the city. Austin has a whole host of options, but WeWork, Galvanize, and Capital Factory are our top three recommendations that cater to tech. Not only will you bump into like-minded people while brewing your coffee, but you can also sign up for office hours and mentorship. If you’re a more established company or have other unique interests, there are numerous options in Austin. We encourage you to check out this round-up from Built In Austin. Get Connected While Growing Your Skills In the fast-moving world of tech, there is always more to learn. You can leverage your desire to improve your skillset to connect to others with similar interests. Two well-known learning communities in Austin are Galvanize and General Assembly. While Galvanize focuses on offering courses primarily in software engineering and data science, General Assembly offers programs in web development, data science and analysis, user experience design, digital marketing, product management, and more.  In both cases, instructional teams often come from top businesses and can share real-world experiences and insights. In addition to the courses and bootcamps, both have meetup groups, host happy hours, and offer other free local events. Learn About the Austin Tech Scene From News Sources & Online Communities By joining digital communities and following key news sources, you can tap into a wealth of information and opportunities in the Austin tech ecosystem. Join a Digital Community It’s undoubtedly no surprise that online communities are part of the way you can get connected to the Austin tech scene. Facebook Groups are a popular online forum, and the Austin Startups Facebook Group, with over 20,000 members, should be top on your list for participation.  The ATX Tech Volunteers Facebook Group is also a great way to learn about opportunities to plug in and make a difference simultaneously. Follow Key News Sources Austin Startup Digest is a Techstars program, the Startup Digest is available for numerous cities, and the Austin weekly digest will plug you into the entrepreneurial community through events and curated content.  Austin Startup Reddit feed will help you get connected to the Austin tech scene. Austin Startups is a lead voice of the Austin startup ecosystem. If you’re not particularly interested in startups, there are numerous other media outlets that keep a pulse on the tech scene at large.  Austin Business Journal, part of the BizJournals network, has everything from a Twitter feed to a daily news email.  512Tech from the Austin American-Statesman shares leading news about Austin’s technology industry and the culture that surrounds it. Built In Austin is another way to stay current with the latest trends in the Austin tech scene. Summary There’s no shortage of ways to get connected to the Austin tech scene! Every group and media outlet has its own personality and focus, so find one that feels like it could be a fit and give it a try. There’s no substitute for personal connections, and even if it’s not the perfect match, putting yourself out there will help you find one that is. Are you looking for a top tech company? InspiringApps has deep roots in the Austin community. We partner with inspired companies to create digital products that delight our clients’ customers and improve business outcomes. Sign up here to receive invaluable expert insights on everything tech + innovation. Of course, we’re also always happy to help with ideas; contact us at any time.

In this discussion, CEOs Tim Hayden of Brain+Trust and Brad Weber of InspiringApps took us inside the world of customer data, privacy, and security.  You can watch the webinar replay or skim through the conversation explored below. The Importance of Data, Privacy, & Customer Experience It’s a bold new digital world. AI and IoT are disrupting big tech, social media uncertainties abound, and security and privacy challenges continue to grow. Changes in data regulations will make it more difficult to learn about your customers in the future. Whether you’re on the cusp of building your next app, maintaining a current app, or introducing an app into the marketplace for the first time, your digital product and your brand must connect with customers in ways that build trust and create engaging, personalized experiences. Join Us for the Next Webinar Join us for our next live webinar for more InspiringApps insights. Sign up to attend our next webinar here. Watch the Full Webinar   About Brain+Trust: Brain+Trust is a strategic consultancy empowering brands to compete at the speed of the customer and grow revenue. By helping brands and leaders make sense of an evolving marketplace, they can better understand their customers and grow their business. Brain+Trust Partners counsels companies and organizations with strategic consulting, governance and compliance, automation, product development and more. About Tim Hayden: With more than 20 years of marketing and business leadership experience, Tim Hayden has been a founder of new ventures and a catalyst for transformational progress within some of the world’s largest brands. Part social anthropologist, part strategic business executive, Tim studies human behavior and how media and mobility are reshaping all of business. From operations to marketing and customer service, he assembles technology and communications initiatives that lead to efficiency and revenue growth. A past and current investor/advisor to technology startups, Tim works with entrepreneurs and ventures to capitalize on opportunities and shifts across many industries. He also proudly serves in executive board and volunteer leadership positions with non-profit organizations. About InspiringApps: App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com. About Brad Weber: Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life. Read the Transcript Stephanie Mikuls Welcome everyone. We might have people joining here, but we can go ahead and get started. Thank you for joining us today on our webinar: Business Growth with Direct Customer Experiences in the Age of Privacy. This is a joint session between InspiringApps and Brain+Trust partners. The first webinar in a series where we’re talking about the current landscape as it relates to businesses navigating changing privacy restrictions, evolving AI, and more. We’ll see where it takes us. I’m Stephanie, I’m the Marketing Director here at InspiringApps. Just a few notes as we get started, we are recording this, so I think you’ll see a notification pop up if you haven’t already. Hit OK, and then we’ll have time for some questions at the end. So throughout the webinar, if you want to enter any questions into the q&a panel, there’s a little modal at the bottom bar. And then Tim and Brad should take some questions at the end. I’ll kick it over to you guys if you want to introduce yourselves and share a little bit about each company, and then we can just dive into today’s discussion. Brad Weber That’s good. After you, Tim. Tim Hayden Thanks for that, Stephanie, and thanks to everyone who’s joining us or watching this and watching the recording. I’m Tim Hayden. I’m the CEO and founder of Brain+Trust. We’re a consultancy that helps organizations and brands leverage their first-party data. We see it as the order of the day, and that includes customer data platforms, hybrid cloud environments, and working with partners like InspiringApps to make what’s next possible. Brad Weber Awesome, thanks, Tim. I’m Brad Weber and the founder and CEO of InspiringApps. We design and build custom web and mobile apps for funded startups and large enterprises. As Stephanie and Tim both alluded to, we are here to talk about data privacy today and the challenge that brands face in maintaining or establishing relationships with their customers in that environment. So that’d be helpful to set the stage, provide a little context as to how we got here and where we are today to frame this discussion. I think if we if we go back long enough, the relationship between brand and customer was extremely personal. Tim, I know you have a story you’d like to share about that if you want to kick it off.  Tim Hayden Sure. You know, Brad, as I share with a lot of folks, I’m a recovering mobile strategist. Back in 2008 to 2013 or 14, I was really focused on companies building mobile experiences. Many times that was apps, and that was text messaging. But you know, everybody, I think that’s when some of the first conversations about personalization really started to bubble. And with it, I’ve started to remember back in the days of being a child and going with my mother to the grocery store, and the folks at the checkout line are back at the meat counter. The Butcher would actually know our names, would know our favorite cuts of meat, would know where I went to school or if I was playing T-ball, baseball—whatever it was. To me, that was the epitome of a customer relationship, right? It’s the reason we kept coming back because it was empathetic, and it was personalized, and obviously, where we are today with digital technology, I think we’ve really relegated ourselves to transactional clicks, shares, web traffic, you know, time spent listening. We try to quantify that as a customer relationship, and really personalization means more than that, and I think you agree. Brad Weber I do agree, and beyond the conversation with the butcher, and I can remember those days with parents grocery shopping as well too, brands were starting to collect data about us. Even back then, it could have been mail order history of learning what products were going to our houses. We’ve had grocery store loyalty programs for a really long time, where our purchases are being monitored in that way. And really, even just using the same credit card for transactions over and over again give companies some data to start trying to piece together a picture of who we are as consumers. But a lot of that was educated guesses until social media came along and really took all the mystery away, and consumers were willing to share personal information. Maybe we could use Facebook as a glaring example of that certainly, not only with one another but at the same time—they’re really sharing information with Facebook about what they did on their weekend, how active they are, what kind of dog they have you know, how many kids. Things like that show up on posts and photos, and so there are 2 billion people a day that are still using Facebook and 3 billion per month on a regular basis. So we moved into a phase where there’s a tremendous amount of activity and really a pretty willing audience, or willing user base, to share that data. And with that, you know, Facebook was able to really understand us in great depth. They could provide that information to companies either selling it or making it available to the brand, and that was related to your login with sort of entry into a particular platform. But once we added mobile and you talked to Tim about your experience as a mobile strategist, that really took things to a new level. So now we have a device, you know, a phone that we’re carrying with us everywhere. We’ve got it with us at all times. You add to all the information that Facebook had been gathering about us over the years—our location, some health data, and some other really personal things that the mobile devices make possible. And as I said, there’s really little mystery left in terms of who we are as consumers. So that was big business. Tim Hayden Absolutely. Yeah, no, I think you’ve said it, though, at the beginning when you were really quantifying the volume of users that are with Facebook. I mean, if you think about just how you opened up that account, and it asked you where you went to high school, where your hometown was. They started off at the beginning, being able to build some semblance of a network around you and then to be able to suggest people for you to connect to that had answered questions similarly. All right. And then, of course, everything you just outlined there in terms of our behavior, as the metadata, our location, the places that we eat, or we drink, we shop—all the things that we do to leave breadcrumbs in Facebook, as it’s an app that runs in the background if we allow it. It’s an app that, if you even allow the app on your phone, I do not, but you know, at the end of the day, we’re seeing the manifestation of, you know, probably a good 15 years of digitization of our lives. And where we have basically outsourced what used to be phone calls, what used to be saying hello to your neighbor, you know, what used to be very simple pleasantries and just orders of the day in terms of how we communicated have now moved over to digital means, and with that, it’s become quite noisy in quite a mess online. And that’s kind of where we are today, and what you and I can really address is not getting it all figured out and not just talk about all this happening today to clean it up, but the order of the day and what’s happening legislatively and also from a big tech standpoint, that’s trying to clean up that mess, right? Brad Weber Yeah, I think that’s important. That’s a good segue into an important topic, which is that I think after an age of great data providing on the part of we consumers and data collection on the part of social media and brands, some people in recent years have decided that we’ve gone too far. And so the EU was probably the most prominent to cast the first stone in that battle and new regulations for collection, use, sale, and removal of user data in the form of GDPR. And not long after, California was the first state in the US to implement similar regulations, and as we’ve talked, five others have since fall to start in January this year, so it’s definitely a trend in that direction. Combine that with Apple requiring developers to disclose the collection and use of data in their apps, even in the app store, before consumers are downloading or making their choice to install an app. And they’ve restricted the practice that Facebook has implemented to provide data about users that they didn’t know was being shared with app developers. And the financial impact on Facebook or meta was dramatic. About a year ago, their stock dropped 75%, which was billions and billions of dollars. It was astonishing. So clearly a move—Google has joined the fight as well by killing third-party cookies in browsers that we’ve used for decades to track users. And now we’ve got Apple, Google, and others who are kind of positioning themselves as gatekeepers to this consumer data. So that is, you know, it’s a big picture, and it is a big challenging picture for brands in order to try to establish these relationships with customers. So Tim, what are your thoughts about what’s behind the regulations and this backlash that we’re seeing now? Tim Hayden Well, you know what, I think we set the stage there in terms of if, for those of you listening and watching this, you know, the overall volume of information that a handful of companies, maybe two handfuls of companies, have been able to collect over the better part of a decade right now. There’s obviously people within government, as Brad said, as you said, you know, you’ve got this feeling that they’ve gone too far or they’ve gotten too big. There’s all kinds of talk about antitrust and anti-monopolistic moves and measures that governments can take to try to limit or rein in these companies. But at the end of the day, what I think is fascinating is these data privacy laws, the continuity between them. There’s a few things to your point. It started in Europe, and it actually was some Scandinavians and maybe Germany as well that started to have more rigor to data governance in terms of government oversight and the policies that were in place, but the Scandinavians called it what it was, they call it digital suicide, right? Your ability to go to a company and say, forget everything you know about me, or the freedom to be forgotten. And what each of these privacy laws you’ve mentioned? The five you’ve got—California, you’ve got Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, and Virginia. Those laws look very similar to what GDPR said in its initial versions and as its iterated and manifested in what it is today. And it comes down to four or five basic things, right? It’s what I already mentioned, you know, your ability to ask a company to be able to see the data that they have on you and, more importantly, to be able to correct it. Right. And not only that, but to ask the company to pause using it. You know, it’s kind of interesting because Facebook will give you the opportunity to take a break from a friend if you don’t want to see him in your feed. It’s fundamentally very similar, right, is to say, Listen, I don’t want you putting a display ads in front of me, I don’t want you to send me any direct mail or email—different than unsubscribe. I want to be clear about that. This is different than unsubscribe. And actually, the freedom to be forgotten is different than unsubscribe as well. But lastly, is this notion that we’re giving the consumer a total control of the data that they’re emitting from their devices and from their activity on websites, social networks, and apps as it is. And I think you brought up Facebook with iOS 14, I was 14.5. It was any brand that had an app deployed for their users. They noticed all of a sudden that dashboards went over the course of just six weeks. Their dashboards went all but flat because Apple had basically flipped the switch and gave all the control to the Apple user, the iPhone user, the iPad user, and the Apple TV, which was what I think a lot of people was their first time they see it watching Apple TV. Do you want National Geographic to follow your traffic between the website and apps on Apple TV? And most people said no. Still today. I think it’s somewhere near 80% of folks have said no; I don’t want that tracking. So that’s what big Tech is doing what I just said but the data privacy laws themselves. When you think about it, what it is it’s a prescription for companies to get their data in order, to structure their data. And you and I know what that means. That means that you can with structured data and clean data, organized information, all of a sudden, you can bring automation to bear. You can bring artificial intelligence and machine learning into your organization to help automate some of your business operations and just to the point, I think we’re talking about today, how to personalize, if not individualize many of the customer experiences that your customers have. So while it may seem freaky and almost big brotherly when we talk about personalization, and others talk about it. It’s actually the thing that companies have to do in order to be able to comply with a lot of the legislative and the rulemaking that governmental bodies are putting in place. Brad Weber And we, as consumers, want some of this right. I don’t think that either one of us are suggesting that data collection in its entirety is a bad thing and that no consumer wants that. There are benefits, and you alluded to this as well. There are usability improvements that come potentially from the data that’s collected to personalize your experience with a brand or in an app, or on a website. There’s also financial reward—even if you go back to the grocery store loyalty program that I mentioned, you’re you’re sharing data about your purchases in exchange for a discount on the goods that you buy. We continue to see that pattern on both web and mobile today. So legitimate reasons for collecting it. Would you agree? Tim Hayden I totally agree. I mean, I think, you know, that what the responsible brands of the world are doing and the ones that are doing it right with compelling, relevant content, and, you know, user experiences and customer experiences that have gleaned insights through whatever way possible. Whether that’s surveys, it’s polls, it’s post transaction, questionnaires, and being able to understand your customers really to build, and I’ve mentioned it before, empathy, to just kind of put yourself in their shoes and ask them questions. Why are they buying from you? It goes beyond net promoter score. CSAT scores, those kinds of things. The companies that have done them, I think, are the ones that continue to have trust and confidence with their audiences. And with that, the opportunity to continue collecting data in many of the ways that they have in the past. And I think that’s where this whole notion of that direct experience, right? And if we could just peel back for a second. Think about Facebook, right? And think about Twitter, think about Instagram, Tiktok. You know, this is what the advertising world has always known that there are mediums. There is something between the brand and the audience, and we have to pay to get there. And a lot of people say I like to fish where the fish are, right? They’ve always thought that when, in fact, what the app world both with websites and with mobile apps, and let’s be honest, what else is mobile the watches that we wear today, our cars are connected, myriad channels or places and venues now that have app opportunities. Those are actually the big, I think, opportunity right now for a brand to tailor the experience, right? To provide a utilitarian not just a sales channel but a utilitarian and much more meaningful relationship with your customers. Those that you know and those that you can, you know, think about in a funnel like way that are on that journey to becoming not just a customer once but a repetitive customer, a return customer and putting some type of utility in front of them that allows you to collect data, and of course, double down on that meaningful experience. Brad Weber Yeah, let’s talk about building trust a little bit. So we can use a mobile experience for an example and talk a little bit about best practices there. So in my first experience as a user with your brand, what I want to see in the mobile app is the value that you’re going to provide. I downloaded this with some expectations. Now I want to see how you can deliver, and I want to experience it. I at least want to experience it enough to make an informed decision about whether or not I want to provide data to you. So one of the things that we look to do in apps that we’re designing with clients is to delay as long as possible that registration process or the initial disclosure of your data. If you launch an app, you know, like I said, you have some expectation of what it’s going to provide to you, but you don’t know for sure yet because you haven’t experienced that if the first thing you see when you launch the app is a registration screen. I think that is you’re just putting a barrier between you and that customer. So thinking creatively about how that user experience can be and how onboarding can be such that you give them a taste of what the app is going to be like and what your brand promises to deliver them before you go asking for their user information. So I think that’s step one. Step two is that once you get them to a point where now I’m interested, I am willing to share some data I’m gonna register for an account—limiting the data that’s collected to what’s absolutely critical, and especially critical to that particular experience in the app is another best practice that we promote as well with our clients. So it is easy to put a user registration form together. It just feels like it’s a normal registration form—Isn’t everybody asking for first name, last name, physical address, email address, phone number, birth dates, that sort of thing? Well, maybe, but you should have a legitimate reason for every one of those fields that you put on that registration page. And there’s one in particular that I want to pick on from recent experience of my own, and that is birthdate. And that’s an easy one where I think people can fall into the trap of thinking I want to do something age-related in my app; maybe it’s important that we’re going to segment users by decades. So are you in your 20s or 30s in your 40s? We may use it for different things in the future. So rather than just to ask if you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s, we’re going to ask for your birth date so that we can calculate things in the future—that’s not a good way to go. If all you need is to the nearest decade, then just ask for that. Right? And an example that I had recently on my own phone was installing an ordering app for a local sandwich shop that I like. And in that registration process, they asked me for my birthdate. And there was no security reason for this there. They weren’t going to validate that against my social security number or, you know, grant me access into nations in the future, and want to make sure that that’s correct. So I gave them a fake birthday because they don’t need to know what my real birthday is. Turns out the purpose of collecting it was to be able to give me a free sandwich as a birthday gift. When that event triggered for me, it was not even on the fake birthday that I had entered. They sent me a message on the first day of the month that they thought my birthday fell within and said anytime this month, come in, you know, show us this message, and we’ll give you a free sandwich during your birthday month. So collecting age in that example was a complete failure, in my opinion. They didn’t need to know the day of the month. They certainly didn’t need to know the year. They really just need to know what month I was born, and honestly, I would have felt much more comfortable providing that information if they’ve just given me a choice list of the 12 months, and I probably would have told them the correct month, but they didn’t need to know the day in the year. So that’s a kind of a classic example as we’re scrutinizing the data that’s being collected on these registration forms. We really want to think carefully and creatively about what we’re collecting and why. Tim Hayden No, I agree. And actually, in terms of the internet, right, which you had mentioned earlier how Apple requires, from a T&C standpoint, for an app maker someone in the App Store, right? To be able to disclose what type of information they’re going to collect. And the challenge there is it’s in a, you know, a five-point font, and it’s a user agreement that nobody reads, right? The big challenge in that world is what was called fingerprinting of devices, right? That big thing that happened starting a decade ago, plus that you download an app, and while you sleep at night, it crawls all over your phone and sees everything that you’ve done, right? There’s that kind of thing actually happened and, unfortunately, still is out there today as a concern. But the big thing that’s happened in the web world, too, is this idea of consent management, right? And consent management platforms, companies like OneTrust and Osano and these are companies that are basically monitoring all of the systems, content management systems, media networks, the apps that you have on your website. You think about car dealers, for instance, if you know certain browsers from Firefox and others will show you as apps are loading on a website whenever you first land on the homepage. And car dealers are always funny to me because they sometimes have anywhere from 50 to 100 different wingding apps and plugins on their websites. Well, what these content management platforms do is they monitor all those systems in real time to do two things, one to let you, the user know whenever you accept cookies or get into the nitty gritty of seeing all the systems and what they do. You can self-select that you do or do not want your data going to those systems. The other side of it, too, is being able to quantify, and Osano has a privacy monitor thing that plugs into your browser, that I love. When you land on a website, it gives you a privacy score. Things are getting better, or they’re getting worse. Well, I think they’re about the same. I think there’s only three possibilities, but they give that to you. And with that, your ability to understand that it’s not the website, but it is one or two of the systems marketing automation content management system that has been detected that maybe they had a breach or maybe they have some susceptibility from a cyber standpoint, right? So it’s not all about privacy, but it’s also just about the security of our data. I mean, and I wonder if we can talk about that for a second because this is the jam. When you talk about birthdays and cell phone numbers. Here in the United States, that’s all I need to be able to go and get your social security number, run a credit score on you, find out where you go to church, how many kids you have. There’s a lot I can tell just from those two bits of information, right? And identity graphs, there’s probably a handful of them here in the States still today. I think that’s a short-lived industry. But you know, at the end of the day, what is this about? Let’s talk about the relationship between security and privacy because that’s the other thing that we’re all realizing as we have text messages from political organizations that we never signed up for or people call us to offer us a new extended warranty on our vehicles. And we don’t even have a vehicle now. I mean, you know, it’s what I said beginning, right? The sloppiness, the mess that we have of data. There’s a matter of security, not just privacy, right? Brad Weber And what are you seeing with some of the bigger brands that you work with in that arena, Tim? Tim Hayden Well, I mean, I think that we’re seeing the table stakes, which is SOC 2 compliance and penetration testing on their systems to make sure that they can put up some type of fight and be monitored to avoid breaches. You know, avoid anyone hacking into databases. Their cloud, infrastructure, or anything else where data may reside. I think that’s the bare minimum that folks have got to do right now. We live in a world right now where you think about phishing the emails that you get that say, hey, click here, and you get a $100 gift card to Walmart, or Starbucks, or somebody else, right? The biggest rule of thumb to tell folks, and I see lots of big corporations starting to do this with their employees and also with their customers. To say listen, we don’t give anything away for free. So do not click on this, right? They already do this with multi factor authentication. When they send you a text message, give you a code, they say do not share this with anybody, and we will never, and trust me, will never call you to confirm that you get this code. So they know there’s that plausibility that somebody somewhere may be monitoring or just in a place to take advantage and exploit just a gap in the system or a susceptibility that exists within a social network or a or a company’s network, as it were, in terms of the systems they use to manage data. Brad Weber But email vulnerability is a big topic. We could talk for quite a while, but I’m glad you raised that. I’d like to showcase some work that we’ve done recently with one of our clients about that specifically. So you know, the phishing campaigns of old, where there’s just a simple request that you send $1,000 to the Nigerian prince or whatever the scam may be, has gotten a lot more sophisticated. And one of our clients came to us with the challenge in the mortgage space. So it’s high stakes, as people are buying, you know, potentially their dream home. And there’s a large sum of money involved. And there’s information on social media and elsewhere about the fact that you’re looking for a house. And so scammers have, sadly, compromised many email addresses, email accounts of realtors or configure out the realtor that you’re working with and create an email address that looks very much like that realtor or your title agent or someone else legitimately involved in the transaction—send you an email address or send you an email message rather, requesting funds related to your closing. But it’s not a legitimate party to that closing. So, for instance, the message would be we know that your closing is scheduled on Friday, but we’ve just heard from the bank that if you pay on Wednesday and wire your money to these accounts, we can save you 5% on your closing costs. So the money gets transferred. It can be 10s hundreds of 1000s of dollars in some cases, and it’s terribly sad, and it’s a multibillion-dollar problem that there was a terrific Bloomberg article about this last fall. If you’re up for a sad tale, you can pick that up, but the message was to try and get the communication related to those real estate transactions out of email, which is a vulnerable medium. It’s a vulnerable means of communicating and get them into an app or a website that is specifically dedicated for that purpose that all parties have little more control over the security environment, and you’re not going to see the same phishing campaigns to try to bilk you out of your money. So that’s, like I said, big topic, but just wanted to touch on that as an example. Tim Hayden No, I understand. And that’s, you know, that is a good point to talk about customer data platforms, right? And the role of machine learning and in being able to look at a company who is using 60, 70, maybe more systems to manage customer data. But then establishing an API connection, or at least a mother’s real-time, or it’s an API call that happens once a week from a CRM marketing automation system, supply chain management systems. You know, all the different things that may have customer information in them, bringing those into a customer data platform. And with that, allowing machine learning to be able to build a record for each customer based on the disparate email addresses, phone numbers, devices, and other information that is stored and all those 50-plus systems that are out there. And what that does is it basically puts in a company in a place where they can improve the integrity of the information that they have across all their systems. It’s not just what comes in the CDP or the customer data platform. It’s what also goes back out to make sure that the records that are in the CRM are clean and accurate as well or the mobile app management tool or whatever it is you’re using, right? With that, we’ve got this incredible opportunity to deal with what I call is misinformation, not disinformation. But the bad data that exists within the organization, which will help a company be able to rein things in when it comes to things that could lead to phishing events, right? Both internally with employees, for them to be able to verify people’s identity, but also on the outbound side, right? To assure customers that you’re not going to send them and what they’ve come to learn from you that you’re going to send them three or four different emails or five pieces of direct mail. It’s all about D duping that, eliminating the redundancy. So there’s a number of things that you can do with that as well as having more empathy and personalizing the experience in a display ad, an email, or the content that is delivered through a mobile app. Brad Weber That’s a great point, and I think that one of the ways that organizations can improve their security stance, their security position, is to limit the amount of personally identifiable information in databases so that those are the stuff that really is personally identifiable is smaller in number and easier to manage and monitor. And related to your comments around machine learning—we don’t necessarily have to know on the server side that the data we’re evaluating through this particular record that we’re looking at is "Jane." What is important in crafting personalized experiences or semi-personalized experiences for users is to be able to categorize them in some way. So you don’t necessarily have to know that it’s Jane, you have to know a handful of characteristics about Jane, what she likes, you know, depending on the environment that we’re talking about her habits, but you don’t have to know individual transactions to be able to evaluate necessarily all the time. If, on the server side, we’re able to categorize users or create categories based on patterns that we see across users, then we can have the mobile app or the web app teaming up and keeping data on the mobile platform, so on the mobile device, and just sending the characteristics. So you don’t have to know that I’m logged into that phone. You just have to know that it’s someone using it who likes the color blue and, you know, works out three times a week. If that information is important, then send that to the cloud and get recommendations back based on the criteria that’s been shared, without necessarily having to constantly exchange the intimate details about individual users back and forth just makes the whole system less vulnerable. So I think that’s an interesting approach that is kind of emerging recently as well.  Tim Hayden No, I agree. I mean, there used to be an app called TabbedOut, that allows you to basically pair your phone with a POS system in a bar restaurant, and then you’d be able to pay your tab from your phone, and even more fun—you could see on social media that your friends were at a pizza place and you could then send a code to them and say: “hey, this rounds on me”, right? You could do that. But the whole notion was that all the credit card information, all your personal information, stayed on your phone. It never was shared with the restaurant. It never went there. And it’s that reality is that hackers, if we want to call them that, if we want to call what the bad actors are in the world that are trying to access our information, that are trying to reach into a system and hold it for ransom. They’re looking for hundreds of 1000s if not millions of pieces of information, credit card information, social security numbers, other personal information—that would allow them to steal your identity and go do other things. They’re not looking for you on the coffee shop Wi-Fi network for that one phone to come in and get your credit card information. They’re not doing that at all. So that’s a that’s a fantastic point. The only thing I’ll stick with Jane for one second, though. Having that golden record and knowing a little bit more about Jane, I’m not challenging you but knowing a little bit more about Jane and having that information on the supply side on the brand side. Say Jane buys something from us. We send it to her, it lands in a box, and it lands on her front porch, and the box gets broken. Jane calls us, and this is the beautiful thing about, you know, great governance of data is that you can leverage technology in a way now to know when Jane’s calling in that it’s Jane it’s caller ID, right? It’s now prompting from the customer data platform. It is pulling over to the contact center Jane’s information. So you remember, and you know the minute you pick up the phone, you have to confirm it’s Jane. But you don’t have to ask her a bunch of questions. You just say Listen, are you calling about the thing we sent to you in a box last week? Right? And that, to me, is where the real opportunity for personalization is most critical is being able to spend less time on the phone. We know bad customer experiences mean that I had to take time out of my day to deal with a problem if the time is very short, then I’m happier. In this case, Jane’s happier, and the happier Jane is, the more likely she is not only to buy again, but to run and tell her friends—you’re not going to believe this, but the box was broken I called them, it took two minutes, they immediately said they’re sending me a new box, right? So that type of thing when we talk about direct experiences, when we talk about personalization. I think most brands need to understand it’s not all about creepy display ads that are put in front of Jane and only Jane sees. It’s more about that empathy on the inbound side is just to say, Hey, I know who you are, and I have some semblance of what your needs are. In the moment I pick up the phone, and the moment we start to have an exchange. Brad Weber Yeah, I think it’s important to separate those business cases that you’re talking about and to remember that each one needs to be evaluated individually. So the customer service use case that you talked about is a perfect example where it is going to say both parties who were engaged in that phone call a lot of time to know exactly who Jane is. And be able to look up her purchase transactions or previous transactions to support that call. I would say, though, if we’re talking about like a recommendation engine, you know, people who purchased X also like Y, you don’t need to know this specific person for that sort of thing. I mean, isn’t the only person that bought that stereo system, or that bar of soap, like their great aggregations that we can do at that level. So often, there are large and separated systems within a big organization and knowing which ones need that sort of individual customer identity and which ones don’t is an important part of the process. You think? Tim Hayden Oh, totally. No and I think that’s as you were delineating earlier about not needing all the data going all the way back to birthdays and just being able to compartmentalize yourself into a certain decade range, you know? With that, let’s just talk about what humans can really process, you know? People that are in marketing, and because the customer experience business, they can’t understand all the archetypes and all the different ways to slice and dice an audience. Because when you really look at it, Jane is pretty unique. She, you know, her customer journey, the way she got to us, the way she bought from us, and the frequency at which we see her. And we look at and peel it back, and we understand a little bit more about her. We don’t have any other customers look like Jane; you don’t need to know that, right? You need to be able to say—we have something manageable. And this is where I’m quick to stay is that standard persona mapping where you just ask people that are in customer facing directions, who are our customers? That practice may be dead, but being able to leverage data and be able to pare it down to that which is necessary to make great decisions. What you’re doing with content, maybe what you’re doing with product development or service development. That right there is the grand opportunity, I think, with responsible use of data. Brad Weber I agree, and one of the things I want to get back to the point that you made early in the conversation. You talked about the freedom to be forgotten. We’ve talked about users being able to opt out. I think another important best practice to consider is that you may not get the data that you’re asking for. So I think another classic example that I can share that I think many have experienced at this point is if you go to a brick and mortar retailers website to place an order, for instance, and maybe you want to pick up your merchandise instead of waiting for it to be delivered to you there will no doubt be a store finder on that site. And when you click the Find a store near me, the first message you’re going to see is that this site wants to know your location. Do you want to share that or not? And that is going to be a fairly precise location. It could be your house, for instance, that they would have it at that level of granularity. There is always the option, at least on well crafted sites, to opt out of that and just type in a zip code or an address or a city name. And that’s usually close enough for you to then be able to see on a map that other three stores kind of close to me. I can tell that that one’s the closest I don’t need you to necessarily know my home address to tell me exactly how many yards or miles or meters that is away. So being prepared to deal with the user declining to share that is really important. And then the other is the degree of granularity that we’re talking about. So location is a good example for ongoing data collection, and potentially, if an app needs location data for some reason—we can walk clients through we typically talk about specifically why we need that one. Do we need to collect location information in the background when the app isn’t even in the foreground. You talked about Facebook, for instance, running in the background. That’s is a perfectly legitimate use case for a fitness app that’s going to track your run, and you want to be able to see it on a map and exactly where you went. And you might be listening to music or checking email or something while you’re running; that app is going to be backgrounded, and so that makes complete sense. Do you have as the product developers, the app developer, different degrees of granularity so it works in the background or only in the foreground when the app is running? We can specify how coarse or fine grain we want that location data. So we want it to within 10 meters, which is pretty darn small radius, or is it enough to know kilometers or even like which timezone you’re in? If you’re developing an app that is a calendaring app, for instance and you really just want to make sure that your appointments reflect the timezone that you’re in. There are events that we can listen to in our apps where the operating system will tell us that there’s been a major change in location. You don’t even have to know what the specific location is. You just know from the operating system the user has moved in a way that the phone has determined is significant. And at that point, you can check one time to see where the user is at devices, update the timezone for the sake of display for for that calendar for your appointments and move on. It is not something you need to track on an ongoing basis, and it’s not something you need to track with great fine grain control. So a couple other points I just wanted to share. They’re about kind of best practices for ongoing collection data. Tim Hayden Well, and real quick, I know we’ve only got a few more minutes left. But I mean, when you talk about ongoing collection of data, to many marketers, that falls in the category of retargeting, right? In terms of saying, Hey, you, you clicked on something, and now you’re over somewhere else. We’re going to put another ad in front of you while you’re there. Leaving the social network and going to a new site, for instance. While that’s good in all, this year, a lot of that stands to change. As Google sunsets. Universal Analytics moves everybody to GA, for that fuse is lit for Google to finally deprecate third party tracking through the browser. So we’re not going to unpack that right now on what the cookie being killed is all about, but it is, you know, I hope that folks understand that you’ve got this fantastic opportunity through the customers you already know today to have a better, deeper understanding of the people who bought from you and who you’re looking for in terms of an ideal customer, it’s out there. Demand side platforms and media can help you in terms of identifying those audiences. But at the end of the day, just that Google is making that move, because we talked a whole lot about Apple earlier. We didn’t talk a whole lot about Google. But when you look at what Apple’s already done, and what Apple continues to do what Google is doing this year, there’s not a better time right now then to get your data in order and just start to look at those direct engagements that you can have this much more personalized engagements that you can have through an app and through let’s call it the mobile channel, which of course is not limited to the phone anymore. Brad Weber Yeah, that’s a good point. And also a good point that we’re winding down in terms of time as Tim and I are putting together some final thoughts here to share if there’s any questions from participants, feel free to submit those in the q&a section there at the bottom of the screen for Zoom and we’ll be happy to entertain those before we wrap up, but with that, Tim, thoughts, I guess, what’s next? You mentioned we are today; we kind of set the stage for the challenge and talk a lot about data collection and data governance on the server side. We’re kicking off a series of these conversations. Are there some highlights that you’d like to forecast that you think are worthy of a deeper dive and subsequent sessions?  Tim Hayden Well, absolutely. We already talked about structured data and how that makes it easier for machines to process data right to make sense of it. We spoke about it in the context of machine learning and building golden records. But what actually that does is well as it allows you to do much more with AI. And you know, I think where we are right now in February of 2023. We’re two months in to open AI, giving us chat GPT to play with. We’ve got Microsoft, who owns LinkedIn, and over the past few weeks, if you if you’re a LinkedIn user, you’ve noticed that LinkedIn is now suggesting completions of your sentences. It’s starting to do some writing for you. That’s not open AI, even though Microsoft invested 11 billion in open AI. That’s Microsoft and what their data science team has done. There. So I mean, you know, I think where our conversations could go in the future, I think we should always give a nod to privacy, no doubt about it. We’ve got to understand that to do these things with artificial intelligence and automation that are exciting, no doubt about it. Maybe a little scary for some people, but they’re certainly exciting to do that and to do that responsibly, we have to respect privacy, and we’ve got to make sure security is in place. So I don’t know Brad. I mean that’s that’s at least one more conversation.  Brad Weber At least one more, yeah. Tim Hayden Right.  Brad Weber I think you make a great point. And this may seem a strange parallel to draw here, but I feel like we had QR codes for years and years, and they were modestly popular, and people understood what they did but didn’t really take off until we had a global pandemic, right? You couldn’t hold a menu in your hand anymore. And now every restaurant you went to and still today, even though we’re hopefully at the tail end of that, or maybe have emerged from it. Restaurants are realizing that maybe we shouldn’t invest the money in printing those things. There’s some business benefit to it but QR codes at their moment during COVID. And the same well not COVID related, but AI has been around for a long time. I mean, decades and decades is improving. And it feels like there was a spark for sure at the beginning of this year, where I feel like AI and machine learning is having its moment, I think, definitely worth another conversation about that. Tim Hayden Definitely. And I think, you know, we certainly could dive a little bit deeper into some of the current events. We’re going to be afforded more.  Brad Weber For sure.  Tim Hayden Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Brad Weber It’ll be fun. So we have one question here, Tim, about where people can find more information about this topic. Do you have any favorite sites? resources? What would you recommend? Tim Hayden You know, I encourage people to follow the Customer Data Platform Institute because that’s, you know, at the intersection of everything we’re talking about in terms of data collection in terms of personalization, and obviously everything that’s happening on the privacy standards side of things and security. IAPP is an international group of privacy professionals. They have some incredible maps and resources there for you to watch legislation, as it’s in committee, state by state or country by country, and that’s being considered and being passed and enforced. Of course, anybody can find me on Twitter @TheTimHayden, or on LinkedIn. You can find me online at BrainTrust.partners. Those are the three ways to find more about what we do. And you, Brad? Brad Weber Nice, yeah, I was gonna say that I could probably put words in your mouth and say that we’re certainly open to continuing conversations about this, so reach out to BrainTrust.partners and InspiringApps.com. Your friendly local app developers, including InspiringApps, will be staying on top of regulations from Apple and Google in order to be compliant to get your apps into the store and keep them compliant. So you don’t have any surprise/takedowns in your future. But yeah, I would just offer in addition to the resources that you already shared and feel free to lean on to Tim and me personally and the teams that we have behind us. So Tim, thank you so much in the Stephanie and the team for organizing this. Thank you for all those who participated, and we’ll be back with another session soon. Tim Hayden Absolutely. Thanks for joining, and thanks for the team for putting this together. We’ll see you next time.