Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Assistive Technology Conference of New England, put on by TechACCESS of Rhode Island. It was a great event that brought together professionals and companies that are trying to improve accessibility through technology for those with ranges of physical and intellectual challenges. Walking around, looking at the exhibits, and talking with people, I was continuously impressed by the innovation and dedication around me.

I would say it was “inspiring” but not in the way that one might usually think. The word “inspiring” can have a negative connotation in this world because it puts people with such challenges on a pedestal, as if their job is to be inspiring, or all they are is their disability, or makes people with these challenges a spectacle. Having a child who is intellectually and developmentally disabled, I totally get that argument.

When I say “inspiring”, I am referring to the people who are working and creating products in this space. It is inspiring for me to see professionals dedicate their work to improve and enhance the lives of others, no matter who that population is. That is very cool, and inspirational. No matter what job we are doing, we should be thinking of ways that we can improve the lives and experiences of others. That is what experience design and this podcast is all about: showcasing the work of those who are trying to apply their time, knowledge, and creativity to improving experiences and lives in ways large and small.

One of the things I need to do more of is highlight people who are working in the world of accessible technology. So stay tuned for that!

And my guest today on Experience by Design is doing the work to improve people’s lives as well in his own way. Like many guests on ExD, Chad Hufford of Veritas Wealth Management in Anchorage, Alaska is a behavioral scientist at heart, fascinated with what makes people act the way they do and what can be done to get them to make changes. He has applied this interest in the work he does as a financial planner.

He does this up in Alaska, focusing his efforts on those who are working in those uniquely blue-collar Alaskan jobs where high risk can come with good pay. His goal is to help them make the best decisions possible with what they earn, but also help to create cultural and behavioral change in his clients. Part of this is to get people to not just think, but to act. His new book “Forging Financial Freedom: Constructing Blue-Collar Millionaires with Seven Wealth Building Lessons Extracted from the Alaska Oilfield”, lays out his experiences and lessons from doing this work.

We talk about Chad’s fascination with fitness, and how that led him to be interested in medical school. Biochemistry taught him a lot about problem solving and complex interactions within systems. The same can be said for the financial world, where a lot is beyond your control. Despite that, you can control how you act and what your vision of your future is.

We also talk about unique aspects of Alaskan culture, overcoming complexity in financial decision making, how to build trust in financial planning, and making for better financial literacy and experiences. He emphasizes the importance of emotional connection and empathy in financial advising, and why friction is required to allow for thoughtful consideration. We explore how AI and technology can reduce friction in financial transactions but should not replace human empathy.

Chad Hufford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-hufford-066208100/

Forging Financial Freedom: https://www.forgingfinancialfreedom.com/single

Veritas Wealth Management: https://www.veritasalaska.com/

I am back from the FTT Fintech Festival, hosted by VC Innovations and taking place in London. I was hosting a panel on attracting the next generation of customers to mutuals, which are member-owned financial institutions offering different types of services and products. I was lucky enough to have a great group of panelists, and it was a great event over two days. To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. The event was full of really engaging conversations and panels around a host of topics in the intersection of finance and technology. Since I’m not a finance professional, I wasn’t sure how I would integrate into the event and conversations with people there. Plus it was the British and Irish financial systems that were being discussed, which I know basically nothing about. However, despite these important and obvious differences between my knowledge and the knowledge of other attendees, there was enough in common to make conversations pretty easy.

The main thing we had in common was that we were all interested in creating experiences of all kinds. There were conversations around customer, user, employee, and digital experiences. There was also mention of frictionless financial experiences, security experiences, and experience-driven identity. It was pretty easy to find the common ground since everything was about experience research and design at some level. Those in industry were interested to hear what us in academia were doing around experience design teaching.

Another theme was the impact of artificial intelligence as an element of fintech. Amongst all the conversations of AI was the question of whether or not a “digital first” strategy makes sense for customers seeking financial services. It was clear that people in general, and some specific populations, want to experience the authentic touch of a human being in their interactions. This led to some discussion about what to do with the bank branch. If we are moving to a digital first strategy, then why have branches? At the same time, people want to have the convenience of digital.

What if we could have both? The warm touch of a human being at a branch along with the convenience of digital.

Enter my guest today on Experience by Design, Victor Cho. Victor has a long career of digital transformation and now is CEO of Emovid. Emovid’s product combines the authenticity of face-to-face conversations with the improved efficiency outcomes of AI through the use of video-based communication. Another element of his work is an emphasis on stakeholder capitalism, and businesses contributing to improving society.

We talk about his path to CEO success, and how his interest in his Commodore 64 started it. He describes how his business education and religious upbringing combined to prioritize social responsibility over personal gain.

We also talk about how we need to create authentic communication in a tech era. Victor shared updates on Emovid’s progress, including their platform launch and plans for a new generative AI imaging solution focused on maintaining authenticity in communications. He highlighted the importance of considering the broader impacts of technology and the need for ethical decision-making in its implementation.

This conversation would have been right at home at the FTT Fintech Festival, and it is a perfect time to share the conversation with you.

Vincent Cho: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-cho-/

Emovid: https://www.emovid.com/

It is that time of year again when employees have to make a selection of their benefits package, which includes your healthcare plan. I just got the announcement from HR that the enrollment period is now for that uniquely American thing that we call “employer-based healthcare.” It is fascinating that a healthcare program that is unlike any other developed country is taken so for granted as “that’s just how it is” because that is how we have come to know it and we are used to it. For the most part, this is how people think healthcare is supposed to work.

But beyond that, what do we know about how it works or how it can or should work?

I’ve done some research in healthcare, primarily around the creation and use of medical records. While that might seem to be a trivial topic, let me assure you that everything in healthcare happens around the record. That’s because of how our billing systems works, how coding factors into it, how things like case mix indices and severity of illness indicators function, and all the other assorted features that rely on paper to make happen. When you see how healthcare in the United States actually functions, it can be pretty eye opening.

With the government shutdown, there has been more discussion of healthcare and how it is provided in a way that is accessible and affordable. In politics, healthcare is an evergreen topic in that it is always present and you can rely on it to stir strong reactions. Despite all the chatter, we still can use help in better understanding just what is happening and how we might think about possibilities related to it.

This is why we are lucky to have Kate Katz as my guest today on Experience by Design. Kate comes from the UK, where you might have heard they have a different healthcare system than in the United States. While in the UK, Kate worked with healthcare organization to help them improve the delivery of services. Kate now works with hospitals in the US to help them improve the delivery of their medical services. As a result, she is in a great position to help us understand healthcare experiences from a variety of angles and perspectives.

We talk about the challenges of implementing change in healthcare systems, and how it is not just about the rules and regulations, but about bringing people along for the changes. We discuss service-oriented versus profit-oriented approaches in healthcare, as well as efficiency and making use of existing resources matters in both.

Since everything seems to be about AI, we also explore AI implementation challenges in healthcare, and why hospitals are good at piloting but not terribly good at scaling. Part of this is because there are so many other elements tied into healthcare, leading to the need of a systems orientation when thinking about behavioral changes.

Finally we talk about visible versus invisible conditions and diagnoses. Kate shares her own story about how just because something is not visible doesn’t make it less impactful. Even though we may not see the factors impacting people, we need to be constantly aware and empathetic from a personal and organizational perspective. This extends not just to those who are being treated in healthcare, but those who are working in it as well.

Kate Katz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekatz/