The role of a creative technologist as applicable to startups and technology companies in China. This presentation was used in my talk at the Chinaccelerator 8x8 event in Shanghai on April 8, 2017

1. THE CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGIST
NEIL LIANG
CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER & CO-FOUNDER
@THE CAREVOICE

2. WHO IS A
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST?

3. CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGIST

4. PEOPLE-
CENTRIC
VIEW OF
TECHNOLOGY
UNDERSTANDS
HOW
TECHNOLOGY
IMPACTS HUMAN
BEHAVIOR
WANTS TO
AFFECT CHANGE
THROUGH
TECHNOLOGY

5. THINKS MAKES TINKERS SHARES
ABOUT
BRINGING NEW
TECHNOLOGIES
INTO THE
CREATIVE
PROCESS
NOT AFRAID TO
GET HANDS
DIRTY
THEY DESIGN
AND BUILD
STUFF
EXPERIMENTS
WITH THE
LATEST
TECHNOLOGY
BECAUSE THEY
SIMPLY WANT
TO KNOW
LOVES TO
SHARE WITH
PEOPLE TO
INSPIRE AND
INNOVATE

6. CREATIVEAGENCIES
COINED THE ROLE OF A
“CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGIST”
IN 2008 THE NEED
THE RUSH TOWARDS
ALL THINGS DIGITAL,
AND THE NECESSITY OF
USING TECHNOLOGY
TO REALIZE CREATIVE
DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
RISEOFAGILESTARTUPS
R&D TEAMS BECAME
SMALLER AND MORE
NIMBLE TO EMBRACE
THE HUGELY POPULAR
AGILE DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
AGILE MOVEMENT THE NEED
DESIGN AND TECH TO
WORK TOGETHER AND
FASTER. CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGISTS
WOULD DRIVE THIS
SHIFT
THE ORIGINS OF CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
LEFT BRAIN
+
RIGHT BRAIN
A CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGIST
USES BOTH
TO CREATE

7. WHY DO WE NEED
TECHNOLOGY TO BE
CREATIVE?

8. EXPONENTIAL
GROWTH OF
TECHNOLOGY
MOORE’S LAW: THE NUMBER OF TRANSISTORS ON INTEGRATED CIRCUITS DOUBLES
APPROXIMATELY EVERY 18 MONTHS TO TWO YEARS.

9. TECHNOLOGY IS NO
LONGER A MAJOR
BARRIER TO NEW
INVENTIONS
GROWTH IS NOW
DRIVEN BY
APPLICATIONS OF
EXISTING TECHNOLOGY

10. CREATIVITY IS DRIVING
TECHNOLOGY GROWTH
2.2M
MOBILE APPS
NUMBER OF
AVAILABLE IOS APPS
AS OF JAN. 2017
18B
IoT DEVICES
Number of internet of
things devices
installed currently
110M
WEARABLES
NUMBER OF
WEARABLE DEVICES
SHIPPED IN 2016

11. CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGY IN
CHINA

12. FROM “MADE IN CHINA” TO
“CREATED IN CHINA”
MANUFACTURING ECONOMY ”CREATION” ECONOMY

13. R&D SPENDING OUTPACING
THE REST OF THE WORLD

14. FIRST SIGN OF CREATIVITY FROM
CHINESE TECHNOLOGY
SHANZHAI PHONES OFFERED LOWER
PRICES WITH MORE FEATURES
MANY OF THESE COPYCAT
PRODUCTS ACTUALLY ADDRESSED
CHINESE CONSUMER NEEDS UNMET
BY GLOBAL BRANDS
THE
SHANZHAI
MOMENT

15. SHANZHAI-SPEED PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
20USD
COST
AVERAGE COST OF
PRODUCTION PER
SHANZHAI PHONE
Source:FinancialTimes
10
AS FEW AS 10
EMPLOYEES IN EACH
SHANZHAI
COMPANY
EMPLOYEES
Source:The NewYorkTimes
21
DAYS
AS SHORT AS 21 DAYS
FROM CONCEPTUAL
DESIGN TO MASS
PRODUCTION OF
SHANZHAI PHONES
20%
MARKET
OF THE GLOBAL 2G
MOBILE MARKET WAS
COMPRISED OF
SHANZHAI MOBILE
PHONES FROM CHINA
Source:FinancialTimes Source:The NewYorkTimes Source:The NewYorkTimes

16. HUAWEI R&DSTRATEGY
TECHNOLOGYDESIGN
FROG + HUAWEI COLLABORATED ON UX
DESIGN OF HUAWEI’S EARLIEST ANDROID
HANDSETS
HURDLES TO GETTING FROM DESIGN TO
DEVELOPMENT
FROG’S DESIGN TECHNOLOGISTS WORKED
CLOSELY WITH THE HUAWEI R&D TEAM TO
QUICKLY RAMP UP WITHIN JUST 2 WEEKS
CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGY
IN ACTION

17. WHAT
CAN CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGISTS
DO FOR YOUR
STARTUP?

18. THEY ARE MORE THAN JUST
DEVELOPERS

19. THEY ARE
PROBLEM
SOLVERS
THEY EVALUATE
AND APPLY THE
RIGHT
TECHNOLOGIES
THEY WEAR
MULTIPLE
HATS
THEY CAN
BRIDGE YOUR
FUNCTIONAL
TEAMS
THEY ARE MORE THAN JUST
DEVELOPERS

20. ARCHETYPES OF CREATIVE
TECHNOLOGISTS
T H E T E C H
S A A V Y
D E S I G N E R
T H E
A R T I S T I C
D E V E L O P E R
T H E B R I D G E
B U I L D E R
• C O D I N G A B I L I T I E S
• R A P I D P R O T O T Y P I N G
• W O R K S I N P A R A L L E L
W I T H D E V E L O P M E N T
T E A M
• D E S I G N S E N S I B I L I T Y
• A B I L I T Y T O
U N D E R S T A N D U S E R
N E E D S B E Y O N D
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
• U X S K I L L S L I K E U I
F R A M E W O R K S A N D
W I R E F R A M I N G
• L E A D S D I S C U S S I O N S
B E T W E E N D E S I G N A N D
D E V E L O P M E N T T E A M S
• C U S T O M E R A N D U S E R
R E S E A R C H
• P R O J E C T S C O P I N G A N D
M A N A G E M E N T
S o u r c e : F o r r e s t e r B r i e f M a y 2 0 1 6

21. HOW CAN YOU FIND THESE GUYS?

22. THANK YOU
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