Simplicity – the hardest challenge for convergence?

Kris Gopalakrishnan
CEO & MD, Infosys Technologies Limited
Davos, January 25, 2008

On Thursday morning, I participated in a CNBC panel discussion with futurists Paul Saffo and Peter Schwartz. We covered multiple scenarios ranging from the energy efficiency of tomorrow’s automobiles to the way news will be reported in the future. What’s seemed really significant to me is that a majority of the participants had a positive outlook of the world in 2020.
 
In the same vein, the session on Mobile Internet emphasized the point that without simplicity and user-friendliness we cannot ensure widespread adoption of applications. With a multitude of devices competing in the market, we must work towards standardizing an easy-to-use browser or application development platform. If we succeed, the rate of adoption will grow manifold.
 
Innovation must get ‘personal’
Customer experience has been spoken about for a long time but experiences are becoming more and more relevant in the way customers choose products and services. With the consumer at the center of this evolution, personalization and user experience are key differentiators.
 
The form factor has limitations, so we must focus on the user experience. We need to design applications in ways that are more sensitive to user needs. We need to evolve ways and means to deliver applications conveniently and offer fulfilling experiences.
 
Innovation from the inside out
It is clear that we live in an era of shrinking product lifecycles, where products get obsolete faster than it takes to make them. To meet customer demands, I believe companies need to introduce new offerings in shorter time spans and earn customer loyalty not just by providing better service but through faster innovation.
 
One route to this is through co-creating with customers and vendor-partners. But internally, how do you create innovation hubs within the company? How do you capitalize on human capital in running the company? In other words, how do you internalize the power of social networks?
 
That’s something for us to think about…