What do the stock market prediction, medical diagnosis, employee selection, electrical demand prediction and personalization all have in common? They are all labor intensive. But do they have to be?
Deep Learning (DL) could be – and to some extent already is – the answer to various human labor intensive tasks. Deep learning is a subsection of machine learning that “focuses on computational models for information representation that exhibit similar characteristics to that of the neocortex”. (Arel et al., 2010).
One of the main challenges for companies is creating and optimizing the positive consumer experiences. Creating unique experiences will differentiate a company from its competitors. The internet of things, a concept you are probably all familiar with, is an enabler companies often use to increase the positive consumer experiences. The Internet of Things is about connecting any device to the Internet. Nowadays, more and more applications are getting connected with each other. A toothbrush with Bluetooth, which tells you on your smartphone how to brush, an application on your phone which makes it possible to start heating up your house when you are on your way home or turning the lights on and off on your tablet or smartphone.
Since the rise of Virtual Reality, I got really curious about the progress of the technology I decided to keep a close eye on its development. My main observational point was to understand to what extent it can replicate the actual reality, and how it can surpass itself in the near future. To this present, I have observed VR in online shopping, fitting rooms, video games and even household tasks.
Have you ever had doubts whether a profile picture either on your LinkedIn or Facebook is appropriate or shows a good impression? Or have you been in the situation that you had couple of pictures, and you did not know which one to select as the right profile picture?
All your doubts can be solved thanks to a small online company called Photofeeler. Photofeeler provides a web application based on a crowd contribution mechanism. You can upload different pictures of yourself and have them tested on number of different attributes.
Is the energy supply in the Netherlands sustainable and green? If we look at all the Dutch energy contracts in 2014, it shows that 63% of Dutch households had a green energy contract. This shows that people are choosing to buy green energy although this is usually a bit more expensive in comparison with “grey/unsustainable” energy (MilieuCentraal.nl, 2016). 63% green? That means we only need 37% of the people to switch and all the households will be powered by sustainable energy! Not so fast…
Quora is a question and answer forum where people ask questions which get answered, edited and organized by community of users. It aggregates questions to various topics and users collaborate to edit questions and suggest edits to other user’s answers. Users also contribute by up-voting or down-voting answers. This community representing a crowdsourcing platform to generate information exchange.
The best advertisements, from a company perspective, are those that entertain people without annoying and make an emotional connection. Even with new technologies this will probably not change. However, 25 years from now advertising will not look nor feel like it does nowadays.
When you see an advertisement, for example on Youtube, people are counting down to click on the skip or next button. We are being annoyed and feel interrupted by advertisements, but this will and is already changing. Nowadays companies try to make advertisements more personalized and more inviting and valuable to watch.
Bitcoin, the coin of the people. But is it truly? Let’s first get back to how bitcoins work. The bitcoin is the first decentralized digital currency that you can send through the internet. Bitcoin goes directly from person to person, which means that the fees are much lower, you can use them in every country, your account cannot be frozen and there are no arbitrary limits. Although, this is what bitcoin promised at the launch in 2008 (WeUseCoins, 2011).
Imagine yourself eating huge quantities of food every day during dinner. While eating, you are socializing with others and the most important part is that you are making money at the same time. Doesn’t this seem like the dream job? This is actually what professional live-eaters (also known as Broadcast Jockeys) do: stream themselves online eating servings of food while chatting away to the viewers (Evans, 2015). These live-streamers are popular to the extent that they are becoming minor celebrities in the Korean culture. But why is this trend, called “MukBang”, getting so popular?
That Google has an innovative attitude is hardly news to anyone. In August 2015 the company launched Project Sunroof, a project led by Carl Elkin that informs home owners on the suitability for solar panels. Only available in the US, the project expanded from just a few metropolitan areas back then, to over 20 US areas today. Once you type in your address and the current amount you spend on electricity, the website calculates how well panels work on your roof (in other words: how many panels would you have to install). This database contains information on the orientation of the roof, the height of trees and buildings in the direct environment, and local weather conditions.
Once your first child is born some people say that your love life will end, what a sad perspective. Everywhere you go the children are wining and screaming for attention. The sharing economy platform “Date night”has the solution for your problem, you can go on dates without the children. On the platform you can easily find a local trusted babysitter. Usually when you need a babysitter you ask a friend or relative, but most of the time they do not want to bother with your children. But the question that popped up into my head was: would you allow a stranger to babysit your own child? This must be the biggest barrier for parents entering this platform, what if something goes wrong during babysitting? I cannot find anything on the website regarding the liability, who is accountable if an accident happens? I think that this should be mentioned on the website to increase the trustworthiness towards the parents.
Since the rise of Virtual Reality, I got really curious about the progress of the technology I decided to keep a close eye on its development. My main observational point was to understand to what extent it can replicate the actual reality, and how it can surpass itself in the near future. To this present, I have observed VR in online shopping, fitting rooms, video games and even household tasks.
Consumer Value Creation 