Digital Trans­for­mation

For many years now, buzzwords like these have been making the rounds both in the media and in the conference rooms of companies and public institutions. But what added value do all these highly complex technologies and methods actually offer? The new Digital Innovation research cluster at Mainz University of Applied Sciences is exploring precisely this question and, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Oliver Mauroner, Prof. Dr. Sven Pagel, and Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller, is conducting research on key topics in digital transformation. The goal is to translate these new technological possibilities into concrete outcomes for corporate partners. To this end, the event “Digital Innovation—From AI to UX” took place on December 6, 2019, offering the approximately 110 participants a mix of expert presentations and hands-on workshops. For the latter, participants could choose from four options:

• Application Scenarios for Virtual and Augmented Reality
• Practical introductory workshop on the design thinking innovation method
• People and Media: How Do Your Customers Use Digital Products?
• Identifying Digital Transformation Potential

All sessions were designed to be highly interactive and addressed real-world business challenges. For example, in the workshop on virtual and augmented reality—led by Prof. Dr. Anett Mehler-Bicher—participants were able to test VR headsets, allowing them to immerse themselves in a completely different world for a brief moment. Similarly, in the “People and Media” workshop, participants were able to try out face and eye tracking, among other things. The latter is particularly well-suited for understanding how a user interacts with a physical or digital product, such as a website. During the presentations, Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller and Jan Wiesemann (CubeServ GmbH) explained the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) as a predictive tool for small and medium-sized enterprises. For example, prototypes developed in a research project were applied in live demonstrations across various operational areas. Prof. Dr. Oliver Mauroner also presented modern approaches to innovation management and other interesting aspects: for example, did you know that the color of a room influences a person’s creative output just as much as their personality type? The color blue is extremely conducive to this, as is the “hybrid brainstorming” method for introverted individuals. In addition, in the third keynote presentation, Prof. Dr. Sven Pagel addressed the importance of the customer experience before, during, and after the use of digital products (User Experience – UX). To enhance UX, it is essential for companies to define customer requirements as precisely as possible at the outset, design digital products accordingly, and continuously test prototypes. Overall, the event—co-sponsored by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Rheinhessen and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economics, Transportation, Agriculture, and Viticulture—made an important contribution to the implementation of innovative solutions in the context of digital transformation. Further events of this kind are therefore already in the works. Authors: Prof. Dr. Oliver Mauroner, Prof. Dr. Sven Pagel, Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller, Matthias Brunnbauer