leapfrog: apps adoption for more productivity in brazil

And Brazil lagged behind the competition between

nations...How to recover the lost time?

image: www.lexicarbrasil.com.br

The country needs to take a productivity leap

to jump houses in the nations board game,

and reap the low hanging fruits, as they say abroad (outside Brazil).

image: muybridge

Leapfrog. A word that sounds like a

joke, but stands for a concept with important

implications.

Leapfrogging is the umbrella name for the systems available today that make all

this possible. Cloud computing, social media, new professional paradigms such

as social entrepreneurship, below-the-line marketing and a host of novel realities

have transformed the global context - Bright B. Simons

The Leapfrog that Brazil, needs to practice urgently is the intensive adoption of

digital apps,

... and surf the technological revolution with the speed and

competence necessary to take this opportunity for fast development.

image: www.fastcodesign.com/

After all, why not adopt existing tools used in

countries that lead the global economic performance and

productivity rankings?

It is no casualty that companies developing technologies and digital applications rank among the most

profitable in the world.

images: wordfromthewell.com / createlivelove.com

My personal toolbox (1) a set to start exploring the apps environment

Slack, for communication within teams and external collaboration.

Wunderlist for shared tasks management.

Podio, project management (Ive preferred Slack + Wunderlist).

Squarespace, to make your own (good) websites.

Haiku Deck, for creating, sharing and managing presentations and proposals.

MailChimp, for building and managing mailing lists, CRM.Typerform, research has never been so easy and affordable.

Hootsuit, Agora Pulse, for managing social networks.


Elance, hire and manage employees worldwide. Workana for freelancers in Latin America.

Zapier, IFTTT, make the apps talk via APIs, integrating and leveraging resources.

Google apps familys interfaces and outdated and rarely exceeds specific apps, but it is comprehensive, accessible and "talk" to everyone.


The world of apps for design is immense, from basic for non-

designer (like me): Canva, FFFFOUND, Muzli, ColorHexa,

Paletton, Subtle Patterns

even Adobe Comp CC, brands biggest bet for pros.

image: badbloodpovmovie.com

My personal toolbox (4) Design is a special chapter

Comparing Apps

Before adopting, search: comparison sites like Toms

Guide, App Battleground, among many others, help to choose and

avoid mistakes.

image: Marmelad (commons.wikimedia.org

Are you ready to seize the opportunity?

Next, tips and general considerations to increase your chances of a successful implementation.

image: crossworld.ca

Adoption Timing

Do not be greedy: adopt Apps gradually and consolidate deployment before new adoptions;

Technology is always ahead of users: if theres the need you will always find companies that already thought about it;

The scenery changes fast, the apps evolve and new competing apps are launched;

Follow the principle of good enough: it is better to adopt good apps that stress finding the best of each segment; keep the pace is important.

Common Features

Apps point to innovation mind-sets and productivity increases; They are widely accessible since they are in the cloud; They are free, freemium or have affordable prices... ... but the most important is: the cost-benefit ratio is (almost)

always positive;

The most popular apps are available in Portuguese: easy adoption by all in the team;

Intuitive interfaces facilitate mastery of basic uses; possibilities of advanced uses;

Simplicity implies short maturity cycles, with rapid results and feedbacks.

Typical Benefits

Apps adoption add value and sophisticated skills to organizations of any size, democratizing resources previously accessible only to rich corporations;

Apps "export" their models, mind maps and thinking structures; adoption helps empower teams, "teaching how to work" and establishing bases for innovation;

Implicitly create conditions for the emergence of leaderships within teams;

Once trained, the teams want to expand the use "beyond company walls", extending the benefit to adjacent communities;

Collectively, its spread favors the emergence of digital culture communities, returning benefits to society.

Cautions

Not all the apps are efficient: some fail, others die or morph to something else just when you are beginning to understand and enjoy the service ...

... yet the initiative is worth: the benefits come not only from improved activity but also (and especially) inspiring the flourish of innovation culture.

Stay tuned for functions overlap, as applications vie for space with each other, always looking for usage expansion opportunities.

It is recommended to adopt and follow an innovation project - and/or a communication strategy) - for successfully guiding the deployment process.

After all, what makes up the Brazilian delay?

image: Claro Jansson / pt.wikipedia.org

Appendix

Education deficit: a calamity more evident in a global environment of rapid

technological evolution.

image: enevolucion.com/

Productivity. A highly strategic topic, where Brazil is critically

lagged behind the rest of the world.

57 in global ranking

4 in Latin America

Lack of investment in R&D and serious funding

mindset for innovation makes the situation worse.

Small amounts and low share of GDP is invested in Research &

Development in Brazil.

Recessive economy, inflation, pessimism and falling commodity prices

tend to increase the gaps.

image: Eitan Rosenthal

Underdevelopment, however, generate opportunities to

recover (partially) the lost time.Especially using technological resources such as cloud computing and its applications in SaaS - Software as a Service.

image: arthistoryworlds.org

www.eitanrosenthal.com [email protected]

Eitan Rosenthal Communications Strategy Consultancy

May 10, 2015