![\"customer](\"http:\/\/360connext.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SXSW_2014_logo_300px.png\"){kind=logo}
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After four days exploring topics, trends and margaritas at South By Southwest Interactive Festival<\/a> in Austin, Texas, I\u2019m starting to pull apart the trends which rose to the surface.<\/p>\r\n From my perspective, there was no total trend like there has been in previous years, like group texing apps or geolocation apps which seemed to dominate. This year, there was much talk about wearable technology, but not a total understanding of how we might use them.<\/p>\r\n Wandering through the exhibition hall, it seemed three clear messages were meant to be heard.<\/p>\r\n There was an obvious focus on international business. Entire countries set up impressive booths to recruit the best talent, entice business relocation and share the benefits of working with them. Canada, Argentina, and Korea had particularly impressive showings. \u00a0With virtual working and collaboration<\/a> tools making time zones and language barriers hardly obstacles at all, the global village is all about helping each other produce the best. Pretty cool.<\/p>\r\n Obvious, right? Well, yes, but\u2026 the best products offered now consider the daily technology customers use in their daily lives<\/a>. Consider how many products offered must rely completely on the devices we use. Mophie<\/a>, a brand I\u2019m particularly crazy about (and using RIGHT NOW to power my wifi hotspot to write this blog in a crowded airport), creates power backups for our mobile phones and devices. The cases they develop fit on to existing phones like iPhones or Galaxy models, providing backup battery when needed. They don\u2019t make phones or provide cell service, but they make the way we use those things work better. Knowing their customers<\/a> is what helps them exceed customer expectations.<\/p>\r\n After a few times of attending SXSW<\/a> (this year was my fifth) it\u2019s obvious we humans get really excited about really silly things. One year it was new social networks that were clones of the already-successful models, another it was geolocation apps which didn\u2019t truly provide any value. This year, there were a few devices which wanted to edge out Google Glass as the wearable technology we could get excited about. But here\u2019s the thing \u2013 Google is ahead of the game, and we still haven\u2019t totally figured out if they are worth it. So mimicking that without added value seems to be another miss.<\/p>\r\n SXSW Interactive is full of smart people, interesting ideas and fun opportunities to connect<\/a>. The customer experience changes daily because your customers change daily. We expect more, don\u2019t always think rationally and always act on emotion. If there\u2019s one event that gets those concepts, it\u2019s this one.<\/p>\r\n Were you there? What were your impressions?<\/p>\r\n \u00a0Image credits:\u00a0Red Stamp<\/a>, Canadian Light Source synchrotron<\/a>,\u00a0Janitors<\/a>,\u00a0jurvetson<\/a>\u00a0via Creative Commons<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n1. The world is small, but we\u2019re still fighting for territory.<\/h3>\r\n
![\"customer](\"http:\/\/360connext.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/tablet_user_600px.png\")
<\/h3>\r\n2. Technology is built upon other technology.<\/h3>\r\n
![\"customer](\"http:\/\/360connext.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/galaxy_gear_600px.png\")
<\/h3>\r\n3. There will still be flashes in the pan.<\/h3>\r\n
![\"customer](\"http:\/\/360connext.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/google_glass_preso_600px.png\")
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