Patrick Gardella, our SVP of Technology, sat down with Authority Magazine to share his perspective on leading innovation and disruption at the C-suite level.“I get stuff done. That’s been my motto for many years. I have no problems swimming against the current in the workplace. But I’m not a visionary. I’m not here to be disruptive for disruptions sake. I will use disruption and continuous learning to guide my next step. I want to use disruption to make things work ...

Driving Disruption: Patrick Gardella On The Innovative Approaches C-Suite Executives Are Taking To Disrupt Their Industry

Years before mobile-first B2B became table-stakes, we helped the world's largest brewer make the leap.The Challenge: Modernizing Distribution for the World's Largest BrewerAB InBev approached Monstarlab Americas to reimagine their B2B sales platform. As the world's largest beer company—brewing and distributing almost 1/3 of the world's beer every year, with revenue exceeding US$50B annually—AB InBev needed more than a digital ordering system; they needed a complete transformation of how products reach millions of retailers worldwide.The ask was clear: modernize, or ...

From Sales Reps to Digital Ecosystem: How Monstarlab Transformed AB InBev's Global B2B Commerce

At our second AI in Higher Ed Roundtable, leaders from universities, community colleges, and workforce partners gathered to discuss AI for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. What surfaced was a thoughtful, candid portrait of higher education in transition — one that’s moving beyond AI curiosity toward meaningful integration in classrooms, feedback loops, and career pathways.Faculty are experimenting with AI to deepen learning rather than shortcut it. They’re using these tools to give personalized feedback, model critical thinking, and make learning ...

AI’s Role in Rehumanizing Learning: Insights from our 2nd Roundtable

Last week, we held our inaugural AI in Higher Education Roundtable, where leaders from universities and community colleges across the U.S. had a rich discussion about Scaling Academic Programs and Campus Operations.The prevailing sentiment was clear: higher education is ready to move from exploration to execution. The conversation has shifted from whether to use AI to how to do so responsibly, equitably, and at scale. Participants described a sector that’s eager to act but constrained by culture, governance, and trust. ...

From Policy to Practice: How Higher Ed Is Moving Toward Responsible AI

Payment failures aren't just inconvenient, they're expensive. Every declined transaction represents lost revenue, every payment outage damages customer trust, and every security breach threatens your entire business. While most companies accept these risks as inherent to digital payments, modern payment orchestration transforms them from existential threats into manageable challenges.Payment orchestration goes beyond simple payment processing by intelligently routing transactions across multiple processors, optimizing for success rates, costs, and risk mitigation. Here are three critical ways this approach protects your business ...

Payment failures aren't just inconvenient, they're expensive. Every declined transaction represents lost revenue, every payment outage damages customer trust, and every security breach threatens your entire business.

3 Ways Modern Payment Orchestration Reduces Risk

Illustration of a person standing among many signs with abstract payment-related icons, symbolizing the confusion of choosing a payment processor. One sign glows yellow to highlight the optimal choice.

Choosing a payment processor is a critical foundational decision for many businesses, and as such, the decision can feel overwhelming.Every major provider promises seamless integration, competitive rates, and world-class features. Your sales calls blur together as your finance team argues with engineering over features vs costs. And somehow, after dozens of hours of time invested, you still don't feel confident enough to make a choice.After implementing solutions across all major payment platforms, we've found that three critical decisions typically determine ...

Choosing a payment processor is a critical foundational decision for many businesses, and as such, the decision can feel overwhelming. 

Overwhelmed by Payment Processor Choices

A diverse group of four business professionals in a modern office discussing strategy around a table, with laptops and documents visible, symbolizing collaboration between finance and engineering teams.

Your payment infrastructure should be an accelerator, not an anchor. But for many growing companies, what started as a "good enough" payment solution gradually becomes a bottleneck that limits expansion, frustrates customers, and drains resources. The most challenging part is that these limitations can creep up slowly, making it easy to delay action until they become critical issues or blockers.After building and optimizing payment systems across multiple providers, we've identified three telltale signs that your payment stack has shifted from ...

Your payment infrastructure should be an accelerator, not an anchor. But for many growing companies, what started as a "good enough" payment solution gradually becomes a bottleneck that limits expansion

3 Signs Your Payment Stack is Holding Back Growth

Switching payment processors is a big milestone for any organization, and one that usually comes with some major upsides: better rates, access to enhanced features, new omnichannel capabilities, and other exciting opportunities await. However, before you arrive at those green pastures, a painful, crucial step awaits; the one word that is the bane of payment teams everywhere, that dread killer of timelines: Migration.It’s easy to imagine this scenario: your new integration goes smoothly. Your stakeholders are aligned behind the move ...

The Top 3 Reasons Payment Migrations Stall (and what to do about it)

Traditional one-size-fits-all assessments have long failed to capture the true potential of individual learners. Every student brings unique strengths and learning styles, yet most assessments treat them identically. This disconnect has created barriers that prevent educators from truly understanding what their students know and can do.Artificial intelligence is changing this landscape dramatically. Machine learning, generative AI, and natural language processing are dismantling traditional barriers to personalized assessment, creating opportunities for more meaningful evaluation methods that serve both K-12 and adult ...

AI-Powered Personalized Assessments: Breaking Down Traditional Barriers

Hospitality is a powerful notion that is at the center of creating delightful user experiences. As a designer who’s worked with clients across a range of industries, I know firsthand the value hospitality can unlock on digital, and I’ll explain how to do that below.Before getting started, let me explain what I mean by hospitality. As Danny Meyer writes in his book “Setting the Table,” there’s a distinction between service and hospitality. Service is simply the act of delivering the ...

Winning Stakeholder Support for Usability Testing: A Comprehensive Guide

Releasing new products and features is often risky business. If you do not solve the right problem or meet your users’ expectations, it can have detrimental consequences to your company’s success. The risk is greatest when decisions are based on assumptions rather than validated insights. Assumptions can be useful when treated as starting points—but when relied upon exclusively, they can lead teams in the wrong direction. A structured approach is needed to reduce risk early in the development process. Hypothesis-Driven ...

Reduce Risk in Your Product Development with Hypothesis-Driven Design

Estimating the ROI of DesignDesign holds more influence in business than ever before, yet quantifying its financial impact remains difficult. Many organizations seek a clear framework for understanding how investments in design translate into value. Despite rising investments in design and its observable effects on brand loyalty and consumer behavior, efforts to quantify its return on investment (ROI) often fall short.Organizations have embraced design by growing internal capabilities and engaging partners, yet tying these investments to outcomes like revenue growth ...

Measuring the ROI of Exceptional Design: A Comprehensive Guide

The banking sector is undergoing a significant transformation as digitally-driven companies reshape the industry into a technology-centric landscape. Traditional banks, financial institutions, and credit unions face challenges in adapting to this new environment. To remain competitive and harness the benefits of digital advancements, these institutions require dedicated leadership, appropriate investments, and a well-defined strategic scope.Over the past decade, financial services have experienced a global annual growth rate of 4%. However, the banking sector often lags behind, resembling a large tanker ...

Is Digital Paralysis Threatening the Future of Banking?

On February 9, 2021, a global group of designers, developers, product managers, and consultants convened virtually to answer a frequently debated question: What is an MVP? This article summarizes the key insights from that discussion.Organizations across industries and regions often interpret the concept of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) differently—sometimes confusing it with prototypes or proofs of concept. To bring clarity, the workshop addressed five essential questions about MVPs:What is the objective of an MVP?How do you decide if a ...

Understanding MVP: A Global Perspective on Minimum Viable Products

Part of our Wholesale, Retail, &amp; eCommerce SeriesA majority of companies are looking to become data-driven with only a few having achieved success. And then there are those who are still finding their way into it. Now is the best time to start your data journey.In this article you’ll learn:Wide breadth of benefits that data can deliver covering customer insights to operational efficiency.The challenge and opportunity in developing your own data structure.Actionable steps to get your data journey started in ...

Harness Data & Analytics to Prevent Major Business Disruptions

One of the most common sources of confusion in digital product teams is the distinction between the roles of a product manager and a product owner. Although the titles are often used interchangeably, the responsibilities and focus areas are different—and understanding this distinction is critical to delivering successful outcomes in digital transformation. Strategic vs. Tactical Focus At Monstarlab, we define the difference simply: product managers are strategically focused, while product owners are tactically focused. Product managers tend to operate at ...

Product Owners vs. Product Managers: Key Differences Explained

Max Oglesbee, Principal for the Americas, began his new role at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In just under two years, he has navigated the transition from Fuzz Productions (formerly in Brooklyn, New York City) as the organization became part of Monstarlab, expanded operations into Bogotá, Colombia, and Vancouver. We spent some time with Max to chat about these recent changes and what opportunities he predicts will appear in the next fiscal year.First, can you tell us a bit ...

Q&A with Americas Principal: Max Oglesbee: Journey to Monstarlab

Welcome Trish Martin: Head of Product &amp; Strategy for Monstarlab AmericasMonstarlab Americas is excited to welcome our newest addition to our growing team. Trish Martin comes onboard as the Head of Product &amp; Strategy for the Americas. She brings extensive experience in developing strong products in the technology sector. Trish is known for identifying critical opportunities to innovate and for building high-impact products, services, and practices from incubation to scale. Get to know her better in this Q&amp;A session.First off, ...

Q&A with Trish Martin, Head of Product & Strategy for the Americas

Smart places—also known as smart spaces—are gaining attention as a people-focused way to support long-term sustainability. While they’re often recognized for improving daily life, work, and community experiences, more organizations are realizing their role in achieving sustainability goals. In fact, green building and environmental concerns have been key drivers of growth since 2020.To meet sustainability goals while enabling innovations like those shown above, companies across industries are adopting smart technologies. These approaches make better use of physical spaces and resources ...

Transforming Infrastructure for Sustainable, Smarter Spaces

Imagine a bustling hospital, where hundreds of patients arrive daily, without notice, seeking treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. The staff – doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals – work tirelessly to provide the best care possible, all while navigating the complexities of a dynamic and unpredictable environment, regulatory scrutiny, and public attention. Amidst this chaos, the hospital command and control center serves as a guiding light, a central hub that collects, processes, and analyzes vast amounts of ...

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Power of Command and Control Centers

One of the biggest challenges facing humanity in healthcare today is the rising cost of healthcare treatments. With the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and an aging population, healthcare systems are under pressure to find more cost-effective ways to deliver care. Digital Therapeutics (DTx) can help to address this challenge by enabling remote patient monitoring and support, reducing the need for in-person visits and potentially reducing overall healthcare costs.Another challenge in healthcare is the need for more personalized treatments. Traditional ...

Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Therapeutic Landscape

Many industries are going through digitization, completely changing how products are developed and brought to market. The playing field changed completely from what it was a decade ago: new consumer expectations, new legislation, and new possibilities driven by technology. For financial services, the need for a change is clear. Embedded services are a proven way to unlock new opportunities and improve the end customer’s value. To make them a reality, companies must find ways to collaborate and innovate effectively, balancing ...

Unlocking Success with Embedded Services: A Comprehensive Guide

There comes a point where the things that are “nice to have” become “need to have” and a standardized design system is one of those initiatives that falls down the priority list until it’s a problem.A “design system” is really just an evolution of your brand guidelines that includes guidance on problems you’ve already solved for. Where brand guidelines may cover the proper use of font and color, a brand system will expand that to include functional elements that go ...

Top Indicators It's Time to Implement a Design System

Education has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, driven by the global pandemic, advances in technology, and the changing needs of learners. Generation Alpha, born in the early 2010s, will be the first generation to grow up entirely in a world shaped by advanced technology. As such, their behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional needs will differ from those of Gen Z and Millennials. They are passionate about interactive, engaging, collaborative learning environments that encourage social and emotional learning. Meeting their ...

Innovative EdTech Strategies for Engaging Generation Alpha Students

In the fast-paced world of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), where competition is fierce and consumer expectations are ever-evolving, staying ahead is not just a matter of choice — it’s a necessity for survival. Over the past decade, the American quick service restaurant industry has witnessed a series of significant events and transformative trends that have not only shaped its landscape but have also redefined the way in which QSR businesses operate and adapt to change.From a high-profile food contamination outbreak ...

Strategies for QSR Brands to Thrive Amid Industry Disruptions

Changes in EducationEducation has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, driven by the global pandemic, advances in technology, and the changing needs of learners. Generation Alpha, born in the early 2010s, will be the first generation to grow up entirely in a world shaped by advanced technology. As such, their behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional needs will differ from those of Gen Z and Millenials. They are passionate about interactive, engaging, collaborative learning environments that encourage social and emotional learning. ...

Education is undergoing a rapid transformation to meet the needs of Generation Alpha — the first cohort raised entirely in a digital world. This article explores how their tech fluency, social consciousness, and preference for personalized, collaborative learning are reshaping the future of education. Discover why co-design, multidisciplinarity, and human-centered EdTech solutions are essential for engaging this bold, entrepreneurial generation.

Co-Designing EdTech Solutions with Gen Alpha Innovators

Monstarlab Americas is excited to introduce Trish Martin, our Managing Director and Head of Product &amp; Strategy.First off, can you tell us about your decision to join the Monstarlab team?I was impressed by how Monstarlab truly lives out their “Be Borderless” value by thinking and acting globally in all aspects of their work with clients. Bringing the best talent, technologies, methodologies, and practices from around the world and giving clients the ability to utilize these synergies to improve their businesses ...

Introducing Trish Martin: Managing Director

Technology has always played an important role in healthcare. From the very first computerized physician ordering system in the 70s to Blockchain technology and Robotics Process Automation today, technology holds the key to transform our healthcare system. This is particularly true when it comes to behavioral science. Infiltrating both mobile and clinical patient care, behavioral science integrations are making a difference in the novel patient experience and modernizing core technologies.This article explores:The role of behavioral science in healthcarePromising trends in ...

Revolutionizing Digital Patient Care: The Role of Behavioral Science

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Insights and articles from the Monstarlab team.

<p>Years before mobile-first B2B became table-stakes, we helped the world's largest brewer make the leap.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F072fb6639f914e7190633a05d02413df" alt="Beer Tap Pouring Pint"></p><h2><strong>The Challenge: Modernizing Distribution for the World's Largest Brewer</strong></h2><p>AB InBev approached Monstarlab Americas to reimagine their B2B sales platform. As the world's largest beer company—brewing and distributing almost 1/3 of the world's beer every year, with revenue exceeding US$50B annually—AB InBev needed more than a digital ordering system; they needed a complete transformation of how products reach millions of retailers worldwide.</p><p>The ask was clear: modernize, or risk losing relevance in an increasingly digital world where small retailers demand the same seamless experiences they get from consumer products. In 2014, that expectation was only beginning to emerge—and almost no one was building for it yet.</p><h2><strong>A Bet on the Future of B2B</strong></h2><p>When we began this work in 2014, the phrase "mobile-first B2B" barely existed. Enterprise software was desktop-bound by default, built on the assumption that business users would tolerate clunky interfaces and cumbersome workflows because they had no alternative. Consumer apps were sleek and intuitive; business tools were not. That was simply the way things were.</p><p>We saw it differently. Our conviction was that B2B buyers—bar owners, restaurant managers, small retailers—were the same people who used Seamless to order dinner and Uber to hail a ride. They didn't stop expecting intuitive digital experiences when they walked into work. If anything, the complexity of managing a business made simplicity more valuable, not less.</p><p>This wasn't a mainstream view at the time. AB InBev had a global sales force of 110,000 people. Proposing that a mobile app could meaningfully augment that infrastructure—that a retailer in Buenos Aires might prefer to place a beer order from their phone at midnight rather than wait for a sales rep's visit—required a leap of faith from everyone involved. But the research bore it out. And today, with over 20% of orders placed outside commercial hours, we know that leap was well-founded.</p><p>What's now considered table stakes in enterprise digital transformation—mobile-first design, consumer-grade UX, rapid prototyping with real users—was the bet we made a decade ago. The playbook that guides B2B commerce today is one we helped write.</p><h2><strong>The Foundation: Starting with Humans</strong></h2><p>Our approach began not in conference rooms or with code, but on the ground. We shadowed sales reps in St. Louis, New York, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires to understand the value they provide to their B2B customers and identify pain points and opportunities the platform could address.</p><p>What we discovered was crucial: technology would not replace the "relationship element" that is so key to selling CPG on the ground. Rather, it would enable sales reps to focus on maximizing the value of the human touch in growing relationships.</p><p>This insight shaped everything that followed. We weren't building technology to eliminate jobs; we were creating tools to amplify human potential.</p><h2><strong>The Technical Foundation: Building for Billions</strong></h2><p>The platform we architected and built – initially called Tapwiser, now evolved into BEES – required unprecedented scale and sophistication:</p><h3><strong>Microservices Architecture at Scale</strong></h3><p>AB InBev has since invested heavily in the platform, scaling it with a team of more than 1,200 developers. The modern microservices architecture they built grew from the scalable framework we designed in 2015 — a single codebase that could be configured for any regional market, enabling rapid global expansion.</p><h3><strong>Breaking Legacy Dependencies</strong></h3><p>This modern architecture drastically reduced the platform's dependencies on legacy ERP systems, which would have been a barrier to providing many of the most valued and utilized features on BEES.</p><h3><strong>Continuous Iteration</strong></h3><p>Based on our findings, we designed and built a fully-functional prototype and conducted in-person usability testing with bar and restaurant owners. We used pilot learnings to refine the experience before the US launch, fostering a program of continuous research and iteration.</p><h2><strong>The Results: A Digital Transformation Success Story</strong></h2><p>Our work built the platform foundation. Since developing that foundation, AB InBev has achieved:</p><h3><strong>Revenue Impact</strong></h3><ul><li>72% of AB InBev's global revenue now flows through digital B2B platforms</li><li>The platform's gross merchandise value grew by 57% to $2.5 billion in 2024</li><li>Captured about $20 billion in gross merchandising value in 2021, up from $3 billion in 2020</li></ul><h3><strong>Scale and Adoption</strong></h3><ul><li>Processed over 36 million orders in 2024, a 31% increase from the previous year (source Digital Commerce 360)</li><li>BEES is now operational in 28 markets (source Digital Commerce 360)</li><li>Serves 2 million+ SMB retailers globally (source Amplitude)</li><li>Monthly active users more than doubled in 2021 (source Consumer Goods)</li></ul><h3><strong>Operational Excellence</strong></h3><ul><li>More than 20% of BEES orders are placed during non-commercial hours (AB InBev)</li><li>BEES Marketplace captured 630 million USD in GMV from sales of third-party products, a 51% increase year-over-year (Business Wire)</li><li>90%-plus adoption rate in most markets (Consumer Goods)</li></ul><p><br></p><h2><strong>Innovation That Changed an Industry</strong></h2><p>Several aspects of our solution set new standards for B2B commerce:</p><ol><li><strong>AI-Powered Personalization </strong>— BEES's AI-generated personalized recommendations help customers place orders in a fast and convenient way, helping avoid lost sales (AB InBev).</li><li><strong>Marketplace Model </strong>— Beyond AB InBev's products, BEES became a true marketplace. AB InBev is partnering with other consumer goods companies to use the BEES technology, counting companies like Mondelez International, Mars, and E&amp;J Gallo (Consumer Goods) among its partners.</li><li><strong>Financial Innovation </strong>— The platform goes beyond ordering. Given customers' credit scores, AB InBev can offer different payment options with transparent costs, allowing customers to decide what suits them best (AB InBev).</li><li><strong>Data-Driven Insights </strong>— The wealth of data enables AB InBev to streamline efficiencies and processes throughout the company, making the organization more nimble and efficient (Consumer Goods).</li></ol><p>Many of these capabilities—AI-powered recommendations, marketplace expansion, flexible payment options—were seeded in the original Tapwiser vision. What began as a prototype for digitizing beer orders became a template for reinventing B2B commerce entirely.</p><h2><strong>Why This Case Study Matters in 2025</strong></h2><p>The BEES transformation offers critical lessons for today's enterprises:</p><p>Digital B2B is Now Table Stakes — With AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris calling BEES "not just a transactional tool" but "a full-service digital ecosystem" (Digital Commerce 360), the message is clear: B2B commerce requires comprehensive digital transformation, not just digitization.</p><p>The Platform Economy Has Arrived in B2B — What used to be a one-way pipeline—products out, cash back—is now becoming a platform where companies can offer not only their own products but third-party products in a marketplace format, plus digital wallets and other services (Consumer Goods).</p><p>Speed and Scale Are Compatible — BEES started as a small prototype and scaled into a global app, expanding to new countries with ease (CI&amp;T), proving that with the right architecture, rapid scaling doesn't mean compromising quality.</p><p>We recognized this inflection point a decade ago. The results speak not just to AB InBev's commitment to transformation, but to the enduring value of getting there first—and getting it right.</p><h2><strong>How Monstarlab Can Transform Your B2B Operations</strong></h2><p>The principles we applied to AB InBev's transformation remain our core approach:</p><h3><strong>For B2B Commerce Platforms:</strong></h3><ul><li>End-to-end digital ecosystem development</li><li>Microservices architecture for infinite scalability</li><li>AI-powered personalization and recommendations</li><li>Marketplace integration capabilities</li><li>Alternative payment and credit solutions</li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong>For Enterprise Digital Transformation:</strong></h3><ul><li>Ethnographic research to understand user needs</li><li>Rapid prototyping with real-world testing</li><li>Legacy system integration and migration</li><li>Global platform with local flexibility</li><li>Continuous iteration based on data</li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong>Our Process:</strong></h3><ol><li>Discovery: Deep field research to understand actual user workflows</li><li>Architecture: Design scalable systems that can grow with your business</li><li>Prototype: Build and test with real users before full deployment</li><li>Scale: Roll out globally while maintaining local relevance</li><li>Optimize: Continuous improvement based on data and feedback</li></ol><p><br></p><h2><strong>Client Testimony</strong></h2><p>"Monstarlab shares our ownership culture in a way I haven't seen in my other vendors"</p><p>— Alek Uransel, Director, Commercial Technology Development, AB InBev</p><p>This partnership mentality enables us to deliver transformational results rather than just technical solutions.</p><h2><strong>Looking Forward: The Future of B2B Commerce</strong></h2><p>As AB InBev's CEO noted, "BEES is by far better technology than any other system that we had before. And that's why the adoption is so fast" (Consumer Goods). The platform continues to evolve, with the company expecting full-year 2025 EBITDA growth of 4% to 8%, supported by further investment in digital transformation (Digital Commerce 360).</p><p>The lessons are clear: B2B commerce is undergoing the same revolution that transformed B2C a decade ago. Companies that embrace comprehensive digital transformation—not just digitization—will thrive. Those that don't risk obsolescence.</p><h2><strong>Ready to Build Your B2B Digital Future?</strong></h2><p>The AB InBev case proves that even the most traditional industries can be transformed through thoughtful digital innovation. Whether you're looking to modernize your sales channels, create a B2B marketplace, or completely reimagine your customer relationships, Monstarlab Americas has the expertise and experience to guide your journey.</p><p>Contact us today to discuss how we can help you build a digital ecosystem that transforms your business and industry.</p><p><em>About Monstarlab Americas: With over 1,200 experts globally, we create digital experiences that transform businesses. From strategy through execution, we partner with industry leaders to navigate digital transformation and emerge stronger. Our work with AB InBev represents just one example of how we help global enterprises reinvent themselves for the digital age.</em></p>

<p><strong>At our second AI in Higher Ed Roundtable, leaders from universities, community colleges, and workforce partners gathered to discuss AI for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. What surfaced was a thoughtful, candid portrait of higher education in transition — one that’s moving beyond AI curiosity toward meaningful integration in classrooms, feedback loops, and career pathways.</strong></p><p>Faculty are experimenting with AI to deepen learning rather than shortcut it. They’re using these tools to give personalized feedback, model critical thinking, and make learning more visible. Institutions are embedding AI literacy into curricula, recognizing it as a core competency for an evolving workforce. And across the board, leaders are balancing optimism with realism: building trust, protecting integrity, and ensuring every student can engage with AI equitably.</p><p>What’s emerging isn’t just new technology, it’s a more human model of learning, where rigor and empathy reinforce each other. At Monstarlab, we see these signals as the early architecture of a responsible AI culture. One that empowers educators and students to spend less time on the mechanical, and more time on the meaningful.</p><p><strong>Read our </strong><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MRQZawnD2gXKmYihzZovZyTkNvjSwfsj/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>synthesis of the conversation</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>﻿</strong><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fe7e9e48209ce49d8be98f95d1317af4d"></p>

<p><strong>At our second AI in Higher Ed Roundtable, leaders from universities, community colleges, and workforce partners gathered to discuss AI for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. </strong></p>

<p><strong>Last week, we held our inaugural AI in Higher Education Roundtable, where leaders from universities and community colleges across the U.S. had a rich discussion about Scaling Academic Programs and Campus Operations.</strong></p><p>The prevailing sentiment was clear: higher education is ready to move from exploration to execution. The conversation has shifted from <em>whether</em> to use AI to <em>how</em> to do so responsibly, equitably, and at scale. Participants described a sector that’s eager to act but constrained by culture, governance, and trust. Task forces are proliferating, policies are forming, and faculty are redesigning instruction and assessment to reflect a world where AI is both inevitable and integral. The real progress, though, isn’t happening in grand strategies — it’s emerging through small, high-impact pilots that build capacity, confidence, and collaboration.</p><p>What’s most striking is how the conversation is broadening beyond efficiency. Institutions are rethinking what and how they teach, embedding creativity, belonging, and technological fluency into the core of learning. Shared data initiatives like Duke’s NC Share, flipped Bloom’s taxonomies, and AI-assisted course quality pilots are early signs of a new foundation for responsible innovation. As Monstarlab, we see this as higher education’s pivotal moment — a chance to turn experimentation into structure, and to design systems that make AI both <strong><em>human-centered</em> and <em>scalable</em>.</strong></p><p>Read our <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-e_UPmedZoZl9dU5CeYhS_zD7bSqO1bj/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>synthesis of the conversation</strong></a></p><p><strong>﻿</strong><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F2fb4f3d3891f4c7e9ee69a1e02436f69"></p>

<p><strong>Last week, we held our inaugural AI in Higher Education Roundtable, where leaders from universities and community colleges across the U.S. had a rich discussion about Scaling Academic Programs and Campus Operations.</strong></p><p><br></p>

<p>Payment failures aren't just inconvenient, they're expensive. Every declined transaction represents lost revenue, every payment outage damages customer trust, and every security breach threatens your entire business. While most companies accept these risks as inherent to digital payments, modern payment orchestration transforms them from existential threats into manageable challenges.</p><p>Payment orchestration goes beyond simple payment processing by intelligently routing transactions across multiple processors, optimizing for success rates, costs, and risk mitigation. Here are three critical ways this approach protects your business from payment-related disasters.</p><h3>1. Redundancy That Actually Works When You Need It</h3><p>Having a backup payment processor sounds smart in theory. In practice, most backup implementations fail when they're needed most. The backup processor hasn't been tested with production traffic. The failover logic doesn't account for partial outages. The reconciliation systems can't handle transactions split across providers.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F23d3270932864514b918a99f7714ad7b" alt="Diagram showing a central orchestration hub connected to multiple payment processors with arrows indicating active-active redundancy."></p><p>Modern payment orchestration builds true redundancy through active-active configurations. Instead of a dusty backup that might work, you're continuously processing transactions across multiple providers. This live traffic ensures every pathway remains tested, documented, and optimized.</p><p>The sophisticated routing logic handles various failure scenarios:</p><ul><li>Complete processor outages trigger immediate rerouting</li><li>Degraded performance shifts traffic gradually to maintain stability</li><li>Regional issues route transactions through unaffected gateways</li><li>Specific payment method failures fall back to alternative processors</li></ul><p>This isn't just disaster insurance—it's operational resilience. When one major processor experienced a three-hour outage last year, orchestrated merchants maintained 97% payment success rates while single-processor merchants lost millions in revenue.</p><h3>2. Smart Routing That Maximizes Authorization Rates</h3><p>Not all payment processors perform equally for every transaction type. One might excel at European debit cards while another optimizes for high-value B2B transactions. These performance differences—sometimes exceeding 5-10% in authorization rates—directly impact revenue.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F8a30c9d583c74c828e59cdcdcbaca952" alt="Illustration of a routing engine directing transactions across multiple paths, with one highlighted yellow path labeled highest-probability."></p><p>Payment orchestration leverages machine learning to route each transaction to its highest-probability pathway. The routing engine considers multiple factors:</p><ul><li>Historical success rates by card type and processor</li><li>Transaction amount and risk profile</li><li>Geographic location and currency</li><li>Time of day and processor load</li><li>Cost optimization within acceptable risk parameters</li></ul><p>The impact compounds quickly. A 3% improvement in authorization rates for a business processing $10 million annually means $300,000 in recovered revenue. But the real value isn't just the aggregate improvement—it's the ability to capture edge cases that would otherwise fail.</p><p>Smart routing also enables strategic processor selection. Route high-value transactions through processors with better fraud tools. Send recurring payments through processors optimized for subscription billing. Direct international payments through providers with local acquiring capabilities. Each decision improves success rates while reducing costs.</p><h3>3. Unified Fraud Prevention Across Multiple Channels</h3><p>Fraud prevention becomes exponentially more complex when transactions flow through multiple processors. Different fraud signals, risk scores, and rules engines create blind spots that sophisticated fraudsters exploit. What looks like normal behavior to individual processors might reveal obvious fraud patterns when viewed holistically.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F164b09869b5c4a3b99254b1e9935fa87" alt="Illustration of a glowing yellow shield with a lock icon, intercepting transaction flows from multiple payment gateways to represent unified fraud prevention."></p><p>Modern orchestration platforms solve this by creating a unified fraud layer above individual processors. Every transaction, regardless of pathway, gets evaluated against comprehensive behavioral patterns. This centralized intelligence enables:</p><ul><li>Consistent fraud rules across all payment channels</li><li>Cross-processor velocity checking and pattern matching</li><li>Unified device fingerprinting and user behavior analysis</li><li>Coordinated responses to emerging fraud trends</li><li>Single dashboard for fraud monitoring and investigation</li></ul><p>The orchestration layer can also leverage multiple processors' fraud tools simultaneously, combining their strengths while compensating for individual weaknesses. If one processor's fraud detection is particularly strong for specific threat types, route suspicious transactions through that pathway for enhanced screening.</p><p>This unified approach reduces both fraud losses and false positives. Legitimate customers experience fewer incorrect declines, while fraudsters can't exploit gaps between different processors' detection capabilities.</p><h3>The Risk Reduction Multiplier</h3><p>These three risk mitigation strategies—redundancy, smart routing, and unified fraud prevention—work together multiplicatively. Redundancy ensures you're always processing. Smart routing maximizes success rates when you are processing. Unified fraud prevention protects the transactions that succeed.</p><p>The combination creates resilience that no single processor can match. System failures become inconveniences rather than catastrophes. Authorization rates improve continuously through machine learning. Fraud patterns that would slip through individual processors get caught by unified intelligence.</p><p>For growing businesses, payment orchestration transforms payment processing from a single point of failure into a strategic advantage. The question isn't whether you'll face payment disruptions, declining authorization rates, or sophisticated fraud attempts—it's whether your infrastructure is prepared to handle them.</p><p><em>If you're interested in exploring payment orchestration for your business, we can help design and implement a solution that reduces risk while improving performance. Our team has built orchestration layers across multiple processors and understands the complexities of creating truly resilient payment infrastructure. Reach out to discuss how orchestration could strengthen your payment strategy.</em></p>

<p>Choosing a payment processor is a critical foundational decision for many businesses, and as such, the decision can feel overwhelming.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fe0b283a2d78d4f91afdd000679cf80c2" alt="Illustration of a person standing among many signs with abstract payment-related icons, symbolizing the confusion of choosing a payment processor. One sign glows yellow to highlight the optimal choice."></p><p>Every major provider promises seamless integration, competitive rates, and world-class features. Your sales calls blur together as your finance team argues with engineering over features vs costs. And somehow, after dozens of hours of time invested, you still don't feel confident enough to make a choice.</p><p>After implementing solutions across all major payment platforms, we've found that three critical decisions typically determine long-term success or regret. These aren't the obvious table stakes factors like pricing or API, these are the strategic choices that surface only after you're deep into implementation, when sunk costs have already mounted.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F1c0712638f584f48b905fa8d5956bd28" alt="Diagram showing a branching framework with three paths leading to icons: a globe for geographic strategy, stacked blocks for business model alignment, and code brackets for integration philosophy."></p><h3>1. Geographic Strategy: Single Market Optimization vs. Global Flexibility</h3><p>Your current geographic footprint and five-year expansion plans should fundamentally shape your processor selection. This goes beyond simply checking if a provider "supports" certain countries, and gets into a deep understanding of how each platform's infrastructure aligns (or doesn’t) with your growth trajectory.</p><p>Some processors excel at providing deep, localized features for single-market businesses. Their point-of-sale integrations, local payment methods, and regulatory compliance are unmatched for focused regional operations. But that same specialization becomes a limitation for international expansion.</p><p>Others build from day one as global platforms. Multi-currency settlement, local acquiring across dozens of countries, and native support for regional payment methods make international expansion configuration rather than integration.&nbsp;</p><p>A third category attempts to balance both, offering broad international coverage while maintaining strong capabilities in key markets. These platforms emphasize flexibility, letting you start simple and layer on complexity as you expand.</p><p>The expensive mistake companies make is choosing based on current needs without considering future growth. Migrating payment processors after international expansion is exponentially more complex than starting with a globally-capable platform.</p><h3>2. Business Model Alignment: Platform Features vs. Core Payments</h3><p>Different business models require fundamentally different payment capabilities, and processors vary dramatically in their native support for complex payment flows.</p><p>If you're building a marketplace or platform business, payment facilitation becomes critical. Some processors provide extensive APIs for onboarding sellers, managing payouts, and handling complex money movement. Others require significant custom development or third-party solutions for these same capabilities.</p><p>Subscription businesses need robust recurring billing logic, dunning management, and payment retry optimization. While some platforms include sophisticated subscription infrastructure out of the box, others treat recurring payments as simple scheduled transactions, leaving you to build the complex logic yourself.</p><p>High-volume enterprise businesses processing millions in transactions need different capabilities entirely: custom pricing negotiations, dedicated support infrastructure, and advanced reconciliation tools. Enterprise-focused processors provide these as standard, while self-service platforms may hit scaling limitations.</p><p>Choosing a processor that natively supports your business model and product requirements can sometimes mean the difference between simple configuration vs requirements for custom code. That gap can widen over time as your business requirements grow more sophisticated.</p><h3>3. Integration Philosophy: Speed to Market vs. Control</h3><p>Perhaps the most overlooked decision involves how much control you need over the overall payment experience, versus how quickly you need to get to market. This age-old tension factors heavily into how you might evaluate the features and capabilities of each provider.</p><p>Some processors optimize for speed and simplicity. Their pre-built solutions get you processing payments in hours, not weeks. But that simplicity sometimes comes with strong opinions about operational workflows or user experience that you might not be able to work around.</p><p>Others provide maximum flexibility through code. Every aspect of the payment flow can be customized, and more advanced features are highly API-driven for maximum flexibility. This control enables perfect alignment with your product experience but requires significant engineering investment.</p><p>A third approach targets enterprise control through configuration rather than code. These platforms provide extensive customization options through settings and dashboard configurations. Sometimes, this is paired with pre-packaged front end libraries or components that allow access to specific functionality in a fast, but constrained way. This approach can suit organizations with complex requirements but limited implementation resources, or a phased product approach.&nbsp;</p><p>The tension is real: the faster path to market often means accepting constraints that become painful at scale. But over-engineering for future flexibility can delay revenue and waste resources on requirements that never materialize.</p><h3>Making the Decision</h3><p>These three decisions—geographic strategy, business model alignment, and integration philosophy—interact in complex ways. A marketplace expanding internationally needs different capabilities than a subscription business focused on a single market. Your right answer depends on your specific trajectory.</p><p>The processors themselves continue to evolve, with each expanding into the others' traditional strengths. But their DNA remains distinct, and choosing the right cultural and technical fit from the start prevents expensive migrations down the road.</p><p><em>If you're evaluating payment processors for your business, we can help navigate these decisions. Our team has deep implementation experience across all major platforms, and we understand the subtle tradeoffs that only surface in production. Reach out to discuss which platform aligns with your specific requirements and growth plans.</em></p>

<p>Your payment infrastructure should be an accelerator, not an anchor. But for many growing companies, what started as a "good enough" payment solution gradually becomes a bottleneck that limits expansion, frustrates customers, and drains resources. The most challenging part is that these limitations can creep up slowly, making it easy to delay action until they become critical issues or blockers.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Ff6477a0b72da44f9ad17a7134bf86aac" alt="Illustration of a fork in the road branching into three paths, each representing a strategic decision: geographic strategy with a globe icon, business model alignment with stacked blocks, and integration philosophy with code brackets."></p><h3>After building and optimizing payment systems across multiple providers, we've identified three telltale signs that your payment stack has shifted from an enabler to a ball-and-chain around the ankle of your organization.&nbsp;1. Manual Reconciliation is Keeping Your Finance Team in the Excel Dungeon</h3><p>If your finance team spends days each month matching transactions across multiple systems, spreadsheets, and reports, you're experiencing one of the clearest indicators of an outdated payment stack. Modern payment platforms provide automated reconciliation tools, real-time reporting, and unified dashboards that turn a multi-day process into a few clicks.</p><p>The real cost isn't just the hours spent; it's the delayed financial insights, the increased error rates, and the inability to scale operations without proportionally scaling headcount. Companies processing thousands of transactions monthly often discover their manual reconciliation is costing them 40-60 hours of skilled labor that could be automated entirely.</p><p>Warning signs include:</p><ul><li>There are multiple team members who dedicate time each cycle to payment reconciliation</li><li>Month-end close processes extend beyond a few days, or into weeks (or months!)</li><li>Regular discrepancies between payment records and bank statements</li><li>Custom spreadsheets and scripts holding your reconciliation process together</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3>2. You're Turning Away Revenue Due to Limited Payment Methods&nbsp;</h3><p>Every payment method you don't accept is a customer you might lose. If you're still credit-card only while your competitors accept digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later options, ACH transfers, or international payment methods, you're creating unnecessary friction at the most critical moment of the customer journey.</p><p>This problem compounds when expanding internationally. A payment stack that only handles USD credit cards effectively blocks entire markets. European customers expect SEPA transfers, Asian markets often prefer local payment methods like Alipay or GrabPay, and B2B customers increasingly demand ACH or wire transfer options to manage cash flow.</p><p>The modern reality: customers expect to pay how they want to pay. A limited payment stack forces them to adapt to you, rather than the other way around—and many simply won't.</p><h3>3. Your Engineering Team Treats Payment Features as a Black Hole</h3><p>When product roadmaps consistently deprioritize payment-related features or your engineers groan at payment integration tickets, you're seeing the technical debt of an inflexible payment stack. Simple requests like adding subscription billing, implementing dynamic pricing, or creating custom checkout flows become multi-sprint endeavors that never quite make it to the top of the backlog.</p><p>This manifests in several ways:</p><ul><li>Basic features like saving payment methods require custom development</li><li>Testing payment flows in development is complex or impossible</li><li>Each new payment-related requirement means diving into poorly documented APIs</li><li>Compliance updates require significant engineering effort rather than configuration changes</li></ul><p>Modern payment platforms provide robust SDKs, extensive documentation, and pre-built components that transform payment features from engineering nightmares into straightforward implementations. If your team is building payment functionality from scratch that comes standard with current platforms, you're not just wasting resources—you're accumulating technical debt that compounds over time.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F8f0d3e305d234d3cb72e072121a44cdd" alt="A diverse group of four business professionals in a modern office discussing strategy around a table, with laptops and documents visible, symbolizing collaboration between finance and engineering teams."></p><h3>Moving Forward</h3><p>These symptoms rarely appear overnight. They develop gradually as businesses grow, requirements evolve, and customer expectations shift. But recognizing them early—and addressing them strategically—can unlock growth that your current payment stack is actively preventing.</p><p>The good news? Migration to a modern payment platform, while requiring careful planning, often pays for itself within months through reduced operational costs, increased conversion rates, and expanded market opportunities.</p><p><em>If these challenges sound familiar, we can help evaluate your current payment architecture and identify the right path forward. Our team has guided companies through payment stack modernizations with Stripe, Adyen, and Square, turning payment processing from a constraint into a competitive advantage. Reach out to discuss your payment infrastructure goals.</em></p>

<p>Switching payment processors is a big milestone for any organization, and one that usually comes with some major upsides: better rates, access to enhanced features, new omnichannel capabilities, and other exciting opportunities await. However, before you arrive at those green pastures, a painful, crucial step awaits; the one word that is the bane of payment teams everywhere, that dread killer of timelines: Migration.</p><p>It’s easy to imagine this scenario: your new integration goes smoothly. Your stakeholders are aligned behind the move to a new provider. Everything seems on track; but when it comes time to pull and trigger and migrate existing customer payment methods to the new provider, there are several small details revealed that halt the process, and ruin your timeline.</p><p>After supporting numerous payment migrations across multiple providers, we've identified three critical factors that consistently delay these initiatives (and what you can do to mitigate them).</p><h3>1. Token Migration Complexity</h3><p>The biggest issue that delays payment migrations is not having a concrete token migration strategy. Saved payment tokens are not natively portable between processors, and each provider uses proprietary tokenization methods. This siloing means that card data stored by one processor cannot be directly transferred to and used by another processor.&nbsp;</p><p>Organizations typically face three options when moving to a new provider:</p><ul><li>Require customers to re-enter saved payment information, risking significant churn</li><li>Leverage account updater services, though compatibility varies</li><li>Implement network tokenization solutions, which require extensive technical coordination</li></ul><p>Successful migrations address token portability during initial planning phases. Coordinating migration assistance from your origin and destination processor can be a time-consuming process, making it all the more critical to address as early as possible.&nbsp;</p><h3>2. Regulatory and Compliance Requirements</h3><p>Payment migrations must comply with a complex regulatory compliance landscape. PCI DSS requirements for handling sensitive card data during transitions are stringent, and ignoring these requirements can halt migrations entirely.</p><p>Key compliance considerations include:</p><ul><li>Determining required PCI certification levels for the migration approach</li><li>Ensuring appropriate customer consent for data transfers under GDPR and similar regulations</li><li>Aligning with the new processor's data retention and security policies</li></ul><p>Considering compliance requirements from day one, involving the necessary stakeholders, and planning detailed milestones can avoid costly delays and redesigns.</p><h3>3. Hidden Technical Dependencies</h3><p>Payment processing touches numerous business systems beyond simple transaction handling. Migration projects frequently uncover deeply embedded dependencies and requirements that can extend timelines significantly.</p><p>Some commonly overlooked elements include:</p><ul><li>Custom payment retry logic and failure handling</li><li>Specialized workflows for refunds, voids, and chargebacks</li><li>Industry-specific features like pre-authorizations or split tender</li><li>Webhook integrations supporting downstream systems</li><li>Financial reporting and reconciliation processes</li></ul><p>Each dependency may require careful implementation or reconstruction, transforming seemingly simple projects into complex drains on engineering resources. In the worst cases, hasty development must take place to address missing requirements, which can lead to costly mistakes.</p><p>Successful payment migrations require comprehensive planning that goes beyond API documentation. Understanding the full scope of technical dependencies, compliance requirements, and data migration challenges from the outset is essential for maintaining project momentum.</p><p><em>If your organization is planning a payment processor migration or facing challenges with an ongoing transition, we can help. Our team has extensive experience guiding companies through migrations to Stripe, Adyen, Square, and other platforms. Reach out to discuss how we can keep your migration on track.</em></p>

<p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F6fb1cd8f1f2d4631a58328976301338c"></p><p>Traditional one-size-fits-all assessments have long failed to capture the true potential of individual learners. Every student brings unique strengths and learning styles, yet most assessments treat them identically. This disconnect has created barriers that prevent educators from truly understanding what their students know and can do.</p><p>Artificial intelligence is changing this landscape dramatically. Machine learning, generative AI, and natural language processing are dismantling traditional barriers to personalized assessment, creating opportunities for more meaningful evaluation methods that serve both K-12 and adult learners.</p><h2><strong>Traditional Assessment Limitations</strong></h2><p>Historical barriers to personalized assessment include massive resource requirements for creating individualized tests, limited adaptive capabilities in paper-based assessments, narrow response formats constrained by scoring limitations, and delayed feedback that prevents real-time instructional adjustment. These constraints have made truly personalized assessment practically impossible at scale.</p><h2><strong>How AI Technologies Enable Personalization</strong></h2><h2><br></h2><h3><strong>Machine Learning: Intelligent Adaptation</strong></h3><p>Machine learning algorithms excel at pattern recognition, enabling truly adaptive assessments. These systems analyze student response data to optimize question sequences, adjust difficulty in real-time, and predict learning gaps before they become obstacles. Instead of fixed question sets, AI selects items that provide maximum information about each student's understanding.</p><h3><strong>Generative AI: Expanding Possibilities</strong></h3><p>Generative AI revolutionizes assessment by creating multiple question versions that test the same concepts with different contexts, automatically evaluating open-ended responses with increasing accuracy, and generating content that reflects students' interests and cultural backgrounds while maintaining learning objectives.</p><h3><strong>Natural Language Processing: Understanding Student Thinking</strong></h3><p>NLP technologies enable conversational assessment interfaces where students can explain their thinking naturally, provide multilingual support that removes language barriers, and analyze student confidence levels and emotional states through language patterns.</p><h2><strong>Enabling Formative Use of Assessment Data</strong></h2><p>AI-powered personalized assessments enable the research-backed principles of effective formative assessment. Research consistently demonstrates that frequent, relevant, and timely feedback is critical for learning, as it allows students to adjust their thinking and enables teachers to modify instruction in response to student needs. AI makes this approach practical at scale by providing continuous learning feedback, enabling real-time instructional adjustment, capturing learning processes rather than just final answers, integrating scaffolded support when students struggle, and focusing on individual growth rather than comparative ranking.</p><h2><strong>Real-World Success: The UMass ASAP Case Study</strong></h2><p>The University of Massachusetts Adult Skills Assessment Program (ASAP) partnership with Monstarlab demonstrates successful implementation of personalized assessment technology. The team at UMass' Center for Education Research was interested in moving beyond conventional assessment methods to provide adult learners with assessments that were more culturally relevant and aligned to their personal preferences for language and a simplified user experience.</p><p>Monstarlab helped UMass through the crawl and walk phases of implementation, starting with stakeholder alignment and infrastructure building rather than rushing to complex AI features. The partnership focused on user-centered design, creating intuitive interfaces and moderate personalization features while building scalable architecture designed to serve over 10,000 learners.</p><p>While the platform now includes basic adaptive capabilities and white-labeling potential, achieving full personalization through sophisticated AI systems and advanced analytics requires additional development. The completed work provides essential infrastructure and demonstrates significant value, while preparing the foundation for future advanced AI implementation.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F3128ea21198d46b0862e87ce4293435b"></p><h2><strong>A Practical Implementation Framework</strong></h2><p>Organizations can follow a crawl, walk, run approach to implement personalized assessments:</p><p><strong>Crawl Phase: </strong>Establish basic infrastructure, begin systematic data collection, provide staff training on digital assessment tools, and implement small-scale pilots with simple adaptive features.</p><p><strong>Walk Phase: </strong>Integrate basic machine learning for adaptive question selection, introduce NLP for simple response analysis, develop enhanced data analytics capabilities, and scale successful pilots while maintaining careful evaluation.</p><p><strong>Run Phase: </strong>Deploy advanced AI systems for comprehensive personalization, implement sophisticated analytics for predictive modeling, and achieve seamless integration across all educational technologies.</p><h2><strong>Steps Toward Success</strong></h2><p><strong>K-12 Schools</strong> can start by building robust networks, aligning personalized tools with state standards, developing special education accommodation capabilities, and creating parent communication strategies about AI-enhanced assessment approaches.</p><p><strong>Higher Education</strong> can begin with balancing AI benefits with faculty autonomy, developing research capabilities to validate effectiveness, integrating with student success initiatives, and ensuring accreditation compliance.</p><p><strong>Adult Learning Organizations </strong>can focus on creating flexible, accessible interfaces, developing industry-relevant content, implementing competency-based evaluation approaches, and building scalable, cost-effective solutions.</p><p><strong>EdTech Companies </strong>can prioritize user-centered design grounded in educational theory, implementing ethical AI with bias detection, ensuring robust data privacy and security, providing comprehensive professional development, and investing in research demonstrating product effectiveness.</p><h2><strong>Looking Forward</strong></h2><p>The transformation to personalized assessment represents a fundamental shift from summative judgment to formative support. By removing traditional barriers of scale and resource constraints, AI technologies enable assessments that serve learning in real-time rather than simply documenting it after the fact. This reduces anxiety and stress while providing continuous support and multiple opportunities for improvement.</p><p>The future of personalized assessment isn't just about better technology—it's about creating educational experiences that honor each individual's unique learning journey while providing educators with unprecedented insights to support student growth and success.</p>

<p>Monstarlab Americas is excited to introduce Trish Martin, our Managing Director and Head of Product &amp; Strategy.</p><h2><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F437761946177404f8f4b3b43f0fb754b" alt="Trish Martin"></h2><p>First off, can you tell us about your decision to join the Monstarlab team?</p><p><strong><em>I was impressed by how Monstarlab truly lives out their “Be Borderless” value by thinking and acting globally in all aspects of their work with clients. Bringing the best talent, technologies, methodologies, and practices from around the world and giving clients the ability to utilize these synergies to improve their businesses is an exciting proposition.</em></strong></p><p>What opportunities do you see coming up in the short and long term?</p><p><strong><em>In the short term, we are uniquely positioned to bring our specialized skill set in QSR technologies and experience optimization to a broader set of clients all over the world. No one knows kiosks better than we do! In the longer term, I see Monstarlab utilizing our global expertise in life sciences, financial services, education and public sector organizations to help clients in these more traditional industries to accelerate their digital transformation and be ready to meet the needs of the next generation of consumers.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>I have noticed that over the last year, the appetite among businesses for heavy, drawn-out strategic planning and multi-year technology roadmaps is waning. Instead, I see an appetite for discovery and innovation.</em></strong></p><p>As someone with an extensive background in business development and strategy, what are some pain points and also areas of growth that you’re seeing in the market right now?</p><p><strong><em>I have noticed that over the last year, the appetite among businesses for heavy, drawn-out strategic planning and multi-year technology roadmaps is waning. Instead, I see an appetite for discovery and innovation. With so many uncertainties in the economy, I think businesses just want to know what they can do now to reduce costs and diversify their revenue streams. And they are willing to take small measured risks through bite-sized experimentation and change. Though this may feel like a pain point for traditional consulting firms and professional service providers, I think it is a tremendous opportunity to change how we do business, just as we advise our clients to change theirs.</em></strong></p><p>Follow-up question based on your answer pertaining to the current market status and opportunities –about types of projects that excite you, etc.</p><p><strong><em>I get excited about helping companies build their innovation muscle: continuously discovering opportunities to optimize their ways of working, using rapid research and prototyping to gain insights, ideation and experimentation with new technologies that can accelerate change and improve customer and employee experience. And if those projects are with organizations that serve the public good, such as education and workforce readiness, mental health and addiction services, environment and sustainability, then those would be the most meaningful for me.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>I get excited about helping companies build their innovation muscle… with new technologies that can accelerate change and improve customer and employee experience</em></strong></p><p>Is there any insight that you can provide right now to newer businesses that are just coming into their own during this unprecedented time? Or conversely, any insights into the vanguards?</p><p><strong><em>No matter how long you have been in business, you will never have everything figured out. So you need to build into your daily operations regular channels to gather insights and learn from others including your employees, customers and peers.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>I think this drive towards continuous improvement as well as my acknowledgement that we are never done learning comes from my background as an educator. Nothing will motivate you more than a child who wants to learn and is struggling to do so. So as a teacher you try every way possible to help them —no matter what their limitations and obstacles are —through trial and error and by taking one small win at a time. I apply this to my work as a consultant in the business world in that I believe that there is always a way to learn and make progress.I have also tried to teach other business leaders how to listen, learn, be creative and be willing to fail and try again, in a structured way.</em></strong></p><p>Start your discovery and innovation journey too. The the contact form below to get in touch.</p>

<p>In the fast-paced world of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), where competition is fierce and consumer expectations are ever-evolving, staying ahead is not just a matter of choice — it’s a necessity for survival. Over the past decade, the American quick service restaurant industry has witnessed a series of significant events and transformative trends that have not only shaped its landscape but have also redefined the way in which QSR businesses operate and adapt to change.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F992bed2790ee44d9b69706ca81e0e8f8">From a high-profile food contamination outbreak that sent shockwaves through the QSR industry, forcing everyone to reexamine their food safety standards and supply chain management, to the emergence of plant-based meat alternatives that have challenged traditional notions of fast-food ingredients and sustainability — the QSR sector has been subject to major disruptions and paradigm shifts. Moreover, the global pandemic of unprecedented scale has further tested the capabilities of many QSR brands in their innovation, adaptability, and resilience in the face of unforeseen challenges.</p><p>In this article, we will spotlight three strategic themes that we believe have become critically important for QSR brands to recognize as they navigate a changing landscape and adapt to evolving consumer expectations.</p><h2>Unlocking Customer Insights</h2><p>Earning and retaining customer loyalty in a crowded QSR landscape, full of options, is already a demanding feat. This is further exacerbated when external influences start shaping the way customers think, behave and act when making their purchasing decisions. For instance, when there is a recession and the meal that did cost $10 is now $11, due to unpredictable changes in consumer price elasticity in the QSR market, customers might rethink how often they choose that meal and explore more affordable alternatives. To create a deeper connection with customers, QSR brands must harness the power of data, staying acutely attuned to evolving trends that may influence customer behavior, and use that data to create personalized experiences that resonate on a stronger level.</p><p>“According to Technomic’s 2020 Center of the Plate: Seafood and Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report, Gen Z consumers sit ahead of the pack when it comes to routine consumption of vegetarian and vegan options, with 63 percent consuming vegetarian or vegan dishes at least once per month, and 44 percent doing so once or more a week”[1]. The new generation is increasingly attuned to the imperatives of environmental sustainability and personal well-being. Some QSR brands have successfully evolved their predominantly meat-focused menus to capture this particular segment of customers while others fell short. QSR leaders such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Del Taco, chose to embrace the risk, guided by an understanding of shifting consumer attitudes and created plant-based alternatives of their products.</p><p>Del Taco partnered with Beyond Meat in 2019 to offer plant-based meat beef tacos on their menu and it sold over 2 million units in the span of the first 2 months. In 2019, Burger King generated strong sales that summer with its Impossible Whopper introduction [2].</p><p>Conversely, McDonald’s saw underwhelming sales with their McPlant burger, launched in 2021. Despite careful testing in select U.S. locations, the McPlant’s lackluster performance could be attributed to its timing. The McPlant burger made its debut two years after the market had potentially reached a saturation point, leaving many to wonder if the Golden Arches had missed a prime opportunity. Given how plant-based meat sales have plateaued, perhaps McDonald’s would have been better served by focusing on their core product strengths and skipping the plant-based meat trend altogether.</p><p>Among the most iconic brands celebrated for its loyal customer base, Starbucks faced a big shift in consumer behavior during the pandemic, transforming the daily ritual of “I’ll grab Starbucks on my way to work” into a profound question — “Do I truly need to venture outside today?” This forced Starbucks to not only re-engage its devoted patrons but also quickly meet them where they now found themselves. Starbucks’s ability to send hyper-personalized and targeted marketing offers to their customers is powered by their “digital flywheel program, a cloud-based artificial intelligence engine that processes over 90 million transactions a week across 25,000 stores worldwide amongst 17 million mobile app users. It’s so sophisticated that the recommendations will change based on what makes the most sense according to the day’s weather, if it’s a holiday or a weekday, and what location you’re at” [3].</p><p>Recognizing the evolving lifestyle of customers, with more people embracing home comfort, Starbucks harnessed the power of data to curate a powerful lineup of products available in grocery stores</p>

<p>Education has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, driven by the global pandemic, advances in technology, and the changing needs of learners. Generation Alpha, born in the early 2010s, will be the first generation to grow up entirely in a world shaped by advanced technology. As such, their behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional needs will differ from those of Gen Z and Millennials. They are passionate about interactive, engaging, collaborative learning environments that encourage social and emotional learning. Meeting their unique needs calls for a transformative shift in EdTech solutions — one that is deeply rooted in human-centric design. For organizations, reimagining education for Gen Alpha demands innovative and collaborative approaches. It now takes more than a singular methodology to address educational challenges. That’s why co-design is a must.</p><h2><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F992bed2790ee44d9b69706ca81e0e8f8">Understanding Generation Alpha</h2><p>Generation Alpha, born after 2010, represents the youngest and most digitally immersed generation to date. They are currently learning, exploring, and growing in K–12 environments. This cohort has been growing up in a world characterized by constant connectivity and has never known a time without the internet or smartphones.[1] Highly tech-savvy and comfortable using technology for learning, collaboration and entertainment; these young people are socially conscious, multidisciplinary entrepreneurs.</p><h2>Characteristics of the Generation Alpha:</h2><h3>They are accustomed to integrating technology into their lives</h3><p>Generation Alpha is a generation like no other in the way that they seamlessly integrate technology into their daily lives. They are accustomed to getting information quickly and easily. This tech-savvy generation thrives in dynamic, engaging, and collaborative learning environments that also encourage social and emotional learning.</p><h3>They have a strong sense of social consciousness and desire social change</h3><p>They are growing up in a world where climate change, sustainability, social inequality, cybersecurity, and human well-being are at the center of public discourse, and they are passionate about positively impacting the world. They view these global challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities for innovation and positive transformation. They seek to harness the power of technology and collaboration to address these issues. As they navigate the educational landscape, they are driving a shift towards a more purpose-driven, socially aware approach to learning.</p><h3>They thrive in collaborative environments</h3><p>From a young age, with their interactions with social media, gaming, and technology platforms, they are comfortable with being in collaborative environments. They thrive in environments that encourage teamwork, creative problem-solving and decision making. They value the richness that diverse viewpoints bring to the table. This generation is driven by the desire to achieve collective goals and make a positive impact on their communities and the world.</p><h3>They value self-expression and multidisciplinarity</h3><p>And learning environments, platforms, and spaces that enable it. They engage with things that allow them to express their ideas and opinions uniquely. Generation Alpha is drawn to learning experiences that provide the freedom to explore and express their personalities. In their learning journey, they seek out opportunities to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, connect dots easily, and foster a holistic understanding of the world.</p><h3>They have a willingness to experiment</h3><p>They have a strong desire to continually explore new ideas, try new things, and they eagerly seek feedback. They embrace the opportunity to refine and enhance their knowledge through iterative learning. With an entrepreneurial spirit, they love getting the chance to redo things using the newly acquired learnings. They are good at fostering a growth mindset rather than adhering to a “one and done” approach in their educational journey. They also feel empowered by the many resources available to them, including generative AI-driven systems and online education platforms; which can help them quickly turn their ideas into reality, such as designing digital apps and launching social campaigns.</p><h3>They value agency and personalization</h3><p>Because members of Gen Alpha are immersed in information and technology from a very young age, they are more focused on practical applications of their knowledge. This drive towards entrepreneurship and professional development asks for a learning experience that is contextualized and connected to the real world.</p>

<p>There comes a point where the things that are “nice to have” become “need to have” and a standardized design system is one of those initiatives that falls down the priority list until it’s a problem.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F87f82b92a4c34f51ba28f7060d26bff1" alt="Design System">A “design system” is really just an evolution of your brand guidelines that includes guidance on problems you’ve already solved for. Where brand guidelines may cover the proper use of font and color, a brand system will expand that to include functional elements that go into your digital products. If you’re managing a digital product, you should have some kind of design system, whether that is a simple set of processes or guidance, or a robust mountain of processes, managed by a large team. If you don’t have a design system, there are some clear signs that it’s time to start or the one you have needs tweaking.</p><h2>Disjointed Experiences</h2><p>Over time, and with multiple production teams, interfaces, look and feel have drifted out of sync across products. This makes experiences seem unpolished — or worse, untrustworthy.</p><h2>Knowledge Gets Lost</h2><p>Institutional knowledge is poorly documented. For designers and developers eager to share solutions, it’s unclear how. This means product teams are burning time on problems already solved by other teams.</p><h2>Single-use Architecture</h2><p>Code and design are not portable across teams. Each product has a design library with deep dependencies that are often incompatible with, or too complex, to share for use by other product teams.</p><h2>Projects Move Slowly</h2><p>Reliable project estimates are difficult when code reuse is low or sporadic. Maintenance is expensive when changing an interface element requires fixing or refactoring multiple instances of the same component.</p><p>When a new digital product is being designed, it’s critical to ensure that the product successfully conveys the company’s brand identity and that happens through colors, types of imagery, font typeface, interactions, and animations. There are also user interface pieces like buttons, drop-downs and checkboxes. Best practices need to be followed to make sure products are accessible and usable by almost anyone before it’s coded by engineering.</p><p>Once that process is done for a design system, it’s more or less done, and now elements can be reused over and over again. Many organizations build a product without a design system and that is entirely understandable! However, it’s not a great place to stay forever. To ensure a product can be maintained and expanded, it needs a proper system to support it. For example, a system can include guidelines, which are a set of documents that tell you how to use it and how to use its element system.</p><h2>How to Use a Design System</h2><p>Let’s break down an example of how a design system can work when applied to a new digital product being built, in this case, a new app for Android and iPhone to support a new service offering.</p><p>Once the product team defines the need and functionality, designers create screens and interfaces that show how users will interact with the service. In our example, the new app needs to allow users to administer their accounts and add additional services. The design team uses the design system component library to quickly assemble the product experience for handoff to development. From there, it’s development, QA and launch, but the handoff between the design production screens and the development is where the design system is mission critical.</p><p>In the example of our mobile app, if a designer is asked to build a home button, they access a component library inside the design system which provides brand-approved options to choose from. Components are actual pieces or building blocks that designers take and fit together to build a product — frameworks which represent the code that developers use. They know the button has been previously tested for usability and that it’s — for example — readable by a person with color blindness or otherwise impaired vision. When the button component makes its way to the developer, they pass along guidance on how to implement it and the code they can use to generate the button. This component is also usable across platforms, so no matter the size of the viewport, the button looks consistent. All that definition is included within the single button.</p><h2>Why Organizations Use Them</h2><p>Committing to a design system all but guarantees that the experience is cohesive across brand products. Design systems make product development easier, faster, and consistent but most importantly — it leaves space for real innovation.</p>

<p>Many industries are going through digitization, completely changing how products are developed and brought to market. The playing field changed completely from what it was a decade ago: new consumer expectations, new legislation, and new possibilities driven by technology. For financial services, the need for a change is clear. Embedded services are a proven way to unlock new opportunities and improve the end customer’s value. To make them a reality, companies must find ways to collaborate and innovate effectively, balancing personalization, data safety, and strategy</p><h2><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fde877513d96d4ed7921ad8ee47a30ba5">A Paradigm Shift</h2><p>A shift is happening, in hearts and minds and at the ballot box to navigate the complex intersection of protecting a person’s privacy while offering embedded financial services and embedded banking. Innovation will always outpace legislation, but how and where data on us is collected has shifted, and so too must the governance that safeguards us all.</p><p>If we reframe our thinking to work backward from the problem, perhaps we can innovate and disrupt the market in new and novel ways. Changing the way we use data, anonymize data, protect it…but utilize it to solve problems facing the economy, the environment, and society at large. We can see examples of legislation popping up in parts of the Middle East and South America or even Australia which touts its Citizen Data Rights provision which enables the safe sharing of data businesses have on people with other trusted organizations.</p><h2>The Emergence of Embedded Services</h2><p>It’s important to draw a distinction between terms to understand how they can be used in practice. Here is how we define these terms:</p><h2>Open Banking</h2><p>Open banking refers to when banks and financial institutions provide access to third-party service providers through the use of an API or application programming interface. For example, think of your Uber app. Your payment method is stored by Uber and called upon when using their service and keeping that experience inside the app.</p><h2>Open Finance</h2><p>The next step after Open Banking, Open Finance refers to using banking data to build new financial products and services only using more data sources. Instead of relying only on banking information, these products and services may also use data from utility providers, insurance, and pension funds to name a few.</p><h2>Embedded Finance (EF)</h2><p>Embedded finance is best thought of as bringing investment tools, cards, insurance, financing and more into any non-financial product. One example is something that is a hot trend is BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) which allows you to make an online purchase in installments, financed through a third party like Klarna.</p><h2>Embedded Services (ES)</h2><p>Embedding many types of services into a single app or from multiple, discreet sources is the next evolution in creating cross-platform customer experiences. This term is fairly open and can refer to a number of different products and services working in combination together through APIs to connect a consumer ecosystem.</p><p>Here is a sample path for organizations to explore, when considering bringing embedded services into their ecosystem.</p><p>Embedded finance is set to touch $230BN in revenue by 2025 and could potentially reach up to $1TN in value. [1]</p><p>This growth is possible because it represents a fundamental shift to integrate services that will use data engineering and technology to seamlessly link markets and ecosystems.</p><p>One great example is using multiple modes to transport automobiles, where insurance can be cost-adjusted based on the environmental impact of the trip. Making it personal, and horizontal, insurance companies could take health and activity data from wearables to create more customized offerings that meet the users’ specific needs. The diagram below explains the relationships a bit more.</p><p>Forward-thinking organizations who want to embrace the emergence of embedded finance and services need to think horizontally to meet the consumer where they are.</p><h2>Defined by Purpose and Visionaries</h2><p>There is enough momentum and players in the space that we can craft some Target Operating Models around ‘ whole-brained’ teams with cross-sector expertise. Teams need to be multi-disciplined, wedded to a culture that focuses on a customer-centric experience and delivering value. A carefully constructed team with the right vision, knowledge, and attitude can drive innovation forward with ethics, and governance that build trust with customers. The diagram below shows the horizontal design approach which best enables your innovators to succeed.</p><p>Monstarlab is uniquely positioned with the expertise, technology, and data background combined with our focus on the human experience. We work with leading</p>

<p>One of the biggest challenges facing humanity in healthcare today is the rising cost of healthcare treatments. With the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and an aging population, healthcare systems are under pressure to find more cost-effective ways to deliver care. Digital Therapeutics (DTx) can help to address this challenge by enabling remote patient monitoring and support, reducing the need for in-person visits and potentially reducing overall healthcare costs.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F3dedfa6a5a96474bb803a0ef02a81982">Another challenge in healthcare is the need for more personalized treatments. Traditional approaches to medicine are often “one size fits all”, but DTx can provide a more tailored approach to treatment. DTx solutions can be designed to meet the specific needs of individual patients, taking into account their medical history, lifestyle, and other factors. This can lead to better treatment adherence and improved patient outcomes.</p><p>In addition, there is a growing need for self-care management and patient empowerment in healthcare. DTx can support patients in managing their own health and well-being through tools that help them track their symptoms, manage their medications, and monitor their progress over time. This can lead to better patient engagement, improved treatment outcomes, and ultimately, better quality of life.</p><p>Digital Therapeutics (DTx) offer numerous opportunities to address these challenges faced by healthcare today. By leveraging evidence-based therapeutic interventions through software and digital technologies, DTx can provide remote patient monitoring, support self-care management, and reduce the need for in-person visits. In addition, DTx solutions can enhance treatment adherence, improve patient engagement, and ultimately lead to better health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. As such, digital therapeutics have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and transform the delivery of healthcare.</p><p>However, along with these opportunities come a unique set of challenges that must be addressedadressed by companies operating in this dynamic space. From regulatory compliance to technical development and market access, players in the DTx industry face a range of obstacles that require strategic solutions.</p><h2>Regulatory Compliance</h2><p>DTx products, as a subset of software as a medical device (SaMD), fall under the regulatory framework of the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in the EU and guidelines issued by the FDA in the US. Compliance with these regulations is critical to ensure the safety and efficacy of DTx products. However, obtaining regulatory approval can be a lengthy and complex process, and companies may face difficulties due to the lack of harmonization between regulatory bodies across countries. These regulatory hurdles can make it challenging for companies to bring their DTx products to market and limit their potential impact on improving patient outcomes.</p><h2>Data Privacy and Security</h2><p>Data privacy and security is a critical challenge that players in the digital therapeutics (DTx) industry must address. The nature of DTx involves the collection, storage, and analysis of sensitive patient data, including personal health information. Ensuring robust data privacy measures, complying with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, and implementing secure data storage and transmission are crucial challenges.</p><h2>Technical Development</h2><p>Building scalable, reliable, and interoperable software solutions for DTx requires technical expertise. Developing robust backend infrastructure, seamless integration with existing healthcare systems, and incorporating interoperability standards are challenges that need to be addressed.</p><h2>Commercialization and Market Access</h2><p>While developing an innovative DTx product is essential, effectively bringing it to market and ensuring its accessibility to patients and healthcare providers is equally important. Commercialization involves developing a comprehensive market strategy, identifying target customer segments, and creating compelling value propositions. It also includes pricing strategies, reimbursement models, and partnerships with payers and healthcare systems. Market access focuses on overcoming barriers to entry, navigating regulatory and reimbursement landscapes, and securing favorable coverage and reimbursement for DTx products.</p><p>At Monstarlab, we understand the complexities involved in the digital therapeutics market, including the regulatory considerations. With our expertise in software development, data analytics, and user/patient experience research, we can provide comprehensive support to companies in overcoming regulatory hurdles. Whether it’s assisting in navigating the regulatory landscape, developing compliant software solutions, conducting user research, or optimizing patient access, we have the knowledge and skills to help you succeed.</p><h2>How Monstarlab Addresses These Challenges</h2><p>In Monstarlab, we’re committed to supporting our clients in the development and validation of their DTx digital therapeutics products. This includes identifying user needs and requirements, designing and developing software products, and testing and validating the products to ensure they</p>

<p>Imagine a bustling hospital, where hundreds of patients arrive daily, without notice, seeking treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. The staff – doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals – work tirelessly to provide the best care possible, all while navigating the complexities of a dynamic and unpredictable environment, regulatory scrutiny, and public attention. Amidst this chaos, the hospital command and control center serves as a guiding light, a central hub that collects, processes, and analyzes vast amounts of real-time data, empowering healthcare teams to make critical decisions swiftly that save lives and improve patient outcomes.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, the command and control center’s impact resonates throughout the entire hospital ecosystem. It streamlines patient flow, ensuring that each individual receives timely care, reduces wait times, and optimizes the use of limited resources. In turn, this heightened efficiency allows healthcare professionals to focus on what truly matters – the well-being of their patients.</p><p>This blog post, the first in a series of 10, acts as an introduction to command and control centers. Follow us to stay tuned for more over the coming weeks and months, as we dive deeper into the world of Command and Control Centers (CCCs) and introduce an effective framework for designing and implementing them.</p><p>Hospital command centers are central locations within a hospital where staff can coordinate and manage the response to emergencies, disasters, and other critical events. These centers are typically equipped with a range of communication and technology tools, such as phones, radios, and computer systems, to help hospital staff stay connected and informed during an emergency. Command centers are also often used to track and monitor the location and status of hospital staff and resources, such as beds, equipment, and supplies, in order to ensure that they are used efficiently and effectively. Some hospital command centers are also responsible for coordinating the response to disasters and other emergencies outside the hospital, such as working with local emergency management agencies to provide medical support during a natural disaster, pandemic or terrorist attack.</p><h2>There are several different types of hospital command centers, including:</h2><p>Emergency department command centers: These centers are typically located in the emergency department and are responsible for coordinating the care of patients with urgent or emergent needs. Trauma command centers: These centers are specifically designed to coordinate the care of patients with traumatic injuries and may be located in the emergency department or in a dedicated trauma unit. Disaster command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the hospital’s response to disasters and other large-scale emergencies. Infectious disease command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the hospital’s response to infectious diseases and may be activated during outbreaks or pandemics. Critical care command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the care of critically ill patients and may be located in the intensive care unit or in a dedicated critical care unit. Bed management command centers: These centers are responsible for managing the allocation of beds and other resources within the hospital and may be used to coordinate patient flow and optimize the use of hospital resources.</p><p>Emergency department command centers: These centers are typically located in the emergency department and are responsible for coordinating the care of patients with urgent or emergent needs.</p><p>Trauma command centers: These centers are specifically designed to coordinate the care of patients with traumatic injuries and may be located in the emergency department or in a dedicated trauma unit.</p><p>Disaster command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the hospital’s response to disasters and other large-scale emergencies.</p><p>Infectious disease command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the hospital’s response to infectious diseases and may be activated during outbreaks or pandemics.</p><p>Critical care command centers: These centers are responsible for coordinating the care of critically ill patients and may be located in the intensive care unit or in a dedicated critical care unit.</p><p>Bed management command centers: These centers are responsible for managing the allocation of beds and other resources within the hospital and may be used to coordinate patient flow and optimize the use of hospital resources.</p><p>Overall, the type of hospital command center will depend on the specific needs of the hospital and the types of emergencies and crises it is most likely to encounter.</p><p>Another useful classification of these centers is based on the technology stack:</p><p>A separate facility like the flight control centers Integrated into existing technologies and using more handheld or portable devices and more integrated into the existing hospital infrastructure A hybrid of the above two options.</p><h2>A separate facility like the flight control centers</h2><p>Integrated into existing technologies and using more handheld or portable devices and more integrated into the existing</p>

<p>Smart places—also known as smart spaces—are gaining attention as a people-focused way to support long-term sustainability. While they’re often recognized for improving daily life, work, and community experiences, more organizations are realizing their role in achieving sustainability goals. In fact, green building and environmental concerns have been key drivers of growth since 2020.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F0c21073e49354fb685189d3eb217c389">To meet sustainability goals while enabling innovations like those shown above, companies across industries are adopting smart technologies. These approaches make better use of physical spaces and resources while increasing operational efficiency. However, many organizations pursue this by building from scratch—an approach that’s increasingly rivaled by a more sustainable option: smart redevelopment.</p><p>Let’s explore the benefits of upgrading existing spaces instead of starting over.</p><h2>The common route: Building from scratch</h2><p>Many smart place initiatives begin with building entirely new infrastructure. The appeal of “smart from the start” projects lies in their flexibility and freedom to innovate. These projects allow developers to create new systems without being limited by legacy designs or infrastructure.</p><p>However, new builds come with challenges. Starting from scratch means coordinating finance, logistics, people, and technology to create a fully integrated system. It also means rebuilding your business, city, or facility from the ground up—often at high cost and disruption to existing operations. These hurdles can be avoided by upgrading what you already have.</p><h2>The road less traveled: Retrofitting existing spaces</h2><p>Organizations that manage or operate physical spaces face growing pressure to improve sustainability, reduce costs, and keep up with evolving expectations. These goals can often be achieved by upgrading existing buildings instead of starting anew.</p><p><strong>“Starting with existing spaces offers a big advantage: they’re already in use. Even if a space isn’t digitized yet, it provides a clear starting point to improve user experience, reduce costs, and optimize resource use. It’s easier to identify quick wins that drive momentum for change.”</strong></p><p><em>– Christian Nielsen, Director of Strategy, Monstarlab Americas</em></p><p>Retrofitting can deliver the same benefits as a new build—without the expense or complexity. Many organizations can unlock significant value by creatively rethinking how to use the space they already have. It’s a matter of smart strategy, thoughtful planning, and well-designed execution.</p><p>Buildings are typically designed to last 30–50 years without major renovations. In practice, they often last much longer and become landmarks of culture and history. But how people use space changes dramatically during that time. That’s why buildings must evolve, too.</p><p>Today, digital infrastructure and ubiquitous IoT sensors make it possible to retrofit older buildings for the future. Smart retrofits can enhance occupant well-being, improve energy efficiency, and align with long-term sustainability goals—all without starting over.</p>

<h1>Welcome Trish Martin: Head of Product &amp; Strategy for Monstarlab Americas</h1><p>Monstarlab Americas is excited to welcome our newest addition to our growing team. Trish Martin comes onboard as the Head of Product &amp; Strategy for the Americas. She brings extensive experience in developing strong products in the technology sector. Trish is known for identifying critical opportunities to innovate and for building high-impact products, services, and practices from incubation to scale. Get to know her better in this Q&amp;A session.</p><h2><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F82996bce92c741069ebb737e07bbaf1f">First off, can you tell us about your decision to join the Monstarlab team?</h2><p>I was impressed by how Monstarlab truly lives out their "Be Borderless" value by thinking and acting globally in all aspects of their work with clients. Bringing the best talent, technologies, methodologies, and practices from around the world and giving clients the ability to utilize these synergies to improve their businesses is an exciting proposition.</p><h2>What opportunities do you see coming up in the short and long term?</h2><p>In the short term, we are uniquely positioned to bring our specialized skill set in QSR technologies and experience optimization to a broader set of clients all over the world. No one knows kiosks better than we do!</p><p>In the longer term, I see Monstarlab utilizing our global expertise in life sciences, financial services, education, and public sector organizations to help clients in these more traditional industries accelerate their digital transformation and be ready to meet the needs of the next generation of consumers.</p><h2>As someone with an extensive background in business development and strategy, what are some pain points and areas of growth that you're seeing in the market right now?</h2><p>I have noticed that over the last year, the appetite among businesses for heavy, drawn-out strategic planning and multi-year technology roadmaps is waning. Instead, I see an appetite for discovery and innovation. With so many uncertainties in the economy, I think businesses just want to know what they can do now to reduce costs and diversify their revenue streams. They are willing to take small, measured risks through bite-sized experimentation and change.</p><p>Though this may feel like a pain point for traditional consulting firms and professional service providers, I think it represents a tremendous opportunity to change how we do business, just as we advise our clients to change theirs.</p><p>"I have noticed that over the last year, the appetite among businesses for heavy, drawn-out strategic planning and multi-year technology roadmaps is waning. Instead, I see an appetite for discovery and innovation."</p><h2>What types of projects excite you most?</h2><p>I get excited about helping companies build their innovation muscle: continuously discovering opportunities to optimize their ways of working, using rapid research and prototyping to gain insights, and experimenting with new technologies that can accelerate change and improve customer and employee experience. If those projects are with organizations that serve the public good—such as education and workforce readiness, mental health and addiction services, or environment and sustainability—then those would be the most meaningful for me.</p><p>"I get excited about helping companies build their innovation muscle… with new technologies that can accelerate change and improve customer and employee experience."</p><h2>What insights can you provide to newer businesses that are just coming into their own during this unprecedented time? Or conversely, any insights about industry vanguards?</h2><p>No matter how long you have been in business, you will never have everything figured out. So you need to build into your daily operations regular channels to gather insights and learn from others, including your employees, customers, and peers.</p><p>I think this drive toward continuous improvement, as well as my acknowledgment that we are never done learning, comes from my background as an educator. Nothing will motivate you more than a child who wants to learn and is struggling to do so. As a teacher, you try every way possible to help them—no matter what their limitations and obstacles are—through trial and error and by taking one small win at a time. I apply this philosophy to my work as a consultant in the business world, believing that there is always a way to learn and make progress. I have also tried to teach other business leaders how to listen, learn, be creative, and be willing to fail and try again—in a structured way.</p><p><strong>Ready to start your discovery and innovation journey?</strong> Get in touch with Trish for a consultation session.</p>

<p>Max Oglesbee, Principal for the Americas, began his new role at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In just under two years, he has navigated the transition from Fuzz Productions (formerly in Brooklyn, New York City) as the organization became part of Monstarlab, expanded operations into Bogotá, Colombia, and Vancouver. We spent some time with Max to chat about these recent changes and what opportunities he predicts will appear in the next fiscal year.</p><p>First, can you tell us a bit about Monstarlab and the transition into the Americas market?</p><p><strong><em>Monstarlab has grown from its founding in Tokyo in 2006 to 1,300 teammates in 18 countries around the world.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>The entry into the Americas began in 2019 with the acquisition of Fuzz Productions, an award winning agency located in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Since 2019, we’ve expanded our footprint in the US, as well as opening an office in Colombia, and now Canada.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Throughout the process, our focus has remained the same: to leverage the latest technology to help our clients grow their businesses and make their customers happy.</em></strong></p><p>What has been the most exciting part of the transition from Fuzz Productions to Monstarlab Americas?</p><p><strong><em>Our mission at Fuzz was simple: to be a great digital agency for our clients, helping them to create innovative digital products and experiences. In Monstarlab, we found a company with the same ethos, and so the integration of the companies has been natural and straightforward for our team members and our clients.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>One of the most exciting aspects of the transition has been the willingness of Monstarlab’s global leadership to welcome us into all aspects of the global company strategy and execution.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>As we identify new opportunities to add value to our client’s businesses, the global reach of Monstarlab is a game-changer in terms of our ability to attract top talent, and to build new teams in places like Colombia where there is a fast-growing engineering and design culture in a timezone that fosters easy collaboration with our clients.</em></strong></p><p>Looking towards the next year, what are some exciting changes that we can expect for Monstarlab in the Americas?</p><p><strong><em>The team is hard at work on some really exciting client projects. In 2022 we plan to launch a few high-profile projects in Food &amp; Hospitality where we’ve had a long track record of success, as well as IoT enabled Health &amp; Wellness products that will improve people’s lives. We’re building on our data and analytics capabilities, which will deepen our client’s understanding of their digital portfolios.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>As we further integrate our teams globally, we are creating opportunities for our team members to work in geographically unique team structures. For example, we’re helping a US based client to thoughtfully adapt their already successful App business to the China market; separately, we’re helping a multinational corporation create new Covid-safe workplace technologies for their offices by bringing a first-person POV to service design that’s specific to each region.</em></strong></p><p>Do you have any predictions for the tech industry overall for FY22?</p><p><strong><em>As technology has permeated all aspects of life, and the pandemic has increased our reliance on it, everyday people are realizing the importance of being mindful about how we engage digitally.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Creating digital products with our clients, core principles are sometimes at odds with one another – for example, how do we balance usability with security, personalization with privacy?</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>The tech industry overall will need to continue to mature in the way we navigate these complexities. My hope for the tech industry overall in 2022 is that we put people first, creating software, platforms and experiences that improve quality of life and encourage healthy engagement.</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fffc66fa74c7e458aacd6abf8553ea28f"></p>

<p>One of the most common sources of confusion in digital product teams is the distinction between the roles of a <strong>product manager</strong> and a <strong>product owner</strong>. Although the titles are often used interchangeably, the responsibilities and focus areas are different—and understanding this distinction is critical to delivering successful outcomes in digital transformation.</p>
<h2>Strategic vs. Tactical Focus</h2>
<p>At Monstarlab, we define the difference simply: <strong>product managers are strategically focused</strong>, while <strong>product owners are tactically focused</strong>.</p>
<p>Product managers tend to operate at a higher altitude, thinking about broader goals, market positioning, long-term roadmaps, and the overall product vision. Product owners, on the other hand, are focused on near-term execution, sprint-level priorities, backlog grooming, and ensuring that teams are building the right things, right now.</p>
<h2>A Useful Analogy</h2>
<p>Consider the process of digital transformation like a steam train journey. The product owner is the driver, monitoring the engine’s heat, managing coal consumption, and navigating upcoming turns. They ensure the train runs safely and efficiently on the current track.</p>
<p>The product manager is laying down the track miles ahead. They are looking at obstacles, choosing the best path forward, and planning how to reach the destination. Their responsibility is to set the direction and pace of progress—ensuring the journey leads somewhere meaningful.</p>
<h2>Collaboration Is Key</h2>
<p>While the responsibilities differ, the most effective product teams have <strong>a strong, collaborative relationship between product managers and product owners</strong>. These roles should challenge each other, share insights, and maintain a healthy tension between short-term progress and long-term goals.</p>
<p>Product managers should support product owners with a strong vision and clear roadmap. Product owners should give product managers visibility into current status, blockers, and user feedback from the ground level.</p>
<h2>Can One Person Do Both?</h2>
<p>A common question we hear is whether one person can—or should—play both roles. In short, <strong>it’s possible, but not ideal</strong>. When a single individual tries to balance both mindsets, short-term pressures often win out. Strategic thinking gets deprioritized, which can result in decisions that favor immediate gains over sustainable growth—leading to technical and product debt over time.</p>
<p>It’s far more effective to have dedicated individuals in each role. This separation allows for open debate, more well-rounded decisions, and a clearer balance between building what’s needed now and planning for what comes next.</p>
<h2>Summary of Key Differences</h2>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Product Managers</strong> set the vision, prioritize future goals, and align the product with business strategy.</li>
  <li><strong>Product Owners</strong> work closely with delivery teams to execute against the strategy, refine backlogs, and maintain velocity.</li>
  <li>Together, they ensure both present needs and future direction are addressed with clarity and focus.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Thought</h2>
<p>For organizations embarking on or scaling digital transformation, defining these roles clearly is a foundational step. Doing so not only eliminates confusion—it builds stronger product teams, reduces delivery risk, and leads to better outcomes for users and the business alike.</p>


<p>Technology has always played an important role in healthcare. From the very first computerized physician ordering system in the 70s to Blockchain technology and Robotics Process Automation today, technology holds the key to transform our healthcare system. This is particularly true when it comes to behavioral science. Infiltrating both mobile and clinical patient care, behavioral science integrations are making a difference in the novel patient experience and modernizing core technologies.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F8fe6c71c29824f959139711d4fa075e6"></p><h3>This article explores:</h3><ul><li>The role of behavioral science in healthcare</li><li>Promising trends in digital patient care</li><li>Noteworthy examples of behavioral technology applications</li></ul><h2>Gamification &amp; Competition</h2><p>In behavioral science, it is common knowledge that people are inherently attracted towards winning. The educational sector was among the first to recognize this and maximize similar behavioral science principles in getting to their goalposts. Witnessing this, as well as the continuous emergence of gamification, other industries are now starting to catch on – including healthcare.</p><p>Healthcare providers, with the help of behavioral economists, have developed health gamification technologies that incentivize good health practices. Techniques gaining popularity may have significant impact on motivating behavioral modifications, such as:</p><ul><li>Targeted diet programs</li><li>Competitive fitness maintenance schemes</li><li>Rewarded consistent medication</li><li>Online support groups for smoking and drug rehabilitation</li></ul><p>The techniques are being met with with varying success. Not only do these strategies improve patient experiences, they also make it significantly easier and more interesting for health institutions too – optimizing data collection, patient monitoring, and service speeds.</p><p>A few notable examples of gamified healthcare technologies are Mango Health – a smartphone application that tracks, reminds, and rewards punctual medication intake, and Vivofit Jr., a mobile app that encourages and incentivizes proper sleep, recommended activities, and good healthcare practices in pediatrics.</p><h2>Virtual Reality</h2><p>According to the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, people are more inclined to engage more in interactions and processes when they are more certain of the process as well as the outcomes. This concept also transcends through healthcare. When patients are more aware and are able to visualize procedures and outcomes, they are more likely to proceed. The same goes for practitioners. Combining this inclination with the fact that interactive environments are also known to be more attractive and conducive for faster recovery speeds, it makes sense for healthcare institutions to seek the technology that maximizes both concepts – Virtual Reality.</p><p>Virtual Reality (VR) is stepping up patient care and medical practice with its simulations. With surgery walkthroughs for patients, educational and practical simulated operations for practitioners, virtual therapy and rehabilitation, and even virtual consultations and conferences, this technology has been leveraging the patient and physician experiences since its medical adaptation .</p><p>Some of the successful models for VR in health are the GestureTek Health’s VR exercise programs that enable patients to safely interact with engaging virtual surroundings and RCSI Medical Training Sim’s simulations for cost- and risk-free physician training.</p><h2>Collaborative Digital Care</h2><p>“Community-based health care is an essential part of primary care at all times…” – World Health Organization (2020)</p><p>It is widely recognized, both in the medical and behavioral science fields, that communities in health and patient care are indispensable. Several studies accredit improvements in recovery speed and mental well-being of patients to communities where collaborative care is key. The industry, upon discovering this, is aligning its efforts and promoting community care in a more modern fashion – thus, the dawn of collaborative digital care.</p><p>Applications like the Goochland County Community Care App based in the USA, are revolutionising patient monitoring and assistance by allowing third-parties (persons and other institutions alike) to track, engage, and participate in digital patient care – creating a more supportive, holistic, and personal program for users by developing a digital culture and capability.</p><h2>Visual Reporting and Mobile Medical Photography</h2><p>Back in the 80s, bulky hospital equipment and long queues to use them were a lot more tolerable because of the relatively slower pace of the analogue age and lack of choices. However, in the rapidly developing</p><p>Intuitively, the healthcare industry has forged a way around time-consuming appointments. With more patients needing access to quick and convenient consultations, pioneers in the business have created and are promoting virtual consultations and DIY medical photography with innovative apps. With timely innovations of applications like MDLive (an online non-emergency consultation app) and Rx Photo (a guided mobile medical photography app), it’s no wonder why mobile’s taking the medical world by storm.</p><h2>Key Takeaways</h2><ul><li>Understanding patient behaviors and thought processes is key to successfully creating grounded, engaging, and overall relevant services</li><li>Community engagement, in-depth patient communication and guidance, and fun-factors are not only impact consumer experience, but also that of providers </li></ul>

<h2>Part of our Wholesale, Retail, &amp; eCommerce Series</h2><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fb750f0a0f0c7434eb7948761e7275a62" alt="Wholesale, Retail, &amp; eCommerce">A majority of companies are looking to become data-driven with only a few having achieved success. And then there are those who are still finding their way into it. Now is the best time to start your data journey.</p><h2>In this article you’ll learn:</h2><ul><li>Wide breadth of benefits that data can deliver covering customer insights to operational efficiency.</li><li>The challenge and opportunity in developing your own data structure.</li><li>Actionable steps to get your data journey started in your organization.</li></ul><h2>From Buzzwords to Must-haves</h2><p>Across industries, we have been hearing a handful of “ buzzwords” over the past few years such as digital transformation, omnichannel, seamless customer experience, and big data, among others. Several big players in the wholesale and retail industry have taken action on these trends ranging from exploration to integrating technology in some way, shape, or form.</p><p>However, the vast majority of retail companies have not taken an active approach to digital transformation. Instead, focusing largely on the brick and mortar experience while deploying digital assets that often don’t really contribute much to the overall customer experience.</p><p>In fact, by the end of 2019, a study conducted by Gartner found that despite having almost 90% of business leaders reporting that digital transformation was a company priority, only 40% have actually embarked on digital initiatives and afterwards scaled them.</p><p>Additionally,&nbsp;there is also a significant research finding by Deloitte that can now be considered an indicator of what was about to come. In one of their surveys, the results showed that close to 9 out of 10 companies believe that digital will disrupt the industry, yet only 44% said they were prepared in case that happens. And indeed disruption came.</p><p>The Covid19 pandemic shook the wholesale and retail industry to its core and brought about the much anticipated digital disruption virtually overnight. The situation brought those digital “buzzwords” to the forefront of the discussions in a bid to quickly adapt to the sudden shifts in customer behaviour.</p><p>Reacting to the changes, wholesale and retail industry players were able to launch digital platforms in short periods with relative ease. However, a key aspect of digital transformation that has enormous business impact and potential may be getting sidetracked in all the rush — data &amp; analytics.</p><h2>The Unmitigated Value of Data</h2><p>Even before the pandemic hit, most companies have been working to adopt big data analytics and found it challenging to leverage the value of data. Either lacking the right tools to mine relevant data or not having the skills and technology to perform analytics and derive actionable insights. Several studies have consistently shown that C-level executives acknowledge that leveraging data will greatly improve their businesses.</p><p>But what business values do companies stand to gain from big data and analytics?</p><h2>Extensive Customer Insight</h2><p>Arguably, the biggest benefit retailers get out of being “forced” into digital channels is the opportunity to generate more relevant customer data. Traditional brick &amp; mortar retail business models have limitations as to the amount and type of data they can collect such as POS, loyalty cards, or purchased items. But having digital channels allows businesses to engage and understand individual customers in terms of shopping behaviour, product preferences, platform or mobile app usage, and so much more. Retailers can gain crucial information to help improve and provide a top-notch customer experience.</p><p>Studies have shown that around 80% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that delivers a personalized experience. On top of that, they are even willing to spend up to a 16% price premium if they have an outstanding experience. And the only way to achieve that is to truly know your customers, through data.</p><h2>Operational Efficiency</h2><p>Organizational digital transformation offers the opportunity for a business to find its way into achieving efficiency across business areas. Traditional enterprise operations have functional areas operating in silos despite having a direct impact on each other’s KPI’s or success factors.</p><p>Data &amp; analytics can uncover inefficiencies in business processes and technologies and derive</p>

<p>On February 9, 2021, a global group of designers, developers, product managers, and consultants convened virtually to answer a frequently debated question: <strong>What is an MVP?</strong> This article summarizes the key insights from that discussion.</p><p>Organizations across industries and regions often interpret the concept of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) differently—sometimes confusing it with prototypes or proofs of concept. To bring clarity, the workshop addressed five essential questions about MVPs:</p><ul><li>What is the objective of an MVP?</li><li>How do you decide if a feature qualifies as MVP?</li><li>What are the common misunderstandings of MVP?</li><li>What alternatives exist to an MVP?</li><li>How should an MVP be properly defined?</li></ul><h2>What Is the Objective of an MVP?</h2><p>Three main objectives guide the creation of an MVP, all centered around balancing investment with risk:</p><ol><li><strong>Speed to Market:</strong> The MVP should enable rapid product-market fit with the minimum feature set needed to deliver meaningful value to users and the business.</li><li><strong>Lean Value Creation:</strong> The MVP should align with product strategy and avoid unnecessary features, focusing investment on delivering clear value.</li><li><strong>Building Confidence:</strong> The MVP should function as a live, compliant product that tests technical feasibility, commercial viability, usability, and real-world value.</li></ol><h2>How to Decide if a Feature Belongs in an MVP</h2><p>Any proposed feature should pass the following tests to determine its inclusion in an MVP:</p><h3>1. Drive Toward Simplicity:</h3><ul><li>Is the idea easy to explain to users and stakeholders?</li><li>Can it be validated through a prototype or POC?</li><li>Is the technical complexity justified by the value it brings?</li></ul><h3>2. Understand Stakeholder Factors</h3><ul><li>What’s driving the request—user demand, compliance, internal pressure?</li><li>Will omitting it lead to lost support or risk?</li></ul><h3>3. Focus on Product Strategy:</h3><ul><li>Can the product still deliver its unique value proposition without it?</li><li>Is it essential for achieving the product vision or meeting KPIs?</li></ul><h3>4. Assess the Risk of Exclusion:</h3><ul><li>Would its absence break a critical workflow or violate legal requirements</li><li>Would it significantly reduce return on investment?</li></ul><h2>Common Misunderstandings of MVP</h2><p>Misusing the term MVP is easy. Common misconceptions include:</p><ol><li><strong>Quantity Over Quality:</strong> An MVP is not a lower-quality version of a full product filled with nice-to-haves. It focuses only on the essentials.</li><li><strong>A Cost-Cutting Label:</strong> MVP is not a euphemism for a cheap product. It’s a strategy to reduce risk, not simply reduce cost.</li><li><strong>A Feature Wishlist:</strong> MVPs must be ruthlessly prioritized. Including non-critical features undermines its purpose.</li><li><strong>Too Minimal:</strong> An MVP is more than a skeleton. It may require polish or high-fidelity design to be viable in the market.</li></ol><h2>Alternatives to MVP</h2><p>In some cases, alternatives to an MVP may better serve product goals:</p><ul><li><strong>Trapdoor or A/B tests:</strong> Validate ideas within an existing product environment.</li><li><strong>Pretotyping or Prototyping:</strong> Explore value without regulatory or operational overhead.</li><li><strong>Proof of Concept (POC):</strong> Prove feasibility and secure investment before going live.</li></ul><h2>Defining an MVP</h2><p>Based on the workshop findings, a product should meet all the following conditions to be accurately described as an MVP:</p><ul><li>It is the result of a process involving idea validation, prioritization, and discovery.</li><li>It represents the minimum investment needed to test for market fit.</li><li>It can be released to market and deliver tangible value.</li><li>It complies with the legal and operational requirements of its context.</li></ul><p>Using the term MVP correctly requires alignment and clarity across teams. Regardless of the specific definition used, teams should ensure they are aligned on what "MVP" means for their context—early and clearly.</p><p>For more information about product management or how Monstarlab can support your team, reach out using the contact form below.</p>

<p>The banking sector is undergoing a significant transformation as digitally-driven companies reshape the industry into a technology-centric landscape. Traditional banks, financial institutions, and credit unions face challenges in adapting to this new environment. To remain competitive and harness the benefits of digital advancements, these institutions require dedicated leadership, appropriate investments, and a well-defined strategic scope.</p><p>Over the past decade, financial services have experienced a global annual growth rate of 4%. However, the banking sector often lags behind, resembling a large tanker amidst agile speedboats. Many traditional banks struggle with digital readiness. Recent reports indicate that 55% of banks lack digital maturity, and only 12% consider themselves digital leaders.</p><p>While awareness of digital trends exists among bank executives, actionable steps are frequently lacking. This inertia provides opportunities for new businesses to capture market share. Similar to disruptions in other sectors, fintech companies are challenging traditional banks across various aspects of their core operations.</p><p>&lt;div style="background: #fff200; padding: 1.5em; margin: 2em 0;"&gt;</p><p>  &lt;h3 style="margin-top: 0;"&gt;Can’t hide behind regulation&lt;/h3&gt;</p><p>  &lt;p&gt;• Historically, banking licenses have been difficult to obtain, leaving the sector protected from newcomers.&lt;/p&gt;</p><p>  &lt;p&gt;• New regulation from institutions such as the European Central Bank has, however, made the application process more transparent to help applicants in their preparations.&lt;/p&gt;</p><p>&lt;/div&gt;</p><h2>Embracing Comprehensive Digital Transformation</h2><p>Digital transformation in banking extends beyond offering services online. It encompasses the integration of artificial intelligence, distributed ledger systems, machine learning, mobile applications, and open banking to deliver comprehensive services to a discerning customer base. This approach aligns more closely with fintech companies, which are gaining market share from traditional financial institutions.</p><p>Fintech companies share a common characteristic: they are digitally native. Emerging over the past five to ten years, companies like Lunar, UNDO, and Robinhood operate without legacy systems, enabling efficient data utilization. They offer real-time account access, digital services, and agile banking solutions. In contrast, traditional banks often contend with outdated infrastructures that hinder the transformation of extensive data into seamless customer experiences.</p><p>While fintech companies thrive with their disruptive approaches, traditional financial institutions possess untapped potential. The primary challenge lies in prioritizing initiatives amid budget constraints, talent shortages, and entrenched legacy systems and cultures.</p><h2>Reimagining Banks as Technology Companies</h2><p>&lt;div style="background: #fff200; padding: 1.5em; margin: 2em 0;"&gt;</p><p>  &lt;h3 style="margin-top: 0;"&gt;More than just niche players&lt;/h3&gt;</p><p>  &lt;p&gt;• One of the fintech companies, Lunar, was founded in 2015 and now has around 120,000 users in Scandinavia, making it one of the fastest growing companies in the industry.&lt;/p&gt;</p><p>  &lt;p&gt;• The company has received 47 million Euros in funding and in 2019, The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority granted Lunar a banking license.&lt;/p&gt;</p><p>&lt;/div&gt;</p><p>Many traditional banks have long histories, with legacy systems permeating their operations. Despite holding vast amounts of customer data, these institutions often fail to leverage this information effectively. However, examples exist of banks successfully transforming legacy systems into automated, technology-driven processes.</p><p>For instance, JPMorgan Chase implemented a program called COIN (Contract Intelligence) to interpret commercial-loan agreements, significantly reducing manual processing time. Between 2016 and 2018, JPMorgan Chase increased its market value from $245 billion to $365 billion while reducing its workforce from 235,000 to 165,000 employees. The bank also boosted its innovation budget by 50% and initiated various digital transformation projects, positioning itself as a technology-centric organization.</p><p>This example underscores the potential for traditional banks to convert legacy challenges into assets through dedicated leadership, strategic investments, and clearly defined scopes.</p><h2>Incremental Investments for Sustainable Change</h2><p>A proven strategy for digital transformation involves moving away from the notion of overhauling core systems overnight. Instead, banks should focus on small, isolated projects with short time-to-market, allowing for immediate value realization. These incremental successes can build momentum for further investments in digital innovation.</p><p>Demonstrating tangible benefits, even from minor initiatives, can support the development of larger programs as the organization reaches higher levels of digital maturity. This approach encourages management to recognize the advantages of digital transformation in terms of cost savings and enhanced customer experiences.</p><h2>Adopting a Digital-First Mindset</h2><h3>Advice from the expert</h3><ul><li>Get buy-in from top management</li><li>Focus on smaller projects in the beginning</li><li>Apply agile methodologies</li><li>Consult with an experienced partner</li></ul><p>Understanding that digital transformation is an investment, not merely a cost, is crucial for the survival of banks, credit unions, and financial services in the face of fintech competition. Digital transformation should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a one-time project.</p><p>To stay relevant, legacy institutions must embrace agile methodologies, digital-first strategies, and LEAN principles—practices already integral to neobanks. While this shift represents a significant departure from traditional banking models, it is essential for driving meaningful change.</p><p>Despite the challenges, opportunities abound. With committed leadership, realistic planning, and openness to external guidance from agile practitioners, traditional financial institutions can navigate the digital landscape successfully.</p>

<h1>Estimating the ROI of Design</h1><p>Design holds more influence in business than ever before, yet quantifying its financial impact remains difficult. Many organizations seek a clear framework for understanding how investments in design translate into value. Despite rising investments in design and its observable effects on brand loyalty and consumer behavior, efforts to quantify its return on investment (ROI) often fall short.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fb2b3cf9fc68d46dc8dd7a3d69e948a1d" alt="Design Impact"></p><p>Organizations have embraced design by growing internal capabilities and engaging partners, yet tying these investments to outcomes like revenue growth or cost reduction is not straightforward. While studies—such as those conducted by major consultancies—suggest a correlation between design strength and shareholder return, these insights rarely provide the company-specific clarity decision-makers need.</p><h2>Toward a Practical Framework</h2><p>Efforts to define a universal ROI model for design often fall into one of two traps. Some are too simplistic, offering formulas that overlook the complex relationship between design quality and business performance. Others are overly complicated, requiring bespoke measurement systems with metrics that are hard to trace directly to financial returns.</p><p>A more balanced framework can offer a practical path forward—one that supports informed investment decisions without demanding exhaustive analysis. This type of model emphasizes selecting performance indicators influenced by design and directly tied to revenue, known as “drivers.” Even a single well-chosen driver can illustrate a strong business case for design, while additional drivers can provide a fuller picture.</p><h2>A Hypothetical Case Study: Farmer Frank’s</h2><p>Consider a fast-casual restaurant chain, established from a food truck and grown into a national brand. Over time, this business has incrementally invested in digital ordering capabilities—first through a mobile app, followed by a website and in-store kiosks. Each channel provided modest gains in average order value (AOV) and customer convenience. However, the tools used were generic, limiting brand expression and operational flexibility.</p><p>Now seeking further growth, the company is exploring a more unified digital ecosystem. Goals include delivering a consistent experience across platforms, resolving pain points in operations, improving customer satisfaction, and integrating delivery to reduce reliance on third-party services. The digital share of sales has plateaued, prompting the leadership team to assess potential ROI of this next-stage investment.</p><h2>Identifying Key Drivers</h2><p>To evaluate the impact of design improvements, two drivers are selected: AOV and purchase frequency. Personalized offers and cross-channel engagement strategies are known to influence both. A successful transformation could yield higher AOV and more frequent purchases, leading directly to revenue growth.</p><h2>Setting Benchmarks</h2><p>The team gathers data to establish benchmarks. Internal reports show current digital AOV is only 11% higher than in-store transactions—below industry benchmarks that range from 20% to 30%. Public data from similar businesses supports this gap. Digital growth is also lagging; while the company grew 35% year-over-year, peers achieved rates over 70% after investing in digital experience improvements.</p><h2>Projecting ROI</h2><p>The ROI calculation compares current digital revenue performance with future potential under a best-in-class experience. For example, closing a 4% AOV gap could increase monthly digital revenue by over $300,000. Matching top-performing competitors could raise that number to nearly $700,000. Factoring in an increased growth rate—from 35% to 60% or 80%—suggests potential gains of $1.18 million to $1.57 million per month.</p><h2>Considering Costs</h2><p>These gains represent only part of the value. Additional improvements in conversion, frequency, and operational efficiency would compound the benefits. The team evaluates three investment paths—ranging from optimizing existing tools to developing a custom digital ecosystem—and weighs them against projected returns.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>This example demonstrates how a structured framework can guide ROI estimation for design initiatives. By selecting measurable drivers, setting realistic benchmarks, and modeling outcomes, businesses can generate credible projections to support design investments. The approach is scalable across industries and adaptable to initiatives focused on growth, efficiency, or customer satisfaction. A practical framework enables stakeholders to make informed decisions grounded in both creative thinking and financial analysis.</p>

<p>Releasing new products and features is often risky business. If you do not solve the right problem or meet your users’ expectations, it can have detrimental consequences to your company’s success.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F7ed362f38d6a4113a2f5059ce4421d2e" /></p>

<p>The risk is greatest when decisions are based on assumptions rather than validated insights.</p>

<p>Assumptions can be useful when treated as starting points—but when relied upon exclusively, they can lead teams in the wrong direction. A structured approach is needed to reduce risk early in the development process. Hypothesis-Driven Design (HDD) offers a scientific method to clarify what problem is being solved and build a more reliable foundation for product development.</p>

<h2>What is Hypothesis-Driven Design?</h2>

<p>HDD is a four-phase process that guides teams through defining assumptions, turning those assumptions into hypotheses, conducting user research, and applying findings to design and build solutions. This approach helps ensure that the final product is aligned with real user needs.</p>

<h2>1. Assumptions</h2>

<p>Begin by identifying assumptions about the problem at hand. These could be based on internal knowledge, user behavior, or observed challenges. Assumptions should remain broad enough to allow for unexpected insights and prevent early commitment to a narrow solution.</p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> In a busy office building, employees regularly wait in line for over 15 minutes to purchase coffee. One assumption might be: “If employees didn’t have to wait so long, they would be less likely to switch to another coffee shop.” This assumption is grounded in observed behavior and feedback, and avoids prematurely proposing a specific solution.</p>

<p>To work effectively with assumptions:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Plan sessions with stakeholders to collect diverse perspectives.</li>
  <li>Speak with users to understand their problems and ideas for solutions.</li>
  <li>Document assumptions using tools like post-its or shared documents.</li>
  <li>Prioritize assumptions based on potential impact and feasibility of testing.</li>
</ul>

<h2>2. Hypotheses</h2>

<p>Once assumptions have been identified and prioritized, convert them into hypotheses. A hypothesis should be testable and actionable. One useful framework for writing hypotheses is:</p>

<p><em>If [we do this], then [this outcome will happen], because [this rationale].</em></p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> Converting the coffee shop assumption might yield: “If a mobile ordering option is introduced, then line wait times will decrease, because it will allow employees to order in advance and skip the line.”</p>

<p>Structure hypotheses in a table format to support efficient planning and testing. This table will also help during user research when multiple hypotheses are evaluated in a single session.</p>

<h2>3. Research</h2>

<p>With hypotheses defined, the next phase is to test them using qualitative and quantitative methods. Research methods could include interviews, surveys, usability tests, analytics reviews, or competitor benchmarking. Selecting the right method depends on the nature of each hypothesis.</p>

<p>For example, if testing whether users would use a mobile ordering app, interviews could be conducted with employees, while a building-wide survey could provide quantitative validation.</p>

<p>After research, each hypothesis can be marked as “True,” “Plausible,” or “False” based on findings, with notes explaining supporting evidence.</p>

<h2>4. Design & Build</h2>

<p>The final phase uses validated hypotheses to inform design. Each confirmed hypothesis becomes the basis for user stories, success criteria, and initial prototypes. Early prototypes are tested with users to gather feedback before moving into full development.</p>

<p>This process ensures that design and development efforts are grounded in verified user needs, not assumptions or guesswork.</p>

<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>

<ul>
  <li>HDD reduces risk by validating ideas before significant development investment is made.</li>
  <li>The framework is scalable and adaptable to both long-term and short-term projects.</li>
  <li>HDD creates a shared foundation across teams, promoting better collaboration and alignment.</li>
  <li>The process improves decision-making and helps teams focus on solving the right problems.</li>
  <li>Validated insights increase the likelihood that released products will meet user expectations and deliver business value.</li>
</ul>

<p>By treating assumptions as starting points and rigorously testing them through research, teams can gain clarity, alignment, and confidence. Hypothesis-Driven Design creates a structured path for delivering user-centered solutions that succeed in the market.</p>


<p>Hospitality is a powerful notion that is at the center of creating delightful user experiences. As a designer who’s worked with clients across a range of industries, I know firsthand the value hospitality can unlock on digital, and I’ll explain how to do that below.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2Fef80d7429c5440a1a77c7df127bf0c00" alt="Hospitality Image">Before getting started, let me explain what I mean by hospitality. As Danny Meyer writes in his book “Setting the Table,” there’s a distinction between service and hospitality. Service is simply the act of delivering the product, a monologue of sorts, where we dictate to a customer how to do things. Hospitality, on the other hand, looks at how the delivery of our service or product makes the recipient feel — it’s a dialogue. This thinking is at the center of how we approach design and how we build digital products at Monstarlab, from standalone apps and websites to end-to-end digital ecosystems.</p><p>One of my focuses at Monstarlab is the application of these philosophies and methodologies to improving the customer experience in digital and physical spaces, including restaurants, retail shops and gyms. There’s a lot that brands can do to create value in this area. And today I want to share what your teams can start doing right now — digital applications of hospitality that everyone who works in the hospitality industry can start adopting.</p><h2>1. Practice empathy for guests</h2><p>Thinking of our customers and users as guests are one way to bring hospitality into digital and physical spaces. Hospitality is all about how our guests feel. In digital we express this by constantly doing user research. Getting started with this can appear daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. The trick is to jump in and find ways to make learning from customers a regular part of your process. In product development, we organize what we call “User Fridays”: every Friday we have a customer visit our office to interview them and present one thing we’re working on to get feedback.</p><p>Every Friday we have a customer visit our office to interview them and present one thing we’re working on.</p><p>For physical spaces, another quick research tactic is to invite a friend or colleague to visit the store and talk openly about their impressions while you shadow them.</p><p>Or simply experience the service yourself. Complete an online purchase and document your experience. If the service or products are too expensive, you can always return them and you get to experience that part of the customer journey too!</p><h2>2. Practice empathy for each other</h2><p>Danny Meyer defined “enlightened hospitality” as putting hospitality to work to serve employees first, then our guests, and finally the business. With every project at Monstarlab, we examine the perspective of all employees. We do that not just by talking to employees, but by working side by side with them. This takes the form of training as employees and working shifts, whether as cooks and expeditors at Shake Shack, or front-desk attendants at Blink.</p><p>The Monstarlab team took shifts at Shake Shack to empathize with employees and understand their journey.</p><p>As Meyer explains, by putting the employees and their hospitality first, the business and bottom-line benefits as a result.</p><p>If you work in physical stores, every day is a good opportunity to examine the steps and tasks you and your colleagues take to deliver service to your guests. This can help you identify the moments of friction and brainstorm how to overcome the challenges that stand in the way of offering better, more hospitable service.</p><h2>3. Use simple language</h2><p>Designing for the web has taught me the importance of simple language. How do your guests actually refer to things? Most of us spend a lot of our time crafting transactional copy, and our goal is to make complex tasks feel simple.</p><p>To simplify our language, when relaunching a loyalty program we used simple google search for most common tasks on google.</p><p>In physical spaces, trying to understand branded terms, which are often fancier than necessary, can feel very intimidating. Think about how you can simplify the language so that every client and guest feel welcomed. One way to accomplish this is to do an audit on social media and review sites of the most common requests for your brand. You will uncover user-generated content that can help you empathize with the frustrations of your customers. Do you have an analytics team? You can ask them to provide a report on the most common search words on your website. You can use that to inform any sales</p>

<p><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Ffb3ccc876dd442c6ae31d776377e35db%2F27a489c04fd04593a686b719f930e2bf" alt="Education Image"></p><h2>Changes in Education</h2><p>Education has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, driven by the global pandemic, advances in technology, and the changing needs of learners. Generation Alpha, born in the early 2010s, will be the first generation to grow up entirely in a world shaped by advanced technology. As such, their behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional needs will differ from those of Gen Z and Millenials. They are passionate about interactive, engaging, collaborative learning environments that encourage social and emotional learning. Meeting their unique needs calls for a transformative shift in EdTech solutions — one that is deeply rooted in human-centric design. For organizations, reimagining education for Gen Alpha demands innovative and collaborative approaches. It now takes more than a singular methodology to address educational challenges. That’s why co-design is a must.Understanding Generation Alpha</p><p>Generation Alpha, born after 2010, represents the youngest and most digitally immersed generation to date. They are currently learning, exploring, and growing in K–12 environments. This cohort has been growing up in a world characterized by constant connectivity and has never known a time without the internet or smartphones.[1] Highly tech-savvy and comfortable using technology for learning, collaboration and entertainment; these young people are socially conscious, multidisciplinary entrepreneurs.</p><h2>Characteristics of the Generation Alpha</h2><h3>They are accustomed to integrating technology into their lives</h3><p>Generation Alpha is a generation like no other in the way that they seamlessly integrate technology into their daily lives. They are accustomed to getting information quickly and easily. This tech-savvy generation thrives in dynamic, engaging, and collaborative learning environments that also encourage social and emotional learning. [2]</p><h3>They have a strong sense of social consciousness and desire social change</h3><p>They are growing up in a world where climate change, sustainability, social inequality, cybersecurity, and human well-being are at the center of public discourse, and they are passionate about positively impacting the world. They view these global challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities for innovation and positive transformation. They seek to harness the power of technology and collaboration to address these issues. As they navigate the educational landscape, they are driving a shift towards a more purpose-driven, socially aware approach to learning.</p><h3>They thrive in collaborative environments</h3><p>From a young age, with their interactions with social media, gaming, and technology platforms, they are comfortable with being in collaborative environments. They thrive in environments that encourage teamwork, creative problem-solving and decision making. They value the richness that diverse viewpoints bring to the table. This generation is driven by the desire to achieve collective goals and make a positive impact on their communities and the world.</p><h3>They value self-expression and multidisciplinarity</h3><p>And learning environments, platforms, and spaces that enable it. They engage with things that allow them to express their ideas and opinions uniquely. Generation Alpha is drawn to learning experiences that provide the freedom to explore and express their personalities. In their learning journey, they seek out opportunities to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, connect dots easily, and foster a holistic understanding of the world.</p><h3>They have a willingness to experiment</h3><p>They have a strong desire to continually explore new ideas, try new things, and they eagerly seek feedback. They embrace the opportunity to refine and enhance their knowledge through iterative learning. With an entrepreneurial spirit, they love getting the chance to redo things using the newly acquired learnings. They are good at fostering a growth mindset rather than adhering to a “one and done” approach in their educational journey. They also feel empowered by the many resources available to them, including generative AI-driven systems and online education platforms; which can help them quickly turn their ideas into reality, such as designing digital apps and launching social campaigns.</p><h3>They value agency and personalization</h3><p>Because members of Gen Alpha are immersed in information and technology from a very young age, they are more focused on practical applications of their knowledge.</p><p>This drive towards entrepreneurship and professional</p>

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