Category: Data and gadgets

Why does a company have trouble identifying my two accounts?

By no means is this an excuse, it is only an explanation. As we advance the digital age, companies with legacy systems may have a difficult time recognizing you are the owner of two different accounts. The company had two individual systems that they ‘merged’ within their enterprise. Also has corporations grow, some departments may not have access to all the customer information, due to processes and/or legality. Its frustrating – feeling like you are caught in a loop, no one can help you completely and it is on your shoulders to untangle. A company may have a rewards program and a credit card program – these two teams may have struck guidelines regarding what information can be shared across departments.

Here are two examples I have experienced:

I had an store credit card with Macy’s (it was transferred from my store credit card from Hudson’s after their acquisition). The card sat unused for years. Needing some retail therapy, I saw Macy’s had great offers if you used your Macy’s credit card for the purchase. I was game.

At check out, the cashier informed me that I needed to ‘upgrade’ my account to a Macys/American Express card. The card I had in my hand was no longer valid. I really didn’t want to open an American Express card. I like limited the number of open accounts I have at one time. I just wanted the discount – I’ll use cash to pay for it.

I did open the account and purchased some Christmas gifts. They had some great sales. The statement arrived and I mailed in a check. The next month I received the statement missing the payment. I called, she found the error. The payment was applied to the closed account (giving it a credit) and the open account went unpaid. She took immediate took care of the problem in full. It was silly their systems let them apply a payment to a closed account, when there was an open account for the same person.

A long time ago I opened a traditional saving account with a bank that was in multiple states. At the time I traveled a lot, and we didn’t have the benefit of online banking. So I opened an account that appeared in all my travels.  I later found out that although they were all the same bank in name, legalities were preventing customers from depositing money in one state and accessing it another. (P.S. This was a long time ago, and I’m sure a lot has changed.

What makes VUI new and unique – its hands-free!

VUI – Voice User Interface, is the audio equivalent of GUI ( graphical user interface = visual).  VUI uses voice commands, giving us a conversational and hands-free experience. We have been using IVR for a long time, especially call centers (press or say 1 for location…) And remember the Clapper? (Clap on, Clap off, THE CLAPPER!) I used one for a long time, it wasn’t the most technical piece of equipment, but it was practical for me. Today I can ask my Echo to control multiple lights with having to clap my hands. And it is the best when you are elbow deep in the kitchen and need to set a timer.

Growing up int he 70s we changed the TV channel by getting up from the couch and twisting a dial on the TV set. Soon we had remotes controls (aka ‘the clicker’ – because of the clicking sound it made with the buttons).  Today, you can opt for a voice controlled TV. A simple shout and the TV will turn on, off, or the change the channel.

It’s fascinating when we can turn hardware into software.

The other night I went to a UX presentation on VUI. With today’s technology the capabilities and functionalities for voice assistance are constantly developing new use cases.

VUI also called voice assistance or  intelligent voice agent relays on speech recognition technology to provide a high confidence factor in understanding the ‘intent of the request’ from the speaker. Programs weed out the ‘ums and hums’ and other unnecessary words from the speaker.

Always-on allow the devices to respond when give a wake word or prompt. For my Echo (brand) device, the wake word is defaulted to Alexa (name).

Are you wondering about big brother, fraud or hacking? Like any other data points or apps that you use, there are security factors to be aware of.

First, VUI devices are ‘always-on’, this allows for the device to respond when necessary. But because it has the ability to listen – if someone was looking for a back door this could be it (remember when baby monitors were new). Keep your router and Wi-Fi secure, this will help eliminate intruders.

Second these devices create, collect and store your history data. Each request is captured similar to your browser search history and click thought and saved on cloud-based storage systems.

In both security cases, a warrant is needed before a government agency may request to listen in or see your history files from these VUI providers. It is similar to a request for a mobile phone call history. (To date – Feb 2017 – Amazon has not released any access of anyone’s Echo to the government.)

Another always-on device is Google Home. Applications such as Siri and Comcast’s voice remote control require you press a button to start the commands. Highlighting the hands-free benefit of always-on.

A ‘skill’ is a command using human voice to communicate. Echo recently released its open API at CES 2017 – it now has over 10,000 skills. By having an open API, it allows any developer to create skills that can integrate with other electronic devices. Like shouting from your bed to have Alexa to start brewing your coffee.

Next on the horizon is biometric voice identification. This voice recognition can distinguish who is talking or making the request. So when I say ‘play my favorite song’ it knows the difference between my favorite song and yours based on who gave the request.

 

Digital Privacy Predictions for 2017

Happy New Year Everyone!

Fact: Your digital data will more than double in the next year. As we all acquire new devices, we create new data. This is often referred to as velocity of data.

My data predictions for 2017 include:

  1. New Policies governed by our legal system.
  2. Legal groups fighting for consumers’ data rights.
  3. Applications merging personal health data from multiple devices for new analysis.

#1: We need better laws and standards to protect our data. Large companies continue to get hacked leaving the individuals vulnerable to identify theft and other financial problems. Better measures are needed to ensure our data is captured, saved, used and destroyed safety. This would include audits and fines for companies that are not in compliance when collecting your data.

Data is collected on devices via GPS/time stamps, voice commands to always on devices, and (of course) web and application activity. 

Data collection for new apps, devices, etc are often defined in the fine print of the terms and conditions, but we quickly scroll through the text knowing we want to download the app regardless of the data price.

We have recently seen controversy over accessing smart phone data history (US government and iPhone) and now there is a murder case that wants access to the Echo/Alexa history for the night in question. What and how information is accessed is still in question for the general public. Which leads us to prediction #2.

#2: We will see multiple class action law suits involing data permissions. There will be a couple of companies that will be in the news and used to set the example. Data sharing is a quite side business that happens with most companies that creates or collects data (a retailer, social media group, web history). As more permissions are breached, customers will demand to know how or why their data was shared and will want full functionality to manage permissions on what data can be used and when.  Creating new features and options helping us manage our own data.

We have become so comfortable giving way our data in exchange for access to ‘free’ use of apps and software. But at what cost are we paying in the long run if this data is not protected and can cause significant financial lost if stolen.

#3: I also predict we will be smarter using our health data. Wether the data is from wearables, x-rays or lab results, new applications will make it possible to share and analyize data across application types to identifying new trends and health markers. Forecasting health problems quicker. This will open new opportunities for medicine.

 

 

 

 

What is a Data Strategist?

As a DATA STRATEGIST I’m responsible for helping corporations (very large corporations) for planning action and creating policies around the data. This includes enterprise use, definitions, and governance. My career path lead me to focus on customer data which included email communications, loyalty programs even credit card programs (the amount of data generated and used for analytics is very valuable to retailers!).  In theory it may sounds so simple, but if it was, you wouldn’t receive mail with your name misspelled or receive emails from companies that can’t identify you as a regular customer. Data governance is also a big part of the job and includes security, rules and definition of each piece of data.

FaceTime for grandmas.

Do you have an iPhone, yet never used FaceTime?

My friend, who is a grandma of 4, is on her second iPhone yet has never used FaceTime. So for the grandmas out there, don’t be shy. FaceTime is a fun mobile app that you will enjoy using with your grandkids, especially if you don’ t get to see them often.

It is a real time video call. No recordings, no redos.

FaceTime is an Apple app that can only be used between Apple devices. It is similar to a telephone call but you are making a video call. You must also have an Apple ID to use FaceTime. When you set up your Apple device you are asked for details like phone number and email address. To make a call you need the other person’s phone or email address associated with their Apple ID.

A FaceTime call is also similar to a phone in the type of data that is collected during the call. The time and length of the call are captured. And although it uses your camera, the video and audio are not recorded. Of course, like a tape recorder, someone intentionally records the call.

It’s easy to use. There is a icon for the app on your iPhone. Open it, add a contact. NOTE: There is a contact list in FaceTime that is different than the Contact Apps. You can add contacts from the Contact Apps into your FaceTime contacts.

To make a FaceTime call you need either a cellular connection or a Wifi connection. The app may not be available on older Apple devices or devices in counties outside of the US.

Skype is other video call service. It uses your contact information associated with your Microsoft ID. (I signed up for Skype a long time ago and it is connected with gmail account.) Skype is available as a webpage or as an app, and you must be connected to a data plan.

What is PII (Personal Identifiable Information)

United States General Services Administration defines PII as

“any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including (1) any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.” So, for example, a user’s IP address as used in a communication exchange is classed as PII regardless of whether it may or may not on its own be able to uniquely identify a person.

Why is this important to you:

A company as the obligation to keep your name safe and secure from thieves (crooks, hackers, the bad guys).

Depending on the type of information lost/stolen, an individual may suffer social, economic, or physical harm. If the information lost is sufficient to be exploited by an identity thief, the person can suffer, for example, from a loss of money, damage to credit, a compromise of medical records, threats, and/or harassment. The individual may suffer tremendous losses of time and money to address the damage. Other types of harm that may occur to individuals include denial of government benefits, blackmail, discrimination, and physical harm.

Because of the power of modern re-identification algorithms (aka data science), the absence of PII data does not mean that the remaining data does not identify individuals.

Desktop, tablet, phone, app – whats the difference?

Not every website is built equal. Believe it or not a good looking website may look completely different between a desk top and a mobile device. The code use to build the back end of the website may differ from device to device (desktop to tablet), platform to platform (android to IOS) and each software version may have it’s own features.

This is way a website looks different between a desktop and mobile. A desktop has slider bars to be used with your mouse. On your phone you use your finger to  scroll through the site. These both need to be programed for the different viewing devices. There are tools to allow you publish templates that auto format for multiple combinations of devices + platforms + software.

And then there are apps (or applications), there have  features and functions completely different from the website. This is depended on the code use to create the tool. which platform it is released on, and software versions.

Mom if you are listening – your Fitbit app and the Fitbit website have different capabilities. Not everything is equal in both places.

Coding can be come complicated the more advanced you are in the features. So when something new is launched, it may not be available across all interactions for that brand. I know it sucks – for the younger people out there – there is a whole industry around customer experiences, journey map (what needs to happen where) and design (making it easy/natural/seamless).