Profile: Keith Instone

Meet Keith Instone. Digital Experience Research Analyst at Stratascale.

In this "Get to Know You" Series, we're talking with the people who make OhioX's work happen. From staff to volunteers it's a true team effort!

Keith Instone chairs the User Experience Roundtable for OhioX. He also encourages Toledo-area organizing to get involved in OhioX and is active at our events and programs across the state.

Name: Keith Instone

Title and Company: Digital Experience Research Analyst, Stratascale

City: Maumee

Q: In three sentences or less, describe what your company does and your role.

Stratascale consults with large enterprise clients to help them achieve digital agility. I research emerging technology and trends that drive innovative user experiences.

Q: You’ve been a long time advocate for the belief that if “every company is a tech company, every company is also a UX company.” What does this mean to you?

When a company thinks of itself as a “tech company”, they need to be able to use technology for operations, integrate technology to address specific business challenges, and sometimes create technology to sell. In all three cases, the company needs to be able to define, design, and deliver experiences for people using those technologies. These users can be employees, customers, supply chain partners, and others. UX capabilities become important, just like finance, marketing, HR, and other business functions. If tech companies do not enable good experiences for their users, they will go out of business. 

Q: What’s a (non Ohio) tech trend that more people should be following?

An important trend I think people should be more aware of is the increasing value digital assets in mergers & acquisitions. Often, IT folks are brought in after a deal is done to integrate systems. That is too late. Get enterprise architects involved early on to help you assess technology, develop roadmaps, and accelerate digital transformation.

Q: What’s your favorite Ohio tech story from the last year and why?

My favorite Ohio tech stories are the “grass roots” conferences that have emerged over the years (and decades). CodeMash, Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing, and Stir Trek are examples of unique events created by passionate technologists in Ohio. As tech becomes more of an economic driver across the state, we will have to continue to foster these types of communities.

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Learn more about Keith’s work at Stratascale by connecting with him on LinkedIn.