Profile: Ryan Frederick

Meet Ryan Frederick. Principal at AWH.

Name: Ryan Frederick

Job: Principal, AWH

City: Columbus

Hometown: Johnstown, NY

Q: What do you do at AWH?
The team at AWH creates digital products and solves data challenges.

Q: What’s a problem you're working to solve?
We’re continuously working with our clients to remove friction in digital products and data infrastructure so users can get the maximum value from a product experience or data process.

Q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned that's shaped your work?
The best products win. It used to be the first products won, but now first isn’t as important as best. The best products are the ones that understand the user’s problem and experience the best and remove as much friction as possible between the user’s current state and their new reality of using a new product.

Q: What’s a trend in technology or innovation that doesn’t get enough attention?
No UI (user interface) is going to become more prevalent in products to reduce user friction to facilitate users being able to start and to continue to use a product with little to no training.

We’ve been working with a client for several years that initially a connect IoT product that was proprietary hardware dependent. The product then became hardware independent through a connected sensor that could be put on any piece of hardware. The product has no evolved to be software based and only needing a standard camera present in computers, tablets, and phones users already have. The first generation product incidentally won 265 international design awards so it isn’t like it wasn’t a great product, but it could be better for users, with less friction with no unique hardware dependencies and a simple user experience.

Q: What’s one moonshot idea that could help make Ohio a world leader in technology and innovation?
We need to turn more users of technology into creators of technology. The digital divide is growing geographically and socio-economically. With the advent of more remote and virtual work, a technologist can be and work anywhere. We should have the goal of at least 10,000 Ohioans being trained in a digital skill so they are participating in the digital economy as a maker and not just a consumer.

Q: What’s a recent book, podcast or news story that you found interesting?
The first paragraph on page 218 of Matthew Crawford’s book, The World Behind Your Head, rang true for me running professional services at AWH. The essence of the paragraph is the balance every professional services firm has to strike between being true to their craft and making money to sustain the firm, while engaging with client authentically and transparently to create something of value.

Q: What's your favorite place in Ohio?
I’m an outdoors person. I like to hike, mountain bike, and kayak. My favorite place is Zaleski State Forest because the trails there are some of the best in Ohio for true hiking.

Q: What makes Ohio special to you?
Ohio is special to me because I have been given access to opportunities that have afforded me the chance to work with some amazing people on impactful problems. I have also been challenged and grown beyond what I thought was possible for myself including writing two books, The Founder’s Manual and Sell Naked.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.