Innovation labs are rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent phenomena in tech companies. Labs are exceedingly important for companies because they allow elite teams of engineers to think outside the box and test new solutions to the current landscape, without being obligated to follow strict roadmaps. This type of developmental freedom is crucial for supporting those technologies, like conversational interfaces, chatbots, beacon technology, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning, all of which are rapidly taking over the digital landscape we live and work in today. But, bear in mind, labs have to remain attentive to the requirements of the larger organization’s customers. In this webinar, our own Development Manager of Acquia Labs, Preston So, will describe how his team is forging a unique model of innovation that bridges the gap between the needs of Acquia customers, and the new products that Acquia provides. He will identify: How traditional Labs programs have operated to identify and tackle new challenges Why the traditional innovation model is detrimental for innovation that works for customers, but advantageous for freedom from the organization and KPIs The Acquia Labs Model: Co-funded projects that are free to explore while hewing to customer requirements Innovation case study: Georgia.gov Amazon Echo project The community as a customer: Where open-source innovation fits into the Labs picture

1. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Acquia Labs
The Future of Technology
and Open-source Innovation
Preston So
Development Manager, Acquia Labs
May 24, 2017

2. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Welcome!
Preston So (@prestonso) has been a web developer and designer
since 2001, a creative professional since 2004, and a Drupal developer
since 2007. As Development Manager of Acquia Labs, the innovation
lab featured in international press such as VentureBeat and ZDNet,
Preston leads new open-source and research initiatives at Acquia. He
has presented keynotes at conferences on three continents in multiple
languages and speaks around the world about diverse topics such as
decoupled Drupal, responsive design, front-end development, and
user experience.
– drupal.org/u/prestonso
– preston.so@acquia.com

3. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
What we’ll cover
– What makes Acquia Labs different
– From digital experiences to digital ecosystems
– Conversational interfaces
– Alexa, ask GeorgiaGov
– Shopping with chatbots
– Augmented and virtual reality
– Working with Acquia Labs

4. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
What makes Acquia
Labs different

5. Bell Laboratories

6. Press about Acquia Labs
It’s time to build a new platform for
digital experiences, fueled by
technologies such as machine learning,
the Internet of Things, sensors,
conversational bots, and voice assistants.
Dean Takahashi
VentureBeat

8. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Why Acquia Labs?
Acquia Labs is our new innovation lab for bleeding-edge ideas,
empowering a small elite team of engineers to incubate mutually
beneficial, jointly funded projects for our clients. This collaborative effort
gives us time outside of rigid roadmaps to:
– think outside the box
– operate outside roadmaps
– pivot quickly to new ideas
– anticipate paradigm shifts
– stake ground in new territory

9. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Why Acquia Labs?
– Co-funded projects help us stay close to our customers' own
innovation roadmaps. Our products never stray far from what our
customers want.
– Open-source innovation allows us to share our work and act as a
tide that raises all boats. We believe innovation labs have a
responsibility to help advance the entire industry.

10. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Other areas
of interest
Acquia Labs
2017 roadmap
Acquia Labs projects
Conversational
interfaces
Augmented
and virtual
reality
Beacons
Wearables
Internet of
Things (IoT)
AI and machine
learning
Your idea here
Your idea here

11. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Acquia Labs project lifecycle
Proof of concept
8-12 weeks
New product or part of existing
product
9-12 months
Further development by client
Discretionary
advance
pivot

12. ©2016 Acquia Inc. — Confidential and Proprietary
Office of the CTO
Acquia Labs within Acquia
Acquia Labs
Products
Presales
New products
Accounts
Sales

13. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Imagining the future

14. What did digital
experiences look like in
2008?

15. What did digital
experiences look like in
2012?

16. What do digital
experiences look like in
2016?

17. What will digital
experiences look like in
2020?

18. Simone Biles
Katie Ledecky

19. Wearables Conversational
interfaces
Internet of
Things (IoT)
Augmented
and virtual
reality
AI and machine
learning

20. Wearables Conversational
interfaces
Internet of
Things (IoT)
Augmented
and virtual
reality
AI and machine
learning

21. Press about Acquia Labs
You wake up in the morning and check
your watch for messages. You go into the
kitchen for coffee, and as you reach for
milk, you check the display on your
refrigerator to find out what you might
need. You get into your car and see traffic
conditions as your navigation system
recalculates the best route to work.
David Rubinstein
SD Times

22. We are in the midst of a content revolution ...

23. … and a reinvention of content delivery.

24. Browserless experiences are now compelling ways to reach users.

25. The web is now just the bare minimum among touchpoints.
IoT apps
Native
apps
Chat
apps
Single-
page
apps
Other
back
ends
Set-top
boxes

26. Drupal is now a centerpiece of digital ecosystems.
IoT apps
Native
apps
Chat
apps
Single-
page
apps
Other
back
ends
Set-top
boxes
Smart
watches
Fitness
devices
Arduino
boards
Beacons
AR/VR
apps
Rasp-
berry Pi
Conver-
sational
UIs
LED
displays

27. We’re moving from standalone digital experiences to entire digital ecosystems ...
Native
mobile
app
Website
IoT app
Native
app
Chat
app
Single-
page
app
Other
back
ends
Set-top
box
Content
store

28. Pull-based Push-based
… from pull-based content delivery to push-based content delivery ...
Amazon
Echo push
notification
AR/VR
notification
overlay
In-store
product
alerts

29. … and from consumption of content to interaction with content.
Amazon
Echo push
notification
User-
generated
response
Interaction
with AR/VR
interface
AR/VR
notification
overlay

30. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Conversational
interfaces

31. Can you have a
conversation
with a brand?

33. Apple Siri Amazon Echo Windows
Cortana
Google Now Google Home

34. Conversational Interface Program

35. Can you have a conversation with content?
Web browser Conversational content
STEAL THIS IDEA
The True Story of a Digital
Transformation Project
Katherine Raskob, Association for Data-Driven
Marketing & Advertising (ADMA)
TECH TALK
Monetizing Your Drupal Content
Investments with Contextual
Commerce Experiences
Peter Sheldon, Vice President, Strategy,
Magento
“Alexa, ask Acquia
Engage what
sessions are
happening at
3:30pm today.”
“At 3:30, The True
Story of a Digital
Transformation
Project, Monetizing
Your Drupal ...
3:30-4:30pm: Track Sessions

36. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Alexa, ask GeorgiaGov

37. Can you have a
conversation
with your government?

38. Civic engagement
Information accessibility

39. Text-to-speech
telephony service
Institutional
accessibility standards Alexa, ask GeorgiaGov

40. Press about Acquia Labs
We have long placed a very deliberate
emphasis on connecting Georgians with
the government information and services
in the way that works best for them. …
Making our content available via new
channels like Alexa is an important next
step for us.
Nikhil Deshpande
GeorgiaGov Interactive

42. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Shopping with chatbots

43. Can you have a
conversation
to plan a barbecue?

46. Conversational Interface Program

47. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Augmented and virtual
reality

48. Can you shop or find
content in the context of
your own perspective?

50. Can you view content in the context of your perspective?
Web browser Contextualized content
STEAL THIS IDEA
The True Story of a Digital
Transformation Project
Katherine Raskob, Association for Data-Driven
Marketing & Advertising (ADMA)
TECH TALK
Monetizing Your Drupal Content
Investments with Contextual
Commerce Experiences
Peter Sheldon, Vice President, Strategy,
Magento
3:30-4:30pm: Track Sessions

51. Can you view content in the context of your perspective?
Web browser Contextualized content
STEAL THIS IDEA
The True Story of a Digital
Transformation Project
Katherine Raskob, Association for Data-Driven
Marketing & Advertising (ADMA)
TECH TALK
Monetizing Your Drupal Content
Investments with Contextual
Commerce Experiences
Peter Sheldon, Vice President, Strategy,
Magento
3:30-4:30pm: Track Sessions
The True Story
of a Digital
Transformation
Project
starts in 15 min,
5 miles ahead
on your left
AT 3:15PM
Calendar notice
WIPE TO HIDE

52. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Beacons and IoT

53. Can you push the
right content
to the
right person
on the
right device?

54. In New York City, Drupal
feeds information to
kiosks in the MTA.
Drupal 8 provides data to
smartphone apps linked
to Tesla vehicles.
Lufthansa supplies its in-
flight entertainment
systems with Drupal 8.

55. Can you push personalized content directly to the user?
Web browser Personalized content
Beachy Head is a chalk headland in East
Sussex, England. The cliff is the highest
chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 metres
(531 ft) above sea level. The peak allows
views of the south east coast from
Dungeness in the east, to Selsey Bill in the
west.
Beachy Head Gifts is a locally owned and
operated gift shop for the cherished wool
jumpers of East Sussex and other souvenirs,
including postcards, books, maps, and toys
for the little ones.
Visit East Sussex: Beachy Head
Buy your next
wool jumper
from Beachy
Head Gifts
50m away

56. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Working with Acquia
Labs

57. ©2016 Acquia Inc.
Thank you!
Preston So (@prestonso) has been a web developer and designer
since 2001, a creative professional since 2004, and a Drupal developer
since 2007. As Development Manager of Acquia Labs, the innovation
lab featured in international press such as VentureBeat and ZDNet,
Preston leads new open-source and research initiatives at Acquia. He
has presented keynotes at conferences on three continents in multiple
languages and speaks around the world about diverse topics such as
decoupled Drupal, responsive design, front-end development, and
user experience.
– drupal.org/u/prestonso
– preston.so@acquia.com