Imagine arriving at an unfamiliar train station and yet still knowing exactly where to go because you had a smart device that provided seamless instructions, relying on location beacons and internet of things (IoT) technologies to connect with and channel the necessary information.
Lisa M. Woodley, vice president of digital experience at NTT Data, an IT services and consulting company, can do more than imagine it, she built it. Woodley, who oversees a 20-member team, developed the technology as a proof of concept for a public transportation line in Australia.
It's all in a day's work for Woodley, 49.
"My focus is to forget about technology and talk to clients about the challenges they're having and help them address those, and then help them focus on the technology innovation," she says.
Woodley's work puts her at the forefront of change. "I'll help clients identify a problem for which the technology doesn't yet exist to solve it," she says, explaining that she and her team consider how to close the gap between what's available and their vision of what's possible. "That's where the innovation comes from," she says.
While her focus is on innovation, she doesn't neglect the human side of her work. She says she helps guide people through the changes wrought by technology as she drives toward the future.
"You have to involve people early," she says. "You can't just make them part of the conversation when you're rolling it out."