Tantra Analyst

Celebrating and Discovering How Digital Experience Platforms Can Change The World

Digital transformation is not just a buzzword but a force that is bringing positive change across geographies, businesses and societies.

It is empowering people and organizations to create extraordinary digital experiences that can help solve tough business and societal challenges. These include expanding the reach of small businesses, giving voice to the oppressed, driving sustainability and addressing the digital divide.

I think that recognizing such experience makers, celebrating their successes and inspiring others is extremely important. Adobe’s Experience Maker Awards is an excellent example of doing exactly that.

Others, like the annually published Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms report also highlights DXPs, but I see Adobe, with its inclusion of categories such as “The Changemaker” for those driving environmental or social change—as well its celebratory tone—as particularly impactful. Using their example, as well as some of the companies that they highlight, I hope to show how other businesses and brands can find ways to encourage, innovate and celebrate digital transformation.

Digital Transformation: Using Technology For Good

In today’s hyper-connected world, much of everyday life has become a collection of digital experiences. A recent Statista report forecasts the global digital economy will be $53.3 trillion in 2023, roughly half the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. But since many digital goods and services are free, the actual market size could be much bigger than that.

The Covid-19 pandemic proved to be a watershed moment for digital transformation. It showed the importance of digital experiences and, more importantly, put the global digital economy to the test and vividly exposed its grade shortcomings. With a quick snap, almost everything went online and digital—working, learning, shopping, healthcare, etc.

It forced businesses, large and small, to utilize whatever tools they had and create new ones. Cloud became central to everything, connectivity became a norm and almost every product and service has to be transformed into a digital experience. This meant businesses had to embrace the digital and transform themselves.

That also meant the most vulnerable in society, who had no or limited access to the digital economy, became victims. However, that is precisely where “technology for good” comes into play. Many of the digital experience makers equipped with the right tools were able to take this challenge head-on and create experiences that helped reach the underserviced and bring them into the fold of digital transformation.

Enablers And Makers Of Digital Experiences

When you think of digital experiences, the companies that often come to mind include Zoom, Google, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, etc. While these are all important, to me, what is equally important, if not more so, are digital experience platforms (DXP). Garner defines DXPs as “an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery, and optimization of contextualized digital experiences.”

I see DXPs as a must for anybody wanting to create digital experiences and deliver them in a consistent and frictionless way. Many major companies, including Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and others, offer DXPs with varying levels of features, sophistication, target markets, user-friendliness and price points. I think we can learn a lot from those deemed exemplary in their field.

For example, the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT), whose mission is to empower others to provide better services to residents, businesses and visitors, utilized Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud toward a major modernization of the state’s digital ecosystem, serving 12 million residents. DoIT was recently honored with NASCIO State IT Recognition Award for “Elevating Accessibility for Residents with Disabilities.”

Another example, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), built a responsive, mobile-first digital platform to keep information about children in ongoing cases secure while still delivering resources to the right audiences. Ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s also used Adobe’s tools to reach higher levels of sustainability, while Save the Children U.K. used the company’s tools to keep up with its donations. Lastly, the Hawaii State Public Library System was able to keep its virtual doors open during Covid-19 utilizing DXPs.

Obviously, Adobe is highlighting its products in its namesake awards for the above organizations. Nonetheless, the point remains that numerous digital experiences and their makers are achieving extraordinary results through digital transformation and making a difference in business outcomes and many people’s lives.

Supporting And Growing Digital Experience Makers

I believe organizations and business leaders who prioritize customer experiences through digital transformation will be the ones who experience performance and efficiency gains.

Early adopters can serve as role models and mentors for other organizations looking to follow suit. The rapid pace of digital transformation is continuing unabated. Ensuring the digital experience maker ecosystem is supported is crucial for the meaningful success of the digital economy.

Such recognition that companies like Adobe give is not just altruistic but has a lot of economic value for the companies recognized. It provides them opportunities to highlight their services and show how other companies can join the cause.

In today’s economy, corporate social responsibility has become a major topic, and numerous studies have shown how it can positively affect companies’ branding, customer preference, employability, and even financial performance. In the hyper-connected world, where companies’ moves are closely monitored, I expect this trend only to increase as digital transformation progresses.

I highly suggest all companies, big or small, invest in creating and recognizing digital experiences. Doing so has the potential to ensure that the world remains equitable, sustainable and prosperous.

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