Our Guest

Daniel is a designer with nine years of professional experience, focused on creating memorable, cutting edge web experiences. Daniel has worked in print and web for both product companies as well as in client services— serving such clients as ID90T, The National Geographic Society, Starbucks, Freeman, ComData, Nintendo, and Funimation. He is currently Vinli's EVP of Experience, leading all design and front-end development for the connected car company. Daniel is responsible for ensuring a consistent experience across the entire Vinli ecosystem.

Here are the highlights of our conversation with our guest:

Getting to know Daniel more from his passion for technology and products up to their interesting version of pillow talk.

How a pirated copy of Dreamweaver and Photoshop and the necessity of promoting a band led and inspired Daniel to pursue web design and development at the age of 14.

The reasons on what drove him to transition from client services to the world of product and the challenges -- such as safety and the phase of how infrastructure moves together with ideas -- that he has encountered now that he is in product design and how these obstacles had helped him grow.

Daniel expounds on why it’s taking so long for tech and infrastructure to advance to allow the speed of adoption and gives examples such as its application in the auto industry.

The biggest changes he has experienced so far which opened up the way he thinks about mobile including the growing consumer demands for applications for their car and the fact that the shift towards digital is now much faster than anyone would expect.

The new approaches in technology that he anticipates will come next for mobile and automotive such as radical advances in automobile apps, connectivity in cars, transparency from automakers and connection of cars to outside sources for data gathering.

Rapid Fire Questions

What is your definition of innovation?

Doing significant things that no one thinks they need.

Would you put more emphasis on the idea or the execution? How would you weigh each of them and why?

Act from thought should quickly follow. Ideas are great and great ideas are even better but you are not going to know if it’s a great idea until you try to do it. The best way to do it is just try it and try it the best way you can. 40% Idea, 60% execution.

What is your biggest learning lesson on your journey so far?

The first idea is probably not the best one. If you think you have a great idea, there’s probably a better one. Keep working on it and don’t be afraid of failing.

What is your favorite business book?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

What is your favorite digital resource?

A List Apart

What is your favorite app and why?

Two Dots

What is the coolest thing that you are working on right now that you want everyone to know about?

First is our connective service shop launch, which will change the way people get their cars serviced.

Second is our connective dealership program which is such a shift from the way that car dealerships manage their inventory and how customers buy and own cars.