Turn on a dime

When Capital One was planning its R&D lab to support innovative banking projects, the organization wanted a place where end users would literally have a place at the table.

A two-story café was built in San Francisco, California, USA to act as a testing ground for the projects in progress. The café is where stakeholders test-drive early versions of their apps. The teams then incorporate feedback into later iterations of the project plan.

“We built a little prototype that we affectionately called ‘Rewardly,’ in the lab and tested it out,” senior director of technology innovation Joshua Greenough told Fast Company. “It really brings that customer to the forefront of the pilots and the incubation of the innovation that we’re doing.”

By bringing an early version to stakeholders, project teams are able to adapt and iterate swiftly. Just as important as that direct line to the end user is a clear governance structure and a strong connection to the top, said Skip Potter, Capital One’s vice president of engineering.

Mr. Potter, the chief innovation officer and the COO meet monthly. “When you have that level of commitment at a senior level, going ‘I want to see what is going well, I want to see what you are delivering,’ that’s pretty awesome.” —M. Wright

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