Zebra's Your Edge Podcast

What Your Mobile Devices and Favorite Jeans Might Have in Common

Hint: it has to do with “holes,” and not the cool kind. 

What Do You Do When You Realize Your Career No Longer Aligns with Your Values or Life Goals?

When you realize your heart is somewhere else, do you just keep pushing forward? Or do you immediately stop what you’re doing and find a better fit? Former NFL Pro Julius Thomas found himself asking these questions at the age of 26. His answer might surprise you.

AI is Showing Up in Rugged Tablets in New Ways. But This May Be One of the Most Meaningful on the Frontline Right Now.

Automatic touch sensing and glove/water/stylus mode switching may not seem like a big deal to you. But it is for people who must constantly switch between these modes to do their jobs.   

Is This Why a Stable Wi-Fi Connection Remains Elusive in Warehouses and Distribution Centers (DCs)?

I sat down with a DC operator and a Wi-Fi solution architect to understand why it often feels like such a struggle to get system settings just right (no matter how much technical investigation and adjustment occurs.) 

Clini-Chat: Do You Have the Right People Informing Your RFID Projects? (Possibly Not, Says These Two Solution Engineers)

You need more than the “stakeholders” involved from day one because buy-in starts – but doesn’t end – at the top of your healthcare organization. This is whose opinion and support matters most.

Wish Your Workers Could Get More Done, Move More Efficiently, and Be More Accurate? Sounds Like It’s Time for a Game!

Warehouses, factories, and other supply chain facilities have become host to some intense competition and big prizes lately. Who would have thought? (Apparently, the people who understand how to modify behavior and started building gamification apps.) Tune in to hear how and why gamification works, especially on the frontline.

Rack Room CIO Reveals How He Uncovered and (Started Extinguishing) Over Four Dozen Friction Points in Stores

Is friction friend or foe in retail?

Most would argue the latter. But after talking to Rack Room Shoes’ CIO Brian Minnix recently, Zebra Retail Industry Principal Jim Musco believes friction isn't as bad as some might believe.

Think about it: If you're a retailer, what motivates you to modernize your stores more than friction (or the cost of friction)?

Not much, right?

And what happens when you uncover dozens of friction points in your stores?

You start committing a lot of resources to extinguish them. 

The result? 

Store operations run more smoothly because associates end up with the tools they need to better manage inventory, fulfill orders, assist customers, and more. 

So, don't write off friction as the enemy too quickly. But do listen to how Brian worked fast (for the retail world) to rid his stores of friction in this 20-minute chat with Jim.  Then learn more about the Rack Room story (that you don't normally see in the media) here. 

Is Enough Being Done to Protect Football Players and Other Contact Sport Athletes?

Is enough being done to protect the health and safety of football players and other contact sport athletes at all levels of their game? Cognitive scientist (and former NFL tight end) Julius Thomas provided his professional opinion in a recent episode of Chalk Talk. See if you agree with his perspective and advice then check out this additional commentary about what pro football players experience on the field. (Constant car crash-type impacts?!) 

“Why I ‘Zoom in to Zoom Out’ When Considering Workplace Experience of Customers and Users”

Kristen Ludwig is taking a different approach to customer experience design, advocating for technology customers and end-users of all abilities to have representation in business decisions and are fully supported in their work. See if this might also work for you, then learn more about Kristen and Laura (the host) here.

These Veterans Didn’t Let the Military Become Their Identity – and You Shouldn’t Either

Are you a military service member or veteran? Don’t let your current or past affiliations define who you are or who you want to be. And don’t let your career history define your current self-worth, say these two U.S. Marines-turned-Zebras.  Hear why it's a mistake to make your military experience part of your identity.