We sat down with our Director of Experience Technology, Kevin Mar-Molinero who features in this year’s BIMA100 - Challengers and New Thinkers. This category seeks out those who have defined new standards or ways of working in their sector to shape the future of Britain's digital industry. We caught up with Kevin to ask what being nominated means to him and what’s next in digital.
BIMA100 2021: Kevin Mar-Molinero
What does it mean to you to be included in this year’s BIMA100, Challengers and New Thinkers?
Being included in the BIMA100 is an absolute privilege but I also see it as a validation of all the hard work that we have done as a team on designing with empathy. Whilst this award is for an individual I don’t believe any new or good idea comes from a single person, it’s an act of collective collaboration. Without that collective – inspiring, challenging and educating me – then none of what we had come up with would exist.
What’s the next big thing in digital?
Digital ethics. As AI/ML and Big Data takes hold, ethics become more and more vital. Understanding how our choices both impact and exclude will be the differentiator for success in business.
We are on the cusp of change. The drive towards data driven solutions has meant that we are now seeing the inclusion of societal biases in solutions. In the short term we may think we’re achieving great strides, but in the long term we’ll devalue brands if we don’t challenge their source and our addition of biases to the mix.
Not many people know that I…
Started my working life as a plasterer, I've also been a researcher at the House of Commons, a sound engineer in a recording studio and run a worker’s co-op.
My career has been a series of accidents with very little I've planned. All I know is that my one driving force is to leave the world slightly better than when I first found it, and that ego is the enemy of innovation. Despite my lack of career planning, I've been fortunate enough to have worked with incredible people who nurtured my interests and gave me the opportunity to follow them, even when they weren't in my job description.
My one wish would be…
That accessibility didn't need to exist as a discipline and the access needs of all were considered as a standard. I still find it shocking that this role is still seen as something new or even a “nice to have”.
Accessibility and inclusive design should be the absolute minimum requirement for any digital product launched. Quite frankly if you are not making your services accessible then you are cutting corners and not doing your job properly. As part of the BIMA Inclusive Design Council I’m hoping to make a real dent in this attitude.