MY Top Ten invites media practitioners to identify their top ten websites, apps, software tools and gadgets, etc, and, here, it is the turn of Rémi Brunier, product owner for the STV Player.
Rémi started his career as marketing manager for Orange R&D Lab in London and went on to hold various product management and product development positions at Orange, Sky and Vodafone across a variety of UK and global products.
He relocated to Glasgow in early 2013 when he joined STV.
The STV Player catch-up service was launched in 2008.
1. Feedly – software tool/app – Essentially an RSS feed reader, it is super-easy to set up and very convenient to navigate the ever-changing media and technology world we operate in. I follow dozens of sources and, going to each website individually on a daily basis, would take me ages. A quick scroll in Feedly and I get nicely-presented updates from everywhere: the industry, partners, developer forums, suppliers, etc.
2. SumoLogic – data aggregation software – Viewing sessions on the STV Player generate a large amount of raw data, but those logs are useless until they can be analysed and actions taken. SumoLogic helps make sense of it all, through automated graphs, search, aggregation, etc. At the moment, we are focusing on compiling quality of service data to drive experience improvements. We are just at the start but are progressing rapidly now that data can be visualised by almost anyone, and not just data scientists.
3. Google Drive – software – I manage almost everything, personal and professional, through Google Drive apps; accessible from almost any connected device, they make working collaboratively a doddle. No more chaotic document versioning, endless email threads and messy desktops!
4. Bose QuietComfort headphones – gadget – These have simply revolutionised my frequent air travels. I put them on and can totally ignore everything around me. A great way to focus on a document… or sleep! I never travel without them.
5. Spotify – app – I use it both for music and podcasts. I particularly like the FT Tech Tonic and Intelligence Squared podcasts; always relevant contemporary topics, covered by great guests. As my job involves both attention to details and long-term planning, I find listening to other, not necessarily directly work topic-related discussions, help with thinking about the broader picture or different angles.
6. Amazon Fire TV – gadget – We’ve had the STV Player available on Fire TV since the set-top box launched in 2014. It’s our fastest-growing platform and is a great illustration of how the media world is changing; the depth of content challenges the need for a paid-for subscription, series stacking encourage binge and there is (currently, it could change) no mention of the linear world in there at all. I use it for most of my ‘TV’ watching these days. We are exploring voice integration on the device, and on others.
7. HipChat – IM client – Bypass the deluge of email, get answers quickly, share a gif, have a group discussion. You need an IM client, you know you do.
8. iPhone and iPad – gadgets – Well, they do everything now don’t they? Music, payment, boarding passes, call, all the above apps… I still can’t type as quickly as a 14 year-old and I’m still not 100 per cent paper-free, but they make the portable office almost a near reality.
9. Sonos Play:1 – gadget – Connected speaker – Nothing to do with work, but I find their app/device integration inspirational. The STV Player is available on many devices and how the software and hardware fit together and interact is key to a friendly user experience. Sonos have mostly cracked it: everything is intuitive and easy. That, and they sound marvellous.
10. Target Process – Agile software – We use it to manage our Agile Scrum process. Once mastered, it’s a great tool to track progress, release, bugs, open questions, etc. The STV Player is a programme of 10-12 parallel projects with apps and sites at varying stages of development and many intricacies and dependencies, so having a robust project management software is critical.
