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Will Simm
Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University
Professional Background
Will Simm is a highly skilled and dedicated practitioner with extensive experience in participatory technology development. Across various domains, including digital health focused on autism, digital consultation services, and the integration of digital technology for climate adaptation strategies, Will has consistently demonstrated a commitment to using technology to improve lives. His innovative work seamlessly marries technical expertise with a keen understanding of human factors, ensuring that end-users are engaged and empowered throughout every project.
Notably, Will's pioneering work has gained international recognition, having been showcased on BBC television twice. This exposure reflects not only the impact of his contributions but also his ability to communicate complex ideas to broader audiences effectively. He is well-respected within the research community and earned prestigious accolades, including the Best Paper Award at CHI 2015. This award is significant as it highlights his work's excellence presented at the world’s leading conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Additionally, Will's commitment to research engagement garnered him a shortlist nomination for a Times Higher Award, further solidifying his reputation as a thought leader in the field.
Will possesses a propensity for agile methodologies, adeptly working in iterative sprints and fostering collaboration within multi-disciplinary teams. He firmly believes in the principle that end users should be active participants in their development process, ensuring that technology solutions align closely with their needs and expectations.
Education and Achievements
Will's academic journey is marked by a robust foundation in engineering and computing, having pursued a Master of Engineering in Computer Systems Engineering from the esteemed School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University. He went on to further his expertise by studying for a Doctorate in Philosophy in the same discipline at Lancaster University. His commitment to continuous learning led him to engage in Project Management training, equipping him with the skills necessary to drive projects forward systematically and effectively.
Moreover, Will has participated in the Gate Training Course at Sheffield University, expanding his professional toolkit for managing complex engineering challenges. His education is complemented by rich professional experiences across various esteemed roles.
Professional Experience
Will Simm is the owner of Was Design, a practice dedicated to innovative design in technology that enhances user interaction and experience. Before founding Was Design, Will held several prominent roles at Lancaster University, where he honed his research capabilities. As a Research Fellow and Senior Research Associate, he contributed significantly to projects that impacted people's lives and showcased his ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams.
Furthermore, Will co-founded Ernst Nutrition, where he leveraged his technological skills to develop solutions addressing nutrition and health needs, particularly for vulnerable populations. His early career saw him working as a Developer at Bespoke | Web Specialists, where he gained practical experience in web development and enhancing user experiences through technology. His role as a Project Assistant at the Knowledge Business Centre allowed him to cultivate a strong understanding of how information transfer and business innovation intersect.
In addition to his extensive research and development background, Will served as an Honorary Researcher at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, focusing on bridging healthcare with innovative technology solutions. During his time at Lancaster University, he also led research initiatives, including his pivotal role as a PhD Researcher in Engineering.
Achievements
Will's career is punctuated by numerous achievements that underscore his commitment and mastery in the fields of technology and healthcare. His project work in digital health applications, especially concerning autism, stands out and showcases his dedication to enhancing the quality of life for individuals and families affected by autism.
With a focus on creating adaptive digital consultation tools, Will has successfully engaged end users, ensuring their needs and perspectives shape the solutions developed. His recognition through significant awards highlights his contributions to research that fosters positive societal impact.
Furthermore, his global television exposure on the BBC has helped raise awareness of important issues surrounding digital health and technology, emphasizing his role as an influential advocate for innovation in health and climate response solutions.
Will Simm aims to leverage participatory technology for social good. He excels in digital health for autism and technology's climate adaptation role, with recognized contributions.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.