Q&A with Miles Tincknell, our new Technical Consultant

With over 10 years in technical roles, Miles has worked in both front-end and back-end development, as well as in client facing positions in account management and project management for organisations ranging from BP and Novartis to charities like FairShare.

His role at Reading Room involves working with clients to understand their needs and find the right technical solution to match to their business objectives. Miles has an in-depth knowledge of the platforms and systems that we work with; Sitecore, Kentico, Umbraco, and Drupal, as well as keeping on top of industry and technology trends.

What attracted you to the role at Reading Room?

So, I've always been a bit of a big thinker. I was interested in philosophy from an early age - always enjoyed asking the big questions and digging into the minutiae of what they reveal. Getting the opportunity to join a consultancy with the pedigree that Reading Room has, in terms of research and discovery, using data to dig into what clients need, and working on big and complex projects is a great chance to flex these intellectual faculties.

What do you bring to the role?

I think what I bring is the ability to make complex technical concepts accessible and approachable.. I I really enjoy the intricacies of communication. It's something that has always been a key part of my role - communicating  technical solutions to non-technical people. Many of these concepts are really quite an abstract, be that a program or a platform. These things can be slippery or hard to grasp. Unless you're a programmer or developer, you won’t necessarily know what certain terms mean, or what might be possible. I really see my role at the intersection of this, where I’m here to translate those elements into something people can appreciate, understand, and begin to wrap their heads around.

What is your professional philosophy?

Openness and honesty. There is a truism that 80% of IT projects go over budget, run over schedule, or fail. The reason for that is because they are inherently complex. There is so much tied up in these systems and it is often almost impossible to foresee exactly what is going to be unearthed once you start going down this route of implementing these products. If we are open and honest from the very beginning about the unknown unknowns and how this complexity can manifest itself, then we are able to build a solid foundation for a relationship, mitigate this chance of risk and set the right kinds of expectations. I don’t see complexity as a reason for failure. As long as we are having the right conversations at the right time, it won’t be. I’m always going to tell it how it is, and my door is always open.

What can clients expect from you?

Clients can expect someone who is inquisitive about their business, their problems and how we can best help solve their problems. Really, it's all about them and what we can offer to help to meet their needs.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really enjoy playing sports outside of work and always find myself involved in team activities. I’m involved in some very niche sports at the moment – Tag Rugby and Ultimate Frisbee. I’m also partial to a bit of mountain biking and skiing although unfortunately the latter hasn’t been something I’ve been able to do in a little while.

I've got quite an interest in digital art. It’s this amazing place where technology is clashing with the classical world of art - and I think it’s having something of a renaissance now. When you’ve got a digital artist’s entire back catalogue selling for the equivalent of a Picasso piece, I think it’s telling. We’re going to see bigger and better things come from this space. It’s an exciting time! Screens are everywhere – soon we’re all going to have these Harry Potter-esque moving, interactive art pieces on our walls. I’m sure of it!