From the Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2011:
David Kelley, founder of IDEO and d.school at Stanford, says that to "unlock creative potential," people must become "open to experimentation, more comfortable with ambiguity, and less afraid of failure."
Having a specific problem to solve is the best start. In Kelley's class, students "define the problem themselves through research and direct observation."
The next step is "ideation" or brainstorming and visualization. The third step is prototyping.
Kelley encourages many little experiments and failures along the way, leading to better and better solutions. He found that collaborating with with others who have "radically different points of view" leads to a better learning experience. As his students gain confidence, they become more innovative.
In their book The Innovator's DNA, Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen say the key skill for generating innovative ideas is associating. Some people do this more naturally than others. But everyone can do more associating by "questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting." The more you do, the better you get, and the more confidence you have.
November 8, 2011
September 27, 2011
Innovation through Failure
From the Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2011:
"'Failure, and how companies deal with failure, is a very big part of innovation,' says Judy Estrin of Menlo Park, California. Failures caused by sloppiness or laziness are bad."
But failures resulting from trying a big, risky idea should be rewarded. As long as you learn something from the effort, it was not wasted. When you approach problems too conservatively, you don't have the breakthroughs that set you apart. You're doing the same tried and true things as everybody else.
Accept that having good ideas means having bad ones also.
"All innovative companies tend to be alike in certain ways, Ms. Estrin says. They encourage coworkers to trust each other, comment on each other's work and take criticism in stride. Also, managers encourage intelligent risk-taking, tolerate failure and insist that employees share information openly."
Some personal and environmental characteristics that foster creativity are:
"'Failure, and how companies deal with failure, is a very big part of innovation,' says Judy Estrin of Menlo Park, California. Failures caused by sloppiness or laziness are bad."
But failures resulting from trying a big, risky idea should be rewarded. As long as you learn something from the effort, it was not wasted. When you approach problems too conservatively, you don't have the breakthroughs that set you apart. You're doing the same tried and true things as everybody else.
Accept that having good ideas means having bad ones also.
"All innovative companies tend to be alike in certain ways, Ms. Estrin says. They encourage coworkers to trust each other, comment on each other's work and take criticism in stride. Also, managers encourage intelligent risk-taking, tolerate failure and insist that employees share information openly."
Some personal and environmental characteristics that foster creativity are:
- being last in the family, experiencing moderate family conflict and diverse role models
- being aggressive, egocentric or antisocial makes it easy to ponder ideas in solitude or challenge convention
- being competitive and unwilling to give up easily
- being able to take time off to let ideas incubate
- freedom to take risks and work on a variety of projects at once can spark flexible thinking
- while conflict and diversity trigger divergent thinking, war and anarchy are disruptive to new ideas
August 26, 2011
Quotes from Steve Jobs on Design
“We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]
***
“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.
“Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. [Wired, February 1996]
***
“For something this complicated, it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998, in a profile that also included the following gem: "Steve clearly has done an incredible job," says former Apple Chief Financial Officer Joseph Graziano. "But the $64,000 question is: Will Apple ever resume growth?"]
***
“This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’” [Fortune, January 24 2000]
***
“Look at the design of a lot of consumer products — they’re really complicated surfaces. We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don’t put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.” [MSNBC and Newsweek interview, Oct. 14, 2006]
August 17, 2011
How to Fascinate
From the HOW Design Conference keynote by Sally Hogshead:
Everyone is fascinating in their own unique way. There are seven universal triggers (or F factors): passion, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, rebellion, and trust. Mine are passion and mystique.
My latent F factor is prestige. Gain prestige by owning a realm, staking out your niche, becoming the authority. Create the ultimate [something] even if no one ever buys it.
Build anticipation and excitement to add value. People will pay more for an emotional experience.
Attention span is 9 seconds. That's all you have to captivate.
You always have to sit on the “throne of agony” to reach an epiphany. No agony, no epiphany. So embrace the agony.
More at SallyHogshead.com
Everyone is fascinating in their own unique way. There are seven universal triggers (or F factors): passion, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, rebellion, and trust. Mine are passion and mystique.
My latent F factor is prestige. Gain prestige by owning a realm, staking out your niche, becoming the authority. Create the ultimate [something] even if no one ever buys it.
Build anticipation and excitement to add value. People will pay more for an emotional experience.
Attention span is 9 seconds. That's all you have to captivate.
You always have to sit on the “throne of agony” to reach an epiphany. No agony, no epiphany. So embrace the agony.
More at SallyHogshead.com
How to Build a Better Business
From the HOW Design Conference panel discussion with Peleg Top, Rochelle Selzer, Kevin McConkey, and Shannon Carter
Be prepared for opportunities by constantly upgrading your skills.
Money = Respect. Ask for money, be prepared to walk away if it is not enough. Charge more money to get more respect. Be an investment, not an expense. Be able to show that your work makes money for your clients.
Narrow your market focus. Know what types of people and businesses you want to work with. Look for potential. Build relationships. Make a human connection.
Get the client excited by showing what is possible. Use your own voice and passion. Be real.
Keep in mind that you get paid for thinking, not for producing. You can be a designer without doing the production.
Hire well and wisely. Be a leader, not a manager.
Be prepared for opportunities by constantly upgrading your skills.
Money = Respect. Ask for money, be prepared to walk away if it is not enough. Charge more money to get more respect. Be an investment, not an expense. Be able to show that your work makes money for your clients.
Narrow your market focus. Know what types of people and businesses you want to work with. Look for potential. Build relationships. Make a human connection.
Get the client excited by showing what is possible. Use your own voice and passion. Be real.
Keep in mind that you get paid for thinking, not for producing. You can be a designer without doing the production.
Hire well and wisely. Be a leader, not a manager.
How to Use Design Strategy in Your Business
From the HOW Design Conference session by Rochelle Seltzer
“Design strategy is a process that powers brilliant design.” Following a good, solid process leads to a good result. Having a design strategy also allows objective evaluation of the creative solutions.
1. “Investigate deeply.” Interview the client, research their market, identify the goals.
2. “Review and synthesize.” Design team uses the information to write the proposal to the client. Media, visual direction, timeline, budget, metrics. Once the client signs off, the proposal guides the critique.
Advantages: client understands the reasoning behind the creative, requests fewer revisions, feels invested in the solutions
Try using a card sorting game. You present cards with descriptive words and the client puts them into piles: what we aspire to be, what we are, not us. Then distill down to 4 or 5 key words that will direct the tone of the design.
Design strategy sometimes uncovers business problems that design alone can't solve. The process can be extremely valuable to the client.
Use hard facts and anecdotes to measure success of the design. Make checking results part of the timeline.
A strategy-based designer rises in credibility and value. You are not a commodity.
“Design strategy is a process that powers brilliant design.” Following a good, solid process leads to a good result. Having a design strategy also allows objective evaluation of the creative solutions.
1. “Investigate deeply.” Interview the client, research their market, identify the goals.
2. “Review and synthesize.” Design team uses the information to write the proposal to the client. Media, visual direction, timeline, budget, metrics. Once the client signs off, the proposal guides the critique.
Advantages: client understands the reasoning behind the creative, requests fewer revisions, feels invested in the solutions
Try using a card sorting game. You present cards with descriptive words and the client puts them into piles: what we aspire to be, what we are, not us. Then distill down to 4 or 5 key words that will direct the tone of the design.
Design strategy sometimes uncovers business problems that design alone can't solve. The process can be extremely valuable to the client.
Use hard facts and anecdotes to measure success of the design. Make checking results part of the timeline.
A strategy-based designer rises in credibility and value. You are not a commodity.
August 7, 2011
How to Influence Business through Design Thinking
From the HOW Design Conference Session by Matthew Loyd.
To create something desirable, feasible, and viable, use:
Empathy—think about the client or end user
Creativity—solve a unique problem
Rationality—the idea must be strategic and defensible
BEST IDEA: the one-page brand
Summarize your brand on a single page: culture, values, mission, promise, experience, attitude. Write a cocktail speech. Identify your competition and advocates. Define your goals.
Permeate design thinking deep into the organization (or community) with the principles of authenticity, integrity, and innovation. Non-designers see the world differently. To teach design thinking: learn, listen, then act.
GOOD POINT: A social mission requires social media. If there is no social mission, no need for social media.
Step back. Begin anew each day. Each moment has its own unique possibilities. Even dull and rote tasks can be made fresh by inserting strategic design thinking. How does everything tie into your one-page plan?
To create something desirable, feasible, and viable, use:
Empathy—think about the client or end user
Creativity—solve a unique problem
Rationality—the idea must be strategic and defensible
BEST IDEA: the one-page brand
Summarize your brand on a single page: culture, values, mission, promise, experience, attitude. Write a cocktail speech. Identify your competition and advocates. Define your goals.
Permeate design thinking deep into the organization (or community) with the principles of authenticity, integrity, and innovation. Non-designers see the world differently. To teach design thinking: learn, listen, then act.
GOOD POINT: A social mission requires social media. If there is no social mission, no need for social media.
Step back. Begin anew each day. Each moment has its own unique possibilities. Even dull and rote tasks can be made fresh by inserting strategic design thinking. How does everything tie into your one-page plan?
How to Find Inspiration All Around You
From the HOW Design Conference Session "Galumphing, Goats on Roofs and Other Revelations for Inspiration" by Sam Harrison
First “take off your cool” and allow yourself to be silly and playful. When you find yourself in the “zombie zone,” remember the smells, sights, and sounds of childhood. Be a beginner again. Your “play zone” is more of a mental place than a physical one. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; Dyson made over 5000 “mistakes” before he invented his vacuum.
You are by nature intensely inquisitive, but can become numbed by monotony. Remember to see the surprises in this unruly world. Get outside of yourself and what you already know. Throw away your first 3 ideas; those are the ones everyone has. Ask one more question.
“You don’t have to be a creative person. You get to be a creative person.” Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up. You have your own style that no one else can duplicate. Celebrate it.
First “take off your cool” and allow yourself to be silly and playful. When you find yourself in the “zombie zone,” remember the smells, sights, and sounds of childhood. Be a beginner again. Your “play zone” is more of a mental place than a physical one. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; Dyson made over 5000 “mistakes” before he invented his vacuum.
You are by nature intensely inquisitive, but can become numbed by monotony. Remember to see the surprises in this unruly world. Get outside of yourself and what you already know. Throw away your first 3 ideas; those are the ones everyone has. Ask one more question.
“You don’t have to be a creative person. You get to be a creative person.” Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up. You have your own style that no one else can duplicate. Celebrate it.
June 27, 2011
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