Several years agone, my dad, Bo Lotinsky, showed me the infamous 60 Minutes special on IDEO–the mecca of innovation. After watching information technology, I couldn't help merely buy their book The Art of Innovation. I finally got around to reading it, and boy is it good. As always, a bulleted list of ideas and quotes don't exercise the volume justice. They're more than for me to remember what I read and for you lot to be intrigued enough to read it yourself. Enjoy!

Chapter three: Innovation Begins with an Middle

  • Keep a listing of what bugs you in products.
  • Inquire "why/why not?" to sympathise and challenge what has already been washed.
  • Detect the action–not what people say.
  • "Remember of products in terms of verbs rather than nouns…as animated devices that people integrate into their lives–and you'll become more attuned to how people use products, spaces, services–whatsoever yous're trying to better."

Chapter 4: The Perfect Brainstorm

  • Stick to 1 hr (one and a half max).
  • "Starting time with a well-honed argument of the problem…at just the correct level of specificity…open-ended."
  • Play: "go for quantity," "encourage wild ideas," and "be visual."
  • Number each idea. Aim for 100 per hour.
  • Build on ideas with variations. Bound to other trains of idea when the current thread has died.
  • Use giant whiteboards, Post-It notes, or butcher paper. The brain is wired for spacial retentivity, so move around the room to write and to revisit topics.
  • Start with a mental warm-up exercise if people seem to be elsewhere. 1 nifty exercise is to survey products in the aforementioned category y'all're trying to brainstorm in.
  • Sketch, mind-map, diagram; don't just write words.
  • Spend much more time brainstorming than writing. Yous desire to stay on the creative side of the brain.
  • Everybody is on the same level. No i is the boss, expert, or accountant.
  • No idea is to be critiqued. Simply write information technology down and continue.
  • Don't brand upwardly any other rules.

Chapter v: A Absurd Company Needs Hot Groups

  • Even the world'south best historical innovators worked in teams. Loners don't succeed.
  • Build teams effectually problems to exist solved, non a squad role.
  • Bring in people from all roles and experiences.
  • Wait outside the group for ideas, solutions, and feedback.
  • Squad leaders pitch potential project members. No one "owns" people. (Note: movie studios, Google, and Netflix exercise the aforementioned thing.)
  • Don't mandate attire or business hours.
  • Provide snacks.
  • Have a geek lodge where people can show off the latest technology or demo something they take built.
  • Play hooky every bit a team and go on a field trip.

Chapter 6: Prototyping Is the Autograph of Innovation

  • "A playful, iterative approach to problems is one of the foundations of our civilisation of prototyping."
  • "A prototype is nigh like a spokesperson for a particular betoken of view."
  • "A prototype is worth a yard pictures."

Affiliate eight: Expect the Unexpected

  • "History teaches that innovation does non come about past central planning. If it did, Silicon Valley would exist nearer to Moscow than San Francisco."
  • It's almost impossible to predict how the marketplace is going to use a product.
  • Spend fourth dimension arresting what'due south going on around the globe. IDEO has subscriptions to at to the lowest degree 100 magazines.
  • Find people in the wild accomplishing tasks.
  • Agree an open house to solicit feedback and ideas from people.

Chapter nine: Barrier Jumping

  • Organizational checklist: merit-based, employee autonomy, familiarity among staff, messy offices, lots of tinkering.

Affiliate 10: Creating Experiences for Fun and Turn a profit

  • "As you stride through the innovative process, try thinking of verbs not nouns."

Chapter xi: Coloring Outside the Lines

  • "The person who toils endlessly at his desk is not likely the person who is going to hatch a great innovation."

Published by Ian Lotinsky

I am a leader with experience in product management, product design, and software engineering science for B2C, B2B, EdTech, and B2NGO. View all posts by Ian Lotinsky

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