The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley

Prototyping is a State of Mind

It's a given that the award-winning design firm IDEO utilizes prototyping in their quest to fulfill a client's request for a better shopping cart or when creating the mouse for Apple.

But how does this help when innovation isn't a daily ritual? And what if your organization doesn't make things, but provides a service? And what if your organization is a church?

Quick prototyping is about acting before you've got all the answers, about taking chances, stumbling a little, but then making it right.

In "The Art of Innovation," IDEO general manager Tom Kelley outlines some of the key principles of prototyping the firm has developed over the years:

  • Build to learn - when a project is complex, prototyping is a way of making progress when problems seem insurmountable
  • Make your luck - once you start prototyping, you begin to open up new possibilities of discovery
  • Prototypes beat pictures - living, moving prototypes can help shape your ideas
  • Bit by bit - don't go for the touchdown all in one play; work on your project in stages, getting approval and/or revisions done in steps. Keep the momentum going
  • Shoot the bad ideas first - don't stop when you're stuck; prototyping even an unworkable solution often generates new ideas

A playful, iterative approach to problems is one of the foundations of the creative culture at IDEO. It can be at your organization, too.

Innovation Begins with an Eye

What do stand-up toothpaste tubes, all-in-one fishing kits, high-tech blood analyzers, flexible office shelves, and self-sealing sports bottles have in common?

Only that they're all products designed by the legendary firm IDEO; products inspired by watching real people.

As IDEO human factors expert Leon Segal says in "The Art of Innovation," "Innovation begins with an eye."

It's not just about product design, either. Whether it's art, science, technology, or business, inspiration often comes from being close to the action. Once you start observing carefully, all kinds of insights and opportunities can open up.

A few IDEO practices outlined in the book:

  • No dumb questions - don't think you know the answers without first asking the questions
  • Look through the child's eye - literally, if you want to understand what they are seeing, touching, and feeling; figuratively, if you understand that the best designs embrace people's differences
  • Inspiration by observation - open your eyes and you'll be awakened to opportunities to improve things without leaving your office
  • Embrace your crazy user - good, insightful observation combines careful watching with well-chosen questions asked to get at the psychology of a person's interactions
  • Finding rule breakers - you learn best when observing people who break the rules
  • People are human - sometimes we reduce personal interactions to numbers and statistics. Empathy is about rediscovering why you're actually in business, whom you're trying to serve, and what needs you are trying to fulfill.

Seeing and hearing things with your own eyes and ears is a critical first step in improving or creating a breakthrough in your organization.