Post #4

This past week, I read another couple chapters of The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley. One chapter that I really enjoyed was about creating an experience.  Kelley talked about all of the small things, even some large adjustments, companies can make in order to increase sales why making the consumer happier.  One example he used was flying in an airplane.  He walked through the usual experience (in 2001) of flying.  From checking in at the gate, to going through security, to finding your gate and getting a better seat, he detailed many of the problems involved.  Kelley then went through each problem and systematically created a solution that would make the process better.  While some of the solutions required additional funds, I was surprised at how many solutions he had would save the companies money or not cost anything at all.  This type of thinking is what every employee at IDEO does every day, and is the reason they are so successful.

While talking about creating an experience to make profit, Kelley used the example of Vegas.  He talked about how Vegas was able to replicate the experience of going to another country, like France, without the cost.  Creating a 1:2 model of the Eiffel Tower, with the same exact type of paint used as the original, just adds to the ambiance of the resort.  I believe that creating a fun and interesting experience for a customer is the best way to increase sales.  I remember when we had that class project to re-design the cupcake store, I wanted to create a new experience.  By adding more expensive furniture, music, and even serving alcohol, I created an experience different than just buying a cupcake.  I feel like the thinking I did for that project mirrors what Kelley has been preaching in his book.

Post #3

As I picked up The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley for a third week, I began to think about how the ideas he is describing in his book could help me perform better in school and my extracurricular in the future.  While Kelley focuses his instructions towards executives and other businessmen looking to improve the innovation at their own firms, I believe that I could use the same ideas in my life, too.  The first chapter I read that interested me was about brainstorming.  It discussed the different ways to come up with ideas and how to build the right environment for it.  Innovating is based on new ideas, so brainstorming is the backbone of innovation.  Some ideas he mentions is writing everything down, numbering the ideas, and taking leaps from different ideas to other ones.  One thing he stressed was this idea of equality in the room.  Having a boss looking over your shoulder as he judges you will definitely lead people to not be as wiling to speak their mind.  I have seen this before in school, too. I think one of the problems in school in general is that the teachers believe they have a power over the students.  In elementary school I understand that discipline is necessary in certain situations, but their is a line when teachers restrict creative learning because they want to follow a strict set of rules.  For example, making sure everyone talks in a class discussion before you can talk again.  I have seen this rule implemented over and over.  Kelley even states making everyone talk is one of the six ways to "kill brainstorming."

Another idea that Kelley highlights is creating an environment of teamwork.  No single human could ever be a greater innovator than a group of people working together.  Working in teams is one of the most important skills I have come to realize through all of my experience in school and the work force.  I believe giving students opportunities to work in groups is really important to building those skills, too.  One idea Kelley gave made me want to redo how groups are made in schools, though.  He explained that in his situation of creating new groups for discussion, he let the students pick who they wanted to be their leader.  I feel like letting students pick what groups they want to be in is really important.  If you force students into groups, they will most likely not do as well.  Many teachers would argue that kids would just want to be with their friends and fool around.  Then that is their fault for not trying, not the teachers.  Overall, the book is giving me a lot to think about.

Post #2

This was the second week of reading The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley.  In the latest chapter that I read, it talked about the art of seeing and being that helps create true innovators.  He argues that looking at a picture or asking a focus group is not enough to find the true problems behind an object or service.  The true art of innovation, Kelley says, is being able to watch something and find problems within it that should be changed.  Kelley calls this a "bug list."  It is the mental notes, or even physical ones, that someone writes when they notice a problem.  This action has made people millions of dollars.  He describes how IDEO goes out into society when solving a problem to do their research.  While they do not always have a lot of time or funds to do their research, just watching and asking the right questions can help solve the problem.  He gives many examples, like when they invented a toothbrush with a bigger grip for children.  Intuition would say smaller kids need a smaller grip to hold it.  But as they watched children, they used their entire fists, while adults just used a few fingers.  So by marketing these big, squishy grips in different colors, it solved the problem and made the brushes more appealing to children.
I really like how IDEO has used this way of looking at a problem to make money.  They were one of the first companies to think like this, and ever since they reformed in 1991, they have not had an unprofitable quarter (book was published in 2001).  The book also talks about the unstructured, fun, and non-hierarchal way of working they have created.  The author compares it to a young version of Apple in the 70s.  Even more, both companies were startups in Silicon Valley and IDEO even helped Steve Jobs created the first Apple mouse for his computers.  This book has made me think about how to solve problems and make money.  Some good stuff. And well written.

Quarter 3: Blog Post #1

For the third quarter of C4E, I have picked a new book that I believe will be very interesting and insightful.  The title of the book is The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley.  The book talks about the design firm IDEO, which has received national attention in the way they think about innovation and design.  In my four years at BHS, I have watched the short film NBC's The Deep Dive at least four times in different classes.  The film takes you through a week at IDEO as they rethink and redesign the shopping cart, an example of the thousands of explorations they go on every year.  After seeing this video twice in the same week, I began to wonder why teachers loved it so much.  Since then, I have really thought about innovation and why it is so important to our economy.  When I read my book in quarter one, Creating Innovators, I began to understand more.

After reading just a few chapters of The Art of Innovation, I have begun to get a closer look into IDEO and what the fuss is all about.  The first chapter went back and explained in more detail the shopping cart stunt.  Tom Kelley, the project manager of IDEO and the author of the book, does a great job explaining how important the way you think about a project or idea makes everything come together.  He explains the five simple steps his company does every day when faced with a problem.  First they understand the problem, then they observe it in real life.  After they visualize concepts and continue to evaluate and refine their solutions.  The last and longest step is implementing the new concept.  The great thing about IDEO's steps is that they can be applied to anything at all. I am excited to read more about IDEO and their opinions on innovation.