"How to Innovate Right Now" – by Scott Berkun
David Broschinsky | June 9, 2008Scott Berkun has put together a small article on how to innovate right now.
http://www.uie.com/articles/innovate_right_now/
He mentions that every innovator’s tool kit includes these three things:
- Questions
- Experiments
- Self-Reliance
Key points include:
- Borrowing ideas from the Past – look at ways others have solved the solution before you then try variations on them
- Ask a lot of questions
- Why is it done this way?
- Who started it and why?
- What alternatives did they consider?
- What are my or my friend’s biggest complaints about how it is now?
- How has this been done in other locals, cultures, or throughout history?
- What assumptions were made or constraints did they have?
- How can I apply any of the above to what I do?
- Try things yourself
- There is no substitute for first hand experience when trying things
- Don’t be afraid of risk – the bigger the innovation, the greater the risk
- Try, Learn, and Try again
- This could be called iterating your design
- Remember what Edison is attributed for saying "I haven’t failed, I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work"
