posted by Anna Fleet on November 18th, 2010
My post on The World in Words a few weeks back, featured the world laid out on a traditional map template—but in words. How cool is that?
However, it brings to mind a good question. Why are foldable, paper maps so hard to use? I mean how many times have you struggled with a map—either on vacation or while driving? You either end up putting a big “tourist” bulls eye or you risk a car accident, as you were wrestle with a city map to figure out where, exactly, you are.
Well, map2™ has solved common map frustrations with their “zoomable” printed map. Suddenly the unnecessary unfolding and fighting with large city maps is a thing of the past.
Check out the 23-second video demo to see how map2 lets you simply zoom in any city area by unfolding a single map portion—to reveal a smaller scale map of that area, enlarged for a detailed view and easy navigation.
It just goes to show what happens when design thinking is used to solve a common problem concerning a traditional product.
Tags: design thinking for business success, design thinking for small business, design thinking problem-solving, design thinking tips, map2, the power of design thinking, the world in words
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posted by Anna Fleet on November 16th, 2010
As a relitively youthful person who is used to typing at a computer all day, I sometimes take my agilty for granted. Take, for instance, an elderly woman trying to change the channel with her TV remote, or worse, trying to play a DVD. Those remote buttons can be pretty small and hard to press. Well, RCA designs graduate, Tom Stables, thinks of these things often. So he designed a remote interface that can help elderly users interact with every day products, like the television or DVD player, with a lot less frustration and stress.
Check out Jane VS The Remote to see how Stables’ research of human interaction with every day items, like remote controls, led to design thinking and a very practical, and in Jane’s case, welcome innovation.
Tags: design thinking for small business, design thinking product innovation, design thinking strategy, human interaction with commercial products, Jane VS the Remotes, RCA, Tom Stables
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posted by Anna Fleet on November 5th, 2010
I like to treat myself, and you, to a little guilty pleasure on Fridays. Sure, I always make sure it’s design related—but I think we all deserve a little bit of delicious, inspiring, sexy, and jaw-dropping visual gifts for a week well done.
Well this Friday a delicacy in the form of this video from award-winning cosmetics designer and celebrity of the fragrance world, Marc Rosen, fell into my lap. And it’s particularly product design related as Rosen talks about how many of his iconic perfume bottles have been inspired by most elegant and intricate pieces of jewelry, handbags and even architecture—that have impacted him in real life.
Rosen says, “I find my inspiration everywhere. I can look at a lamp and think, ‘Oh, my God, that will be a great perfume bottle.’ I can look up at a skyscraper and think, ‘My God that would be a fantastic lipstick case…If you’re a designer your antennae are open to everything like radar for ideas and you don’t even realize something’s affecting you.”
Just check out his video on Finding Inspiration, and listen to how he designed a perfume bottle for Ellen Tracy based entirely on a handbag that his mother had when he was 12-years old. This just goes to show that the best designers are the ones that get out and experience the world, and use those experiences—be they cars, fashion, furniture, food, art, wine, travel and even personal and past experiences—to make better designs.
Indulgent and educational—now that’s a great Friday!
Tags: design thinking for small business, design thinking inspiration, marc rosen, perfume designer, product design for small business, product design inspiration, product design tips
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posted by Anna Fleet on November 4th, 2010
In this world of over-consumers, I think it’s safe to say that sometimes “less is more”. And I was so happy to get my hands on this video footage from a traveling exhibition, also aptly entitled, “Less is More”, that celebrates the work of renowned industrial product designer Dieter Rams, just to prove my point. Because let’s face it, Rams has been saying it for years.
The video was shot on the exhibit’s stop at the Design Museum London, England, where the museum’s Director, Deyan Sudjic, and Public Program Director, Michael Czerwinski, talk about their admiration of Ram’s simple designs and what makes them still relevant today—even though they were designed in the 1950s and 60s.
It seems that Rams’ 10 Principals of “good design” are still strictly observed by many designers today, and here they are…
Good design:
1. is innovative
2. makes a product useful
3. is aesthetic
4. makes a product understandable
5. is unobtrusive
6. is honest
7. is long-lasting
8. is thorough down to the last detail
9. is environmentally friendly
10. is as little design as possible
The exhibit, Less is More, has traveled to Osaka Japan, Fuchu Tokyo, London England and, recently, to Frankfurt, Germany.
Tags: 10 principals of good design, braun, design thinking for small business, design thinking strategy, dieter rams, less is more design, less is more exhibit, simple product design
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posted by Anna Fleet on October 13th, 2010
Gas, sex, constipation, indigestion…all of these are common social no-no topics that we tend to pretend don’t exist—and we especially don’t talk about them in the workplace. But how does ignoring these socially stigmatizing topics lead to positive results? Realistically, ignoring them more often leads to further heath problems and social isolation.
Well thanks to this six-part innovation series from IDEO, we are challenged to face and discuss social taboos out in the open, gasp! By forcing us to navigate forbidden waters, IDEO is saying businesses may discover untapped opportunities—ones that, yes, are unpleasant from the surface, but may just turn out to be rewarding once we dig deeper in these ways:
1. Acknowledging social taboos exist
- Listen and acknowledge social taboos in your particular industry.
2. Be sympathetic to embarrassment
- Do this by creating a safe haven for people to discuss, build trust, and share information around social taboo topics.
3. Challenge social stigmas
- By giving people permission to discuss taboo topics in new ways and ask, “Why are these taboo topics?”.
4. Offer alternatives – Provide language to kick off discussion and offer alternatives so folks can be engaged comfortably.
Reading this full article and afterwards take note of how your company can acknowledge taboos and turn them into business opportunities.
Tags: design thinking for small business, design thinking process, design thinking strategy, IDEO design thinking, IDEO innovation tips
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posted by Anna Fleet on October 8th, 2010
Get a load of the offices at Etsy—the online community that connects people who make things with people who want to buy those things. Etsy has authentically built a reputation around their mantra “Buy, Sell and Live Handmade”.
And I was tickled patchwork (ha, ha, like my crafty reference?) when my coworker, Lesley, posted this great interview with Randy J Hunt and Dave Brown of Etsy’s design team—along with these eclectic images of their offices.
Wow, life at Etsy sure looks fun—those lamps, those curtains, and I wonder what goes on in that phone booth?
But, my larger point is: what impressed me most about Etsy’s offices was beyond their vintage and home-crafted furniture and decoration—it was the fact that all of it was purchased directly from Etsy artists!
What a great example of a company remaining 100% true to their brand. The office celebrates the actual artists who make Etsy successful. Brilliant! I can’t even imagine entering Etsy’s offices without asking about the pieces surrounding me.
Congrats to Etsy for creating a community that’s 100% true to their brand and connected to their cause.
Tags: design thinking for small business, etsy brand authentic, etsy design thinking, etsy sustainable community, the power of design thinking
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posted by Anna Fleet on October 7th, 2010
I’m so crazy for Converse right now!
Do you know why?
Because I just enjoyed a fabulous 30 minutes of designing the look of my very own custom Converse high tops. Ha ha, check out my very own Anna Fleet designed beauties above!
This ‘design your own Converse campaign is what I’d call a brilliant move by Converse—engaging customers in the design of their shoes by allowing them to implement those designs is pure participation society. I’m going to track this campaign, but I bet this ingenious design thinking move will spread like wildfire over social networks. Why? Because it puts customers in control of what they are putting their hard earned money towards.
What do you think? Or have you already started design your own pair?
Tags: converse customer designed sneakers, converse design thinking, converse design your own shoe, converse shoes, design thinking for small business, design thinking strategy, participation society
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posted by Anna Fleet on September 17th, 2010
Nowadays, companies are looking for inexpensive ways to educate and innovate. The cheaper the better, right? So when I caught wind of this free Webinar series from Interactive Associates—beginning on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, I just had to share it with you.
The LeaderLens series focuses on conversations around design thinking leadership. And in this first Webinar on September 22, guest speaker, Leslie Alfin, a former professor at Parson’s School of Design, and expert in the field of Design Thinking plans to share how mega-companies GE and Proctor & Gamble have used Design Thinking to boost innovation
Sign up for the free LeaderLens Webinar series on the Interaction Associates site.
Tags: design thinking for small business, design thinking leadership, design thinking process, design thinking tips
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posted by Anna Fleet on August 19th, 2010
An article in the Harvard Business Review by author Robert I. Sutton claims that,“there is no learning without failure.”
Sutton should know. He’s the co-author of five books on managerial audiences (including The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Firms Turn Knowledge Into Action) and he says that failure is widespread before innovation occurs. “The reality is that the typical successful innovator experiences the agony of defeat far more often than the thrill of victory.”
It’s true that failure happens to the best of us. But instead of giving up, Sutton says that we should embrace failure, learn from it, and put those lessons toward our future ideas. “The ability to capitalize on hard-won experience is a hallmark of the greatest organizations,” he says.
“The [people] who are most adept at turning knowledge into action…and those that are the most successful when it comes to developing and implementing creative ideas…[fail and often].”
Read the full article to find out why the most successful creators tend to be those with the most failures.
Tags: design thinking for small business, design thinking process, design thinking strategy, harvard business review, learning from our failures, stages of design thinking
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posted by Anna Fleet on August 18th, 2010
A recent poll from IBM unveiled some interesting stats about the modern business landscape. When 1,500 CEOs were polled across 60 countries it was found that:
* Creativity was rated the most sought after leadership skill
* According to 80% business success demands new ways of thinking
* Less than 50% believe their companies can deal with this complex business environment
However, the Harvard Business Review shared six secrets to creating a culture of innovation that they believe businesses must make in order to deal with the shifting business landscape:
1. Meet needs
What do you employees need to perform at their very best? Are their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs being met at work? If staff is preoccupied by unsatisfied needs it should be no secret that they’ll bring less energy and drive to work. Why not let your employees design their days as they see fit? The nitty-gritty details shouldn’t matter if they are performing effectively and getting work done on time.
2. Teach the systematic approach to creativity
Betty Edward’s book Drawing on the Artist Within describes the five stages of creative thinking: first insight, saturation, incubation, illumination, and verification. Understand this rough roadmap for engaging the entire brain in the thinking process—both the analytic left side and the big-picture right side—to effectively solve problems.
3. Nurture passion
When people are assigned tasks that they aren’t passionate about it kills their creativity. Those encouraged to follow their passion at an early age develop stronger discipline, deeper knowledge, and resilience to obstacles. If you find ways to let staff express their unique skills and passions at work—they will be more engaged and productive while at work.
4. Define purpose
Money pays the bills, but it (can’t buy you love) isn’t meaningful on it’s own. Human beings strive to make positive contributions to the world—even on small levels. That’s why the most successful business leaders can communicate a compelling mission and fuel employees forward.
5. Provide time
We live in a “more, bigger, faster” society, but ironically, creative thinking requires uninterrupted, pressure-free time on a regular basis or else we burn out.
6. Recovery
Human beings are not computers—although we’re often treated like machines. The average human can only expend energy for a short period of time (about 90 minutes), but then we need rest in order to recover—for example we go for a walk, go for a drive, excise at the gym, listen to music or even meditate to spur creative breakthroughs.
Tags: business culture of innovation, creating cultures of innovation, design thinking for small business, design thinking process, design thinking strategy, harvard business review
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One Calendar with Social Networking Powers
