Comments on: UIEtips Article: Debunking the Myths of Innovation: An Interview with Scott Berkun http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/ UIE\'s latest insights on the world of design Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:51:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jay Hamilton-Roth http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83475 Jay Hamilton-Roth Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:05:27 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83475 Another fallacy: we often think of innovation as a totally new solution to a problem. Don't forget that most innovation is actually creative evolution of a problem, incremental improvement to something that works. Another fallacy: we often think of innovation as a totally new solution to a problem. Don’t forget that most innovation is actually creative evolution of a problem, incremental improvement to something that works.

]]> By: blog.dsetia.com» Blog Archive » UIEtips Article: Debunking the Myths of Innovation: An Interview with Scott Berkun http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83438 blog.dsetia.com» Blog Archive » UIEtips Article: Debunking the Myths of Innovation: An Interview with Scott Berkun Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:24:39 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83438 [...] In this week’s article, UIE’s Christine Perfetti sat down with Scott to talk about his new book and his research in the area of innovation. Source: [Link] [...] [...] In this week’s article, UIE’s Christine Perfetti sat down with Scott to talk about his new book and his research in the area of innovation. Source: [Link] [...]

]]> By: Juan Lanus http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83415 Juan Lanus Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:20:31 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83415 I can't go to listen to Scott except, for example, in this video: http://www.oreillygmt.eu/2007/04/video_of_scott_.html Video of Scott Berkun presenting The Myths of Innovation In his speech he says a phrase that, to me, is the answer to the question on how innovation happens. Somewhere in the video Scott mentions something about looking at the problem from a different point of view. IMO this is what makes the difference. Like Henry Ford doing it twice, once about who are cars for, and the other about taking the pieces and the tools to the being-built car or taking the car where the pieces and the tools are waiting it. Some freedom of mind is needed for doing such things. Many a web designer tries to achieve this by breaking the established design rules. They mostly fail, because it's not about going against the rules nor setting new rules but simply do it better within the rules using a novel approach. The example that comes to mind is Gmail. Before Gmail the rules were that you could have an email account stored in your PC and access it only from your PC, or having a webmail account accessible from anywhere but slow, clumsy, with limited storage. One Gmail freeminded guy broke these rules. In fact, he crushed them, all of them at once. He also changed the way messages are to be organized ... Now, take a look at a Gmail screenshot you have in mind: is there something revolutionary there, in the way it looks, or in the way it reacts to user input, or in the UI? Not at all, isn't it? And anyway it's one of the most revolutionary solutions ever. One that changed the Internet forever, adding 1 to the version in the move to web 2.0. So, to innovate has to change the point of view. The image that comes to mind is someone looking at "it" from a certain distance. Not from the inside of "it" but at a distance. A corollary is that one must have a sound knowledge, or comprehension, of "it" to be in the position of looking from the distance. - I can’t go to listen to Scott except, for example, in this video:
http://www.oreillygmt.eu/2007/04/video_of_scott_.html
Video of Scott Berkun presenting The Myths of Innovation

In his speech he says a phrase that, to me, is the answer to the question on how innovation happens.
Somewhere in the video Scott mentions something about looking at the problem from a different point of view.

IMO this is what makes the difference. Like Henry Ford doing it twice, once about who are cars for, and the other about taking the pieces and the tools to the being-built car or taking the car where the pieces and the tools are waiting it.

Some freedom of mind is needed for doing such things.

Many a web designer tries to achieve this by breaking the established design rules. They mostly fail, because it’s not about going against the rules nor setting new rules but simply do it better within the rules using a novel approach.

The example that comes to mind is Gmail.
Before Gmail the rules were that you could have an email account stored in your PC and access it only from your PC, or having a webmail account accessible from anywhere but slow, clumsy, with limited storage.
One Gmail freeminded guy broke these rules. In fact, he crushed them, all of them at once. He also changed the way messages are to be organized …
Now, take a look at a Gmail screenshot you have in mind: is there something revolutionary there, in the way it looks, or in the way it reacts to user input, or in the UI?
Not at all, isn’t it? And anyway it’s one of the most revolutionary solutions ever. One that changed the Internet forever, adding 1 to the version in the move to web 2.0.

So, to innovate has to change the point of view. The image that comes to mind is someone looking at “it” from a certain distance. Not from the inside of “it” but at a distance.
A corollary is that one must have a sound knowledge, or comprehension, of “it” to be in the position of looking from the distance.
-

]]> By: Dave Kresta http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83321 Dave Kresta Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:22:26 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2007/07/26/uietips-article-debunking-the-myths-of-innovation-an-interview-with-scott-berkun/#comment-83321 I had the pleasure of hearing Scott speak last night at the Open Source conference here in Portland, Oregon. What resonated with me was that innovation/exploration is not a linear thing. There are lots of ends, wasted time, etc. It is only with hindsight that we look at an innovation and pick out the magic "path" that was followed, ignoring all the noise that actually contributed to the innovation. This is particularly apparent when you look at a timeline of milestones, such as the "history of communications", or the "history of navigation" -- only the successes are highlighted! The take-away? Innovation requires emergence, randomness, experimentation, failure, and yes, inspiration. This is a topic I explore in more detail at the Business Collaboration Journal at www.collaborativeye.com. I had the pleasure of hearing Scott speak last night at the Open Source conference here in Portland, Oregon. What resonated with me was that innovation/exploration is not a linear thing. There are lots of ends, wasted time, etc. It is only with hindsight that we look at an innovation and pick out the magic “path” that was followed, ignoring all the noise that actually contributed to the innovation. This is particularly apparent when you look at a timeline of milestones, such as the “history of communications”, or the “history of navigation” — only the successes are highlighted!

The take-away? Innovation requires emergence, randomness, experimentation, failure, and yes, inspiration. This is a topic I explore in more detail at the Business Collaboration Journal at http://www.collaborativeye.com.

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