Innovation means so many things to so many people.
When most people think of innovation, they will typically recall large scale change or new products and services that created a step change.
But innovation does not always need to be about the next big idea. Innovation is often about the minutiae, and the small changes in the right direction that result in a stepped change in the result or outcome of the small changes well implemented.
There is also a lot of talk (especially in Europe and the US) about design thinking, and design centred innovation. In Australia, for Australians, design is often akin to new products, and the ‘physical; but is it more?
It is easy enough to cite Apple and the iPod or iphone (or any of their products) as great examples of design led innovation, and design at the centre of a products success. This is an example of the physical aspect of design.
However, when design is defined as ‘the true meaning’ of something, it can take on a new world of opportunity, and provides a different lens through which to view the world and our interactions.
Finding the meaning in a product, service or experience is not a straightforward process – and can require detailed ethnographical studies and years of understanding of the ‘why’.
Yet, finding the true meaning behind a service or a product (or an experience) is the key to innovation and true ‘design’ of a new outcome. So much of what we consume on a daily basis has meaning. Why do we really drive the car we drive (for most of us, it is more than getting from A to B), why do we wear the clothes we do…even the humble suit is a derivative of the suits of armour worn in the 14th Century that were worn to provide status and protection.
