Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman and Tom Peters (2001). "The Art of Innovation”

About the Text

The Art of Innovation summarises what a human-centered approach looks like for the well-known innovation company IDEO. It’s really about going to the origin of the problem and observing. I think this text and the work of IDEO are fundamental for every designer.

IDEO may be the most innovative company

ChatGPT writes: “IDEO is a company that was founded in 1991 in Palo Alto, California. They offer design and innovation consulting services to clients all over the world. IDEO has offices in different parts of the world including New York, London, Munich, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Their main goal is to help clients develop new products, services, and experiences using a human-centered design approach. IDEO is popularly known for its emphasis on design thinking, which is a problem-solving methodology that focuses on creativity, empathy, and experimentation. IDEO has worked on well-known projects including designing the first computer mouse for Apple and creating a new patient experience for the Mayo Clinic.”

How IDEO implements Human-Centered-Design

In the Book, the authors mention that several different products like stand-up toothpaste, all-in-one fishing kits, and flexible office shelves were all invented by IDEO. With this statement, they make clear that IDEO isn’t working in a specific area, they are inventing the ideas there, where they are needed. They state this with the quote “We’re not big fans of focus groups. We don’t much care for traditional market research either. We go to the source. not the “experts” inside a company, but the actual people who use the product or something similar to what we’re hoping to create.”

Why does just asking people alone not work, they state “The problem is that your guests may like to eat, but they’re probably not food critics. in business, too, your customers may lack the vocabulary or the palate to explain what’s wrong, and especially what’s missing.”

And next to that, the chance is also, that they won’t even tell you that they don’t like the product or service, because they don’t want to disappoint you, even though you want to hear honest feedback. But in the end, your customers don’t need to be visionaries, you as a designer need to be. Even though they listen to what their customers, the companies that create something for people, want and how they already know in which direction it should go, IDEO is always able to go on a distance and really watch what the people need, without biases.

Quotes and My Opinion

“Uncovering what comes naturally to people. And having the strength to change the rules.”

I definitely think it’s one of the most important steps to discover the best way that works for people. But as the quote states, there can be an even more natural approach to it, that first need to be translated/designed.

“By studying people of all ages, shapes, cultures, and sizes we’ve learned that the best products embrace people’s differences.”