Key to Innovation: Becoming an Observer
We all need to innovate to stand out from the crowd. But what is the key to innovation? The answer, or at least an important answer, is becoming an observer. By observing how we and other people do things, we will spot opportunities for improvements. The more we observe, the more opportunities we will find. We can then work to provide solutions for some of the problems. By becoming a good observer, we will recognize the problems before many people do and have first-mover advantage.
Here are some things you can do to innovate through observation:
1. Don’t take things for granted
There are many things which look usual on the surface but have some hidden opportunities behind them. So open your eyes to observe even the seemingly normal things. Observe how you and other people do routines, and discover the details you overlooked.
2. Watch for inconveniences
Inconveniences are clear signs of problems. Are people waiting too long for something? Do they find it difficult to accomplish certain tasks? If you watch for inconveniences, either those experienced by you or by other people, you can easily find opportunities for innovation.
3. Watch for possible gaps
Sometimes we are so accustomed to doing things in a certain way that we can no longer see it as inconvenient. In that case, it is up to your imagination to spot opportunities for improvements. Maybe the current process is already efficient, but you know of some technologies you can use to improve the process even more. The difference between current situation and possible future situation creates a gap for improvement.
4. Follow technology trends
To help you with the previous step, you should closely follow the trends in technology. Familiarize yourself with the latest developments in relevant fields. This way you will expand your horizon of what is possible and make it easier for you to spot possible gaps for improvement.
5. Watch how your competitors work
You can get ideas for innovation not only by observing how people work, but also by observing how your competitors work. Is there something they do well that you can learn from? If yes, then don’t hesitate to take the idea and implement it.
6. Observe different people at different places
To get broader perspective of a problem, you should go to different places and observe how different people do things. By observing people from different backgrounds in different situations, you will see different dimensions of the problem. This way you will come up with better, more complete solutions.
7. Capture every idea
To avoid losing the ideas you get, you should write them down as soon as possible. Otherwise it’s very likely that the ideas will disappear and will never come back. So you should have a capture tool handy wherever you go.
8. Create a master list of problems
By having one central place to collect all the problems you find, you can easily compare one problem to another to find which one is more potential. If you want to, you can also classify the problems to make them easier to browse.
9. Review your master list of problems
Every now and then, you should review your master list of problems to see all the opportunities you have. After reviewing the list, you can take one or two problems to work with. The best problems to take are those which are both painful and solvable.
10. Take action
Eventually, you can take action based on the problem you choose to provide a solution. By becoming a good observer, you will have a head start in coming up with a solution.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Donald Latumahina
Donald Latumahina writes about personal growth and effectiveness at Life Optimizer. His mission is helping people live life to the fullest. You can read his featured posts on multiple topics.
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Comments
Lois S Peters says on January 24th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Innovating through observation is right on. I teach a class in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship and one of the first assignments if for the students to come up with a business concept. Many have the initial reaction but I can’t I am not creative. So I tell them to do many of things you suggest in the above article on innovate through observation and they are surprised at just how creative they can be. One further point however… I say ideas are really the easy part what is really hard is taking action… developing them in ways the market will really notice their value.
Ryan says on January 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I’ve got to agree with #2. Using a program, or watching someone else use it, can be a great source of inspiration for ideas.
And that goes along really well with #6 about observing different people doing different things. A perfect example would be to watch someone who uses Microsoft Word a lot compared to someone who doesn’t use it often. The frequent user will be using keystrokes for common tasks and make Word look very efficient. The casual user will be scrolling through menus and dialog boxes and make Word look like a clunky piece of software.
Martin says on January 24th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Great summary. #1 (Don’t take things for granted) is my favorite because object or process can be more simple, better, and faster. I have been collecting a list of simple ways people are making millions.
http://SimpleBigIdeaBusiness.blogspot.com/
Jay Young says on January 24th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I am a fan of #7. Writing down all of your ideas is a great way to jumpstart productivity. I believe that it helps create top of mind awareness and is an important key to viewing things differently. Innovation requires a spark. New ideas help create that spark.
Guru says on January 26th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
i like your idea.. and to an extent i follow some of your points. i will like your point 7. every time i think i will write all my ideas.. but i have lost many of them.. i will try to keep some pad and pen with me.
Matthew Cornell says on January 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Terrific article, Donald. Very helpful tips in an area I feel isn’t natural for me, but very important.
Here’s one I picked up from “The 80-20 Principle” by Richard Koch: Identify any market or any sphere or activity where there’s room for 20% of work generating 80% of the profit. What are the majority doing wrong and the minority doing right?
Also, look for situations or markets that are approximately 1/2 and 1/2 - this is an unstable tipping point, and affords an opportunity to jump in. Pre-Google days come to mind…
Jerome says on January 31st, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Adding to the lists.. Write all key changes, issues and indicators that you observe and organize them well for further analysis..
John Cooke says on June 25th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I like your 10 steps plan, especially in terms of creating consumer based stimulus. Observating usage is a great start, however, I think you’re missing some key stuff which is easy to do and minimising an area which is especially important. First the key stuff: as well as direct observation, actually be your customer - IDEO have put themselves in patient’s shoes when trying to understand hospitals, Nissan got 5 big engineers to sit in a tiny Nissan Micra and used the experience to generate insights. As well as watching and talking to your target customer, seek out extreme/deep/fanatical customers and find out what they value and are passionate about and what they are already doing with your product to satisfy their passion. Also think about parallel industries, if you’re working in food tech, what could you learn from pharma? On the subject of competitors and technology there is a lot more that can be done. For example, look for the one key limitation you and all your competitors have. Why is that? Target your technology search to look for solutions to this problem, if necessary you can even set up a simple process to scout technologies. If you want to find out more about all this and how to generate and develop great breakthrough innovations come and have a look at my blog “the innovator’s sweet spot”