The LAB: Innovating Software Applications with S.I.T. (August 2011)
Software runs much of our lives. It runs everyday items like computers, automobiles, banking, telephones, and even kitchen appliances. Software will affect more of our daily routines in the future. According to market researcher DataMonitor, the global software market will grow to $457 billion, an increase of 50.5% since 2008.
The problem with software is you cannot see it. The term was coined originally as a prank to contrast the term, “hardware.” Unlike hardware, software is intangible – it cannot be touched. So how do you innovate software especially with a corporate innovation method like S.I.T.? This method uses the components of the product or service as the starting point. Companies sometimes struggle creating new applications because software seems too abstract.
The secret to using S.I.T. on software is this. Don’t innovate the software code; rather, use the innovation method on what the software does. Apply the method to the products and processes that the software affects. This will create new-to-the-world innovations. Then, write the software code that implements these new applications.
Here is an example with the software program, Quicken. We start with a component list of a routine process within the software – creating an invoice.