Посты с тэгом: SIT

Innovation Sighting: Music That Morphs Using Attribute Dependency

Published date: November 26, 2012 в 8:33 am

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The Attribute Dependency Technique tends to produce innovations that are smart.  They seemingly know when to adjust or change in response to a change in something else.  It is one of five techniques of the SIT innovation method, and it accounts for a majority of new product innovations.  Attribute Dependency differs from the other techniques in that it uses attributes (variables) of the situation rather than components. Start with an attribute list, then construct a matrix of these, pairing each against the others. Each cell represents a potential dependency (or potential break in an existing dependency) that forms a Virtual Product. Using Function Follows Form, we work backwards and envision a potential benefit or problem that this hypothetical solution solves.

Consider this unique example of Attribute Dependency: music that changes in relation to another variable.  As reported by Springwise:

Since the advent of digital music we’ve seen a number of artists trying to offer something different to their fans.  UK musician Gwilym Gold’s Tender Metal is a downloadable piece that mutates each time the listener plays it.  The album is being released solely for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.  When using the app, the components of the tracks of Tender Metal are seamlessly and subtly reconfigured each time they are played, meaning that each listening experience is different from the last. Users can choose to loop tracks in order to hear it constantly shift, or shake the phone to ‘regenerate’ the piece from its current permutation.  The innovation allows for endless reinterpretations of the music without it being performed live, ultimately offering a more immersive experience for fans.

Smartphones and tablets have become an important platform for these types of innovations because of their ability to track two important variables: location and time.  For example, the musical band, Bluebrain, created an album called National Mall that responds to the listener’s location as they journey down the Mall in Washington DC. “As users approach tagged locations, the audio content of the album will alter to interact with the environment, thus creating a unique listening experience every time the album is played en-route.”  According to Springwise:

For Bluebrain, this album is simply the start, with plans to release similar location-aware works for Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York in the summer, followed by an album to be experienced whilst journeying along California’s Highway 1. Location-based technology is increasingly incorporated into products and services far and wide. If you haven’t already, this is one to try for yourself!

The combinations of time-based or location-based linkages to a smartphone are endless.  To get you started creating your own versions of these innovations, following the instructions located here.

Photo from http://www.lucreid.com

Innovation Sighting: Nissan’s Intelligent Car Horn

Published date: October 15, 2012 в 3:00 am

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Nissan’s latest innovation takes the lowly car horn and elevates it to the status of “smart.”  The 2013 Altima has a new feature that’s likely to surprise buyers. It’s called Easy-Fill Tire Alert.  The car’s tire pressure monitoring system informs drivers when a tire is low on air and then uses the sedan’s horn and hazard lights to confirm that the tire has been filled adequately.

This is a classic use of the Task Unification Technique, one of five in the innovation method called SIT.  Task Unification works by taking a component and assigning it an additional job.  That component can be an internal resource (in this case, something on or in the car) or an external resource, something in the vicinity of the car, but not within the manufacturer’s control (a passenger, for example).  The additional job can be “stolen” from another component or it can be assigned something new.

Auto makers have used this seemingly simple component before for other purposes than just beeping at other drivers.  Car horns have been “recruited” to sound off as a burglar alarm, for example.  Some models of cars have the horn sound when the car is locked or unlocked.  Now, Nissan’s clever innovation assigns the horn the new task of assisting with tire maintenance.  Brilliant!

Nissan’s humorous TV commercial to introduce the new feature is brilliant, too:


From Nissan:

The “Easy-Fill Tire Alert” system is an all-new control module currently being phased into vehicle redesigns like the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima.  First, the vehicle’s tire-pressure warning system alerts a driver to a low tire; and on some models displays the current pressure and tire or tires that require attention on the dashboard display.  When alerted, drivers should stop at the nearest gas station to fill the tire with an available air hose.  Once air begins flowing into the tire, the vehicle’s four-way flashers come on to confirm the process has started.  When the tire hits the appropriate pressure level, the horn then chirps to let drivers know the tire has been properly inflated.  If the driver continues to fill the tire with air, the horn honks more aggressively to indicate over inflation. Once air is let out of the tire, the horn chirps once to indicate the correct pressure has been reached.

Just imagine what else a car horn can do.  Using Task Unification makes it easy.
 

The LAB: Innovating Pinterest with Attribute Dependency (September 2012)

Published date: September 30, 2012 в 4:36 pm

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It’s official.  Pinterest has joined the elite group of social apps along with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, and Google Plus.
“Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.”  How popular is it?  It is the fastest site ever to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark.  A report by Shareaholic claims, “Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.”  As of March 2012, Pinterest was valued at $1.5 billion.

There are many creative ways to use Pinterest.  New apps are emerging around it much like what happened with Twitter.  But to maintain growth, Pinterest needs innovation.  For this month’s LAB, we will apply Attribute Dependency, one of five techniques of Systematic Inventive Thinking, to Pinterest.  Our goal will be to create new innovations around Pinterest as we did with Twitter and Facebook.

To use Attribute Dependency, make two lists.  The first is a list of internal attributes.  The second is a list of external attributes -those factors that are not under your control, but that vary in the context of how the product or service is used.  Then, create a matrix with the internal and external attributes on one axis, and the internal attributes only on the other axis.  The matrix creates combinations of internal-to-internal and internal-to-external attributes that we will use to innovate.  We take these virtual combinations and envision them in two ways.  If no dependency exists between the attributes, we create one.  If a dependency exists, we break it.  Using Function Follows Form, we envision what the benefit or potential value might be from the new (or broken) dependency between the two attributes.

The attributes of Pinterest are:

PinterestInternal Attributes:

  1. size of board (number of pins)
  2. size of the displayed board
  3. number of boards
  4. description of board
  5. subject of pins
  6. number of likes
  7. number of re-pins
  8. number of guest pinners
  9. who following

External Attributes:

  1. time
  2. followers
  3. boards trending
  4. links to other social networks

The new concepts are:

1.  Push To Friends:  Pinterest pushes a notification to Facebook friends or Twitter followers based on a keyword in the description of the Pin.  This is a bit like RSS feeds into a reader, but different in that the Pinterest board owner gets to decide what gets pushed to friends.  There are some existing links between Pinterest and the other social networks, but an approach like this could make it much stronger and more valuable.

2.  Pin Recommender:  Pinterest finds and recommends new Pins to you based on keywords in your Pin or Board description.  It is similar to the “You Might Also Like…” feature on many web applications.  A new app called SpinPicks does something similar, but it does not pull from the inventory of images in Pinterest.

3.  Board Cloud:  The Boards of a Pinner change size depending on Likes and Followers.  This is similar to a tag cloud where each word varies in size depending on how often it shows up on a website or document.  Tag clouds help the reader quickly understand which words are most prominent or popular.  Twitter has a similar feature called Trendsmap.  Given the highly visual nature of Pinterest, I would expect users to be able to turn features like this on or off in their settings to give a more personalized experience.

4.  Twitter Trender:  The boards displayed on the viewers main page vary depending on what is trending on Twitter.  Twitter has become the “eyes and ears” of the world, and hot topics trend all the time.  Pinterest would read these trends and match them to Boards for display on the front page, perhaps as defined by the viewer.

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Rebooting Your Innovation Effort

Published date: September 24, 2012 в 3:00 am

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Imagine you just completed an innovation program, but things went terribly wrong.  So wrong, in fact, that the boss won’t allow anyone to use the term “innovation” in any context. You and your colleagues spent a lot of time, money, and effort only to realize that you did not get what was promised. What do you now?  How do you reboot your innovation program?

Here are some tips:

1.  Conduct a Post Mortem:  Despite the pain, you should thoroughly examine the “dead body” to understand what happened.  How did we get here?  What stimulated the initiative?  What were our assumptions going in?  What changed?  How did we identify potential consultants to work with?  How did we vett them?  How did we select one to work with?  Did we have the right team in place?  Were we using the right method?

2.  Take Stock in the Positives:  No effort is a total waste no matter how miserable.  You should take the time to identify the positives.  What did we gain out of the effort?  What did we learn?  What were we hoping to gain and didn’t?  Is that gap still relevant?  What did we take away that we can leverage?  Did we get anything that can be leveraged in another part of the company?

3.  Refresh the Palate:  Members of your team paid dearly to be a part of their program.  They suffered the opportunity cost of being away from their work.  In return, give them a rest.  Let them recharge and catch up. People need to flush the bad experience out of their system before considering the next one.

4.  Create the Burning Platform: What is happening in your business over the next 12 to 18 months?  Is it growing?  Contracting?  What changes do you anticipate in your competitive position?  No industry is completely calm and stable, though some are more turbulent than others.  You need to spot an inflection point in your business where technology, regulatory or other forces are looming.  Then, you need to sound the alarm, create the burning platform, and gain alignment from your leaders to anticipate the problem with a new innovation initiative.

5.  Propose a Pilot Program:  Reduce the risk of a new innovation program by testing it first. A short, pilot program that addresses a specific product or service line helps you understand whether a new method is right for your company.  Pilot programs help keep your costs in line, and they help you reduce resistance to adopting new methods.

6.  Syndicate!:  Initiate the next program with the support of other departments.  Enroll other divisions to share the risks…and rewards…from the pilot.  Ask peers to chip in part of the expense, even if it is a small amount.  By “syndicating” support of the pilot program, you broaden the exposure to a successful outcome.

7.  Emphasize Skill Building: To stay competitive, companies must include innovation in their competency models. A competency is a persistent pattern of behavior resulting from a cluster of knowledge, skills, abilities, and motivations.  Competency models formalize that behavior and make it persistent.  Use the pilot program as an opportunity to partner with your Human Resources colleagues to create an innovation competency model.

8.  Create Lasting Support Systems:  Not only must you reboot the innovation culture at your company,  you must also create the support systems to make it stick.  Can we continue to use a method without  consultants going forward?  Are there training aids and tools to help teach others?  Can the pilot program be extended to a general training program?  What is the retention rate one month out?  Six months out?  How many people could be trained within your current budget cycle?  How do you continue to build innovation muscle?

Cartoon courtesy of Doug Savage at www.savagechickens.com

Innovation Sighting: Apple’s Use of Attribute Dependency in iPhones

Published date: September 3, 2012 в 9:37 am

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“The Quiet TimeTM Universal System turns cell phones off automatically in designated areas such as theaters, hospitals, doctor’s offices, and business meeting rooms.  Our patented technology converts your incoming calls to text messages and alerts the cell phone owner.”

This may sound like the latest gizmo you would see at the Consumer Electronics Show.  It is actually an invention created by my students using Systematic Inventive Thinking…in 2007, the year the iPhone was first released.  Five years later, Apple has been awarded a patent described as an “apparatus and methods for enforcement of policies upon a wireless device.”   It reveals a way
to change aspects of a mobile device based on certain events or surroundings.

As reported by CNET:

“Imagine a mobile phone that automatically turns off its display and sounds when it senses that it’s in a movie theater.  For example, the phone could disable its own noise and display if it knows it’s in a theatre. It could be prevented from communicating with other devices if it detects that it’s in a classroom. Or it could automatically go into sleep mode if entering a sensitive area where noises are taboo.  In a typical scenario, the mobile device would communicate with a network access point that enforces a certain policy, such as putting the handset on mute. Users could have the option of accepting or rejecting a connection with the access point based on the policies. A single access point could also offer multiple policies.”

This is a classic example of the Attribute Dependency Technique, one of five in the SIT innovation method.  You can spot Attribute Dependency concepts immediately when you see one aspect changing as another changes.  In this new patent, Apple calls it “situational-awareness” technology.

Attribute Dependency differs from the templates in that it uses attributes (variables) of the situation rather than components. Start with an attribute list, then construct a matrix of these, pairing each against the others. Each cell represents a potential dependency (or potential break in an existing dependency) that forms a Virtual Product. Using Function Follows Form, we work backwards and envision a potential benefit or problem that this hypothetical solution solves.

Attribute Dependency is a versatile tool, and it explains the majority of new products as reported in the research by Dr. Jacob Goldenberg.  I used it to create a lot of new concepts for the iPhone in my September 2008 blog posting.  In each of these concepts, look for the telltale sign of Attribute Dependency: as one thing changes, so does another.

The LAB: Innovating Social Media Apps with SIT (August 2012)

Published date: August 27, 2012 в 3:00 am

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Marketers have such a wide array of social media apps to choose from that it can be overwhelming.  Tools such as Go2Web20.net can help sort through the maze and narrow down the search to catergories of apps such as mobile, Facebook, gaming, and so on. But to squeeze more out of social apps, the savvy marketer looks for ways to innovate in a way that supports the brand.  For this month’s LAB, let’s apply the innovation method, SIT, to social media apps as a means of brand building.

This is not the first time we’ve applied innovation techniques to social media.  In the October 2009 LAB, we demontrated how to apply social apps to a large field organization such as a sales force or delivery fleet.  The key was using the Task Unification Technique, one of five in the SIT method. To use Task
Unification, we take a component of a product, service, system, etc,
and we assign an additional “job” to it. For this month’s LAB, we will apply the same basic approach to brand building.  Imagine you are the brand manager for the billion dollar Febreze® franchise, and you are looking for ways to stretch the brand into eliminating pet odor. Here is how it works.

We start by visiting Go2Web20.net.  I randomly pick an application from this list.  Then I assign the app the additional job of promoting Febreze® for eliminating pet odor.   I create this statement: “XYZ App has the additional ‘job’ of promoting Febreze® for pet odor elimination.” This is our Virtual Product in the SIT method.

The key is to imagine non-obvious applications for creating new, innovative services. You have to literally force yourself to imagine the brand using the inherent aspects of the Web 2.0 application to increase awareness or loyalty.

Here are examples created using Task Unification:

1. Micello:  Micello is the leading provider of comprehensive indoor venue maps for mapping and navigation companies, retailers, hospital groups, mobile carriers and application developers.  To innovate it, we imagine assigning this app the “job” of promoting Febreze® for pet odor elimination.  How would it work?  Suppose the Micello technology is used to create an internal map of your home – each room, each piece of furniture – and it tracks where your pet spends its time.  It uses this information to create an odor “heat map” where Febreze® will be needed the most.  It suggests to the pet owner that Febreze® can tackle the toughest pet odor jobs in the house.  This reinforces the brand promise.

2. Zamzar:  Zamzar converts files to different file types and does it all online without having to download any software.  To innovate this app, we have to understand the essence what the app is trying to accomplish.  Zamzar is a conversion tool – one format changes to another.  So we imagine giving the app the “job” of promoting Febreze®. It seems very odd at first, and that is typical when using this method. Let’s imagine Zamzar is converting one odor type to another.  Perhaps it is converting different types of furniture or carpet to a specific Febreze® product or dosage.  The key to think of it from the consumer’s point of view.  Pretend Zamzar is a smartphone app that let’s them input the type of odor and the fabric that smells to get recommendations on how to remove it.  Again, the app connects the brand to the odor elimination brand promise.

3. Tupalo:   Tupalo lets you discover, review, and share the best local businesses with friends.  There many apps that do this type of function across various domains – restaurants, stores, movies, and so on.  In our example, we could imagine Tupalo lets pet owners share their success stories and recommendations managing pets and pet odors.  Perhaps it is an app that recommends parks, hotels, or other venues that are friendly to pets.  The app associates the Febreze® brand to the “pet friendly” promise.

4. eFamily:  eFamily lets you connect, share and preserve memories in a private, safe and intuitive social network built for families. Your most valuable digital content is preserved in high definition and password protected.  Most pet owners see their pets as members of the family, so this one is almost too obvious.  The trick here is to imagine some non-obvious applications.  The essence of eFamily is privacy.  Perhaps Febreze® sponsors a pet owner version of this app that lets owners of the same breed be part of their own private social network.  Pet owners often take pride in the breed of the pet, so this site would create a sense of prestige and belonginess.  The goal, again, is to connect the brand to positive attributes in the minds of pet owners so they are more likely to see Febreze® as an essential product in managing their pet.

Academic Focus: University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Published date: August 20, 2012 в 3:00 am

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With six of its faculty members earning the Nobel Prize, it is hard to associate the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with anything else but economics.  In reality, it is an innovator in many other areas.  It was the first to initiate a PhD program in business (1920). It pioneered the executive MBA degree for experienced managers (1943).  Booth was also the first to establish a minority relations program (1964).  It is the still the only US. business school with permanent campuses on three continents: Asia, Europe, and North America.

Booth preaches what it practices.  It teaches systematic methods of innovation to its students.  Art Middlebrooks is an clinical professor of marketing at Chicago Booth, and one of a growing number of professors teaching the SIT method.  He is well qualified as both a practitioner of innovation as well as a teacher and scholar.  He teaches both innovation and services marketing. “I find that students learn best by ‘doing,’ so I’ve structured both the in-class and out-of-class work to enable students to ‘try out’ the various tools that I teach.”

From his faculty website:

“A management consultant and trainer focused on innovation, services marketing, and branding, Middlebrooks specializes in helping service companies grow profitably through new product and service development, branding, and effective marketing strategies. He has worked with companies from a broad range of industries, including energy, telecommunications, information technology services, and e-commerce. His clients include Bank of America, BP/Amoco, Hewitt Associates, and IBM Consulting Group.”

Art is a former senior director of marketing and product development for DigitalWork Inc., partner with Kuczmarski & Associates management consulting, manager in the Strategic Services division of Andersen Consulting, and systems analyst at American Management Systems.

MiddlebrooksHe is coauthor of two books, Innovating the Corporation and Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies. He has published in the PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Management Review, Sales and Marketing Management, and Marketing News.
He earned an MBA in marketing and finance from Chicago Booth in 1988 and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from Duke University in 1984. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies.

Innovation Sighting: S.I.T. Patterns in Refrigerators

Published date: August 13, 2012 в 3:00 am

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This month’s Innovation Sighting comes to us from Dr. Steven Palter.  Dr. Palter is a  gynecologic fertility specialist and a true innovator in the medical field.  He learned the S.I.T. method recently, so he knows how to spot the five innovation patterns of S.I.T. in everyday products and services.

This one is a new refrigerator launched by LG at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  It is the LGLFX31945ST French Door Refrigerator with Door-in-Door.  The new Door-in-Door is a classic example of the Multiplication Technique.  To use Multiplication, make a list of the components of the product, select a component and copy it, then change the copied component along some variable such as size, location, or other attribute.  Once you create this Virtual Product, try to identify new benefits or markets served by this configuration.

In this example, the door was copied then changed to be located just inside the existing one.  It creates a whole new area for storing food.  This increases the storage capacity of the refrigerator without increasing the overall exterior size.  Take a look:

LG didn’t stop there. They also launched a new innovation in refrigerators called the LG Blast Chiller. It allows you to vary the temperature delivered to an item depending on the type of food or beverage. Does that pattern sound familiar?  If you have studied the S.I.T. method, you would recognize the Attribute Dependency pattern. Take a look:

Very cool! I like using refrigerators in my S.I.T. training sessions because there are so many ways to apply the five techniques to yield new-to-the-world innovations.  Most people find it surprising that you can innovate a concept that dates back the ancient Egyptians.

The LAB: Innovating Toilet Paper with Attribute Dependency (July 2012)

Published date: July 30, 2012 в 9:18 am

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Lab_2
When Joseph Gayetty invented commercially available toilet paper in 1857, he called it “The greatest necessity of the age!”  Of course, he wasn’t exaggerating.  The use of paper for toileting dates back to the 6th century AD.  Gayetty’s Medicated Paper was sold in packages of flat sheets, watermarked with the inventor’s name. Since then, many companies have tried to innovate this product.  Many innovations are simple gag gifts while others are quite useful.

For this month’s LAB, let’s apply the corporate innovation method, S.I.T., to create new concepts for toilet paper.  S.I.T. is a collection of thinking tools, principles, facilitation methods, and organizational structures to help companies innovate products, processes, and services.  We will use the Attribute Dependency Technique, one of five in S.I.T..

Attribute Dependency differs from the templates in that it uses attributes (variables) of the situation rather than components.  Start with an attribute list, then construct a matrix of these, pairing each against the others.  Each cell represents a potential dependency (or potential break in an existing dependency) that forms a Virtual Product.  Using Function Follows Form, we work backwards and envision a potential benefit or problem that this hypothetical solution solves.

We start with a list of attributes: internal (those related to the product) and external (those related to the environment immediately around the product – not within the manufacturer’s control).

Internal:

  1. number of plys
  2. coarseness of ply
  3. shape of ply
  4. size of ply
  5. number sheets per roll
  6. color
  7. temperature
  8. moisture content

External:

  1. age of user
  2. medical condition of user
  3. mood of user
  4. frequency of user

Here are some concepts that might emerge from these attributes.

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