Square Roots: Inside the Box at Southwest Airlines
Check out this clever interpretation of Inside the Box, now appearing in Spirit Magazine, the inflight magazine of Southwest Airlines.
ะะพััั ั ััะณะพะผ: task unification
Innovation Sighting: Nissanโs Intelligent Car Horn
Nissanโs latest innovation takes the lowly car horn and elevates it to the status of โsmart.โ The 2013 Altima has a new feature thatโs likely to surprise buyers. Itโs called Easy-Fill Tire Alert. The carโs tire pressure monitoring system informs drivers when a tire is low on air and then uses the sedanโs 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 manufacturerโs control (a passenger, for example). The additional job can be โstolenโ 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 โrecruitedโ 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, Nissanโs clever innovation assigns the horn the new task of assisting with tire maintenance. Brilliant!
Nissanโs humorous TV commercial to introduce the new feature is brilliant, too:
From Nissan:
The โEasy-Fill Tire Alertโ system is an all-new control module currently being phased into vehicle redesigns like the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima. First, the vehicleโs 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 vehicleโs 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 Social Media Apps with SIT (August 2012)
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 monthโs LAB, letโs apply the innovation method, SIT, to social media apps as a means of brand building.
This is not the first time weโve 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 โjobโ to it. For this monthโs LAB, we will apply the same basic approach to brand building. Imagine you are the brand manager for the billion dollar Febrezeยฎ 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 Febrezeยฎ for eliminating pet odor. I create this statement: โXYZ App has the additional โjobโ of promoting Febrezeยฎ for pet odor elimination.โ 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 โjobโ of promoting Febrezeยฎ for pet odor elimination. How would it work? Suppose the Micello technology is used to create an internal map of your home โ each room, each piece of furniture โ and it tracks where your pet spends its time. It uses this information to create an odor โheat mapโ where Febrezeยฎ will be needed the most. It suggests to the pet owner that Febrezeยฎ 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 โ one format changes to another. So we imagine giving the app the โjobโ of promoting Febrezeยฎ. It seems very odd at first, and that is typical when using this method. Letโs imagine Zamzar is converting one odor type to another. Perhaps it is converting different types of furniture or carpet to a specific Febrezeยฎ product or dosage. The key to think of it from the consumerโs point of view. Pretend Zamzar is a smartphone app that letโs 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 โ 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 Febrezeยฎ brand to the โpet friendlyโ 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 Febrezeยฎ 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 Febrezeยฎ as an essential product in managing their pet.
Whatโs in a Name
โWhatโs in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.โ
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Look at this word, then see what mental picture you get: HAMMER. Like most people, you probably see a personโs hand wrapped around a metal or wood stick with an object fixed on top. You may see this object being used to strike other objects. You may imagine the heaviness of the object. The word โhammerโ is a mental shortcut that instantly conjures up all the memories and associations you have with that thing. Naming objects is useful.
But the names we give items also creates a barrier to innovative thinking. We have a difficult time seeing that object doing anything else than the task assigned to it. It is also difficult for us to imagine using other objects to do the job of a hammer. It is a condition called Functional Fixedness.
Psychologist Karl Duncker discovered Functional Fixedness when he posed his famous โcandle problem.โ In this classic 1945 experiment. Duncker sat participants down at a table positioned against a wall. He gave each one a candle, a box of thumbtacks, and a book of matches, and asked them to attach the candle to the wall. Duncker realized that participants were so โfixatedโ on the thumbtack boxโs traditional function that they couldnโt conceive of it as a possible solution to the problem. Interestingly, in later experiments, participants presented with an empty thumbtack box were twice as likely to solve Dunkerโs challenge than those given a full one. Somehow, seeing the box out of contextโthat is, not performing its usual function of holding thumbtacksโhelped them visualize it as a possible solution.
The LAB: Innovating a Membership Club with S.I.T. (April 2012)
How do you attract new customers while retaining current ones? For many categories, you attract new customers by showing high satisfaction with current customers. Put the current customer first and you will increase your appeal to new customers.
The challenge is when you have to change your product to meet the different demands of new customers at the risk of alienating existing customers. For example, imagine you owned a prestigious, members-only dinner club with a strong following of older, traditional patrons. They are fiercely loyal and attached to the various details such as the glassware and the color of the table cloths. Any changes are seen with suspicion. You want to bring in new members, but need to change the club to appeal to younger potential members. Too much change will drive away current members.
For this monthโs LAB, we will apply Systematic Inventive Thinking to address this apparent conundrum.
To begin, we frame the problem as a contradiction:
As the club becomes more trendy, the appeal to younger members increases.
As the club becomes more trendy, the appeal to older members decreases.
The key is to innovate in a way that breaks the contradiction. Donโt settle for just a compromise solution. A compromise is a re-design of the club with just enough trendy features and just enough old features to appeal to both groups. Seeking a compromise is certainly possible, but it is more creative if you can break the contradiction entirely.
Consider these three techniques to do that: Division, Task Unification, and Attribute Dependency.
Innovation Sighting: Task Unification with Fruit Labels
Scott Amron is an inventor with a knack for using the Task Unification pattern, one of five in Systematic Inventive Thinking. His most recent is a sticker that turns into a soap under running water. It is called Fruitwash. Once dissolved, the Fruitwash removes wax, pesticides, and dirt from fruit and vegetables. The sticker has been โassigned an additional taskโ as it performs its primary task. Classic Task Unification.
Scott claims it has these features:
- No stickers to peel off and throw away
- No expensive produce wash (fruit wash) to buy
- Displays Price Look-Up codes for fast & accurate check-out
- Label can also be removed normally by peeling off
- Water resistant
- Washing / rubbing with water triggers the turn
- Helps remove water-resistant wax, pesticides and fungicides
This isnโt the first time Scott has used Task Unification to create new products. Check out his Brush & Rinse toothbrush. It is a new way to get water into our mouths for rinsing out toothpaste. The brush is pierced on top in a way that allows you to direct a nice, neat fountain of water directly into your mouth so you donโt have to reach under the faucet.
Innovation Sighting: The Great Sunflower Project
On average, one of every three bites of food you put in your mouth depends on โanimal pollinationโ โ the movement of insects, particularly bees, between plants. They play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. About 80% of all flowering plants and over three-quarters of the staple crop plants that feed humankind rely on animal pollinators like bees.
But bees are in trouble. Scientific studies have suggested that both honey bee and native bee populations are declining. Scientists fear this will harm pollination of garden plants, crops and wild plants. If they could collect simple data about their presence at certain times in certain locations, they can devise ways to conserve and improve the bee population.
How do you track something as small as bees on such a large scale? By assigning the data collection task to an external resource โ everyday gardeners.
Started in 2008, The Great Sunflower Project enlists 100,000 participants to count bees for 15 minutes and submit data online. It all happens on the same day, July 16th. Researchers use the data to map areas that bees are doing well and where they need help. San Francisco State University Professor Gretchen LeBuhn is founder and director of The Great Sunflower Project.
This is an example of the Task Unification technique, one of five techniques in the S.I.T. innovation method. Task Unification works by assigning an additional task to an existing resource. There are three versions of it (The Great Sunflower Project is version 3).
- Choose and internal component and make it do something extra, either a specific or non-specific internal task.
- Choose an internal component and make it do the function of an external component (it โstealsโ the external componentโs function)
- Choose an external component and use it to perform a task within the product or service.
โSimply by taking that 15-minute step, youโve made a contribution to saving bees,โ she said. โItโs remarkable having all these different people willing to participate, willing to help and interested in making the world a better place.โ
Innovation Sighting: Street Art Without the Paint
Here is a nice example of the Subtraction tool of the corporate innovation method, S.I.T.. Imagine painting a picture without the paint. From PSFK:
From metal to billboards, Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils is regarded for his work across a variety of mediums. However, his โScratching the Surfaceโ style (which we first noticed here) is particularly remarkable. Using decrepit city walls as his canvas, the artist carved faces from the concrete, unmasking the beauty inherent to even the most neglected spaces.
To use Subtraction, start by listing the components of the situation, product, service, process, etc. (The method works with just about anything that can be conceptualized into components). In this case, the innovator (artist) would create a list like this:
- canvas
- paint
- pallet
- brush
- subject
- model
The next step is to subtract a component, preferably something that seems to be essential to the original item. In this case, removing the paint creates our โvirtual productโ โ an abstract, ambiguous configuration that results from applying one of the five S.I.T. patterns. Then we imagine the benefits, potential customers, and needs addressed by the virtual product.
The Subtraction tool is a great starting point for innovation sessions because it helps confront the fixedness we all have about the world around us. A painting without paint certainly fits that description.
To extend the idea, try using the other patterns. For example, Task Unification assigns an additional job to an existing resource. To use Task Unification, list both the internal and external components within the Closed World (an imaginary space and time around the situation). Then select a component randomly and give it a โjobโ related to your paining. In the works by Vihils, for example, we might take a component of the building and use it as a part of the facial features. Or, we might give people on the street the additional โjobโ of adding details to the picture.
To use Attribute Dependency, we imagine creating a correlation between internal attributes of the painting with external attributes of the environment around the painting. Simply said, as one thing changes, another thing changes. For example, when it rains, imagine how the Vihils painting might change. Perhaps it changes color, or shape, or theme. Perhaps the change is related to moisture such as wet tears flowing from the subjectโs eyes. It is these additional innovations, especially ones that draw from the Closed World, that create that extra element of surprise โ โGee, I never would have thought of that!โ
Innovation Sighting: Task Unification in Surgical Procedures
The Task Unification tool of the corporate innovation method, S.I.T., works by assigning a new task to an existing resource. There are three ways to do it: 1. allocate an internal task to an external component, 2. allocate an external task to an internal component, or 3. an internal component peforms the task of another internal component. It is a great tool to use when you have a general idea of what you are trying to accomplish. It helps you find innovative ways to do it using non-obvious resources.
Here is a unique example of Task Unification from the world of surgery:
While limb-sparing surgery for bone cancer is becoming more common, very young children with bone cancer face significant challenges and have limited surgical options. Such was the case of a five-year-old girl with Ewingโs sarcoma, a cancerous tumor, behind her left knee. Surgeons at The Childrenโs Hospital of Philadelphia used a limb-sparing technique called rotationplasty to remove the diseased portion of bone, turn the shortened portion of the leg bone in a half-circle and reattach it, with the ankle joint functioning as a knee. With a prosthetic attached to the mobile joint, the child, now 13, enjoys gymnastics and cheerleading.
Using the Task Unification tool makes you more aware of the Closed World of the problem and the resources available to you. The Closed World is an imaginary area in space and time around where the product or service is being used. It is the collection of components โright under your nose.โ Using these components with the Task Unification tool produces innovations that have the element of surprise โ โGee, I never would have thought of that!โ
Crowdsourcing and the Task Unification Tool
Crowdsourcing has a crowd of critics. Crowdsourcing is the notion of distributed problem-solving where problems are broadcast to large groups of solvers in the form of an open call for solutions. The belief is that the โwisdom of the crowdโ yields superior results over what individuals can do. The use of the term has spread to just about any activity that involves groups of people tackling an issue.
The critics have a point. Crowdsourcing seems to be an old story retold a new way. The idea of collaborating with others is not new. The idea of reaching out to thousands to gain insights about a problem is not new either. Here are two examples held out as crowdsourcing best practices that make the point. A Catholic church in Germany launched an online open idea competition. On the competition platform, young people are encouraged to submit their ideas about what they would like to change at the Catholic Church.
That is not crowdsourcing. That is market research.
Here is another. CreateMyTattoo connects customers with a community of 700 tattoo artists who compete to design the perfect custom tattoo. Customers see several variations of their tattoo idea and provide feedback to the artists during the contest. The site guarantees at least ten unique custom tattoo designs or your money back!
That is not crowdsourcing. That is competitive bidding.
Here is a better example that starts to move in the right direction. DHL, a courier company, is testing a way to use city residents to deliver packages along the route as they go about their daily travel. The programs is called โbring.BUDDY,โ and it hopes to reduce road congestion and DHLโs carbon emissions. Participants use a smartphone app to specify their travel. An alert is sent to them of any package that needs to be delivered along their route. In return, the participants receive points which they can redeem at local stores.
This is novel. But DHL could go further with the concept. What else do people know or do (explicitly or tacitly) that DHL could use to improve operations, reduce cost, or increase revenue? For example, what if DHL had a way to know what delivery routes are optimal based on information fed to it by customers (through cellular technology)? What if the crowd could identify open parking spots, report packages that need picked up, or spot activities that might demand the use of courier delivery?
There is a better way to leverage the crowd. Rather than โsourceโ the crowd for their explicit ideas, we โcacheโ their tacit, day-to-day routines to detect patterns and insights. In โcrowdcaching,โ people donโt know that they are contributing their small, incremental movements and decisions to a larger pool. It is like digital ethnography. We collect large samples of tiny decisions to โbootstrapโ our insights and decisions.