Sense Intent Methods PDF

mode 1 SENSE INTENT WHERE TO PLAY? WHAT TO OFFER? HOW TO WIN? These three questions are at the heart of organizational strategy. Answering them is one of the chief goals of innovation. While the majority of the innovation process in this book is...

mode 1 SENSE INTENT WHERE TO PLAY? WHAT TO OFFER? HOW TO WIN? These three questions are at the heart of organizational strategy. Answering them is one of the chief goals of innovation. While the majority of the innovation process in this book is intended to help us answer the last two questions—the what and how—the concept of “Sense Intent” is more about the first—the where. Where is the world moving? In which sector, industry, and market does our organiza- tion intend to innovate? In which areas of people’s changing life patterns will our innovation fit? Being in this mode helps us take a pause before jumping into a project and consider the changing world around us. We study the trends causing changes in technolo- gy, business, culture, people, markets, and the economy. We frame the problem space through a quick diagnosis of the situation, both inside and outside the organization. We rethink conventions and seek new opportunity areas for innovation. This leads us to set an initial direction and ask where our organization should be moving. principles observations Sense INTENT plans tests 15  SENSE INTENT mindsets The Sense Intent mindset is about continuously detecting the latest changes happening in the world today and forming speculations about what new situations may be looming on the horizon. It is about recognizing what is new or in flux, and identifying hotspots of potential growth. This mindset helps us identify potential opportunities for innovation and form our initial hypotheses. While these hypotheses will be explored and tested in the modes that follow, the goal in this mode is to provide sufficient early direction for research and exploration. Mindsets ฀ Sensing Changing Conditions ฀ Seeing Overviews ฀ Foreseeing Trends ฀ Reframing Problems ฀ Forming an Intent 16  MINDSETS | 17 Mindset: Sensing Changing Conditions As creators of the new, innovators need to have the mindset of continuously keeping up with the pace of change whether political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, or technological. Changes, especially in areas where others have not yet fully explored, often indicate fertile ground for innovation. But, in our information-intensive world the challenge of finding new and unexplored opportunities is huge. The torrent of news and data can be overwhelming, and we must think about where to gather information, how to categorize it, and how to relate it to the goals and strategies of the organization. We should actively monitor various information sources—periodicals, websites, books, broadcasts, podcasts—and opinions of leading experts and thought leaders. We should regularly debrief about what Search engine developers like Google have been these sources and experts are saying, and discuss what trends sensing change patterns and creating powerful tools we see emerging. It is important not only to spot changes in to search through millions of sources and produce trends but also to understand how those changes have oc- desirable results in fractions of seconds. Equipped curred over time, so that we can foresee how changes might with such tools, it is easier to be in the mindset of happen in the future and tell us something about how our in- continuously sensing changing conditions. novations will fit. Mindset: Seeing Overviews While in an unfamiliar place, observing surroundings and get- ting information on the ground helps us navigate in that place. Cues in the environment, landmarks, and street signs are all helpful sources of information for guidance. Also valuable are “overviews,” like street maps, navigation systems that show GPS location, and radio broadcasts about traffic and weather patterns. These big pictures help provide a broader understand- ing of the place compared to detailed perspectives on the ground. Innovators searching for opportunities greatly benefit from such overviews as well. Parts, relations, patterns, and dynamics that are visualized as overviews help us better under- Courtesy of photographer Stefan Nilsson and www.gapminder.org. stand the changing context in which we intend to innovate. Gapminder is a visualization system that shows The insights that we gain from close-proximity and ground-level context overviews as dynamic and interactive observations about people and context are a good source for diagrams. Data about context are plotted as incremental innovations. Often radically new and disruptive in- scatterplots to show their distribution patterns. novations emerge from our overview mindset, the ability to see Through interactive animations, Gapminder shows big pictures. changing patterns in powerful and easy-to- understand terms. 18 | MODE 1 SENSE INTENT Mindset: Foreseeing Trends Trends show us general directions in which something is de- veloping or changing. They emerge in our daily life all the time. For sensing innovation opportunities the most common trends that we track relate to technology, business, culture, people, markets, and the economy. Some trends are short-lived, like subprime mortgage lending, while others signal lasting changes in our daily life. We should identify and understand trends early on so that we are in a better position to quickly and positively respond to their impact on the future. Recognizing trends is a skill that can be cultivated by carefully learning to discern pat- terns of activities taking place around us. Simply being able to recognize which sectors of the economy are growing and which Amazon’s Kindle e-book reading device was the are in decline can help us develop a provisional sense of the result of foreseeing significant trends in the field and economic opportunity. Staying on top of the latest technology quickly and effectively responding to them. Drastic developments and seeing patterns of their adoption, we can improvements in digital ink technologies, declines in begin to foresee how technology trends may shape the types of traditional publishing, environmental concerns about products and services that will be required in the future. traditional printing, and readers’ growing comfort We also ought to cultivate a mindset for recognizing “mega- and familiarity with mobile devices all led to the trends” (e.g., aging of the population in the United States and development of Kindle in 2007. Europe) and thinking about the implications such big changes will have on innovation opportunities. Mindset: Reframing Problems Being able to recognize and understand the “conventions” that operate in an organization can help us think about how things might be approached differently. For example, in industries gov- erned by Six Sigma practices, minimizing variability in manu- facturing becomes a primary driver of business decisions. This practice makes sense for established processes, but may not be the appropriate mindset when pursuing new-to-the-world businesses. As conditions change, what was once true may no longer be so. To be truly innovative, new problems and op- portunities need to be thought through differently. Challenging conventional wisdom requires an understanding of how it came In 2001, Proctor & Gamble introduced its Crest to be in the first place and thinking about how best to reframe Whitestrips, a product that reflected P&G’s it to be appropriate for a future possibility. Just as it is impor- reframing of the idea of oral care. Instead of limiting tant to question prevailing conventions, it is equally important the meaning of oral care to cavity prevention, it to question how innovation challenges are framed. Is the inno- broadened its meaning to include personal care and vation challenge about making a better mobile phone, a better looking good. Crest Whitestrips took the brand from mobile communication device, or creating a compelling remote cavity prevention to whiter smiles and in the process communication experience? Moreover, mindsets for reframing introduced a product line with significantly higher problems broaden possibilities and help us arrive at nonobvious margins than the commodity toothpaste category. solutions.  MINDSETS | 19 Mindset: Forming an Intent After we develop a good understanding of the latest news, developments, trends, and conventions, we switch to a mindset of consciously forming an early intent for innovation. By consciously stating the prevailing and emerging conditions, it becomes easier to define the type of innovation that should be conceived. For instance, if a long-range trend indicates an aging population that is expected to live longer than any prior generation, then our innovation intent will prominently factor in the needs of people with potentially limited mobility. Continuously keeping up with latest events and trends In 2006, when Nintendo introduced the Wii, the gaming helps us develop hunches about where the world industry’s convention was that success of new consoles mainly may be headed and gut feelings about the kinds of depended on more “power.” Nintendo, instead of following this innovations that can be built on those trends. Many model to compete with Sony and Microsoft, focused their intent businesses operate according to such hunches. But on how many more people they can get to play games. It was such an intuitive approach may be wildly off the mark on the basis of this intent, supported by a deep understanding of and can lead to unnecessary expenditures and failed technology trends, that Nintendo innovators were able to simplify products. More than asserting an intent based on best the game interface, do away with the multibutton controller, guesses, grounding an initial intent statement in a and develop the wireless Wii remote that anyone could use with fact-based context makes it both reliable and credible. gestures and spatial movement. Urban condo-dwellers, country It is ok to lead with a hunch but then qualify it with ranchers, parents with children, and even grandparents started supporting evidence so that the emerging goals are enjoying the Wii. reasonable and logical. The intent statement becomes even stronger if it can reference historical precedents.  principles observations Sense INTENT plans tests 20 SENSE INTENT methods 1.1 Buzz Reports 1.2 Popular Media Scan 1.3 Key Facts 1.4 Innovation Sourcebook 1.5 Trends Expert Interview 1.6 Keyword Bibliometrics 1.7 Ten Types of Innovation Framework 1.8 Innovation Landscape 1.9 Trends Matrix 1.10 Convergence Map 1.11 From…To Exploration 1.12 Initial Opportunity Map 1.13 Offering-Activity-Culture Map 1.14 Intent Statement 21 1.1 Buzz Reports Collecting and sharing information about the latest “buzz” from a wide array of sources EXAMPLE PROJECT: Learning Apps—Peapod Labs (2010) A team of three graduates from the IIT Institute of Design, who were former engineers, founded Peapod Labs to create playful, educational apps for children. They rigorously applied the process described in this book to develop innovative learning apps. Their philosophy was rooted in the belief that learning should be collaborative between parent and child and, above all, fun. Children share what they learn on their apps, making it easy for parents to contribute to the learning process as well. Following the same collaborative approach, the founders of Peapod Labs used Buzz Reports to build an internal culture around sharing and active discussion. Buzz Reports, which comprise e-books, articles, and journals, were shared informally among all the team members. When a team member disseminated information, a comment was also included about the relevance of the article to the team’s goals. This helped to keep everyone on the same page and brought structure to the meetings where the reports were discussed and topics debated. This method helped them keep abreast of the current trends and news in their relevant industries such as education, technology, and mobile devices.  METHODS | 23 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Captures the latest J Latest information (news and J Evolving central repository J Organizes information for easy opinions) from formal and of latest information access informal sources J Promotes shared understanding J Inspires possibilities W HAT IT DOES larger patterns at play, reveal nonobvious connections, Understanding patterns of change and new developments and inform a possible direction to pursue. in our daily life that can drive innovation often comes not STEP 3: Aggregate and share findings. only from the core research done for a project, but from Aggregate findings into a collection of shared docu- tangential, peripheral, or unexpected sources. The “buzz” ments (Buzz Reports) that is easily accessible to all that goes on around the world that catches everyone’s members of the team. A compelling headline and a attention today, even though seemingly unrelated to a brief synopsis of each submission allows for a quick project, is a good source of inspiration for finding innova- scan of the information. Set submission dates to tion opportunities. Buzz Reports are a way to collect such ensure that this becomes a formal part of innovation information about changes on a regular basis and share it activities. Tag these submissions with keywords that among team members to have a broad understanding of are easily understood by all team members. In this what is currently significant. Buzz Reports function like a way, the shared document grows into a compendium self-generated news aggregation service. They encourage of information that can be searched by date or tagged curiosity about the latest developments and inspire new words at a later time by different team members. It directions for innovation. is very useful to add comments about how ideas dis- H OW IT WORKS cussed in the submissions can impact your project. STEP 1: Allocate regular time to explore the latest in STEP 4: Have discussions in group sessions. various sources. Have discussions around Buzz Reports among your team Regularly schedule time to seek out the buzz from any members. Share thoughts on how these latest develop- possible source. This can include news broadcasts, ments would have an impact on your project. Use these websites of note, television broadcasts, library searches, discussions for shared understanding and inspiration. technology reviews, lectures posted on sites like Ted. com, book reviews, or anything else that seems new and noteworthy. A valuable insight for innovation might come from anywhere when you are constantly on the lookout for 1.1 BUZZ REPORTS inspirational directions for the project. Cast a wide net. explore STEP 2: Browse through sources of information for the current buzz. Keep an open mind and browse through a variety of sources of information. Look for buzz directly and indi- discuss collect rectly related to the project—anything that covers the dynamics of the world, whether they are technological, cultural, political, or economic. Try to avoid only looking for information closely related to the project. A broad perspective at the start of the project can help identify share  1.2 Popular Media Scan Understanding key cultural phenomena through a broad look at what is published and broadcasted in popular media News Clippings Popular blogs EXAMPLE PROJECT: HeartSense—Addressing Obama’s Healthcare Agenda (2009) The year 2009 marked an important year for healthcare reform under the Obama administration because it aimed to change U.S. healthcare by providing coverage to the uninsured, reducing healthcare costs, improving patient safety and quality of care, holding insurance companies accountable for the services they provide, and investing in prevention and wellness. Professor Larry Keeley asked his students at the IIT Institute of Design to create a platform that addresses Obama’s national healthcare agenda using design innovation methods. To better understand the issues, the team performed a Popular Media Scan to learn about the current and evolving healthcare landscape by going through books and articles from leading authors such as Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Prescription. They also visited popular media websites like the New York Times, The Economist, and the Fast Company and blogs like HelloHealth.com. These sources revealed different perspectives of the healthcare crisis, ongoing innovations, and future possibilities. Daily paper and They found key trends in telemedicine, open source platforms, and social and cultural medicine. The team designed HeartSense, a platform that helps to reduce heart disease latest magazines in low-income African American women using culturally sensitive outreach programs, targeted subsidies for healthy foods, and easily identifiable claim labels supported by mobile technology aiding better consumer choices in the grocery store.  MMEETTHHOODDSS || 2255 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Shows cultural context J Project’s topic J Areas for further research J Reveals patterns J Sources in popular media J Opportunity areas for J Provides direction innovation W HAT IT DOES topics related to the project. Use identified topics, and Popular media scans act as a kind of cultural barom- perhaps subtopics, as a guide to further explore. eter registering what is happening or emerging on the cultural landscape. The method scans popular media STEP 2: Seek out information related to the topics. like broadcast news, magazines, and TV programming Look for what is being written about on blogs and to find out anything that seems like a noteworthy cul- websites, and in magazines. Use screen captures, tural activity. Just as satellite images show changing scans, photocopies, or pages to build a library of find- weather patterns, a survey of popular media can be ings. Scan television programming, advertisements, used to identify cultural currents that could indicate events, and movies for content that may relate directly hot spots of noteworthy activity. Popular media scans or indirectly to the topic. Collect these references as provide a high-level understanding of the latest trends, notes or samples that can be placed into the library of what is on peoples’ minds, and what cultural trackers findings. find new and noteworthy. They help innovation teams articulate the cultural currents that can influence the STEP 3: Look for patterns. formation of an initial intent for the project. Sift through the information accumulated in the collected documents to reveal patterns of activity. These patterns H OW IT WORKS provide a general sense of the current and emerging cultural trends. STEP 1: Identify broad topics related to the project. Whether stated in a client’s design brief or self-deter- STEP 4: Look at adjacent topics as well. mined, conduct a mind-mapping session to lay out broad Sometimes emerging trends in a different topic can influence what may happen in your area of primary in- 1.2 POPULAR MEDIA SC AN terest. For example, the evolution of the mobile phone applications market have given rise to a number of health and wellness offerings that enable people to more easily monitor their food consumption, thereby influencing how people eat. STEP 5: Summarize findings and discuss opportunities. Add your point of view about what is happening in culture and what is possible. Discuss and articulate how the patterns of cultural currents can point to op- portunity areas for innovation and influence the initial statement of intent. Use these discussions to guide your activities for deeper exploration. 26 | MODE 1 SENSE INTENT 1.3 Key Facts Gathering key information to anchor the rationale for an intent statement EXAMPLE PROJECT: New options for Out-of-School Youth (2008) A nonprofit foundation and a philanthropic organization dedicated resources to address the lack of opportunities for out-of-school youths. A team of design planners from the IIT Institute of Design worked with the foundation to propose a solution that would connect out-of-school youths with sustainable and satisfying careers. The high school dropout rate is commonly referred to as the “silent epidemic” and it prompted the team to uncover the causes behind the epidemic and its overall impact to the individual and society. The team researched white papers and educational sites to find Key Facts about the drivers behind the nation’s elevated high school dropout rate. They discovered that while this epidemic crosses economic and ethnic backgrounds, the situation is more dire in minority populations with almost as much as 50 percent of African American, Hispanic, and Native American youth leaving high school without a diploma. They also found that many of these out-of- school youths were smart, but they were dropping out due to boredom, lack of motivation, and misaligned interests relative to the curriculum. Understanding these key facts allowed the team to build a supportive platform that would connect the skills of out-of-school youths with businesses and communities in which everyone would benefit.  METHODS | 27 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Builds credible foundation J Project’s topic J List of Key Facts relevant J Facilitates quick and early J Reliable sources of factual to project discovery information J Areas for further research J Supports intent definition W HAT IT DOES STEP 4: Organize information by type. Key Facts are concise pieces of information from cred- Once Key Facts are sorted as relevant, related, or tan- ible sources that indicate the state of a given topic. For gential, they can be further categorized by type, such as example, if the project is on “high school education,” a statistic, opinion, or summary. Facilitate team members key fact might be that 40 percent of high school stu- to place their individual Key Facts into a single organiz- dents in the United States do not complete their pro- ing structure. This helps build a shared understanding gram. Key Facts can be statistical in nature, or expert of the topic. opinions summarized in brief statements, organized in STEP 5: Summarize the Key Facts into a coherent shared documents for discussion. Aggregating many rationale. different bits of information as Key Facts helps teams Use this as a starting point for molding the primary objec- to create a good fact-based rationale for their initial tive for innovation. Let the Key Facts also point to addi- innovation intent. They are also starting points, indicat- tional research needed. ing where to go to find additional information. H OW IT WORKS STEP 1: Define the general topic. This may come from a client brief or it can be self-deter- mined. Establish boundaries within which most important aspects of the topic reside. However, be flexible to extend these boundaries as new research findings emerge. STEP 2: Identify sources of credible information about the topic. As you begin your search for information, identify do- main experts, research organizations, government and private agencies that collect and compile statistical data, and other places where relevant information may be found. STEP 3: Cast a wide net and conduct research. 1.3 KE Y FAC TS Conduct research as if it is detective work to gather reli- able information on the topic. Library searches and online searches are effective ways to get an initial sense of per- tinent information on a topic. Articulate what makes them Key Facts, how they are relevant, related, or tangential to the topic.  28 | MODE 1 SENSE INTENT 1.4 Innovation Sourcebook Finding inspiration from studying innovative offerings, companies, and people EXAMPLE PROJECT: Home-Life Strategic Platform (2010) A group of consumer home products companies worked with the IIT Institute of Design to seek innovations in the area of home-life using platform strategies. Recent trends show that industries related to home-life, just like most other industries, are converging and becoming increasingly connected. Value is no longer being created by single entities, but through the collaboration of multiple players. The team began exploring the evolution of platforms from modular product platforms to more recent open and collaborative knowledge- sharing platforms. They studied successful platform examples such as Facebook, eBay, Yelp, Groupon, LinkedIn, and Wikipedia. All examples were then added in a database that served as the Innovation Sourcebook, with the organization name, description of how the platform works, platform attributes, and the stakeholders. The database served as a valuable resource for the team to keep track of a number of innovative platform examples. Actively discussed, compared and contrasted, the examples yielded a good understanding of platform strategies and even frameworks for platform types. This formed the foundation for the team to design platforms in four areas of home-life: Work-at-home, Eating/ Database on innovative platforms Cooking, Retirement Planning, and Home Budgeting.  METHODS | 29 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Shows best practices J Defined scope of innovations J Evolving interactive central J Organizes information to study database of innovations for easy access J Facilitates comparison J Inspires possibilities W HAT IT DOES STEP 3: Create an Innovation Sourcebook table. The Innovation Sourcebook is a structured approach to Each example innovation is entered as a row under one assembling best practices embodied in a wide range of the categories—Offerings, Organizations, and People. of innovation successes. The method helps find and The three columns in the table have titles for the name of organize successful examples of offerings (products and the innovation, description of the innovation, and strategic services), organizations, and people. Comparing and advantage created by the innovation. Fill in the table cells contrasting them helps understand the reasons behind for each innovation example. their successes as platforms. Delving deeper to under- STEP 4: Review the many examples in the stand the strategies employed by these innovations is Sourcebook table. even more valuable to teams. The Innovation Sourcebook Compare innovations to one another. What do the ex- becomes a source of inspiration for teams tasked with amples have in common? How do they compare in terms tough innovation challenges. The generic platform strate- of strategic advantage? Look for common innovation gies in the Sourcebook can serve as a reference through- strategies that cut across many examples. out the innovation process and teams can build on them for their own platform solutions. STEP 5: Use the Sourcebook for inspiration. Think of how the common strategies found in the exam- H OW IT WORKS ples could be adopted. Refer to the Innovation Sourcebook STEP 1: Establish an agreed-upon definition of throughout the design process to gain inspiration for in- innovation. novation opportunities. 1.4 INNOVATION SOURCEBOOK Discuss and reach a team alignment about what they con- sider as innovation. For example, the team might consider the definition something new made real in a marketplace category name description strategic advantage that provides both customer value and provider value. Ensure that there is alignment and a good shared under- standing. offerings organization STEP 2: Search for examples of successful innovations. people Scan the popular media and other sources for examples of noteworthy new offerings (products, services, experiences, etc.) organizations, and people. In general, examples should follow the agreed-upon definition of innovations. Feel free to look for examples not just from the present, but also from the near past. 1.5 Trends Expert Interview Talking with trends experts to learn about latest developments and possible futures EXAMPLE PROJECT: Convivial Food Platform (2010) A group of consumer products companies worked with the IIT Institute of Design on the topic of home-life. One of the projects was to innovate around the topic of food, especially using platform strategies. The student team working on this project developed Convivial—a food and wellness platform—that takes a comprehensive and integrated approach to how people engage with food, with whom they eat, and how to build a path toward healthy living. The team thought there was an abundance of information in this opportunity space. However, they found it best to conduct Trends Expert Interviews that could quickly give them a broader picture of what was happening in the home and new approaches to food/meal management. They identified experts who were consultants to food manufacturing companies, who partnered with healthcare organizations, and who were involved in creating wellness programs. The team engaged these experts with questions about wellness trends and home-living dynamics. Interviews were conducted at the beginning of the user research phase, and the findings helped the team plan individual family research. Moreover, even after the interviews, the teams continued to have follow-up dialog with the experts to test assumptions and conduct additional research.  M MEETTHHOODDSS | 3311 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Facilitates quick and early J Project’s topic J Understanding of trends discovery J Pool of trend experts and growth factors J Brings in new perspectives J Areas for further research J Captures knowledge W HAT IT DOES A Trends Expert Interview helps one quickly learn about trends related to a topic. Speaking with experts like futur- ists, economists, professors, authors, and researchers, who stay on top of what is happening in a specific topic area, can very quickly reveal valuable insights. Speaking with them also provides guidance for where to look for additional information. It is very helpful to use frameworks during the interviews to guide the conversation and to comprehensively cover the topic. For example, the conversations may proceed in a structured way by focusing on various types of trends— technology, business, people, culture, policy, or others. H OW IT WORKS fecting growth? (3) Atmosphere—How are the surrounding STEP 1: Determine the topics to be understood. conditions affecting growth? (4) Plant—How do innova- The prompts for this often come from the project brief. tions grow to become robust? (5) Water—How are the However, review the topics and types of trends that you are catalysts affecting growth? interested in learning more about. Which topics should we focus on—technology, business, people, culture, policy, or STEP 4: Conduct the interview. 1.5 TRENDS EXPERT INTERVIEW other project-specific topics? Carefully thought-through interviews make the most of limited time available with the expert. Use prepared ques- STEP 2: Identify experts. tions to guide the conversation and perhaps not ask them Through a combination of Internet searches, conversations directly. From references during the conversation remem- with colleagues, literature searches, or other means, pull ber to list resources that you can tap into for additional together a list of people who are recognized experts in the interviews. identified topics. Ask people working in those topics for their recommendations of experts. Look to conduct inter- STEP 5: Listen, capture, and follow up. views with more than one expert in each topic. Interviewing requires active listening. If allowed, use a recording device to capture the conversation. As the con- STEP 3: Make preparations for the interview. versation unfolds take copious notes and keep track of Read articles, books, or anything the expert might have clarifying questions you may want to ask later. authored to understand his or her point of view. Prepare a set of questions to help guide the interview session. For STEP 6: Transcribe and summarize. example, you might use a “plant” metaphor as a way to Have the recorded conversation transcribed so that key ask questions during the interview and structure the con- phrases or interesting insights can be extracted. Summa- versation: (1) Seeds—What are the early, emerging trends rize the findings and add them to documents to be shared and innovations? (2) Soil—How are the fundamentals af- with the rest of the team. 1.6 Keyword Bibliometrics Using keywords for researching spread of ideas among publications and databases EXAMPLE PROJECT: Innovations for a Medical Devices Company (2007) A medical devices company worked with Doblin (a member of Monitor Group) to identify opportunities for innovation beyond the focused, clinical opportunities typically surfaced by its traditional R&D process. Doblin used Keyword Bibliometrics as the primary method to uncover innovation opportunities for this client company. Combining search terms for healthcare context such as health conditions, medical technologies, regulations, and policy, the team performed searches in health-specific, as well as popular, journals and newspaper databases to find instances of concepts, products, services, events, and businesses. Thousands of article excerpts came out of this broad range of published literature that the team analyzed for emerging themes in health and everyday life. For example, one theme was “patient-centric primary care/patient-centered medical home (PCMH)/ medical home.” Conversations about these themes helped the team reveal innovation opportunities. Based on such opportunities, the client went on to further explore them and create innovation agendas, directing multiyear initiatives and investment.  METHODS | 33 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Processes large sets of data J Set of keywords related to J Insights and patterns J Reveals patterns specific topics revealed by the search J Encourages J Identified specialized on specific topics comprehensiveness database W HAT IT DOES return articles about how nanotechnology is being used in Keyword Bibliometrics is a method adapted from library biomedical engineering. and information sciences used in researching the spread STEP 4: Review returned results and reiterate of ideas among publications and databases in fields if needed. such as science, medicine, economics, and technol- Look for publication patterns. Trace the influence of an ogy. Keyword Bibliometrics operate like search engines. idea. What is the article in which it first appeared? In It uses keywords to search through huge databases to what publications has it been referenced since then? find relevant articles and writings. The list of documents How have the ideas transformed as it is incorporated into generated through a search is analyzed to understand the other publications? Moreover, be prepared to reiterate nature of what is being written about the topic or uncover searches if needed. If the publications in the search result emergent nonobvious relationships. Bibliometric searches appear to be either too general or not directly related, are generally done within specialized databases so that then modify your keywords and search again. the results directly relate to a specific interest. These specialized databases can be found through Web or li- STEP 5: Summarize findings. brary searches or through consultation with an academic Share the summaries with team members and engage in library or research service. conversations to find insights about the topic. Visualizing the results from bibliometrics based on the occurrences HOW IT WORKS of keywords using diagrams can reveal patterns to better STEP 1: Determine keywords that will be searched. understand what is being written about in the topic. These words should be as context-specific as possible. 1.6 KE Y WORD BIBLIOMETRICS Broad terms will return undifferentiated information, but databases context-specific and narrowly defined words will return results likely to be more valuable for your area of interest. STEP 2: Consider the time period that will (Keywords) be searched. A survey of writings from the last 50 years may help in lists of articles constructing a historic era analysis, but one that looks and publications at publications from the last 24 months will be more containing keywords pertinent for understanding what thought leaders are results results results concerned about today. results results results results results results results results results results results results STEP 3: Combine keywords to find overlaps. results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results It is valuable to combine words using “and, or, not” logic results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results to find out if ideas happening in one area have influ- results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results ences on others or not. For example, combining keywords results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results results “nanotechnology” and “biomedical engineering” might 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 1.7 Ten Types of Innovation Framework Understanding the nature of different types of innovations in industries EXAMPLE PROJECT: Innovations for a Car Rental Company (2000) In 2000, Doblin (a member of Monitor Group) worked with a car rental company to provide customer-centered innovation for its business. As a leading innovator, the company had built a strong competitive position in the car rental industry. But it began to lose ground due to changes such as increased airport taxes and decreased partnerships with automakers that left them as a low- cost brand with a high-cost structure. Using the Ten Types of Innovation Framework, Doblin mapped out the innovations within the car rental industry and revealed that the industry was stuck in “feature warfare.” Most of the activities from the competitors were concentrated within the “offerings” type of innovation; for example, ensuring availability of specific car models, rapid-pick and rapid-return, and a service system ensuring the prompt return of lost cell phones. The framework also indicated areas weak in innovation such as “brand” and “customer experience.” Based on the insights from the framework and customer research, Doblin recommended that the company reposition itself to meet the unique needs of leisure travelers. As a result, they would be able to remove its commodity, low-price status by differentiating themselves through their brand and customer experience, and provide a premium position for their offerings, something that they could not do before. Nonstop activity Rapid pick-up rapid return Frequent activity Availability of Cell phones models never-lost Moderate activity Web-based Feet Some activity travel agent optimization vouchers modeling Travel Business Airport agents travelers shuttle bus Minimal / none Business Networking Enabling Core Product Product Service Channel Brand Customer model process process performance system experience Finance Process Offering Delivery  METHODS | 35 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Broadens mindset J Identified industries, J Understanding of how the J Encourages comprehensiveness organizations, and their different types of innovation J Shows best practices innovations relevant to are playing a role in the J Facilitates comparison the project’s topic studied industries J Provides organizing structure W HAT IT DOES 3. Offering: What are the innovations in product perfor- The Ten Types of Innovation Framework, developed by mance that offer distinctiveness? How do companies Doblin, is a method for surveying an industry (or some- successfully link their offerings as product systems? times an economic sector or an individual organization) What are the service innovations that provide assis- to understand and plot different types of innovations. The tance to prospects and customers? method also helps us with what to look at more closely, 4. Delivery: What are the industry’s innovations in man- where the innovation trends are in the industry, and where aging channels of distribution and getting offerings to direct forthcoming research efforts. into the hands of end users? What are the industry’s The framework proposes that regardless of industry, innova- notable brand innovations? What are the most dis- tions happen in one of four areas: finance, process, offering, tinctive customer experiences in the industry? and delivery. Among the four areas can be found ten distinct Step 3: Make a visual diagram of innovations. types of innovations. In the finance area, there are business model and networking innovations. Process innovations Gather all of your findings from Step 2 and write brief 1.7 TEN TYPES OF INNOVATION FRAMEWORK include both core processes and enabling processes—an descriptions that can be input into the Ten Types of In- organization’s new ways for developing their offerings. In- novation Framework. Ensure that the research covers novations in the offering area are product performance, a wide spectrum of the industry. Make a diagram (bar product systems, and service. Delivery includes innovation chart or line chart) showing high and low innovation ac- types like channel, brand, or customer experience. tivities for each of the ten types. H OW IT WORKS Step 4: Find insights, share, and discuss opportunities. Review the ten types of innovation. Are the reasons Step 1: Gather information about the industry. for abundant or scarce innovations obvious? Docu- Conduct library and/or database searches, review published ment your insights, share them with the team, and reports, and contact industry experts to get a sense of the discuss finding innovation opportunities and further key players in the industry and the business landscape. explorations. Step 2: Search for innovations in the industry and organize them. Why are these types more frequent? Document the industry’s innovations according to the ten types of innovations organized under four categories— Why are there valleys? finance, process, offering, and delivery. 1. Finance: How do the most successful organizations gen- erate revenue through business model innovations? How are they effectively networking with partners? 2. Process: What are the successful core processes for making offerings with competitive advantage? How do Finance Process Offering Delivery companies innovate in enabling processes that provide 10 Types of Innovation support for employees and operations? 1.8 Innovation Landscape Mapping an industry’s range of innovations as it grows over time E X A M P L E P R O J E C T: Innovations in Healthcare Industry (2006) In 2005, a private healthcare foundation sought to better understand the reasons behind the paradox of the healthcare system: Despite many technological advancements, the healthcare industry was still operating on antiquated business and service models. The foundation commissioned Doblin (a member of Monitor Group) to carry out a detailed analysis of innovation in the healthcare sector. Researchers at Doblin created Innovation Landscapes for eight key healthcare industries (pharmaceuticals, health insurance, hospital systems, etc.) and to explore where opportunities for successful innovation might lie. What the landscapes revealed was that most of these industries, except the pharmaceutical industry, remained flat with little evidence of innovation activities. Two-dimensional patterns from these landscapes were then overlaid one on top of another to collectively view all the peaks and valleys of the innovations. Looking at the valleys in this combined view helped the team identify innovation opportunities in the areas of business models, product systems, and customer experiences.  METHODS | 37 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Creates overview J Identified industries relevant J Visual representations J Facilitates comparison to the project’s topic of innovation activities in J Maps change over time industries over time J Reveals opportunities J Indications of where innovation opportunities exist W HAT IT DOES STEP 1: Select the industry and identify databases to be searched. The Innovation Landscape is a diagnostic method that applies Doblin’s Ten Types of Innovation Framework Ensure that the selected databases (e.g., ProQuest and to understand the broader patterns of innovations in EBSCO) are about latest news and innovation activities industries over time. The method creates a three-di- happening in the sector including the industry you have mensional terrain map by plotting the type of innovation selected for mapping. on the X-axis, time on the Y-axis, and number of occur- STEP 2: Specify keywords and the time period to be rences of innovation activities as the height dimension. searched. The ten types of innovations plotted are in finance Select keywords that are related to the ten innovation (business models, networking), process (enabling, types and are commonly used in recognized journals and core), offering (product performance, product system, service), and delivery (channel, brand, customer experi- publications of the industry. Decide on the time period to ence). The landscape shows the intensity of innovation be searched; a ten-year period is most often used. activities by the height of the peaks, the diversity by the STEP 3: Search the databases and compile results. number of peaks, and the pace of change by how many Send keywords about types and time periods as queries to new peaks form and by the change of their slopes. the databases. While sending queries, specify that search These patterns are useful for facilitating discussions results should provide the number of occurrences of inno- about where most innovations are happening and for vation activities for each of the ten types for each year in a drawing attention to areas where opportunities for creating innovations may be found. The change in pat- ten-year period. Compile these numbers in a spreadsheet. terns over time also helps spot trends that can point to STEP 4: Visualize the results as a terrain map. innovation opportunities. 1.8 INNOVATION LANDSCAPE Create a three-dimensional terrain map with innovation types as the X-axis and time period as the Y-axis. Plot the H OW IT WORKS number of occurrences of innovation activities as height on the terrain landscape. There are peaks and valleys distributed across the terrain where innovation is occur- ring and where it is not.... STEP 5: Discuss the patterns and explore yr -6 opportunities. yr -5 yr -4 Discuss the nature of the terrain. Are the peaks oversatu- customer experience yr -3 rated areas for innovation in the industry? Do the valleys br and channel service yr -2 product system offer opportunities for innovation? Do the rising new product performance yr -1 core process enabling process peaks indicate trends and offer innovation opportunities? networking today business model These questions and others offer valuable directions for further exploration. 1.9 Trends Matrix Summarizing changes happening today that lead to a future direction E X A M P L E P R O J E C T: Cultural Tourism—CityFriends (2007) CityFriends is a concept for a company developed by a team of IIT Institute of Design students. It provides cultural travelers with unique and local travel experiences by using local guides and a compelling online presence. The team’s research through a Trends Matrix indicated that changes within the travel industry are leading to an emerging new group of travelers called “Venturers,” who demand more authentic and off-the-beaten-path travel experiences. The team saw an opportunity to provide tailor-made services to this group of travelers. The Trends Matrix bolstered the team’s understanding of how travel was evolving across the areas of technology, market, people, culture, and business. It also helped to isolate the emerging trends that would be important in concept development. The emerging trends highlighted reliance on technology such as mobile Web applications and virtual tour guides and that creating memorable cultural experiences are becoming an increasingly important differentiator for travel companies. In the concept stage, the team created a CityFriends system that gave travelers a compelling experience by directly connecting them to local guides or service providers through a friendly online site. Formerly Currently Emerging Technology Auto travel Online booking/price Mobile Web revolution Paper maps/travel Mobile communication Real-time interaction books 35mm Audio guides Virtual tour guides 3G applications/GPS RFID Digital cameras/movie Market Brand Price and perks Experience Holiday travel Weekend getaways More sporadic travel Sightseeing No frills mass travel Segmented/customized Single travelers Medical tourism L.O.H.A.S. People Travel as a luxury Travel as routine Travel as escape Family travel Style-lifers; cities to rural Cultural travel Camping-car traveler Thrill/companion seekers Unusual destinations Unique local shopping Shopping traveler Secondhand nostalgia 9-5 work life Flexible working conditions Flexible work life Culture Homogeneous culture Hybrid culture Less cultural shock Car culture Globalization More comfortable with Urbanization world cultures Hassle of travel Business Travel agencies DIY online travel Personal concierge Traditional packaged- A la carte Network/local tour AAA American Express Delivery service Motels All inclusive mega resorts Book buy back Eco-tourism/Voluntourism  METHODS | 39 BENEFITS INPUT OUTPUT WHEN TO USE J Creates overview J Project aspects to be J Matrix with an organized set J Maps change over time studied of trends J Encourages comprehensiveness J Insights about trend patterns J Reveals opportunities and possible directions J Defines direction W HAT IT DOES STEP 1: Set up the dimensions for the Trends Matrix. A trends matrix presents a high-level summary of The vertical axis is usually shown as technology, busi- how trends and forces of change affect technology, ness, people, culture, and policy. The horizontal dimen- business, people, culture, and policy. The matrix of- sion shows the aspects of the project that you are in- fers an at-a-glance understanding of how trends im- terested in tracking, for example, types of users, topics, pact your project. For a project on cultural travel, one and components of a system that you are considering. might study travel tools, travel-related services, travel Sometimes it is valuable to define the horizontal dimen- experiences, travel information, and other similar sion as “formerly,” “currently,” and “emerging.” aspects. Sometimes the aspects we study are time- STEP 2: Fill the matrix with relevant trends. related and structured: where we’ve been (formerly), Conduct research to identify trends in technology, busi- where we are (currently), and where we may be ness, people, culture, and policy that will have an effect headed (emerging). The Trend Matrix can also show on the project. Describe these as trend statements in the how changes happening in one area, for example matrix cells. A trend statement is usually a short sentence technology, may have influenced others, for example that describes how something is significantly changing. culture or business. An example of a trend statement is “travelers have an in- creased interest in unusual travel destinations and cultural H OW IT WORKS travel experiences.”... Aspect A Aspect C STEP 3: Take a step back and discuss the matrix as Aspect B an overview. trend trend Technology trend Remember that the purpose of the Trends Matrix is to of- trend trend trend fer a high-level overview of changes. Compare the trends Business to others to see how they are related. Recognize patterns Business trend of similar trends developing together. These might help you speculate on future directions and see how certain People What trends trends might affect your project. 1.9 TRENDS MATRIX are relevant to this arena? STEP 4: Capture insights as overlays on the matrix. Culture Discuss and document your team’s insights about trend patterns, how leading trends are affecting major chang- Policy es, and speculations about how things might develop. Highlight these insights as overlays on the matrix for easy reading and sharing. 1.10 Convergence Map Visualizing converging fields and seeing opportunities for innovation at the overlaps E X A M P L E P R O J E C T: FOOD - WELLNESS -D IABETES CONVERGENCE