The creative industries are experiencing a transformation, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) tools that enhance productivity, spark innovation, and expand creative possibilities. From content creation to design, AI-powered tools are reshaping the way artists, designers, and thinkers work. This article explores these advancements, featuring real-world case studies that illustrate the impact of AI on creative processes.
The Rise of AI in Creative Processes
AI is equipped to handle tasks that traditionally required significant human effort, such as pattern recognition and data analysis. However, its influence on creativity isn’t about replacing human artistry—it’s about augmenting it. AI can handle repetitive tasks, allowing creatives to focus on what they do best: innovating and ideating.
Case Study 1: AI in Music Composition
AI Platform: AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist)
AIVA is an AI-based composer that’s been used by artists and musicians around the world to enhance and inspire music production. Trained on a wide range of classical compositions, AIVA can create original scores and suggest enhancements to existing compositions. By iterating with composers, AIVA helps create music that resonates emotionally with audiences.
Outcome: AIVA was employed in film scoring, leading to a fusion of human creativity and AI precision. Composers reported a 30% reduction in time spent on initial drafts, allowing more time to focus on intricacy and expression.
Tools Transforming the Industry
Beyond music, AI tools are influencing numerous sectors within creative industries. They provide everything from generative design and content curation to audience engagement analytics. Let’s explore another example where AI tools have significantly impacted creativity.
Case Study 2: AI in Graphic Design
AI Platform: Adobe Sensei
Adobe Sensei uses AI to boost productivity and creativity for graphic designers by automating mundane tasks such as object detection and layering. Designers can create more complex visuals in less time with AI assistance. Tools like Adobe’s “Content-Aware Fill” leverage AI algorithms to enhance or alter images seamlessly.
Outcome: A marketing agency integrated Adobe Sensei into their workflow, reducing their design time for digital advertising campaigns by 40%. Designers reported feeling less creatively fatigued, leading to a rise in innovative concepts and overall client satisfaction.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence has carved out an invaluable role within the creative industries, not as a replacement, but as a powerful ally. The potential for AI to enhance creative output lies in its ability to handle intensive tasks, providing creatives with the freedom to push boundaries. As AI continues to evolve, so too will the possibilities for innovation, ensuring that the marriage between human creativity and machine precision leads to exciting new frontiers.
Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.
Image credit: Microsoft CoPilot
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Thank you to all of our servicemen and servicewomen for protecting our freedom, and to everyone else please keep your fingers and toes safe with any celebration fireworks, and …
Creativity is often considered the lifeblood of innovation. Yet, measuring creativity can be a daunting task. How do we quantify the unquantifiable? In this article, we will explore some robust tools and techniques designed to measure creativity within individuals and organizations. We’ll delve into two case studies that highlight successful applications of these methods.
Why Measure Creativity?
Before diving into the tools and techniques, it’s crucial to understand why measuring creativity is important. Organizations that can effectively identify and foster creative potential are better positioned to innovate and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Measuring creativity helps in setting benchmarks, identifying creative talents, and aligning them with business goals.
Tools and Techniques
There are several methods to measure creativity, ranging from psychometric tests to real-world observation and evaluation. Here are some of the most widely used:
The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)
The TTCT is one of the most broadly used creativity assessments. It evaluates divergent thinking and problem-solving skills across several dimensions, such as fluency, originality, and elaboration. Though primarily used in educational settings, many organizations leverage TTCT to gauge individual creativity.
Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT)
This technique involves expert judges evaluating the creativity of outputs within a certain domain. The idea is that experts in a given field are best positioned to assess the creativity of work produced in that area. CAT is particularly useful for organizations focused on specific industries like art, literature, or design.
Creative Climate Assessments
These assessments focus on measuring the organizational environment to evaluate how conducive it is to creative thinking. Tools like the KEYS Assessment evaluate workplace climate factors such as challenge, freedom, and support for ideas, which are crucial for fostering creativity.
Case Study 1: TechCorp’s Use of TTCT
TechCorp, a leading software company, implemented the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking to identify high-potential employees for their innovation lab. By focusing on fluency and originality scores, TechCorp was able to select a diverse group of individuals whose creative problem-solving abilities helped drive several successful projects. This method allowed them to form cross-functional teams with a strong balance of analytical and creative skills.
Case Study 2: Creative Marketing Solutions with CAT
Creative Marketing Solutions (CMS) specializes in advertising and creative campaigns. They implemented the Consensual Assessment Technique to evaluate the creativity of pitches. By utilizing panels of industry experts, CMS was able to refine their creative approach and enhance client satisfaction. This led to more innovative campaigns and a significant increase in client retention rates.
Conclusion
While creativity remains a complex trait to measure, the right tools and techniques can provide insights into an organization’s creative potential. Whether through traditional psychometric assessments like the TTCT or through nuanced evaluations such as the CAT, understanding and measuring creativity is key to fostering an innovative culture. Case studies like those from TechCorp and CMS reveal the transformative power of leveraging these methodologies. Embrace the challenge of measuring creativity, and your organization can unlock untapped innovative potential!
Extra Extra: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.
Image credit: Unsplash
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I’ve been hard at work building all kinds of tools to help innovation, change, transformation and design thinking practitioners be more successful in their jobs.
The number of human-centered tools in the Change Planning Toolkit v13 from the initial fifty (50) to more than SEVENTY.
I also introduced lots of inexpensive tools like the:
But I’ve also been exploring the very obtuse realm of futurism and foresight and pondering how to make it more accessible to us ordinary humans, and I think I’ve done it!
I’ve created a set of TWENTY (20) simple but powerful foresight and futurism tools to power my FutureHacking™ methodology.
To spread them farther and faster I’m looking to partner with a forward-thinking organization to bring them to market.
Does your organization view itself as leading its customers into the future?
Are you looking for an amazing marketing opportunity?
One that would empower thousands of innovation and strategy professionals to do their own foresight and futurism work?
If so, then contact me here and we’ll build a launch plan together that connects your brand to a powerful new FutureHacking™ movement!
Benefits to you will include, but will not be limited to:
Joint promotion of your brand via my site, social media, email newsletters, etc.
Presence of your logo as a sponsor on the tools and educational assets
Access to the tools for your employees
Other ideas you suggest!
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In today’s fast-paced world, organizations must be agile and adaptive to remain competitive. Central to this adaptability is the ability to track and manage innovation effectively. Various tools and software platforms have been developed to help organizations manage the complexity of innovation processes, from ideation to implementation. This article will explore some of these tools, illustrating how they can be applied to real-world scenarios through case studies.
1. Understanding Innovation Tracking
Innovation tracking involves monitoring the development and implementation of new ideas within an organization. This process can include capturing inspiration, managing projects, and measuring impact. With a robust tracking system, teams can ensure alignment with strategic goals and demonstrate progress to stakeholders.
2. Essential Tools for Innovation Tracking
Several tools have emerged as leaders in innovation tracking due to their comprehensive features and user-friendly interfaces. Some of these include:
Idea Management Software: Platforms like Spigit, Brightidea, and IdeaScale help collect, evaluate, and prioritize innovative ideas from employees and stakeholders.
Project Management Tools: Tools such as Trello, Asana, and Monday.com support teams in managing tasks and workflows associated with innovation projects.
Data Analytics Platforms: Using platforms like Tableau and Power BI can help teams analyze and visualize innovation performance data.
3. Case Studies
Case Study 1: Johnson & Johnson’s Use of Brightidea
Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a global healthcare leader, faced the challenge of managing innovation across its vast network of employees. To streamline this process, J&J adopted Brightidea, an idea management platform that enables employees to submit, discuss, and evaluate new ideas.
“The introduction of Brightidea has transformed the way we approach innovation. By allowing employees at all levels to contribute, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in both the quality and quantity of ideas brought forward,” – Director of Innovation at Johnson & Johnson.
Brightidea facilitated the capturing of ideas from over 60,000 employees. By prioritizing ideas that align with strategic goals, Johnson & Johnson can efficiently allocate resources and develop new products that meet market needs. The platform’s intuitive interface and comprehensive analytics tools provide insights, enabling J&J to track the progress and impact of each innovation initiative.
Case Study 2: Trello and Power BI at XYZ Corporation
XYZ Corporation, a mid-sized tech company, struggled with fragmented innovation processes causing misalignment and delayed project timelines. By integrating Trello for project management and Power BI for analytics, XYZ significantly enhanced its innovation tracking capabilities.
“Utilizing Trello and Power BI has brought unprecedented visibility and efficiency to our innovation efforts, aligning teams and accelerating time-to-market,” – Innovation Program Manager at XYZ Corporation.
The Kanban-style interface of Trello allowed teams to manage tasks more effectively, improving collaboration and reducing project bottlenecks. Meanwhile, Power BI enabled the aggregation of project data for detailed analysis and reporting. As a result, XYZ Corporation could track performance metrics in real-time, gain insightful data-driven decisions, and optimize innovation strategies for greater success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tracking innovation is an essential component for organizations seeking to maintain competitive advantage. By leveraging the right tools, businesses can cultivate a robust culture of innovation, ensuring ideas are nurtured from conception to implementation. Whether it’s through idea management platforms, project management software, or analysis tools, the right technology can empower organizations to remain agile and innovative in a dynamic market.
Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.
Image credit: Pixabay
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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, service industries are constantly seeking ways to differentiate themselves and stay ahead of the competition. One approach that has gained traction in recent years is the use of design thinking as a tool for driving breakthrough innovation. By putting the end-user at the center of the design process, companies can create truly customer-centric solutions that meet the needs and desires of their target market.
Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that involves empathizing with the end-user, defining the problem, ideating potential solutions, prototyping, and testing those ideas with real users. By following this iterative process, companies can uncover deep insights about their customers’ pain points and preferences, leading to breakthrough innovations that drive business growth.
Two case studies exemplify the power of design thinking in driving breakthrough innovation in service industries:
Case Study 1: Airbnb
Founded in 2008, Airbnb disrupted the hospitality industry by providing a platform that connects travelers with unique and personalized accommodations. By using design thinking principles, Airbnb was able to deeply understand the needs and desires of both hosts and guests.
Through interviews and observations, Airbnb’s design team discovered that many travelers were seeking authentic, local experiences rather than cookie-cutter hotel rooms. This insight led to the creation of a platform that allows hosts to offer their homes as accommodations, giving travelers a more personal and unique experience.
By putting the end-user at the center of their design process, Airbnb was able to create a breakthrough innovation that has reshaped the way people travel and experience new places.
Case Study 2: Disney Parks
Disney Parks is known for providing an immersive and magical experience for its guests. To maintain this high level of customer satisfaction, Disney has embraced design thinking as a tool for continuous innovation.
One way Disney has used design thinking is through its FastPass+ system, which allows guests to reserve ride times in advance, reducing wait times and enhancing the overall park experience. By focusing on the needs and preferences of park guests, Disney was able to create a system that improves the customer experience and drives guest satisfaction.
By incorporating design thinking into their innovation process, Disney Parks continues to deliver breakthrough innovations that delight and captivate their guests.
Conclusion
Design thinking is a powerful tool for driving breakthrough innovation in service industries. By empathizing with customers, defining their needs, and prototyping solutions, companies can create truly customer-centric products and services that set them apart from the competition. The case studies of Airbnb and Disney Parks demonstrate the transformative impact of design thinking in driving innovation and delivering exceptional customer experiences. By embracing design thinking, service industries can unlock new opportunities for growth and success in today’s competitive market.
SPECIAL BONUS: The very best change planners use a visual, collaborative approach to create their deliverables. A methodology and tools like those in Change Planning Toolkit™ can empower anyone to become great change planners themselves.
Image credit: Pexels
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Innovation is all about change, and change only succeeds when people are put at the center. Therefore, people are also the heart of innovation.
It is because of this fact that I continue to build out my Human-Centered Innovation methodology and toolkit.
Keeping with the spirit of placing people at the center of innovation and change I have not only resurrected Blogging Innovation as Human-Centered Change & Innovation (follow us on LinkedIn) – complete with a weekly newsletter – but am also creating this curated collection of human-centered innovation tools.
I will give this page a start with some of my free tools from my Human-Centered Innovation Toolkit along with other well-know people-centric innovation tools.
BUT, this page will always be under construction, so please contact me with your suggestions of free tools to add.
Free Human-Centered Innovation Tools
Assessments
1. Innovation Maturity Assessment
To help people evaluate their level of innovation maturity against the above graphic, I am sharing the 50 question innovation maturity assessment I use with clients. The assessment is most powerful when answers are gathered at multiple levels of the organization across several groups and several sites, but you can also fill it out yourself and get instant feedback – for FREE.
Matthew E. May designed and developed a wall canvas to be used when facilitating strategic choice-making with small teams. Over time, the canvas has evolved as he learned more and more about the art and discipline of strategy facilitation… what people struggle with most, where the resource of time is best spent, etc.
He introduced v3.0 of the canvas a few years ago in a short post, but here’s a little content to both explain what’s different (and why) and a few tips.
The first thing you’ll notice is that strategy-making is in three big steps:
1. Choose (strategic choices using the Play-to-Win framework) 2. Reverse Engineer (what must true for the choices to be good ones) 3. Test (validating what must be true is in fact true, or true enough)
Kickoff projects in a more collaborative, more visual way
Structure dialogue to capture the project overview, project scope, project conditions and project approach
This download includes a premium 35″ x 56″ scalable PDF that I am making available to project managers for use in planning their projects in a more visual and collaborative way for greater alignment, accountability, and more successful outcomes.
The download will also include a JPEG version for use with online whiteboarding tools like Miro, Mural, Lucidspark and Microsoft Whiteboard for when your sticky notes need to be virtual.
The Business Model Canvas is a popular tool from Strategyzer than can be used collaboratively to sketch out and iterate on potential business models for a new business or innovation opportunity. Why use the Business Model Canvas?
Map Existing Business Models – Visualize and communicate a simple story of your business model.
Design New Business Models – Use the canvas to explore new business models whether you are a start-up or an existing business.
Manage a Portfolio of Business Models – Use the canvas to easily juggle between “Explore” and “Exploit” business models.
I’m of the opinion that all people are creative, in their own way. That is not to say that all people are creative in the sense that every single person is good at creating lots of really great ideas, nor do they have to be. I believe instead that everyone has a dominant innovation role at which they excel, and that when properly identified and channeled, the organization stands to maximize its innovation capacity. I believe that all people excel at one of nine innovation roles, and that when organizations put the right people in the right innovation roles, that your innovation speed and capacity will increase.
The Eight I’s of Infinite Innovation framework is designed to be a continuous learning process, one without end as the outputs of one round become inputs for the next round. It’s also a relatively new guiding framework for organizations to use, so if you have thoughts on how to make it even better, please let me know in the comments. The framework is also ideally suited to power a wave of new organizational transformations that are coming as an increasing number of organizations (including Hallmark) begin to move from a product-centered organizational structure to a customer needs-centered organizational structure. The power of this new approach is that it focuses the organization on delivering the solutions that customers need as their needs continue to change, instead of focusing only on how to make a particular product (or set of products) better.
The purpose of a global sensing network is to allow an organization to collect and connect the partial insights and ideas that will form the basis of the organization’s next generation of customer solutions. This involves collecting and connecting:
The Experiment Canvas™ is designed to help people instrument for learning fast in iterative new product development (NPD) or service development activities. The canvas will help you create new innovation possibilities in a more visual and collaborative way for greater alignment, accountability, and more successful outcomes.
In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and ever-evolving customer expectations, the art of problem-solving has never been more crucial. Design thinking, a human-centered approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and iterative experimentation, has become the leading methodology for tackling complex challenges and fostering innovation. Today, I will delve into the core tools and techniques that make design thinking so effective, and illustrate their tangible benefits through two compelling case studies.
The Essence of Design Thinking
At its core, design thinking is about putting people first. It demands a deep understanding of the needs, wants, and limitations of the end users. The approach typically unfolds in five stages:
Empathize: Engage with and observe your users to gain insights into their experiences and emotions.
Define: Clarify the problem based on the insights obtained; create a clear problem statement.
Ideate: Brainstorm a wide array of potential solutions without judgment.
Prototype: Develop simple, cost-effective models of your ideas.
Test: Collect feedback and iterate upon the prototypes to refine your solutions.
Key Tools and Techniques
1. Empathy Maps: Empathy maps are a vital tool in the Empathize stage. They help teams capture what they know about users and distill that information into a manageable, actionable format. By breaking down user experiences into categories such as “Says,” “Thinks,” “Does,” and “Feels,” teams can build a comprehensive understanding of the user’s world.
2. Customer Journey Maps: These visualize the process a user goes through to achieve a particular goal. It highlights pain points, opportunities, and emotions during each step of the journey. This tool is particularly useful in the Define stage to pinpoint where user needs are not being met.
3. Brainstorming and SCAMPER: In the Ideate stage, structured brainstorming techniques like SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse) stimulate creative thinking. This approach helps teams explore a wide range of possibilities.
4. Paper Prototyping: A low-fidelity method to quickly bring ideas to life with simple materials such as paper and markers. This technique, prevalent in the Prototype stage, allows for rapid iteration based on user feedback.
5. User Testing and Feedback Loops: Integral to the Test stage, conducting user tests and creating feedback loops ensures that solutions are continually refined to better meet user needs. This iterative process ensures that the end product is both functional and user-centric.
Now, let’s explore how these tools and techniques can be applied in real-world scenarios through two compelling case studies.
Case Study 1: Empowering Patients with a Digital Health Platform
The Challenge
A healthcare provider faced a significant challenge: their patient portal was underutilized, and patients reported frustration with its usability. The goal was to redesign the platform to enhance user engagement and satisfaction.
The Process
1. Empathize:
Empathy Maps: The team conducted interviews and observations with patients, creating empathy maps to capture their frustrations, needs, and desires.
Customer Journey Maps: They mapped out the patient journey from booking an appointment to follow-up care to identify pain points and unmet needs.
2. Define:
The team synthesized their findings into a clear problem statement: “Patients find the current portal confusing and inefficient, leading to low engagement and dissatisfaction.”
3. Ideate:
Brainstorming and SCAMPER: The team facilitated brainstorming sessions using SCAMPER to generate ideas. They considered how to substitute cumbersome features with more intuitive ones, combine existing functionalities, and modify the user interface to enhance clarity and accessibility.
4. Prototype:
Paper Prototyping: They created paper prototypes of the revamped portal, allowing for quick iterations based on initial user feedback. These low-fidelity models enabled them to test various layout and navigation options without significant investment.
5. Test:
User Testing and Feedback Loops: The team conducted usability tests with the paper prototypes, gathering feedback and making necessary refinements. They repeated this process through several iterations until the design effectively addressed patient needs.
The Outcome
The final digital health platform was launched with a user-friendly interface, streamlined navigation, and enhanced functionalities. Patient engagement skyrocketed by 60%, and satisfaction ratings improved dramatically. This case underscores the power of design thinking in creating solutions that genuinely resonate with users.
Case Study 2: Revolutionizing Retail with a Personalized Shopping Experience
The Challenge
A major retailer sought to differentiate itself by creating a personalized in-store shopping experience amidst growing competition from e-commerce giants.
The Process
1. Empathize:
Empathy Maps: Teams engaged with shoppers to understand their preferences, frustrations, and shopping behaviors, creating empathy maps that highlighted key insights.
Customer Journey Maps: They outlined the shopper journey, from entering the store to checkout, identifying moments of delight and pain points.
2. Define:
They crafted a problem statement: “Shoppers feel overwhelmed by product choices and lack personalized assistance, leading to a sub-optimal experience.”
3. Ideate:
Brainstorming and SCAMPER: During ideation sessions, the team explored various solutions, such as integrating digital kiosks, offering personalized recommendations, and utilizing mobile apps for enhanced interaction.
4. Prototype:
Paper Prototyping: They developed paper prototypes of the digital kiosks and mobile app interfaces, enabling them to quickly test and iterate on different features and designs.
5. Test:
User Testing and Feedback Loops: The team conducted in-store pilot tests with the prototypes. Feedback was collected, and continuous refinements were made to optimize functionality and user experience.
The Outcome
The retailer successfully introduced an innovative in-store experience featuring interactive digital kiosks and a mobile app that provided personalized recommendations and real-time assistance. Shoppers responded positively, with a 40% increase in customer satisfaction and a notable rise in sales. This transformation highlighted the potential of design thinking to reimagine retail experiences in an increasingly digital world.
Conclusion
Design thinking, with its human-centered focus and iterative approach, serves as a powerful framework for problem-solving and innovation. Empathy maps, customer journey maps, structured brainstorming, paper prototyping, and user testing are just a few of the tools and techniques that enable teams to navigate complex challenges and develop solutions that truly resonate with users.
The case studies presented here showcase the tangible impact of design thinking across different industries, reaffirming its value as a methodology for driving meaningful change. By putting people at the heart of the process, we can create solutions that are not only innovative but also deeply aligned with user needs and desires.
As we move forward in an ever-changing world, embracing design thinking will be crucial to staying ahead and crafting the future we envision. Let us continue to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, and in doing so, let us solve the problems of today while paving the way for tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.
Image credit: Pixabay
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NOTE: If you’d like to translate the audit into another language, please contact me.
In addition to helping you identify areas of potential improvement and the strengths/weaknesses of your innovation culture, it will also help you see your level of innovation maturity.
Image adapted from the book Innovation Tournaments by Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich
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Is it really possible to travel back in time? What about traveling into the future, have we finally figured out how to do that? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out…
But before we explore whether someone has finally figured out how to successfully time travel and recruit you to join me in investing in their pre-IPO startup, I’d like to introduce one of the most important visualizations from the world of innovation that many of your have probably never seen – Neri Oxman’s Krebs Cycle of Creativity from January 2016.
If you’re not familiar with this incredibly important visual artifact from the work of Neri Oxman from MIT’s Media Lab, you should be because it does an amazing job of capturing the interplay between Art, Science, Engineering and Design in the creation of innovation. It builds on John Maeda’s Bermuda Quadrilateral from 2006:
And Rich Gold’s Matrix, also from 2006:
While Rich Gold’s visualization builds on the logical bones of John Maeda’s Bermuda Quadrilateral and introduces the concepts of speculative design, speculative engineering, and the contrast between moving minds & moving molecules, it lacks the depth of Neri Oxman’s Krebs Cycle of Creativity visualization. But the Krebs Cycle of Creativity does lose Maeda’s expression of the linkages between science & exploration, engineering & invention, design & communication, and art & expression. But even without these assertions of Maeda, the Krebs Cycle of Creativity still captures a number of other powerful tensions and assertions that can benefit us in our pursuit of innovation.
Time Marches On
The Krebs Cycle of Creativity can be viewed from a number of different perspectives and utilized in a number of different ways. But, one way to look at it is as if it were a watch face. In this context as time moves forward you’re following the typical path, a technology-led innovation approach.
Using the Krebs Cycle of Creativity Canvas in a clockwise direction will help us explore:
What information do we have about what might be possible?
What knowledge needs to be obtained?
What utility does the invention create?
What behavior do we need to modify to encourage adoption?
It begins with the invention of a new piece of technology created by the usage of existing information and a new perception of what might be possible within the constraints of our understanding of the natural world, or even by expanding our understanding and knowledge of the natural world using the scientific method.
You’ll see at 3 o’clock in the image above that it at this point in time that most organizations then hand off this new knowledge to their engineers to look at this new understanding of nature through the production lens in order to convert this new knowledge into new utility.
Engineers in most organizations are adept at finding a useful application for a new scientific discovery, and in many organizations this work is done before designers get a peek and begin to imagine how they can present this utility to users in a way that drives behaviors of adoption in a way that the behaviors of using the product or consuming the service feel as natural as possible and as frictionless as possible.
And unfortunately the artists in any organization (or outside via agency relationships) are called in at the eleventh hour to help shape perceptions and to communicate the philosophy behind the solution and the to make the case for it to occupy space in our collective culture.
Pausing at the Innovation Intersection
The way that innovation occurs in many organizations is that Science and Engineering collaborate to investigate and confirm feasibility, then Engineering and Design collaborate to inject viability into the equation, and then Design and Art (with elements of marketing and advertising) collaborate to create Desirability at the end. This may be how it works in many organizations, yet it doesn’t mean that it is the best way…
Traveling Back in Time
But as we all know, water can run uphill, the moon can eclipse the sun, and yes time can run in reverse. Viewing the Krebs Cycle of Creativity in a counter clockwise direction and pushing the hands of the watch backwards will have you following a user-led innovation approach instead.
Using the Krebs Cycle of Creativity Canvas in a counter clockwise direction will help us explore:
What information do we have about what is needed?
What behavior should we observe?
What would create utility for customers?
What knowledge must we obtain to realize our solution vision?
It begins with the identification of a new insight uncovered by the investigation of existing information and a new perception of what might be needed within the constraints of our understanding of our customers, or even by expanding our understanding and knowledge of our customers by using ethnography, observation, behavioral science and other tools to enter the mind of your customers, employees or partners.
You’ll see at 9 o’clock in the image above that it at this point in time that user-driven organizations after having their business artists use their perception skills to investigate the culture and philosophy underpinning this new understanding of behavior and pass it off for their designers to look at through the production lens in order to convert it into new utility.
Designers in many organizations are adept at finding a useful application for a new behavioral understanding, and in user-driven organizations this work is done before engineers get a peek and begin to imagine how they can build this utility for users in a way that creates new knowledge in a way that will differentiate the products or services of their organization from those of the competition.
And in user-driven organizations scientists are called in as needed to help overcome any barriers engineers encounter in realizing the solution that best satisfies the users’ identified needs, while leveraging new scientific perceptions that help shape our understanding of nature and empower new philosophical beliefs about what’s possible.
Conclusion
While we haven’t torn any worm holes through the fabric of the space-time continuum with this article, hopefully we have expanded your repertoire with some new tools to facilitate conscious choices around whether you are going to pursue technology-led innovation (clockwise) or user-led innovation (counter clockwise).
Hopefully we have also shown you a better way of visualizing where you are in your innovation journey and where the turning points in your innovation pursuits lie as you seek to take a quantum leap and transform your past into a bright, shiny future.
So now it is time to answer the question you had at the beginning of this article… Is time travel possible?
Well, nearly a decade ago NASA ran an experiment that proved elements of Einstein’s theory of relativity, specifically that the fabric of space-time warps around the earth in response to gravity. Read about it here
And yes, time travel is theoretically possible, or at least time is not theoretically constant as described in this NASA article.
Neither of these indicate that it is possible to travel backwards in time (despite what Superman physics says), only to affect how time advances, but if anyone wants to invest a million dollars in my time travel startup, I’ll cash your check. Because who knows, maybe your check is what will finally make time travel possible!
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Happy Fourth of July!
The purpose of a 
Now in Portuguese or English
