The art of Innovation. "Rethink. Redefine. Recreate."

In 2014 Guy Kawasaki, an American marketing specialist and former Apple employees responsible for marketing the Macintosh computer line in 1984, gave this TEDx Talk about the art of Innovation.

Kawasaki is also a special advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google, and the author of APE, What the Plus!, Enchantment, and several other books on Innovation.

Watch the full talk here.

This short talk gets straight to the central points about how Innovation happens (and sometimes why it doesn't happen). This simple and effective talk delivers on its promise. These are the ten points you need for Innovation to happen.

Having just finished reading "how innovation works" by Matt Ridley (also highly recommended), Kawasaki's talk may be missing the economic or social conditions of Innovation, but certainly gets to the central issues of how promising innovations happen.

The ten points are:

1. Make meaning.

Successful innovations are not about the pursuit of money; they are always about making new meaning for the consumer. As I've argued previously, making meaning is fundamental to how our brains work and how we communicate.

2. Make a Mantra.

3 – 4 words that explain why your meaning should exist. This is not a mission statement. It is the simplest form you can give to explain what benefit your consumer will have. This knits well with Donald Miller's book "Story Brand", where he states that every product must pass the "UGG" test. It must be so simple that its meaning and benefit is obvious.

3. Perspective – Jump to the Next Curve.

Innovation needs to move forward in leaps and change the way we see something. This seems to contrast with the notion that Innovation moves forward by small incremental steps built on existing knowledge and technology. However, Innovation is often the re-combination or Association of things that are taken out of context. That, I think, is the leap that Kawasaki is talking about. For instance, you couldn't invent an internal combustion engine if you hadn't discovered and refined oil. It would be best if you had the idea of controlled ignition of petrol to transfer energy to create motion. The Association of different, disparate and novel combinations of ideas and technologies is the driving force of Innovation. More evolution than creation.

4. Roll the Dice. Great Innovation is profound.

Great products and innovations are intelligent. They understand the consumer's problem. However, Kawasaki seems to argue that a better product has more functions. I would completely disagree with this. More functions do not equate to a better or more desirable outcome. However, finding solutions to consumer problems, whatever they may be, is critical for the user experience and the marketability of a product. Good products provide solutions to problems and fulfil desires with their functionality and the stories they carry with them.

Kawasaki talks about products that change the meaning of your life and the elegance of a product (or an idea, for that matter). These qualities are empowering. For this, we need to look no further than the mobile phone, which has transformed behaviour and how we all interact.

5. Don't worry, be crappy.

If we wait for perfection, we will never move forward. All innovations change and develop over time. It's OK to have some crappiness in your designs and ideas. However, like everything, they need to evolve and develop. Design is evolutionary; one progression leads to another. Likewise, consumer needs change and evolve.

Perfectionism can be a form of procrastination. The thing to do is to get the idea out there and then test, try, and fail to develop it.

6. Let 10 Flower Blossom.

Innovation happens by tinkering, becoming closer to a consumer need, so allowing the consumer/user to move the product forward. Don't be precious about the product. Don't be too proud. Products and ideas become relevant by becoming appropriate. Whilst you wouldn't expect a consumer to innovate, their needs show the direction that should be followed. Allow ideas to flow.

These ideas marry well with Carol Dweck's concept of a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset will become stuck on a principle; a growth mindset will accept failures as learning opportunities.

7. Good products polarise people.

Allow products and ideas to be both loved and hated. Great products polarise their potential markets.

8. Churn baby churn.

Allow products to change, develop and evolve, despite the desire to hold onto something that seems to work. We have a fundamental need to grow and change constantly. Our brains seek constant novelty and entertainment and look into the future with our imaginations to predict what may happen next.

We have restless minds that want things to stay as they are on the one hand and seeks novelty and entertainment on the other. The neuroscientist David Eagleman suggests that our minds are like a parliament, constantly arguing to find the best solution.

Innovation is naturally evolutionary. Things develop and change as technology and ideas are applied to solve problems, which gives rise to new technologies and knowledge, which engenders further change and development—a Virtuous or vicious circle.

9. Niche thyself.

Kawasaki suggests a beautiful simplification of the marketing process with a simple chart. On the vertical axis is uniqueness; on the horizontal axis is value. Therefore the top righthand corner is where there is the maximum value and maximum uniqueness. In other words, the product you have innovated will have maximal value and uniqueness for the consumer.

10. Perfect your pitch.

Whatever you develop and innovate, at some point, you will have to pitch it to someone. Kawasaki suggests four simple rules:

1. Customise your introduction. Make it unique.

2. The optimal number of slides is ten.

3. Keep it to 20 minutes.

4. Text size for slides should be 30 point. i.e. the age of the audience divided by two.

11. (bonus point) Don't let the bozos grind you down.

Develop grit and tenacity.

One of the decisive elements in Innovation is not just having an imagination or even a great idea. What separates an innovator from a creative is taking a product or idea to an audience that value it. That often means meeting and overcoming a great deal of resistance. It also means not being afraid to fail and to find yourself in blind alleys.

This is why it is often the case that mediocre ideas make it ahead of great ideas. However, the tenacity to see an idea through to its fruition is a skill in itself.

www.charlesleon.uk