IDEO Case Study

GEN1902
TZ01 BRYAN TOH KIM RONG
Assignment 1

1. Introduction
Innovation is defined as the discovery of new ways in doing things to improve its efficiency and quality through practical inventions. IDEO was founded by David Kelly in 1991 and is one of the most influential product development firms in the world today. It uses design thinking to create products ranging from high tech equipment to the squishy handles that we find on our toothbrushes. They create up to 90 new products annually and are experts at applying the innovation process.
2. Culture of Innovation
IDEO is guided by an innovative culture and they believe that being playful simulates innovation as fresh ideas comes faster in a fun place. Thus, a department is devoted to toys,
For example, teamwork is essential towards successfully innovating a product. During the brainstorming session, IDEO’s founder did not take charge of the discussion as he might not have an insightful experience of the product. Rather, anyone who had ideas contributed to it. Team members constantly shared their researches to deepen each other’s understanding of the product. Furthermore, everyone avoided judging and criticising each other’s ideas during the brainstorming process. What they did was to build on one another’s idea or link ideas together to propose a better
It consists of three aspects, namely “Ideas Selection”, “Development” and “Commercialisation”. “Deep Dive” is a brainstorming technique used to immerse members in the ideas generation process rapidly. Members generate ideas with an open mind in hope of meeting the needs of their target audience. They begin by gathering information to better understand the product, followed by a ground research to garner the views of the various stakeholders such as the users to better understand their concerns so as to create a product that integrates their needs. Learning points are collated and shared with the team. During the innovation process, IDEO follows a mantra: One conversation at a time, stay focused and encourage wild ideas. No criticisms are allowed and more and wilder ideas will ease the process of finding a take-off point for innovation. Staying focused will also prevent any diversion beyond the scope of the targeted product. Ideas are narrowed through a voting process amongst members where cool and feasible ideas are selected. The team is then broken up to focus on certain need areas and to produce a prototype with the best elements of each to be incorporated into the final