Sources. Ideas come from many sources and are often a completion of the initial influence, so no idea comes from emptiness. So often the source of ideas is other ideas we observe in nature and reapply into another application. For instance the shape and construction of a woodpecker skull is the source of a new design idea for football helmets. We see a magnificent waterfall and we think of a new idea for water a faucet, we study aerodynamics on airplanes and apply it to trucking to reduce wind resistance. We observe the difficulties of changing a baby diaper in a public restroom and design a new changing table. It is the childlike awe with the world that helps us find the newness in everything we see. But is not just a visual experience that helps us find the new applications and ideas but it is an emotional journey as well. The emotion of a heartfelt empathy for the needs in the world is what helps open our eyes to ideas for solutions to those needs. The more we feel the needs of others the more we will focus our efforts on finding solutions and the better those ideas will be. It is a whole different matter to actually live in a poverty stricken neighborhood than to come up with solutions from a protected lavish neighborhood or distant government office. “Field Study” makes for better products and solutions because it involves all of the senses and makes a more lasting impact. Without some on site field study it is like trying to describe the grand canyon with words and it really is impossible to describe the vastness and the colors and serenity that comes from just being there. Design thinking is really about doing the work to make yourself vulnerable to input from outside influences. “Not invented here” should be the goal because you can’t think of everything and always be the smartest. Like Peter Diamandis the founder and chairman of the X Prize foundation says, “most of the smartest people are not on your payroll.” That is why he believes so much in “Crowd Sourcing” for outside input to get the best ideas. Don’t get caught up in trying to always producing the best idea yourself. You will find you can get more done and get better ideas if you spend more energy on giving and spreading credit.
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