“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas A. Edison One of the most effective ways to kick off a new initiative is to identify how it might go wrong. Similarly, when planning research goals and methodologies, awareness of potential weaknesses can help to establish immediate learning goals. The Pre-Mortem is a well-established facilitation tool for...
Some recent reading showcased two simple and powerful ways to boost organisational innovation. Both are proven in their own right; combined, they can offer a robust, end-to-end method for exploring the opportunity space. I first encountered Amazon’s ‘Working Backwards’ process in this Inc.com piece last year, which I stumbled across again last week. The Working Backwards framework articulates...
Technology may change rapidly, but the fundamentals of effective communication not so much. The role played by clarity in achieving successful results should not be a surprise. What is surprising is how often it can be overlooked. Regardless of its nature, the success or failure of any initiative will rely to a large extent on the degree of alignment amongst those involved. The question...
I’ve written a piece for the Puppet blog on the thinking behind an alerts & notifications system for a new product. I’ve had great feedback on the article, which serves to remind me that I should lift the lid a little more often on the work we’re doing. Covey’s prioritisation matrix is referenced as part of the piece. This is, of course, a commonly known and commonly...
A tough year to pick a top five from, but here goes. Tragic Design Jonathan Shariat and Cynthia Savard Saucier Shariat and Saucier explain how poorly designed products can anger, sadden, exclude, and even kill people who use them. Through a series of historical case studies, the errors of design become woefully apparent. The designers responsible certainly didn’t intend harm, so what can we do to...