Innovation is by far one of the most difficult areas of product design. Unlike conventional design, which basically all about iterating existing solutions available on the market, innovative design is about creating a brand-new thing. Something that doesn’t exist before. Something that can potentially change the course of action in the entire world.
In this article, I want to discuss 3 attributes that a product designer should have to be able to design innovative products.
1. Ability to transfer knowledge from one domain to another
Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Most of the time, it’s a result of applying knowledge from one domain to another. The invention of the wheel is one of the most notable examples of innovation. Early humans observed rolling objects in nature, such as logs or round stones, which might have inspired the idea of rolling heavy objects instead of dragging them.
Naturally, the more knowledge you have in different fields, and the better your ability to reuse knowledge from one area to another, the higher your chances of finding innovative solution.
2. Creative mindset
There is a vast difference between an ordinary designer and a designer who can design innovative products; this difference lies in a person’s ability to think differently. An innovator is a true non-conformist, a person who is able to ignore all conventional norms when designing a new product.
This person has a superpower — not seeking the approval of others when building a new thing. Because of that, this person can embrace the full power of creativity when building products.
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” — Steve Jobs
When you seek the approval of others, you will likely have to make compromises. And compromises rarely lead to the best product design decisions.
Thats why organizations that want to embrace the spirit of innovation separate a group of designers that work on innovative solution from a another group of designers who refine existing product (i.e., ongoing product maintenance). Not only do these groups have different ways of working, but they also have different ways of thinking. And if you try to make them work together (assuming that it will lead to creating something that is both innovative and feasible), it will likely lead to a fiasco — not enough innovative and not enough feasible solution; a perfect compromise between innovation and feasible.
3. Ability to not think about money first when inventing things
When we build a new product, one of the goals that we pursue is to make the product both valuable for users and business. Most of the time, if the product does not help businesses make money, it quickly becomes useless to a business, and business abandons it. However, when it comes to innovation, commercial success is not always a primary driver.
Innovative design is not necessarily the one that makes tons of money.
Innovative design is all about solving problems in new ways, enhancing user experience, and pushing boundaries. Some of the most groundbreaking designs have not been commercially successful, yet they have inspired future advancements or changed industries in ways that weren’t immediately profitable.
Apple Newton (1993) — One of the first personal digital assistants (PDAs), but it was too expensive and had handwriting recognition flaws. However, it laid the foundation for later Apple products like the iPhone and iPad.
Google Glass—Failed commercially but influenced AR development.
Hyperloop Concept — A futuristic transportation idea for ultra-fast trains in vacuum tubes, but it still faces major technical and financial hurdles.
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Innovative Design: How To Design Something That Doesn’t Exist was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.