Most people think innovation is about having brilliant ideas. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: ideas are arguably the easiest part of the entire process. The real work is before and after it. The most transformative products, services, and systems in the world weren’t born from a single eureka moment. They were built through a disciplined process…
The world has massive problems with “cool” solutions that create even bigger disasters. From the 1950s, we solved convenience with plastic, and now we’re literally breathing it. We solved the fossil fuel headache with Electric Vehicles, only to hand the next generation nightmare fields the toxic battery disposal. This is what happens when you have…
We have a strange fascination with frameworks. I certainly do. A framework is a visual shortcut that offers a bird’s-eye view of a complex idea. It helps us find our bearings when we’re overwhelmed by information. But frameworks can become cages. We obsess over the process until we find ourselves saying, “I understand, but the…
Here’s something that might sound strange coming from someone who’s spent years in innovation and design: I’m not always empathetic. And neither are you. There’s this perception in the design world that innovators, designers, and design thinkers are empaths, and that trait is always switched on. People get surprised, sometimes even offended, when you don’t…
Good questions get us further, faster. And here’s a chance for you to win a signed hardcover of Think Like an Innovator! One of my favourite questions, and I mention this in the book, came when I hit a roadblock when working for a client, a leading Asian hospital looking to affordably improve paediatric patient…
My book, Think Like an Innovator, already available as an eBook on Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon sites worldwide, thanks to Notion Press is now also available in paperback and hardcover formats on Amazon India. I believe Amazon India charges a delivery fee in the initial weeks, so for now, you can use…
Design Thinking gets talked about a lot. But when I started using it in my innovation and growth strategy consulting practice around 2016, I noticed something: people knew the steps but didn’t quite it. So I went back to the basics. Looked at it with a beginner’s mindset. Overlapped multiple philosophies to see if could…
📚 “Think Like an Innovator” is now available in PAPERBACK on major Amazon sites. It will be on Amazon India and Flipkart next week. A little hurdle to do with availability here. It’s being handled. As you know, the Kindle eBook is already available. Many of you asked for a physical copy. Here it is!…
In 2017, I noticed something troubling. Innovation leaders at some large global organisations were selling ‘design thinking-led’ services to other companies. They ran workshops. Facilitated sessions. Bagged long-term projects. And charged good money. But when interacting with them, I realised many of them didn’t truly understand what design thinking was. They knew the buzzwords. They…
Back when I was researching for my book, ‘Design the Future’, that simplifies design thinking for businesses and curious individuals, I noticed something striking. The popular 5-step Stanford design thinking model closely mirrors DMAIC, a much older and effective quality improvement tool. (My book simplifies the Stanford process, btw). Having studied some quality improvement, I…
Part 4 was about how we should proactively try to improve or disrupt where necessary, the inefficient parts of the sector or space we work in. And now, arguably the most valuable lesson I was taught, something that ties up all previous learnings. In 2015, I had first stumbled upon design thinking when I signed…
Ergonomically designed products are often comfortable for short use but can become more uncomfortable over time compared to plain designs. For instance, while sleek bike grips or beautifully designed wireless earbud cases feel great initially, they may be less practical for extended use.
Came across this recently.
As some businesses get increasingly exploitative, sometimes other businesses and sometimes a divine intervention comes to counter the effect.