We were asked to give a lecture to an international group of 60 industrial design students at Howest, Kortrijk. This is how our lead designer Thomas inspired them in only ten slides.

1. #10 guidelines for innovative design
@creaxnv

2. We
were
asked
to
give
a
lecture
to
an
interna5onal
group
of
60
industrial
design
students
at
Howest,
Kortrijk.
This
is
how
our
lead
designer
Thomas
inspired
them
in
only
ten
slides.

3. Find
a
problem
#1
The
day
James
Dyson
got
frustrated
with
his
vacuum
cleaner
was
the
most
important
day
in
the
history
of
the
bagless
vacuum
cleaner.
Vacuum
cleaners
with
bags
loose
suc5on
very
quickly.
This
was
a
problem
James
Dyson
wanted
to
remedy.

4. Do
Steal
Don’t
copy
#2
But
James
Dyson
did
not
start
from
scratch.
He
knew
of
another
device
used
to
suck
and
clean
air:
the
cyclone.
It
could
be
found
on
the
roof
of
sawmills
and
animal
stables.
This
inven5on
dates
back
as
far
as
1898.

5. Have
Many
Ideas
#3
A
real
innova5on
does
not
start
from
1
magical
idea.
It
is
usually
a
combina5on
of
several
ideas
selected
from
many,
many
more.
Having
lots
of
ideas
is
key
to
having
a
good
idea
in
the
end.
In
innova5on,
quan5ty
breeds
quality.

6. Have
Fun
#4
Make
sure
to
have
fun
in
the
mean5me.
Developing
an
idea
into
a
fully
fledged
product
is
frustra5ng
and
daun5ng.
It’s
beXer
to
have
some
laughs
along
the
way.

7. Make
it
happen
#5
Make
prototypes
and
make
a
lot
of
them.
Make
them
quick
and
dirty.
Just
test
and
fiddle.
Tes5ng
your
idea
is
the
key
to
reality.
The
prototyping
phase
is
also
where
the
‘happy
accidents’
happen.

8. Learn
to
Fail
#6
Failing
just
means
that
you
are
not
working
in
your
comfort
zone
anymore.
This
is
a
good
thing,
because
it’s
then
that
you’ll
find
new
things.
The
famous
Post-­‐It
was
the
result
of
a
failure
and
it
became
one
of
3M’s
best
selling
products.

9. Keep
it
Simple
#7
Do
not
overcomplicate
things.
If
you
can,
make
it
simpler.
The
less
complex
a
system
is,
the
less
prone
it
is
to
damage.
This
will
also
make
your
product
cheaper,
faster
to
develop
and
easier
to
repair.
Reebok
Disc

10. Find
the
right
5me
#8
It
was
not
the
first
5me
that
Apple
decided
to
launch
a
tablet
computer.
They
did
it
for
the
first
5me
in
the
90s.
The
Newton
failed
miserably
and
was
a
commercial
catastrophe.
A
decade
later
they
tried
again.
By
this
5me,
the
market
and
technology
where
ready,
and
the
rest
is
history.
Apple
Newton
&
Ipad

11. Think
in
Func5ons
#9
All
these
products
have
the
same
func5onality:
storing
data.
All
of
them
made
the
previous
one
obsolete.
Companies
that
did
not
see
the
changes
in
their
market
vanished.
So
be
aware
of
this
fact.
You
do
not
make
a
product.
You
make
a
solu5on
to
achieve
a
func5on
and
maybe
one
day
somebody
has
a
beXer
solu5on
for
that
func5on.

12. A
good
idea
ain’t
enough
#10
Despite
all
your
efforts,
it
could
s5ll
be
that
your
innova5ve
product
is
not
a
success.
Be
sure
to
communicate
what
sets
your
product
apart
from
the
compe55on.
This
3
in1
poXy
received
a
lot
of
design
awards
for
it’s
mul5func5onality,
yet
failed
to
convey
that
message
to
the
clients
in
the
store.
dotpot
by
dotbaby

13. SYSTEMATIC
INNOVATION
WWW.CREAX.COM
Inspired?
We
help
companies
with
their
innova5on
challenges.
problem
solving
–
product
innova5on
–
process
innova5on
technology
transfer
–
new
applica5ons
and
markets
Diederik
Syoen
-­‐
Marke5ng
Manager
ds@creax.com
www.creax.com
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