A Recipe For Innovation and Creative Thinking [creating the 8th wonder of the world!]

A Recipe for Innovation

plus, creating the 8th wonder of the world

Viswanath Poosala (vishy)

Viswanath.Poosala AT alcatel-lucent DOT com

Head of Bell Labs – India

Jan 2010

Random Slide #1: Let’s think out of the basket

2 | Eingeering innovation | 2009 All Rights Reserved © Alcatel-Lucent 2006, #####

Outline

Overview of an innovation factory

What is innovation?

A simple recipe for innovation

An ingredient for success


Bell Labs Innovations that Changed the World

31,000+ patents, 2+ U.S. patents granted each workday

1876 1939 1947 1954 1958 1962 1969
The Telephone 1st Digital The Transistor The Solar Cell The Laser The Telstar Satellite Unix
Computer

1988 1989 1995 1996 1997 1997 1997
Digital Cellular HDTV Data Mining & SCAPEL Electron World’s Smallest 2nd Gen ATM High-res Map
Visualization Beam Lithography Transistor Switching of Dark Matter
Chips Security Layers
Applications Security
THREATS

Communication Security
Data Confidentiality
Destruction

Non-repudiation
Access Control
Authentication

Data Integrity

Availability
Corruption

Privacy
Services Security
VULNERABILI TIES Removal

Disclosure

Interruption
Infrastructure Security
ATTACKS

End User Plane
Security Control Plane 8 Security Dimensions
Planes
Management Plane

N M 2003
E2E Network
Antennas2 AntennasSecurity Reference
Architecture
Foundation of new
ITU X.805
1998 1998 1998 1999 2000 2002 specification
Wide Bandwidth 100% Plastic Allwave™ All Optical 3.28Tbps BLAST (MIMO)
Optical Amp Transistor Bandwidth Capacity Router Transmission Hi- Capacity RF


Bell Labs India
Innovating for Emerging Markets and the World

Emerging Markets Applications
Research
Launched in 2004
Mobile apps, Content
Located in Bangalore
Delivery, Low-cost services,
World-class talent with MS and PhDs M-payment, NFC

Emerging Markets Networking
Systems Research

Our Mission Wireless mesh, M2M
communications, Low-cost
To create disruptive innovations that impact
networking, Software radio,
the lives of millions of people in emerging
Bluetooth
markets and the rest of the world.
Alcatel-Lucent Ventures


Inventions and Innovations
(First Transistor)

Invention: Creating new stuff. Period.
(often done through Research)

Innovation: Using new and old stuff to
solve a real problem (usually makes
money)


Innovations happen in different forms

Product Business Process


Can we engineer Innovation?

“it’s in the genes” “it can be put in a manual”

“it can not be taught in a classroom” “it can be taught in this talk”


Riding Horses to Innovation

You can’t make a horse drink water,
but you CAN lead it to a stream.


An over-simplified recipe for innovation: from mind to market

Problem

Solution

Prototype

Try it out

Try it out on
more people


Problem

Don’t have to look too far for problems and opportunities


Problem

Get Real about WHOSE problem you are solving (ideally yourself!)

KNOW who your customer is (name, address, face,
issues)

Observe them in real life

Create use cases. Very detailed. With names of
real people against it.

Talk to them.


Solution

Where do new ideas come from?

Wait for that divine spark

Or

Make them happen


Random slide #2: Light bulb goes off


Solution

We hardly think about thinking

Critical thinking: Is it TRUE?

Creative thinking: What else is possible?!


Solution

A recipe for thinking up new ideas

Study 1. Study: Gather available
information from outside and
within
Create
2. Create: Propose ideas. Build on
them. Think logical. Think lateral.
But don’t think critical (yet)
Enhance
3. Enhance: Focus on how well they
could work
Critique
4. Critique: Focus on whether they
will work

Refine 5. Refine: Address the problems

6. Decide: Check with how you feel
about it
Decide


Solution

Thinking dynamics: Jumping is faster than walking

Logical push: This is so. Hence this
follows.
Side track

Creative Pull: This COULD be so. If we
make that jump, then what?

Main track

Direct
Roundabout


Solution

Lateral thinking tricks for generating new ideas

Pick an unrelated (even random!) word

Smoking + Frog A cigar that goes of
intermittently, like a hopping frog

Suggest the outrageous

No one buys books anymore

Ask the opposite

Shopping What if the shop pays the
buyers?

Audience speaks. Speakers take notes


Solution

Innovation sample: 8th Wonder of the World from a 7-yr old Girl [pratya.com]

7 wonders Data

Rainbow Palace
Logic
push
Crystal Palace on the Sea

House in Jupiter’s Red Spot
Jump!
Floating city above Earth

+ Great wall of China
Connect
+ Nasty asteroids

WOW!
= The Great Shield of Earth

Prototype

Prototype. Junk it. Then prototype again. Perpetual Beta.

Launch a prototype within the first quarter to team and
friends

LISTEN

Launch another prototype to friends of friends.

They love you less. LISTEN more carefully. ☺

Launch a public prototype.

Act on EVERY customer request and feedback.

But don’t always think they will tell you everything.
Use your intuition.


Prototype

Roadmap: Keep it simple.

Feature release, Quarterly release, Major bug fixes, etc etc.

Do Quarterly releases. At least after your first release.

AVOID feature creep. Everything takes at least twice longer than you think.

Document it. Paste it on the wall.

Don’t miss the obvious and the low hanging fruit in the market


Prototype

A-B-Cs of Product Roadmapping

•A: Can’t drive the car
without it

•B: Would consider paying
for that A/C

•C: Will take it if it’s free


Try it out

Remember who you are building it for


Try it out

Customer is your partner from Day 0

In concept stage

Focus groups even before the product
concept is finalized

Product roadmapping

Have a customer or customer proxy on the
team

Best is if YOU are a likely customer

Testing

Viral, social marketing


Random slide #3: Engineering one’s way to success

Write your goals down


Goal setting and execution

What do you want to achieve? (Think BIG)

Write your goals down (Think SPECIFIC)

How do you get there? (Think like an ENGINEER)

What is the First step you can take – TODAY (Act like an ENGINEER)

Just do it. Starting today (Act like an ENTREPRENEUR)


Recommended reading

Inside Steve’s Brain

The art of innovation

Crossing the chasm

Calvin & Hobbes

Irving Stone’s bio of Michelangelo

Six thinking hats

Goals by Brian Tracy

Teach your child how to think

Thanks to many websites for the images and puzzles!


Bell Labs India: Research and Startups in One Place

Our Mission
To create disruptive innovations that
impact the lives of millions of people in
emerging markets and the rest of world.


A Recipe For Innovation and Creative Thinking [creating the 8th wonder of the world!]

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