Luminary Labs held a Rube Goldberg-a-thon competition where teams had to build machines that would launch ping pong balls into a trash can in under an hour. The winning team's most complex functional machine would receive a prize. The competition allowed teams to move quickly from ideating designs to validating working prototypes. Luminary Labs learned that giving employees time and space to innovate can yield successful results, as their most diverse team was able to win by flexing different skills, and anything can be made in 20 minutes or less through rapid prototyping.

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September 2014
HOW TO BUILD
SOMETHING IN
20 MINUTES
And other lessons from our
Rube Goldberg-a-thon
LUMINARY LABS WWW.LUMINARY-LABS.COM @LUMINARYLABS

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In June 2014, Luminary Labs held its
inaugural Rube Goldberg-a-thon.

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A Rube Goldberg-a-what?
A Rube Goldberg
Machine performs
a very simple task
in a series of
overly complicated
chain reactions.
The more complex,
the better.

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How it worked
Following a tutorial from a subject matter
expert, we challenged our staff to build Rube
Goldberg-inspired machines that would launch
Ping-Pong balls into a trash can.
With just one hour to complete the task, the
team with the most complex and functional
machine would be awarded a prize.

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Why a Rube Goldberg-a-thon?
1. It’s a fun team building exercise.
2. We love making things.
3. We err on the geeky side.

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But it didn’t
stop at that.

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In the course of 1 hour, we moved from
ideation to validation.*
Instruction
Ideation & Sketching
Rapid Prototyping
Validation
Winner
*Note: This is precisely the process that companies of all sizes seek to adopt in the face of change.

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Here’s what we
learned.

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5 Lessons Learned
1. Don’t overthink it. Just go.
2. You can make something in 20 minutes.
3. The best coaches aren’t always the best players.
4. Mix it up, team diversity works.
5. Create the space and time to innovate.

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1. Don’t overthink it.
Just go.

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Pick a place to start and get
moving.
For companies large and small, working
in an unfamiliar subject area is daunting
at best. We were encouraged to pick up
pliers and wire and start making the
components of a basic hinge. In a very
short period of time, our skills grew as
we learned by doing.

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2. You can make
something in 20
minutes.

13. Making something is easier that it looks.
Anyone can engage in rapid prototyping. From
sketch to validation, our inventions took shape in
20 minutes or less, proving that making it real is
possible – even within the tightest time
constraints.
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3. The best coaches
aren’t always the best
players.

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The biggest losers: our CEO and two
Rube Goldberg-a-thon organizers.
The team comprised of our “resident Rube
Goldberg experts” and our CEO came in last
place, reminding us that winning solutions
may not come from where you expect.

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4. Mix it up.
Team diversity works.

17. A management consultant, an
analyst, and a marketer walk
into a bar… and walk out with
the winning solution.
Our most diverse team of talent
proved to be the most successful –
flexing its planning expertise, tactical
execution, and some serious math
smarts.
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5. Create the space and
time to innovate.

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It’s all about the experience.
Our investment in the experience created
the time and space needed to focus on
the Rube Goldberg-a-thon.
We scheduled the event for minimal
disruption, rearranged our physical
space, developed a playlist, and brought
in good eats from our favorite local
purveyors.

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Bonus Reel

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The Tools

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Sketching

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Rapid Prototyping

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The Contraptions in Action

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