I have long contended that artists and comedians had extraordinary powers of observations. My sister is a talented artist and she notices the smallest details, which of course lead to her unbelievably realistic artwork. She notices how many petals are on a flower, what direction lies the fur on a dog’s back lies, or the hills just in the distance. Those details easily lost on the more casual observer.
Some of my favorite comedians seem to have a similar knack. In fact, Jerry Seinfeld made a whole TV series by observing the obsurdities of every day life.
In Denis Hauptly’s Something Really New, he outlines three simple steps to creating truly innovative products, which pretty much center around thoughtful observation. What tasks do people try to accomplish? How can an innovative product, service, or combination of things streamline and remove steps from the task? He points to lots of great examples, but all center around letting rich observation and behavioral research (like the ethnography studies that I have seen done at many companies) lead to new categories of product. Only by observing a busy mother managing her day and using products, can you really empathize with her and design new products to make her life easier.
In planning for Remarkable, we are actively taking this approach. How many steps are involved in the task as currently implemented? Ask a lot of questions. How can the creative application of technology make the task easier and faster by eliminating steps? The final product will benefit from lots of observation (not to mention the fact that I am designing this product for myself, really see the need for it, and can’t wait to use it). Actively and thoughtfully streamlining the workflow will help the product stay simple and relevant.
