part0009

The objective of the $5 Innovation is to overcome the fear of implementing an idea. Innovation is not ideas. Ideas are ideas. Innovation is the ability to implement an idea into a tangible outcome. There are three components to innovation : (1) identification; (2) ideation; and (3) implementation.

Many people equate innovation with technology or invention. Technology is an influential part of innovation, but it is not the basis. Innovation is extracted from a need - a need of self and others.

The most simplistic innovation devoid of technology can solve a problem as well as an innovation developed exclusively with technology. What an innovation comes down to is intrinsic motivation. Then, with available resources the innovation comes to life. With a $5 limit you probably can’t rely on much technology for your innovation.

It is understood that this process might feel overwhelming. Undue social pressure produces a mindset that big is best, and that to produce something magnificent is to have generated value. When thinking about innovation, one usually thinks of what is deemed to be grand – Apple Inc., Tesla, and NASA. But in actuality, it is everyday innovations that make magnificent differences in our life.

You are a nurse. You work in a busy private practice office for two general practitioners. You are responsible for calling patients in from the waiting room, directing the patients to the exam room, taking vitals and collecting and recording general visit information.

Often the doctors get behind and patients must wait an extended period of time. Many of your patients are elderly and become sore and stiff from sitting for long periods. When the elderly patients are called back, you are their first contact. Many of the elderly patients who waited for a long period of time are upset because they are now uncomfortable. To make matters worse, they are unable to participate fully for you because of their discomfort, and you can’t accurately take their vitals. The need to remedy this problem is for you and the patients. You are unable to properly do your job, and the patients are very uncomfortable.

After speaking with the elderly patients, you realize it is the chairs – they are not suited for the elderly. You do some quick research online and find ergonomic padding for the chairs to help the elderly. You know your doctors will not replace all the chairs in the waiting room, but you think they would buy affordable padding. With the few, you could make a “senior section” designed for the elderly. The senior section would also have other amenities specific to the elderly. You speak with some of your patients to try out the accommodation. You present it to the doctors, they approve, and you implement.

The other example is the current broom/dustpan combo. Your dorm floor is linoleum. You are constantly sweeping the floor. The thin line of remaining dirt drives you nuts, and you spend more time trying to pick up the line of dirt than you do sweeping the whole room. Additionally, your roommate doesn’t even bother to pick up the leftover line of dirt…he just leaves it. You both want a clean room. You decide to make an attached product (copy and tweak). It is a length of sticky tape similar to what you find on Post-It Notes and lint brushes. You attach it to the bottom of the dustpan. You have your roommate try it out. He gives you a few suggestions and you now have an innovation. This did not cost more than a pad of sticky notes and your room is clean!

The $5 Innovation is to get you started with innovation. Do not over think this first innovation. The purpose of this innovation is to help you and your instructor gain knowledge of your level of understanding of innovation. However, this is not a test. Again, do not overthink!

You must not spend more than $5 for this innovation. There are three exercises that will help you frame your problem into an innovation. The three exercises are: Bug Report, Focus Report, and the Ideate Grid. Instructions will accommodate the exercises.

The Bug Report is a warm-up exercise to help you reflect on needs, problems, issues, or “bugs” that have meaning to you. As mentioned, the intrinsic value felt by the innovator leads to the best innovations. When filling out the Bug Report, expand your general thinking. An innovation must help you and others, thus a “bug” which is only relevant to you is not the most productive use of the report.

Bad Example - Bug: 8 a.m. classes Solution: Sleep in

As you are filling out the Bug Report, reflect on Bugs in terms that a person could actually implement as a solution to that Bug. This reflection does not necessarily mean you have the skills or resources to make it happen, but do the skills exist? Is your solution realistic? Such as…your Bug might be that you dislike bullies. A solution derived from technology, skills, or resources that do not exist shouldn’t be brainstormed as a solution. As an example with bullies - use brain control of the bully to make them stop . That is not a good use of this exercise. However, resources do exist to make a school-wide anti-bullying campaign. You may not have the resources at this time, but it could happen in the future. You may not know exactly how to develop a unique and successful campaign, yet, but that’s for a later step.