Endless Innovation

IDEO Method Card iPhone Application

Since 2003, IDEO has distributed more than 10,000 decks of its Method Cards to innovators and creative types around the world. Now, the legendary design & innovation firm is making the IDEO Method Cards available as an iPhone app. Get the first 8 cards as a free Method Card iPhone app, or get the full deck as a $4.99 application. It's all part of an ongoing effort to keep IDEO relevant for the mobile generation:

"[...] As a design tool meant to help people explore new approaches and develop their own, we realized it was time to evolve its form. We wanted to experiment with a mobile platform and make it more readily available to an ecosystem of users who can take this tool to a new level. Thus, the Method Card iPhone app.

After talking to avid Method Card users, we uncovered interesting insights when translating the cards from the physical world to the virtual world. We found that users have their favorites embedded within the 51 cards, as “go-to” sets for use in the field. In addition, with the coupling of the Voice Memos app, you can now record your observations in the field while sliding through the cards. Navigation of the cards is similar to the experience of browsing through photos in the Photos app."

The new IDEO iPhone app is a great example of how companies can take hugely successful and/or popular products and keep them technologically relevant. A big hat tip to Chuck Frey of Innovation Tools for bringing this to my attention!

[image: IDEO Method Cards iPhone App]

The Economist: Women-Friendly Innovation in Emerging Markets

In an article about women-friendly innovation in emerging markets, The Economist unpacks the concept of "wominnovation" by examining how societies can harness the power of innovation to empower women and promote greater gender equality. A new study by the International Centre for Research on Women recently examined eight inventions that have helped women dramatically -- including mobile phones, micro-credit and motorized scooters. As The Economist points out, these "wominnovations" are comprised of three main elements: 

(1) A favorable context, including political, economic and social conditions that make the time right for its adoption, and an innovation system that excels at finding and testing good ideas and quickly scaling them up;

(2) An inherent value proposition that compels women to embrace the innovation;

(3) The inclusion of women in the design process, to ensure that the innovation meets the design and technical requirements of women.

What's interesting is that some of the "wominnovations" covered in the report were explicitly designed for women, while others were designed for both men and women. The motorized scooter, for example, has disproportionately benefited women: "The scooters, over 60% of which in India are now bought by women, have provided a fairly safe and reliable way for women to travel to more distant places for education and work, greatly increasing their opportunities and productivity."

More than at any time in history, innovation provides an opportunity to improve the lives of women in new ways. The Economist singles out a few ideas that are taking root in developing markets -- like foot-pedaled water pumps, the “micro-franchising” of heating and lighting in rural areas not served by the electric grid and the “crowdsourcing” of work to local communities. Each of these new innovations has the potential to liberate many more poor women in the coming years.

[image: Family Outing by Judepics on Flickr]

The Future of Lifestreaming

Vodafone Group’s user experience / concept development group has put together a brief video clip that explores the future of lifestreaming. There are some unique interactive visualizations in the style of Minority Report, exploring concepts such as "the magnetism of data," "location awareness across time" and the "serendipity of discovery." Very interesting stuff. A big hat tip to Mark Krynsky for finding this.

[video: The Future of Lifestreaming]