IDEO: Redesigning Innovation

The world’s progress in technology has shown us that we are quickly moving into a new era, and IDEO only confirms that idea that the future is now. Dennis Boyle, the co-founder of IDEO and leader of IDEO’s Design for Health division, showed us the vision behind what made IDEO the think tank it has become today. From its upbringing as a company struggling for new customers, IDEO has branched itself into many different fields across innumerable markets. Dennis says the motivation behind IDEO’s constant advancement was the need to disrupt their own company before some other company even had the chance.

How does a company go about upending their business model and branching into new ones? While there is no one true method to accomplishing this, Dennis expressed the voracious creativity and constant inventiveness of himself and the many engineers of IDEO that allows this to happen. And it certainly shows. Immediately upon entering the company, one is met with so many innovative and futuristic designs that highlight only some of IDEO’s most recent work in human-centered design. From breast pumps for the busy mom to smart jackets for the avid biker, IDEO has played a part in improving the lives of people across all walks of life.

My team and I were especially surprised to see the Node Chair, a type of chair that we have at our own university. While a chair may seem like a tried and true item that has no need for innovation, IDEO reminds us that innovation is useful in all areas of life and shows us that every market, no matter how deeply established, can be changed for the better.