Reflection on OpenIDEO case
By reading the case of OpenIDEO, I have gained a deeper understanding of design and collaboration. There are two major changes in my thinking, which are about the composition of the team and the process of the project.
Firstly, IDEO is careful about the selection of studios and team members, which is a good way to avoid the team becoming too large and bureaucratic. They form new teams for specific projects. As the project progresses, members with specific tasks leave or join the team. This allows each team member to contribute as much as possible to the team and the project. In addition, this avoids the need for members who have already completed their tasks to remain on the team and be forced to receive additional and useless information. This way of team formation can make the progress of the project more flexible and efficient.
Secondly, the Case mentioned that the core of the IDEO project is divided into three overlapping stages: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. These three stages can explain how human-centered design works. Design and innovation are not new ideas that suddenly appear in the mind, but need to be produced step by step according to the real situation and specific cases. In Case’s example of working with Air New Zealand, IDEO even spent months conducting observational research, surveying customers, and doing site visits before starting the brainstorming process. The understanding of customer insight is very important in HCD. This made me realize that innovation is not simply putting new ideas into practice. Real innovation requires a lot of data and information support. IDEO’s success is not simply due to professional staff and teams, but comes from their willingness to take the time and effort to personally understand what products, services, and experiences people really want and need. However, that’s just the beginning. The team at IDEO prototypes, tweaks, and tests every idea. After sifting through the layers, only a few concepts may end up being viable. The meaning of innovation is not quantity, but quality. They clearly know that only the innovation that the vast majority of customers can accept, adapt, and love is really good innovation. So this also means that at least for now, HCD is still pretty difficult to be conducted online.
Overall, IDEO’s success is no accident. They have a unique vision for innovation, design, and collaboration. The OpenIDEO case taught me the importance of attention to detail, understanding customer insight, and human-centered design.
