Seven point something…
by Ankur Sharma
About 2 years ago, when Expresiv was still at infancy, we used to pass our days working on UI/UX from a $5 plastic chair (the first piece of furniture Expresiv owned) and spotty Wimax router. The walls smelt of fresh emulsion and floor was begging for carpet (or maybe it was our feet). But our spirit had never been higher because that was our first big shift and our own space in its entirety. During one of such evenings, I was pondering over this unconditional zeal I had in me. I tried to condense them in few phrases.
I quickly wrote them down on a sticky note lying around. Then I was afraid I’d lose it. I fired up the browser and quickly jotted them down on a Google Doc. The following day I was at a talk program by Dr. Bernard Amadei, organized at a local art gallery. I had known Dr. Amadei as the founder of Engineers Without Borders — USA and for his passion of innovation for the rest 6 billion people in the living planet. Undoubtedly, Dr. Amadei’s talk was intriguing. We, me and my friend Saroj Dhakal (a Googler, Wikipedian and open source activist) then had a quick interaction with him after the event. A dinner invite was awaiting for the two of us. The experience was exhilarating and equivalent to winning a backstage pass to your favourite rock band.
Seated, one of the first things I showed him during the dinner were the seven points. However, the verses were so out of context, it got awkward at times. Desperate for an explanation, the seven points hid in my drive. So why am I bringing this up after two years?
A few days back, my girlfriend asked to see those seven points and the revered doc. She was stressed about finding a perfect gift for me. I had mentioned to her sometime back what those points meant to me. She was trying to build something around those points, knowing exactly what revisiting those points meant to me.
When I opened the doc to share with her, I had a long thoughtful look at them. I realized what I had written still held true to me, and I thought I was ready to explain them.
Without further due I present the elusive 7 points and my explanation for them:
1. Good ideas are contagious.
In the book The Dancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav, he interprets “I clutch my idea.” However free or restricted the ownership is, a good idea always finds its way out; out of a head to many. Sometimes, an idea simultaneously generates in several minds or get transfuses over the beers on a bar. Some ideas revolve around and morph in context, thoughts, discussions and spark in another head, while the change in idea is so significant it is not even comparable to original idea or is disruptive to original one in other cases. But when the idea is good, it finds its way.
When you get an idea, share them. Let the idea sail free in wilderness of minds.
Infect people with the idea. Do not worry about the ownership. Implement it, challenge it and improvise on it. Remember what Victor Hugo said “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.”
2. People love their comfort zone.
What does quantum nature of particles say about the change? It takes quite a lot of energy to get from one stable state to another. So is the nature of people. The ideology and beliefs cannot be changed overnight. It takes a lot of effort just to make others aware of existence of another state; let alone inducing changes. We all have that cocoon we do not wish to evade. People don’t try new product based on its merit because even a neat idea might just hit the wall of one’s cocoon. Take any change and there is always friction associated with it. For instance, even something as simple as social network interface has views divided at both extremities.
When you are working on a new idea, always remember that the greatest friction and greatest survival test comes when you need people to adapt to your idea. They may like it, appreciate it and even recommend it. But will they adapt it? I’d like to imagine that there was colossal amount of bureaucratic friction adapting to the design while building the ancient Rome. Probably, that’s why we say “Rome was not built in a day.”
3. Innovation is Magical.
Clarke’s first law states that any advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The nature of innovation is just the same. No, I am not trying to sell my point here like every other Apple’s Keynote. I am just talking about the impact an innovation leaves on its onlookers.
Innovation solves problems and gives viable solution by invention, discovery, or improvisation of process. Some of the seemingly hardest problems in world are solved by spark in common sense, while others have been innovated by mistake. Nonetheless, innovation clearly marks the point where magic happens, as the unsolvable is solved, unachieved is achieved and the problem just vanishes like a prop from a good magician’s hand.
4. Innovators should be allowed to fiddle with, break and make stuff.
When was the last time you fixed something? Did anyone tell you what you are trying to do will not work? Did it work at last? Well, you are not alone. Dyson, the ubiquitous name in vacuum cleaning, developed 5,127 prototype designs between 1979 and 1984 before bringing its product to the market. Metaphorically, if it takes more than 5000 prototypes to make something that sucks, just imagine the amount of fiddling you need to do to make something that works.
Honestly, each of his prototypes was working in a way that they all had something to offer as lesson. Each prototype was a milestone working with different methodology and variety of materials. So, if you are innovating solutions, don’t give up if something breaks or if your concept does not work right away. Instead look at the progress you are making, triangulate across the solutions and keep going. Faster you can break stuffs, sooner you will achieve your solution. Like Robert the Bruce and spider story, you need to give one more try before giving up.
5. Exposure is metamorphosis.
There is a smudge on my laptop screen, on my television screen and all other screen across my house. When I looked at them closely, I realized they were fingerprints from my niece’s finger. It is not a juvenile delinquency but rather her understanding of the worldview. In her frame of reference that is built around modern smartphones and tablets, the screen should be touchable. And if any screen is not touchable, it is simply broken. She will try and press her tiny, greasy finger harder against the screen to fix it. People are therefore largely shaped by their surrounding environment.
Constant exposure to knowledge and its practical implementation helps build ingenuity in us, assuring that it is good to try and build something. Evolution of product and technology process teaches us that a simple idea can actually change the world. A curious character who looks at something and tries to figure it out alone can be crucial in forging an innovator, regardless of their accessibility.
6. Sharing knowledge in gaining knowledge.
There is a quote, attributed to Buddha and sometimes to Gandhi, believed to have originated from a Japanese book about teachings of Buddha,
“A thousand candles can be lighted from the flame of one candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness can be spread without diminishing that of yourself.”
First of all, this is a great quote that encourages us to share knowledge and help spread it out. However, if you are more of a pragmatist like me, you have noticed that it takes a really well lit candle to light other candles.
When you are sharing what you have learned, you are also challenging your belief and perspective about the same. We human beings learn new things by comparing or contrasting to the existing analogies and frame of reference we have acquired. Sharing the knowledge help us broaden the horizon of our framework and learn through confluence of questions, suggestions and examples we are shared in return. So start sharing and start listening. Bill Nye said, “Everyone you’ll ever meet knows something you don’t know.”
7. Everything can be made better.
So is this article “the one”?
I wrote these points two years ago and started explaining them a month ago. It took me a few iterations before I was satisfied and thought it can be published. But, I firmly believe everything can be made better. Every object, whether tangible or intangible, can be improved as they evolve. For example, our television used to be smaller and phones larger (exception phablet), our vehicle noisier and chunkier, surgery painful and computer slower. With discreet knowledge along with technique over the time, we have become better version of ourselves.
The last point is my personal favorite. It makes me hopeful to look beyond the edge and try to make things better. It inspires me to be a better version of myself … incrementally.
This article was written by Ankur Sharma. Ankur is the Director and oversees User Experience Design at Expresiv Studios.
