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Innovation Tip: Step Back to Step Forward

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Jingjing Chen Feb 24, 2010 12:39 AM GMT What an amazing idea!!! 'Step back' is not only a crucial philosophy that designers need to capture, but for everyone who are pursuing innovation and creativity and help to see the big picture and find new perspectives. It is important for successors to step back so that they will not be blind by their own achievements, and also crucial for entrants to step back so that they will not be encumbered by others' success.
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Keith Roohr Jan 22, 2010 7:35 PM GMT Brilliant againt Fred. Simply thought provoking.
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DeAnna Lynn Jan 20, 2010 9:10 PM GMT This article was AMAZING! SO good that it made my top pick's this week on Wednesday Wisdoms! Check it out: http://createyourgreatlife.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/wednesday-wisdoms/My Best, DeAnna
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Bruce Temkin Jan 19, 2010 5:01 PM GMT Fred: Very interesting. I put up a post based on your article called "Don't Listen To Customers, Understand Them" on my blog, Customer Experience Matters. See: http:experiencematters.wordpress.com
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Pascale Guillon Jan 19, 2010 2:55 PM GMT In this day and age, those offering products and/or services can benefit from this tremendously; with the wealth of information on the internet, corporations are already educated on what's out there; the difference in who the client chooses comes from the account manager's ability to help the corporate client take a step back and find a new angle to create a win/win.
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Mike Stanislaus Jan 15, 2010 4:46 PM GMT This is good advice not simply for designers, but for anyone involved in the creation and delivery of services. In my field of construction, smaller contractors are continually challenged (especially in in this economic climate) to discern potential customer wants and needs, and then retool their offerings to meet those criteria. Too often, they get so deep into what has always been, that they fail to see how things are now. A step back to see the forest helps you pick out the right trees.Mike StanislausContractor-City.com
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Andrew McFarland Jan 15, 2010 1:42 PM GMT Any thoughts on how this approach would work in the board room as opposed to the design room?http://pivotpointsolutions.net
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M Luebbers Jan 14, 2010 11:31 PM GMT As an undergrad, a fellow student expained one of his techniques for gaining insight: find someone who was not into the same technical discipline and try to explain some process or problem to him/her. This, he found, often resulted in insights on his part, or imparted by the listener. This seems to be a sort of "stepping back from your assumptions", because you often have to make clear assumptions that you otherwise accept without notice.
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John Maier Jan 14, 2010 8:13 PM GMT Well put. What also is productive is breaking a problem down into several smaller problems which may also initiate new perspectives and eliminate broad assumptions.
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Rich Grenhart Jan 14, 2010 1:54 PM GMT See also "The Breakout Principle" by Herbert Benson, MD. I elaborates on the psychological value of "stepping back".
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