From Fast Company

An interesting read  User-Lead Innovation Can’t Create Breakthroughs

It could be “harmful” to listen to users.  Apple and Ikea agree.   From our class, we could also say Toyota agrees.

From the article ” The user is king. It’s a phrase that’s repeated over and over again as a mantra: Companies must become user-centric. But there’s a problem: It doesn’t work. Here’s the truth: Great brands lead users, not the other way around.”

What do you think?

Thank you TK

Newspaper Extinction Timeline

Be sure to check out the second page where the authors go through their thoughts on the key factors contributing to the extinction of newspapers.  Note the role of technology as well as the role of industry structure as well as advertising revenue trends.

Do you agree?  2017 for USA?

Excellent Slide Show on the Future of Technology

Mary Meeker

What do you think?  Do you agree?

Thank you LaTroy

Milwaukee and Innovation

According to LaTroy “I like the article because it challenged me to think of a few reasons why
most people don’t consider Milwaukee when they plan to introduce innovation.
The fact is, the city and even the state as a whole lacks most of the core
drivers for innovation from both a business and an entrepreneurial
standpoint. There are many factors that contribute to innovative thought and
creation, but it was very difficult for me to find any of those in this
state when I thought about it. Sure there are things going on here I
wouldn’t say that we are completely void. I’m just not sure what can be done
to build upon and increase what we have. I don’t think that there are more
innovators born in certain parts of the world but I do believe the
environment in which someone grows and learns either nurtures or suffocates
innovation.”

Looks like we have some work to do Milwaukee.  Is it better yet?

What do you think?

Check This Out

Super Bowl Info Graphic

Be sure to vote before Super Sunday!

Go Packers!

What do you think of the “real time” stats and visual representation of the data?

From Fast Co Design

3M Innovation Culture

Days off,  ”free time” and 15% time — keys to innovation?    Google 20% time.   But it does not always work.  From the article “Many companies have tried to emulate the ‘20 percent time idea’ but failed because they remained conservative about supporting the new ideas,” he says. And experts agree that this kind of nudging probably works best at companies where there’s a high level of creative competitiveness; that is, where impressing peers is just as important as the innovation itself.”

Innovation needs to be part of the culture, it has to be a competence, and must be included in the strategy.

What do you think?

Article from Fast Company

3D Multi-Touch Everywhere

Have you seen people getting frustrated trying to use “Apple touchscreen gestures” on devices other than an iphone or a ipad?  Apple would like to “own” the 3D Multi-Touch.  The article talks about using it in sports equipment for user feedback as well as TV remotes.

Have you actually tried “flipping” from a touch screen that did not have the feature?  I have.   What do you think? Cool?   Where could the patent be used?

Thank you Aaron

Target Marketing where customers make $2/day?  P&G looks at the long term and learns how to expand markets, even where income is exteremely low.   They learn from the markets that helps them elsewhere.  Patience, and continuous learning.

P&G $2/Day

What else did you learn from the article?

Thanks Gunnar

You have got to See it to believe it.

Honda UX-3 Personal Transportation Video

What do you think?  Ready to purchase one?

Thank you Gunnar, Aaron, and Luke for this wonderful recommendation.

Steven Johnson Video

If you are into Innovation and a neat way to present ideas, you need to check out this video (and book) by Steven Johnson .

What do you think?

From Fast Company Magazine and Tech Crunch

I am excited about the coming of the New iPad.   Of course, any APPLE release has loads of rumors and pre-release information, so I would like to share some of it     iPad Rumors

The REALLY exciting aspect of the continued innovation of the iPad is the evolution of the Tablet Interface.  Forrester Research predicts that One Third of online consumers will own a tablet computer of some type by 2015 or 82 Million people.

Forrester Research through Tech Crunch

From the article “Last year, Apple created a new category of computing with the iPad. Now, every other PC manufacturer is rushing to revamp or bring out their own tablet computers. New tablets are expected to dominate at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. ”

“Forrester Research put out a new forecast this morning for the growth of tablet computers. It expects the number of tablets sold in the U.S. to go from 10.3 million last year to 24.1 million in 2011, and growing to 44 million in annual units sold by 2015.”

Do you expect to won one?  I do, in 2011  and that is not counting my iTouch or my new Samsung Captivate Phone.

Thanks for the referral Mary.

Tablet Tidal Wave

This blog posting has some great ideas about the coming wave of digital books and e publishing.   The blog publishes a 2011 “to do” list.

What’s on your list?

Thank you to Professor William E Huxhold for speaking to our class regarding the “Use of GIS in Business” as a prelude to GIS Day at UW Milwaukee and for suggesting the following videos an introduction to GIS.

http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/episode1/complete

http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/episode2/complete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXqLHSBP_x0 (Start here)

How can you see GIS being used in Marketing as well as other aspects of business?

Reported on ZD Net

Who has the honor of using more bandwidth than other kind of website?   ARTICLE

You are going to read the article.  However, were you surprised?  What does this tell us about the future of the web and our lifestyles?

From Fast Company.com

“How TED became the New Harvard”

The article contains a video about the seven steps to give a TED Talk.   (Worth Watching)

This article talks about how  ”TED Talks” are videos to watch or the links to share for “great ideas and the connections they create”.

Why follow TED?  Because it a source of learning and thinking fodder.  It is becoming a university of sorts.

From the article…..  ”Still, if you were starting a top university today, what would it look like? You would start by gathering the very best minds from around the world, from every discipline. Since we’re living in an age of abundant, not scarce, information, you’d curate the lectures carefully, with a focus on the new and original, rather than offer a course on every possible topic. You’d create a sustainable economic model by focusing on technological rather than physical infrastructure, and by getting people of means to pay for a specialized experience. You’d also construct a robust network so people could access resources whenever and from wherever they like, and you’d give them the tools to collaborate beyond the lecture hall. Why not fulfill the university’s millennium-old mission by sharing ideas as freely and as widely as possible?”

From Future Think Tank

Socialized Innovation

I find this brief article interesting about how some organizations are using social media, inside and outside the company….

From the article….. “Forward-thinking companies use social media for more than just creative marketing campaigns. These companies harness the power of social media to promote a culture that fosters innovation, empowers effective collaboration with customers and partners, and streamlines idea development channels.”

Interesting?

Innosight Video

This 11 minute YouTube Video discusses the “four pillars of game dynamics” in the context of a “video came” and claims it is “more powerful than Twitter”.  He also discusses it in the context of disruptive technologies.

NOTE: Innosight is a consulting firm co-founded by Clayton Christensen.    Innosight

Do you think it will be disruptive?  Will it be more powerful than Twitter?  Are the pillars design guideposts for disruptive products?

What do you think?

Google Instant

From the web page at Google “Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type.”

Is this a disruptive technology?  Will it be? Why or Why not?  What made you think the way you do?

AP Video on YouTube

Article on Manufacturing Business Technology

ABC News Video and Comentary on Engadget      Check out the Video Reporter walking in front of car

Amazing?   How long will it be before we realize this is a reality, not science fiction?   Should we be developing this further?

What do you think?

FromYouTube/Google

Video on Calls from Gmail

Have you tried it?

Will you try it?

Why or Why not?