The continuous development of a personal portfolio of design ideas and options requires broad exposure to situations that are outside our normal context. The following examples show how exposure to similar-but-different situations and contexts can sometimes stimulate significant and powerful ideas and options:
- Henry Ford’s initial automobile assembly line was strongly influenced by observations of a moving conveyor in a slaughterhouse:
The basic kernel of an assembly line concept was introduced to Ford Motor Company by William “Pa” Klann upon his return from visiting Swift & Company’s slaughterhouse in Chicago and viewing what was referred to as the “disassembly line”, where carcasses were butchered as they moved along a conveyor. Wikipedia/assembly-line
- The idea for Google’s initial PageRank search algorithm was partially inspired by the citation analysis methods for academic publications:
He (Larry Page) reasoned that the entire Web was loosely based on the premise of (academic) citation – after all, what is a link but a citation? If he could divine a method to count and qualify each backlink on the Web, as Page puts it “the Web would become a more valuable place.” wired.com
- The development of Picasso’s cubism style was strongly influenced by his interest in African art:
After painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso began painting in a style influenced by the two figures on the right side of the painting, which were based on African art. Although the painting is seen as the first Cubist work, before beginning the Cubist phase of his painting, he spent several years exploring African art. pablopicasso.org/africanperiod
- Use of cyclones in the Dyson vacuum clearer was inspired by a visit to a sawmill:
During a visit to a local sawmill, Dyson noticed how the sawdust was removed from the air by large industrial cyclones. Centripetal separators are a typical method of collecting dirt, dust and debris in industrial settings. Such methods usually were not applied on a smaller scale because of the higher cost. wikipedia/Dyson_(company)
- The distinctive layout and ambiance of Starbucks coffee shops arose out of observations made during a visit to Italy:
… in 1983, Howard (Schultz) traveled to Italy and became captivated with Italian coffee bars and the romance of the coffee experience. He had a vision to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition back to the United States. A place for conversation and a sense of community. A third place between work and home. He left Starbucks for a short period of time to start his own Il Giornale coffeehouses and returned in August 1987 to purchase Starbucks with the help of local investors. starbucks.com/about-us/our-heritage
- For inspiration, Apple Computers design guru, Jony Ive, looks in unexpected places:
While creating the original iMac, for instance, he worked with confectionery manufacturers to develop their colorful shells. He studied metalworkers in northern Japan to help hone the uber-thin titanium Powerbook. entrepreneur.com
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