Imran , Lars and friends,

I prefer to distinguish invention vs innovation.  Both may be products  
of design thinking (or not). Invention can be thought of as the  
creation of something completely new, such as the Segway personal  
conveyance which operates like no other vehicle. Conversely,  
innovation can be thought of as an  improvement in what exists, such  
as the way cell phone technology transformed telephony, without  
destroying the underlying behavior of communicating electronically to  
someone. (We call a number in either case.) The important distinction  
to make is that innovation is less disruptive to existing systems than  
invention. For example, the Good Grips line of kitchen utensils,  
introduced a handle that served more people well while capitalizing on  
existing understandings, manufacturing and marketing. It became the  
iconic product of "design for everyone" ie "universal design.

Burnette, C.H, 2002, Situating Innovation in Design Theory, Education  
and Practice
Proceedings Cumulus Working Papers, Villa Val D'Este, Italy


On May 22, 2008, at 6:52 PM, Imran Sobh wrote:

> Lars wrote:
>>
>>
>> A simple (and probably suicidely naïve) question: what is the  
>> difference
>> (if
>> there is one) between design and innovation?
>>
>>
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is my first post to this list, although I have been following  
> recent
> discussions. I thought I'd introduce myself quickly. I'm a recent  
> graduate
> from Carnegie Mellon's Interaction Design masters program, and I have
> encountered this question quite a bit, so I thought I would weigh in  
> with my
> thoughts.
>
> I think this is a great question, and one that I have been mulling  
> over
> recently. I have seen many lectures where people use the words in  
> different
> ways, and in fact at a recent design conference, the opening speaker
> challenged everyone not to use "innovation" because it seemed  
> meaningless to
> him. There are lots of arguments over what the words are and what  
> they mean,
> so I'm sure it has been discussed on this list before.
>
> After a recent discussion in a class on design and organizations, the
> conclusion in my mind is that it is mainly an issue of who the  
> audience is
> when someone is talking about design. In that case, I think it  
> becomes less
> important what the technical definitions are, but rather what the
> connotations are, who is using the terms, who they are speaking to  
> and why.
>
> Business people and managers like to use the word innovation because  
> it
> doesn't carry a lot of the baggage that comes with the word  
> "design." The
> way I've heard it used is usually in the context of economic  
> stimulation
> rather than deeply satisfying products. Businesses need to innovate.  
> It
> sounds very forward looking, with a focus on the "newness" rather  
> than the
> process. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, it's part of  
> their
> language, and if designers want to be a part of it, they have to  
> either use
> the same language or work on discussions that clarify what is  
> exactly is
> being talked about.
>
> From the perspective of designers, I've talked to people who have  
> felt like
> the use of the term is robbing designers of what they do. The lack of
> baggage is precisely what is bothersome--its not giving them credit  
> for what
> they do or the history they bring. The word design, on the other  
> hand, you
> could say still brings to mind notions of decoration or visual  
> enhancement
> for a lot of people. I don't think our culture has reached a point  
> where we
> see the idea of design or design thinking as an abstracted activity  
> that is
> beneficial to more than visual and physical products. While this may  
> be
> frustrating to many designers and academic institutions, it seems to  
> be
> changing.
>
> To bring it all together, as most people here likely know, the  
> meaning of
> the word(s) change depending on the situation. In general, I would say
> people are talking about the same thing: design. In my biased  
> opinion, I
> think design offers a broader range of associations and a more  
> interesting
> way of thinking about what is going on. I recently read a definition  
> of
> innovation in a textbook that went something like "the process of  
> taking a
> good idea and translating it into a product." When I read  
> descriptions like
> that, including the link that was posted, I can't help but think  
> "isn't that
> just a part of design?"
>
> What I think would be really interesting would be to pose this  
> question on a
> list with business people and managers and hear what they would have  
> to say
> about it. Also, if people have more references to add, I would love  
> to read
> them.
>
> Thanks,
> Imran Sobh
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- 
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