IDEO response

IDEO Response.

IDEO is a company that designs numerous objects that people use daily. They use creative and innovative processes that stimulate the ideas and creativity of employees. Their process of creating, and even the way they decorate their workspace is changing the way 'work', and 'office space', is viewed.

IDEO utilizes techniques that push their ideas further than expected for commonly used and accepted items. They are given a typical, but improvable object, and told to do a complete redesign. They work in groups, and as a team where is no hierarchy. People are treated as equal and ideas are all viewed, respected, and considered. They push the employees to branch out and speak their minds; which unveils off the wall ideas that can be rationalized and used. Their technique of equality and freedom of expression brings forth innovative thoughts about their objects being redesigned.

Later in the process, they would have a group leader (chosen for his good leadership skills, not because of position or rank) organize the ideas and split the employees into groups. Each one of these smaller groups worked on specific aspects of the product, such as safety and convenience (of the shopping cart). After researching and analyzing their aspect of the design, each group would make a prototype. All of the prototypes were then analyzed and discussed, then the groups come back together as a whole to create a final prototype. This prototype is still raw, but it is functional and combines all of the aspects assigned to the smaller groups.

These processes can easily be incorporated into our small design groups. Their free flowing process of ideas, along with the interviews, and extensive research by people who know the object well are both aspects of IDEO that my design group will utilize during this project.