This week's seminar was replaced by another lecture : this somehow made me realize how enriching a seminar can be, especially since it allows one to compare ideas with other people - which I sadly didn't get to do for this theme. This leads me to one important point concerning this post : I am not that confident in terms of what I have learnt, what I have understood, as compared to what I might have taken with me from the other week's themes. This is sadly going to be quite lacking in terms of added value, as we have all attended the same lectures and most likely will all be putting the same type of thoughts and reflexions in our posts, and I apologize for that in advance..
The first lecture was about design and problem solving. The most important thing in terms of problem solving is to take the time to reflect on the actual issue : how do we define a problem? As illustrated by the teacher, the student and the hungry bear, we can see that depending on how you structure that problem, the solving of the issue is going to be that much faster, or slower.
In regards to idea design, the value that a great idea adds to a product is the most important thing. Rather than focusing on a breakthrough technique or invention, the idea is the one thing that is going to sell the product - take the example of Facebook : as the teacher said, it's an innovation based on a technological platform, but in no way is it a technological innovation. And this underlines again the importance of the idea in design research, especially if we're talking about the industry. But we've got to be careful - many ideas come up, and most look interesting. To filter them, we've got to have a business mind, capable of prioritizing. With proof of concept, we can validate the chosen idea.
Accordingly to the articles we've read earlier in the week, Haibo Li stressed again the need for prototypes and user-experience in testing the product : this responds to the important question of idea evaluation. And, when we eventually come up with our final product, it's time for commercial selling - the elevator pitch, basically.
Hi! You have made good reflection despite the absence of the seminar. I think that the first lecture was more interesting especially the part about distinguishing great idea from other ides. You mentioned "business mind" as necessary capacity to filter and evaluate idea. I think it's extremely important for entrepreneurs and investors to see potential that will bring profit.
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DeleteThank you for your comment. It's true that evaluating ideas is a difficult thing to do, especially when all of them seem great. Prioritizing is one think we have to learn to do, and in doing so we'll acquire more of a business mind - I hope so at least ! But at the same time I can't help but wonder if it's the same in research.. This type of "business mind" doesn't really relate to what scholars seem to prioritize, at least in my opinion, but I'm not really sure about this. I wish we had a seminar to talk more about this type of problem !
Good evening! I sooo agree with you regarding the lack of seminars this week, it was much harder writing a reflection because of it I think, since most of the exciting thoughts were born during our discussions (like in the Socrates text, heheh). About the idea being the most important, I wouldn't say exactly that, as even a great idea can lead to utter failure if the execution isn't good enough. There are many examples but the one I can think of at the top of my head (since I saw a Reddit thread about it) was Google+. People were kinda psyched about it at first, but they started it all by having "invite only" users. When everybody got access people had forgotten about it, and then everybody with gmail accounts were forced to use it, which wasn't popular. So I'd say idea and execution goes hand in hand. Anyways, nice reflection, it seems like you have grasped the content well despite having no seminar!
ReplyDeleteHello !
DeleteThank you for your comment ! I agree saying that the idea is the most important is somehow extrapolating a little - as your Google + example shows! I think it's better if we say that having a great idea is a necessity for the product to sell, as is the execution of it :-)
I didn't really think of it that way before, and I thank you for pointing this out !
Hi! Thank you for a good blog post with interesting reflections. I totally agree with you that a seminar might give you a better understanding of the topics when you can discuss them in a way that is not possible during a lecture. One of the things that I will remember from this theme is the fact that you are supposed to solve a problem you should put 90% of the time to define the problem and 10% of the solution itself, and the discussion about the teacher, student and the bear is a good example of that. Good work and keep it up.
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DeleteThank you for your comment! It is also something I found very interesting, the fact that defining the problem is that important. It's true we don't have that type of mindset, as we have been taught in high school to solve problems that were already well-defined. Having to change our mindset completely when we begin working is not that easy, but this type of lecture makes it easier for us to adapt, as we've already been told about it and hence have been exposed to this type of thinking!
Hi! I enjoy reading your blog a lot. It is so well-organized and neatly-presented. I agree with you a lot that seminars are more useful and helpful for our understanding compared to lectures. Besides that, I also think writing and reading reflection also contribute to some extend. For this week's theme, I think you have done a great job on summarizing the first lecture. All your highlights are impressive and the most important aspects for the lecture. It is a little pity that you did not reflect more on 'prototype', although the reason is obvious. It would be good if we have chance to discuss more that too, like you said. Anyway, thank you for sharing your insightful thoughts. Well done!
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