Frankly Speaking: Innovate big

06.03.2006
Here's a secret of successful innovation: Change big, not small. No, that doesn't just mean you should think big when it comes to innovations. It means literally that you should only make big changes. Leave small things the same, and you'll be better off. And your users will be much better off.

Want proof? Just take a careful look at your cell phone. Or your car's dashboard. Or your kitchen sink.

And if you're still not convinced, ask users what they hate most about the changes that IT forces down their throats.

But let's start with your cell phone. Compared with the clunky desk telephone you probably remember from a decade or two ago, it's tiny and immensely more sophisticated in design. Almost everything is different from that old clunker.

Except one thing: There are still the same four rows of keys: 1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9, * 0 #.

The keys may have funny shapes. They may be virtual keys on a touch screen. But it's the same 12 keys in the same setup.