IDEO: Shopping Cart Design Process

Summary

The video script explores the innovative culture at IDEO, a leading product development firm in Palo Alto, California. It follows a team tasked with redesigning the shopping cart within a week, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, brainstorming, and trial-and-error. The process involves identifying user needs, generating ideas, and building prototypes, culminating in a cart that addresses safety, theft, and functionality. The script highlights the value of an open, playful environment for fostering creativity and the potential for IDEO's approach to transform corporate cultures.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The video script discusses the importance of innovation in the workplace and challenges traditional hierarchical structures that may stifle creativity.
• 🛠️ The video showcases IDEO, a product development firm renowned for its innovative approach to design, having designed a wide range of products from medical equipment to everyday items.
• 🔑 The process of innovation at IDEO involves a 'deep dive' into the problem, encouraging wild ideas, and building upon them through teamwork and focused chaos.
• 🤝 The script emphasizes the importance of diverse teams without fixed titles or hierarchies, where everyone is considered equal and ideas can come from any member.
• 👶 Safety and theft are identified as key issues in the redesign of the shopping cart, highlighting the need for practical and user-focused design solutions.
• 🏆 The shopping cart redesign project by IDEO won a silver award in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards, indicating the success and recognition of their innovative approach.
• 🛒 The redesigned shopping cart features innovations such as stackable hand baskets, a modular frame, and a scanner for checkout efficiency, aiming to improve the shopping experience.
• 👶🚫 The new cart design addresses child safety with a secure seating area that can be locked, reducing the number of child injuries associated with shopping carts.
• 🛍️ The script mentions the idea of eliminating the traditional basket in the shopping cart, suggesting that bags could be hung on the frame, simplifying the shopping process.
• 🔄 The process of innovation at IDEO is described as iterative and sometimes chaotic, with the understanding that failure is a part of finding success.
• 🌳 The video concludes with a reflection on the designed world around us, noting that everything is designed except for nature, emphasizing the pervasive role of design in our lives.

Q & A

What was the primary goal of the shopping cart project initiated by IDEO?

The primary goal of the shopping cart project was to completely redesign the supermarket shopping cart for the 21st century within just five days, making it safer, more efficient, and innovative.

Who is Dave Kelly and what is his role at IDEO?

Dave Kelly is the man who runs IDEO, a Stanford engineering professor known for his Groucho Marx moustache, innovative approach to product design, and his leadership in creating about 90 new products every year.

What is the significance of the 'neat squeeze' toothpaste tube design mentioned in the script?

The 'neat squeeze' toothpaste tube is an example of an innovative product design by IDEO, which allows users to tear off just the right length of toothpaste, demonstrating the company's ability to improve everyday items.

Why is it important to have a diverse team for the shopping cart redesign project?

A diverse team brings different perspectives and expertise, which is crucial for innovative problem-solving. IDEO's team included a project leader, a linguist, a marketing expert, and a psychologist, among others, to ensure a comprehensive approach to the redesign.

What is the 'deep dive' and how does it relate to the innovation process at IDEO?

The 'deep dive' is a term used by IDEO to describe their unique brainstorming process, which involves total immersion in the problem at hand. It encourages wild ideas, deferring judgment, and building on the ideas of others to foster innovation.

What is the role of safety in the shopping cart redesign project?

Safety was identified as an important issue in the redesign project due to the high number of child injuries associated with shopping carts. The team aimed to create a cart that would reduce these injuries and improve overall safety.

How does the culture at IDEO differ from traditional corporate environments?

IDEO's culture is characterized by equality, lack of permanent titles, and a playful atmosphere that encourages innovation. It contrasts with traditional corporate environments where hierarchy and strict adherence to the boss's ideas often dominate.

What is the significance of the motto 'fail often in order to succeed sooner' at IDEO?

This motto emphasizes the importance of taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from failures as part of the innovation process. It encourages the team to experiment and iterate quickly to arrive at successful solutions more rapidly.

What was the outcome of the shopping cart redesign project and how was it received?

The redesigned shopping cart featured innovations such as stackable hand baskets, a metal frame for safety, and a high-tech scanner for checkout. It was well-received by store owners and even won a silver award in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards, with potential for commercial development.

What insights can be drawn from the shopping cart redesign project about the nature of innovation?

The project illustrates that innovation requires a combination of teamwork, an open mind, a culture that embraces failure as a learning opportunity, and a process that values diverse ideas and perspectives. It also shows that innovation is hard work and not an effortless process.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Innovation Culture and the Redesign Process

The script introduces a shift from traditional corporate cultures where the boss's ideas are paramount to a more innovative environment where fresh ideas are valued regardless of their source. It discusses the importance of not just deferring to the boss but encouraging creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The narrative then delves into the process of redesigning everyday items like the shopping cart, highlighting the work of IDEO, a leading product development firm. The story follows a team at IDEO tasked with redesigning the shopping cart in just five days, emphasizing the firm's diverse and collaborative approach to innovation.

05:01

🛠️ The Design Process and Team Dynamics at IDEO

This paragraph explores the design process at IDEO, emphasizing the company's non-hierarchical structure and the importance of diverse team members with various backgrounds. The team, led by project leader Peter Skillman, is tasked with modernizing the shopping cart. The script discusses the team's approach to identifying problems, such as safety and theft, and the importance of firsthand research to understand user needs. It also touches on the company's culture, which values innovation over corporate status and encourages hiring people who think independently.

10:04

🤔 Brainstorming and Idea Generation at IDEO

The script describes IDEO's brainstorming process, known as a 'deep dive,' where the team immerses itself in the problem and generates a multitude of ideas. The company's mantra for innovation is highlighted, which includes encouraging wild ideas and building on the ideas of others. The paragraph explains how the team narrows down the ideas through voting and focuses on those that are both innovative and feasible. The narrative also touches on the challenges of managing the brainstorming process and the need for a command decision to refocus the team's efforts.

15:04

🛒 Redesigning the Shopping Cart: From Concept to Prototype

The script details the progression from brainstorming to building prototypes at IDEO. It discusses the team's efforts to address specific concerns such as shopping safety, checkout efficiency, and finding items in a store. The narrative describes how the team works under time constraints to create mock-ups and refines them into a final prototype. The paragraph also highlights the importance of playfulness and a fun work environment in fostering innovation, as well as the company's culture of trying and learning from failures.

20:04

🏆 The Final Prototype and Reflections on Design

The final paragraph reveals the redesigned shopping cart, showcasing its innovative features such as stackable hand baskets, a metal frame for improved safety, and a scanner for efficient checkout. The script discusses the team's pride in their work and the positive feedback from store owners. It also reflects on the broader implications of design and innovation, noting that everything in our environment is designed and has the potential for improvement. The narrative concludes with a nod to the hard work and open-mindedness required for innovation, as well as the importance of teamwork and a culture that embraces constructive chaos.

Keywords

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of creating new ideas, methods, or products that have value and are readily applicable. In the context of the video, innovation is the central theme, as it discusses how a company like IDEO approaches the process of creating new and improved designs for everyday objects like shopping carts. The script mentions how innovation is not just about having the best ideas but also about creating an environment that encourages fresh thinking and teamwork.

💡IDEO

IDEO is a renowned product development firm based in Palo Alto, California, known for its influential role in innovation and design. The video script highlights IDEO as a case study for how a company can foster creativity and innovation. The firm is responsible for designing a wide range of products, from medical equipment to everyday items like toothbrushes, and is featured in the video for its unique approach to redesigning the shopping cart.

💡Corporate Culture

Corporate culture encompasses the values, behaviors, and practices that characterize a company. The script discusses how traditional corporate cultures that prioritize hierarchy and status can stifle innovation. IDEO's corporate culture is contrasted as one that encourages equality, creativity, and the freedom to experiment, which is seen as essential for driving innovation.

💡Design

Design in the video is portrayed as a process that goes beyond aesthetics to focus on functionality and user experience. It distinguishes between invention, which is the creation of something new, and design, which is the refinement and improvement of existing products. The script uses the shopping cart redesign as an example of how design thinking can lead to innovative solutions that address safety, theft, and user convenience.

💡Shopping Cart

The shopping cart serves as a central example in the video, illustrating the process of innovation and design at IDEO. The script details how the team of designers approached the task of redesigning the shopping cart to make it safer, more efficient, and more user-friendly, reflecting the broader theme of innovation in everyday product design.

💡Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a creative technique used to generate ideas, which is a key part of the innovation process shown in the video. The script describes IDEO's 'deep dive' brainstorming sessions, where the team is encouraged to come up with a wide range of ideas, no matter how wild, with the intention of building upon them to create innovative solutions.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping is the creation of a sample or model of a new product before it is manufactured. In the script, the IDEO team uses prototyping to test and refine their ideas for the shopping cart redesign. This hands-on approach allows them to experiment with different concepts and iterate on the design until they achieve a functional and innovative product.

💡Safety

Safety is a critical concern addressed in the video's shopping cart redesign project. The script mentions the high number of child injuries associated with shopping carts, which prompts the design team to prioritize safety features in their innovation process. This highlights the importance of considering user well-being in the design of products.

💡Theft

Theft is identified in the script as a significant issue with shopping carts, with many being stolen from stores. The design team at IDEO takes this into account when innovating the shopping cart, aiming to create a design that reduces the likelihood of theft, which is an example of how social issues can influence the design process.

💡Teamwork

Teamwork is emphasized throughout the script as a vital component of the innovation process at IDEO. The video showcases a diverse team of designers working collaboratively, sharing ideas, and building upon each other's concepts to achieve a common goal. This collaborative approach is presented as essential for fostering a creative and innovative environment.

💡Playful Environment

A playful environment is one that encourages creativity and innovation by allowing for fun and experimentation. The script describes IDEO's workspace as being playful, with employees encouraged to build their own work areas and engage in activities that spark creativity. This environment is seen as conducive to generating fresh ideas and fostering an innovative culture.

Highlights

Cultural shift from deferring to bosses to valuing innovative ideas from all levels.

Emphasis on innovation over traditional corporate hierarchy and status.

IDEO's role as an influential product development firm with a diverse range of designed products.

The importance of safety and theft prevention in shopping cart redesign.

The process of social science research and anthropological study to understand user needs.

IDEO's unique approach to brainstorming and idea generation, known as 'deep dive'.

The significance of teamwork and avoiding premature criticism in the innovation process.

The concept of 'enlightened trial-and-error' over solitary planning in innovation.

The playful and creative work environment at IDEO that fosters innovation.

Client companies seeking IDEO's help to remake their corporate cultures for better innovation.

The challenge of time constraints in the innovation process and the need for focus.

Prototyping and iterative design to address multiple areas of concern in shopping carts.

The importance of incorporating user feedback and expert insights in the design process.

The final shopping cart prototype that addresses safety, theft, and usability.

Recognition of the Nightline shopping cart redesign with an award and potential commercial development.

The overarching theme that everything designed by humans is a result of a thoughtful innovation process.

The necessity of hard work, open-mindedness, and a supportive boss for successful innovation.

Transcripts

[Music]

it used to be that you deferred to the

boss is it the boss is always gonna have

the best ideas

not likely here nimble fingers alert

minds and tireless machines and it used

to be in most companies that Kaos was

discouraged this is where the crazies

live this is where we do our work

stiffly used to be you were supposed to

climb the corporate ladder statuses who

comes up with the best ideas not who's

the oldest not whose who's been with the

company longest nut not who has that

biggest title if you go into a culture

and there's a bunch of stiffs going

around I can guarantee their luck

they're not likely to invent anything

you can stack us up dig as big as you

want that's great thanks a lot and we

had a great time today well forget the

way it used to be tonight the deep dive

one company's secret weapon for

innovation

[Music]

a lot further along in this broadcast

near the end as a matter of fact you

will hear one of the central characters

suggest that we look around the only

thing that's not designed by anybody he

will say is nature actually you could

say the same thing by observing that the

only designs that don't require a

constant modification are the ones we

find in nature but the point is

well-taken from the buildings in which

we live and work to the cars we drive or

the knives and forks with which we eat

everything we use was designed to create

some sort of marriage between form and

function does it work and can we make it

look interesting or attractive what is

truly amazing is how long we tend to put

up with things that may not work

particularly well or may look especially

unattractive simply because we're

accustomed to them and because no one

has ever suggested redesigning those

things there's an interesting

distinction between design and invention

whoever came up with the idea of dental

floss for example was an inventor but

the man or woman who put it inside that

clever little plastic box that lets you

tear off just the right length that was

a designer now how does the process of

designing a better product work and

would it be interesting to watch that

process when we first broadcast this

program back in February we weren't at

all sure what you would think but

judging by the number of you who ordered

video cassettes of the program and the

number of people who contacted the

industrial product design firm that is

featured in this program you liked it a

lot here was the premise of the program

we went to I do the product design folk

and said take something old and familiar

like say the shopping cart and

completely redesign it for us in just

five days ABC News correspondent Jack

Smith tells us what happened next 9:00

in the morning day one and these people

have a deadline to meet so welcome to

the kickoff of the shopping cart project

this is Palo Alto California in the

heart of Silicon Valley and these are

designers at IDEO

probably the most influential product

development firm in the world designers

are the reason TVs have square screams

chairs for legs and toothbrushes

nowadays those squishy handles in fact

it was I do that designed those squishy

handles I do has designed everything

from high-tech medical equipment to the

25 foot mechanical whale and the movie

free willy and the first computer mouse

for apple smith ski goggles Nike

sunglasses NEC computer screens hundreds

of products we take for granted this is

called the neat squeeze squeeze to

toothpaste tube which you invented them

the man who runs IDEO is Dave Kelly a

Stanford engineering professor the

Groucho Marx moustache dad a genius and

an approach to innovation that usually

works Thank You Fred but not always I

can show you some products that failed

came up with this idea called monster

shoes we take these little monsters and

lace them into your shoes like this and

we built a bunch of them and I didn't

want those either so mostly what I do

designs though does work and it works

very well Dave and his design teams

create about 90 new products every year

the point is that we're not actually

experts at any given area you know we're

kind of experts on the process of how

you design stuff so we don't care if you

give us a toothbrush a toothpaste tube

abductor a space shuttle you know a

chair it's all the same to us we like

want to figure out how to innovate in in

by using our process applying it and so

for the next five days the team will

apply that process to bringing the

supermarket shopping cart into the 21st

century I think first we should maybe

all acknowledge that it's kind of insane

to Doonan carve an entire project in a

week project leader is peter Skillman a

35 year old stanford engineer project

leader because he's good with groups not

because of seniority he's only been at

IDEO for six years the rest of the team

is eclectic but that's typical here

Whitney Mortimer Harvard MBA Peter

Coughlin linguist Tom Kelly dave's

brother marketing expert jane fulton sri

psychologists alex Kazakhs 26 a biology

major who's turned down medical school

three times because he's having too much

fun at I do his climbing up safety

emerges early as an important issue

22,000 child injuries a year which is

and so they're hospitalized injuries I

mean there are many others and theft it

turns out a lot of carts are stolen you

know what is the average life of a car

does it last two years five years ten

years and and how big is this theft

thing 10 a.m. as the team works it

becomes clear there are no titles here

no permanent assignments be safe

everyone appears to be equal and they

love to mock corporate America I'll give

you a status I'll give you a big red

ball on a on a on a on a post and that

says you're a big guy if you got a ball

your senior vice president you know what

do I get over the desk the red ball it's

all sings in a very innovative culture

you can have a kind of hierarchy of

here's the boss and the next person down

the next person down the next person

down because it's impossible that the

boss is the one who's had the insightful

experience with shopping carts it's just

not possible according to Kelly even

employees who merely listen to the boss

don't add that much either so you gotta

hire people who don't listen to you and

that I don't think corporate America

wants to hear that right yet and I think

we ought to start making those lists

about the kind of questions that we're

gonna ask the team splits into groups to

find out firsthand what the people who

use make and repair shopping carts

really think okay go home of the plastic

card as the wind catches it yeah and

these things have been parked at 35

across the park well that's actually

pretty good point the the trick is to

find these real experts and so that you

can learn much more quickly than you

could by just kind of doing in the

normal way and trying to learn about it

yourself from everything I read these

things aren't that safe either you know

so probably the seat itself is gonna

have to be redesigned what you're seeing

here is the kind of social science like

anthropologists you know like you go and

study tribe

what is it that they do that we can

learn from there will help us design a

better cart one of the interesting

things for me is looking at how people

really don't like to let go of the cart

accepts of a professional shopper whose

strategy is to leave the cart at various

places in corporate America many bosses

like measure whether they're whether

their people are you know who the good

people are the people who are performing

are the ones that they see at their desk

all the time that couldn't be further

from the truth the people who are really

getting the information are out here

talking to the buzzes of the world going

to meet other experts much more useful

than sitting at your desk 3:30 in the

afternoon and the group is back at IDEO

there is no let-up each team is going to

demonstrate and communicate and share

everything that they've learned today

people went off in the four corners of

the earth and are coming back with the

golden keys to the innovation a shopping

cart has been clocked at 35 miles an

hour

traveling through a parking lot in the

wind we were in the store what two hours

and and it was truly frightening just to

see the kind of stuff going up you got

to designate some people to make damn

sure that the store owners point of view

is represented after nine straight hours

the team is tired they call it a day so

they cool well that's great thanks a lot

we had a great time today

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

you

[Music]

wanna get together and start here day

two at the start of ideos unique brand

of brainstorming they call it a deep

dive a sort of total immersion in the

problem at hand ideas mantra for

innovation is written everywhere one

conversation at a time

stay focused encourage wild ideas defer

judgment build on the ideas of others

that's the hardest thing for people do

is to restrain themselves from

criticizing an idea so if anybody starts

to nail an idea they get the Bell you

know the deep dive begins and for the

next few hours the ideas pour out and

are posted on the walls oh the blind

beat the privacy plan like when you're

buying six cases of condoms you know and

nesting is it sort of half the nest if

it doesn't nest we don't have a solution

and velcro seats for the kidney is

dropping down there like velcro seats

bro pants for kids yeah see yeah you

have to have some wild ideas and then

you build on those wild wild ideas and

they end up being better ideas than if

you said if you if everybody only came

up with same things you know kind of

appropriate things you'd never like have

any points to take off to build a really

innovative idea it's now organized chaos

by 11:00 a.m. the group begins narrowing

down the hundreds of ideas written or

drawn on the walls

how by voting for them vote with your

post-it not not with an idea that's cool

but with an idea that's cool and

buildable if it's too far out there and

can't be built in a day then I don't

think we should vote on it why not have

you be the judge or because because I'm

gonna be wrong it's the team that that's

able to really judge with the best idea

otherwise ideas wouldn't come out that's

right

enlightened trial-and-error succeeds

over the planning of Longinus

enlightened trial-and-error succeeds

over the planning of the lone genius if

anything sums up ideas approach that is

it that the focused chaos that seems to

go with it I think a point of view I

call it the sport utility vehicle cart

it is noon worried that the team is

drifting what can only be called a group

of self-appointed adults under Dave

Kelly holds an informal side session we

don't want to tell them what to build or

else we take away the benefit of the

whole thing alright what needs to they

optimize their solutions yes the purpose

is to refocus the deep-dive

maybe we arbitrarily say three to five

teams and we give each team a need area

hey can we grab everybody over to the

wall here there has to be a command

decision

it becomes very autocratic for a very

short period of time in defining what

things people are gonna work on like it

or not the team is told it will split

into groups to build mock-ups covering

four areas of concern that have been

identified shopping safety check out and

finding what you're looking for

I noticed that toward the end of the

process the adults took over yeah that's

because we we have no choice but to to

stop that cycle I mean there's if you

don't work under time constraints you

could never get anything done because

it's a messy process and go on forever

while the team starts building

prototypes Dave Kelly takes me on a tour

of the rest of I do what's happening in

here is that's a client meeting that's a

first climbing that's the first time

we've met with the client so we haven't

trained him yet if we took them straight

from there into a room where music was

blaring and everybody was throwing Nerf

darts at each other that would be a

little hard to take you know so we're

warming them up but this is this is

where the crazies live this is where we

do our work it's different you can tell

where their place is playful in about

the first 15 minutes as you walk down

the hall

being playful is of huge importance for

being innovative i mean if you go into a

culture and there's a bunch of stiffs

going around they're not i can guarantee

their luck they're not likely to invent

anything invent anything like this

futuristic looking instrument for kids

so no matter what you do with that thing

you always sound great you always sound

good you have to make it so that this

can happen whoa break break there's a

whole department at IDEO devoted to toys

turns out to be one of its most

profitable areas fun - so got these

little wings and no matter what you do

if I get in trouble here it's always a

spiral that I do they found that fresh

ideas come faster in a fun place not

only is the furniture on wheels to suit

the needs of the moment but people are

encouraged actually to build their own

work areas they were designing this

space and they said to me you know we'd

like to have you know $4,000 extra in

our budget for a dc-3 wing and I said DC

that you have to have that and they said

yeah they have to have it so it's a DC 3

Way piece of a DC 3 wing yeah and that's

just the core that's the core that's um

um beyond so you know that says we're

weird and we're proud of it umbrellas on

the ceiling to shade computer screens

from direct sunlight and bicycles on

ropes to prevent clutter the first guy

who hung a bike up on a thing he didn't

come to me and ask me he didn't ask some

facilities person was was okay he tried

it and then like he waited and seen if

anybody complained if nobody complained

another guy hung a bike up and pretty

soon everybody's got their bikes up and

nobody's complained right so it's that

whole thing of try and stuff and ask

forgiveness you know instead of asking

permission it's the way people come up

with new ideas I do has such a

reputation for innovation that client

companies are increasingly asking Dave

not just for new products but also to

remake their corporate cultures you may

be looking at the workplace of the

future here it's one thing to be able to

do a product once in a while but if you

can build a culture and a process where

you routinely come up with great ideas

that's what the companies really want ok

back at the shop it is six o'clock

before mock-ups are ready for showing

baskets also can be a modular shopping

cart you pile hand baskets on to

high-tech cart that gets you through the

traffic jam a checkout that you could

mount a scanner on the shopping cart so

that you as the customer as you pull it

off the shelf would scan each item one

that's built around child safety and

another that lets shoppers talk to the

supermarket staff remotely but the

adults again decide more work needs to

be done before the mock-ups can be

combined into one last prototype we have

all the cards come up here second I

think you take a piece of each one of

these ideas and kind of back it off a

little bit and then put it in that yeah

in the design the design is still not

there but there's another motto at I do

fail often in order to succeed sooner

some of the team will be up half the

night trying to put together a design

that finally does work

it is day five and dave kelly has no

idea what the final cart looks like only

the team does if they kind of got their

heads down they don't look at me I'm

nervous you know if they say wait till

you see it then I know we're in good

shape so I'm getting wait until you see

it I think it's it that'll be good so we

took the best elements out of each

prototype designed this entire cart in a

day and then this cart was fabricated in

a day with an amazing team of people in

our machine shop pulling us off working

in shifts throughout the night wow I'm

impressed so are we the cart which is

designed to cost about the same as

today's carts is different in every

other way hand baskets that stack in a

metal frame and major improvements for

all you you just lift the handle up you

dropped it put the children in and then

you can close the the handle right over

them and they instantly have some little

bit of a work surface that they can play

with what do you think well I'm very

proud of the team I think it's it's

great this does this work for you works

for me great it's also beautiful I mean

let's you know take it over to a local

supermarket and see what they say

yeah works really well at home the carts

wheels turn 90 degrees so it could move

sideways no more lifting up the rear in

a tight spot and you shop in a totally

different way rather than taking your

card everywhere you go in the store

through a crowded store like this much

more efficient to take a small basket

brush around to where the particular

shelves are and come back and put the

back put them here it's a treat this is

like a Center for shopping and with a

high-tech scanner so that in the future

you skip the checkout traffic jam pick

up anything

like the salad dressing and I would I

would scan it and if I want to accept

that item I would just press + and then

drop it in my basket because stores

don't yet have those high-tech scanners

the team designed checking out today

means doing it the old-fashioned way but

the bags are hung on hooks on the carts

frame remember there is no basket here

why get rid of the big basket the basket

is tyranny the basket is tyranny because

it's not really needed if all your stuff

ends up in bags why need the basket in

the first place talk to me about theft

there is no value in this cart without

the basket because you can't carry

anything

it's useless to anybody can't lose it as

a barbecue so it's not gonna get stolen

that's right so there's also a field of

store owners oh yes I love it I think it

looks great

at first us I was a little shocked but I

think it's you have some fantastic ideas

here it needs a little refining that I

think that it's great I mean we would we

would want them it makes me feel great

and she also gave us some really good

comments about how we can make this

thing better just wherever you are look

around the only thing that's not

designed by somebody like is nature so

the trees are not designed by us but

everything you see everything you see

every light fitting every flower vase

every scale every stand for fruit

everything is designed has to go through

this kind of process and they can do a

better or a better or worse job of

innovating or improving but everything

is designed has to go through this

process it wasn't as effortless oh my

god so that's how it works thing that I

saw there it was actually hard work it's

a lot of hard work um we all loved it so

it doesn't look like it's hard work but

it's live hours a lot of hours also an

open mind a boss who demands fresh ideas

be quirky and clash with is a belief

that chaos can be constructive and

teamwork a great deal of teamwork and

they

like a recipe for how innovation takes

place this is Jack Smith for Nightline

Palo Alto California I'll be back with a

brief update on our story in just a

moment incidentally the Nightline

shopping current one is silver award in

the Industrial Design Excellence Awards

and there's talk now of developing it

commercially that's our report for

tonight I'm Ted Koppel in Washington for

all of us here at ABC News good

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