The Deep Dive

Summary

The video script details a revolutionary approach to innovation at design firm Ideo, where a team redesigns a shopping cart in just five days. It emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives, playful work environments, and a culture that values process over hierarchy. Ideo's process involves brainstorming, prototyping, and rapid iteration, leading to a cart that addresses safety, theft, and efficiency. The project's success underscores the power of teamwork, focused chaos, and a playful atmosphere in fostering innovation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video script highlights the importance of innovation and challenging traditional corporate hierarchies where the boss is not necessarily the one with the best ideas.
• 🛒 The story revolves around a project by IDEO, a leading product development firm, to redesign the shopping cart within a tight deadline of just five days.
• 🏆 IDEO is known for its influential designs, including the first computer mouse for Apple, Nike sunglasses, and various medical equipment.
• 👥 The team at IDEO is diverse, consisting of individuals with different backgrounds such as engineers, linguists, and psychologists, which fosters a culture of innovation.
• 🌟 A key aspect of IDEO's innovation process is the 'Deep Dive', an intense brainstorming session where wild ideas are encouraged and judgment is deferred.
• 🔍 The team conducts field research to understand user experiences and pain points, which informs their design process and ensures solutions are user-centric.
• 🚫 IDEO's workspace is designed to be playful and non-hierarchical, which is believed to be conducive to generating innovative ideas.
• 🏢 The video suggests that corporate cultures that value status and seniority over innovation may struggle to keep up with more flexible and creative environments.
• 🛍️ The redesigned shopping cart prototype addresses issues like child safety, theft, and checkout efficiency, showcasing how design can improve everyday objects.
• 🏅 The shopping cart project by IDEO was recognized with a silver award in the industrial design excellence awards, indicating the project's success and potential for commercial development.

Q & A

What was the main challenge faced by the company in the script?

The main challenge was to redesign the supermarket shopping cart, bringing it into the 21st century with significant improvements within a tight deadline of just 5 days.

Who is Dave Kelly and what is his role in the company?

Dave Kelly is the man who runs IDEO, a Stanford engineering professor with an approach to innovation. He is not only a leader but also a facilitator of the design process, encouraging his team to innovate.

What is the significance of the 'Deep Dive' mentioned in the script?

The 'Deep Dive' is a unique brainstorming process at IDEO that involves total immersion in the problem at hand. It is characterized by focused chaos, where wild ideas are encouraged, judgment is deferred, and ideas are built upon by others.

How does IDEO ensure that innovation is not stifled by hierarchy?

IDEO operates without a rigid hierarchy, ensuring that everyone's ideas are valued and that status does not dictate the direction of innovation. They believe that good ideas can come from anyone, not just those in higher positions.

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

Safety was a key consideration in the shopping cart redesign, with the team focusing on reducing the 22,000 child injuries that occur annually with current cart designs.

Why is the concept of 'organized chaos' important at IDEO?

At IDEO, 'organized chaos' is important because it fosters an environment where creativity can flourish. It allows for focused brainstorming and idea generation without stifling creativity through strict structure.

What does the term 'enlightened trial and error' mean in the context of the script?

In the context of the script, 'enlightened trial and error' refers to the iterative process of prototyping and refining ideas through experimentation. It emphasizes learning from failures and making continuous improvements to achieve success.

How does IDEO approach the problem of shopping cart theft?

IDEO addressed the problem of shopping cart theft by designing a cart that has no value without its basket, making it useless to thieves. This innovative approach reduces the incentive to steal the carts.

What was the outcome of the shopping cart redesign project?

The outcome was a redesigned shopping cart that addressed issues of safety, theft, and efficiency. The cart featured improvements like a modular design, a high-tech scanner for self-checkout, and a basket that could be used as a child seat.

What award did the Nightline shopping cart win, as mentioned in the script?

The Nightline shopping cart won a silver award in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards.

What is the broader implication of the work done at IDEO as hinted in the script?

The broader implication is that IDEO's approach to innovation and design thinking can be applied to remake corporate cultures, potentially leading to more innovative and efficient workplaces in the future.

Outlines

00:00

🛒 Innovation in Design: Rethinking the Shopping Cart

The script introduces a radical shift in traditional corporate culture where innovation is prioritized over hierarchy. It discusses the importance of an environment that fosters creativity and the willingness to challenge the status quo. The narrative focuses on a company's secret weapon for innovation, which is not just about having the best ideas but creating an atmosphere where everyone can contribute. The video promises to delve into how one company, idio, approaches innovation by redesigning the shopping cart, a familiar object, in just five days. The process involves a team of diverse experts working together, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and the rejection of traditional corporate ladders in favor of creative solutions.

05:00

🎯 The Ideo Process: Transforming the Shopping Cart

This paragraph delves into the process of how Ideo, a leading product development firm, tackles innovation. The team, led by project leader Peter Skilman, is tasked with redesigning the shopping cart within a week. The team's diverse background, including a linguist, a psychologist, and a biologist, reflects Ideo's approach to problem-solving. They focus on real-world issues such as child safety and theft, which are significant concerns in shopping cart design. The script highlights the company's culture, which values equality and creativity over traditional corporate structures. The team's research involves engaging with users, manufacturers, and repairers of shopping carts to gain insights that drive their design process.

10:01

🤝 Ideo's Deep Dive: Brainstorming and Refinement

The script describes Ideo's 'deep dive' brainstorming session, where the team engages in focused chaos to generate innovative ideas for the shopping cart redesign. The session is characterized by a mantra that encourages wild ideas and defers judgment, allowing for a free flow of creativity. The team then votes on the most promising ideas, considering both their innovation and feasibility. The process involves breaking down into smaller groups to develop mockups addressing specific areas of concern, such as shopping, safety, checkout, and finding items. The narrative emphasizes the importance of playful and chaotic environments in fostering innovation, as well as the need for a command decision to guide the team's efforts towards a final design.

15:02

🛠️ Prototyping and Iteration at Ideo

This section of the script details the prototyping phase at Ideo, where the team constructs physical models of their ideas. The team is split into groups to focus on different aspects of the shopping cart redesign, such as modular baskets, child safety, and remote communication with supermarket staff. The script highlights the importance of iterative design, where the team refines their prototypes based on feedback and testing. The narrative also touches on the company's culture, which encourages experimentation and the 'try and ask forgiveness' approach. The team's dedication is evident as they work through the night to perfect their design, embodying Ideo's philosophy of failing often to succeed sooner.

20:02

🏆 Final Design and Reflections on Innovation

The script concludes with the reveal of the final shopping cart design, which incorporates elements from each of the prototypes. The new cart features innovations such as stackable hand baskets, a scanner for self-checkout, and a design that discourages theft. The team's hard work and dedication are praised, and the cart is tested in a real supermarket setting, receiving positive feedback. The narrative reflects on the broader implications of the design process, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, an open-minded approach, and a culture that embraces chaos as a catalyst for innovation. The shopping cart project not only wins an award but also sparks discussions about commercial development, showcasing the power of Ideo's innovative approach.

Keywords

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. In the context of the video, innovation is central to the theme as it follows a design firm, Ideo, as they innovate the shopping cart. The video showcases how Ideo approaches innovation by encouraging wild ideas, deferring judgment, and building on the ideas of others, as seen in their 'deep dive' brainstorming sessions.

💡Design

Design in this video pertains to the process of creating a plan or layout for something, typically with a view to aesthetic and functional considerations. It is a key concept as the video documents the redesign of a shopping cart. The script mentions how the only designs that don't require constant modification are those found in nature, emphasizing the importance of good design in creating products that are both functional and enduring.

💡Ideation

Ideation is the process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas. The video emphasizes ideation as a critical part of the innovation process, particularly in the 'deep dive' brainstorming sessions where the team at Ideo generates hundreds of ideas for the shopping cart redesign. The script illustrates how ideation is fostered through an environment that encourages wild ideas and defers judgment.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping is the creation of a three-dimensional, often working model of an idea to test its practicality. In the video, prototyping is a significant step in the innovation process as the team at Ideo builds physical models of their shopping cart ideas to test their feasibility. The script describes how these prototypes are iteratively refined until a final design is achieved.

💡Iterative Process

An iterative process is one in which a sequence of approximations or calculations is repeated to find a closer and closer solution. The video highlights the iterative nature of design and innovation, where the team at Ideo refines their ideas through multiple cycles of brainstorming, prototyping, and testing. The script mentions the Ideo mantra, 'fail often in order to succeed sooner,' which encapsulates the iterative approach.

💡Corporate Culture

Corporate culture refers to the values, behaviors, and practices that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. The video discusses the importance of a corporate culture that fosters innovation, as opposed to one that discourages chaos and creativity. The script contrasts traditional corporate hierarchies with Ideo's more egalitarian and playful culture, which is shown to be conducive to inventive thinking.

💡Playfulness

Playfulness is the quality of being playful or light-hearted, often associated with creativity and innovation. In the video, playfulness is highlighted as a key attribute of Ideo's corporate culture, which is believed to facilitate innovation. The script describes how the playful environment at Ideo, complete with Nerf dart throwing and unconventional workspaces, encourages creative thinking and idea generation.

💡Hierarchy

Hierarchy in an organizational context refers to the arrangement of people or groups according to relative status or authority. The video script critiques traditional corporate hierarchies as potentially stifling to innovation, suggesting that a more democratic and less structured environment, like the one at Ideo, is more conducive to creative problem-solving and idea generation.

💡Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures and their development. In the video, the team at Ideo employs anthropological methods to study the users of shopping carts, observing real-world behaviors to inform their design process. The script mentions how the team goes into the field to observe and learn from 'the buzzes of the world,' applying these insights to their innovative redesign.

💡Product Development

Product development is the process of conceiving, designing, and marketing a product to meet customer needs. The video follows the product development journey of a shopping cart redesign, from ideation to prototyping to final design. The script illustrates the various stages of product development, emphasizing the importance of understanding user needs, iterative design, and testing in creating successful products.

Highlights

Emphasis on innovation over hierarchy, where the best ideas rise to the top regardless of an individual's position.

The importance of a chaotic environment for fostering creativity, as opposed to traditional corporate orderliness.

The concept of 'climbing the corporate ladder' is challenged in favor of innovation and fresh ideas.

The necessity of constant redesign in human-made objects, contrasting with the unchanging designs found in nature.

The role of design in improving both the form and function of everyday products.

The process of designing a better product involves understanding user needs and iterating on ideas.

IDEO's approach to innovation, which involves a 'deep dive' into the problem and focused brainstorming.

The significance of hiring diverse team members with different expertise to foster a broad range of ideas.

The importance of safety in product design, especially in the context of shopping carts and child injuries.

The issue of shopping cart theft and its impact on design considerations.

The value of hands-on research and understanding the end-user's perspective in the design process.

The concept of 'organized chaos' as a method for generating innovative ideas within a team.

The practice of deferring judgment in brainstorming sessions to allow for the free flow of ideas.

The idea that innovation requires a culture that encourages risk-taking and learning from failure.

The transformation of the shopping cart through innovative design to address modern shopping needs.

The final shopping cart prototype that incorporates child safety, theft prevention, and improved shopping efficiency.

The potential commercial development of the redesigned shopping cart and its recognition with a design award.

Transcripts

[Music]

it used to be that you deferred to the

boss is it the boss is always going to

have the best ideas not likely here

Nimble fingers alert minds and tireless

machines and it used to be in most

companies that chaos was

discouraged this is where the crazies

live this is where we do our work it's

different good morning good morning used

to be you were supposed to climb the

corporate ladder good status is who

comes up with the best ideas not who's

the oldest not who's who's been with the

company longest not not who has that

biggest title if you go into a culture

and there's a bunch of stiffs going

around I can guarantee they're they're

not likely to invent

anything you could stack us up big 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

[Music]

innovation

[Music]

a lot further along in this broadcast

near the end as a matter of fact you

will hear one of the central character

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 constant

modification of 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 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 are 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 idio the product design folk

and said take something old and familiar

like say the shopping cart and

completely redesign it for for us in

just 5 days ABC News correspondent Jack

Smith tells us what happened next 9 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 Paulo Alto California in the

heart of Silicon Valley and these are

designers at Ido probably the most

influential product development firm in

the world designers are the reason TVs

have square screens chairs four legs and

toothbrushes nowadays those squishy

Handles in fact it was idio that

designed those squishy handles Ido has

designed everything from high-tech

medical equipment to the 25- Ft

mechanical whale in the movie free

willly and the first computer mouse for

Apple Smith ski goggles Nike sunglasses

NEC computer screens hundreds of

products we take for granted this is a

called the neat squeeze squeeze tooth uh

toothpaste tube which you invented the

man who runs Ido is Dave Kelly a

Stanford engineering Professor with a

Groucho marks mustache a dab of genius

and an approach to Innovation that

usually works well thank you Fred but

not always thanks a lot I can show you

some products that failed came up with

this idea called Monster shoes where you

take these little monsters and Lace them

into your shoes like this and we built a

bunch of them and um I didn't want those

either so mostly what Ido 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 a tractor 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

5 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 do an entire an

entire project in a week project leader

is Peter skilman a 35-year-old Stanford

engineer project leader because he's

good with groups not because of

seniority he's only been at Ido 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 Fon Suri psychologist Alex kazak 26

a biology major who's turned down

medical school three times because he's

having too much fun at IO kids climbing

up and doing this kids do that 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 not reported

in the store that's you actually have

that's hospitalized right and theft it

turns out a lot of carts are stolen you

know what is the average life of a cart

do it last 2 years 5 years 10 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 the other side says gives us

a lot of help says be

safe everyone appears to be equal and

they love to mock Corporate America I'll

give you status I'll give you 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

you're a senior vice president you know

what do I get the desk red ball it's all

the

same in a very Innovative culture you

can't 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 got to

hire people who don't listen to you and

that I don't think Corporate America

wants to hear that right yet I think we

to start making those lists about the

kinds of questions that we're going to

ask the team splits into groups to find

out firsthand what the people who use

make and repair shopping carts really

think okay go the problem with the

plastic cart is the wind catches it yeah

and these things have been clocked at 35

across the parking

lot man that's actually a 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 and

trying to learn about it yourself from

everything I read these things aren't

that safe either you know um so probably

the seat itself is going to have to be

redesigned what you're seeing here is

the kind of social science like

anthropologists you know like you go and

study tribes what is it that that they

do that we can learn from that 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 except of the professional

shopper whose strategy is to leave the

cart at various places in Corporate

America many bosses like measure whether

their whether their people are you know

who the good people or 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 to meet

other experts much more useful than

sitting at your desk 3:30 in the

afternoon and the group is back at idio

there is no letup

each team is going to demonstrate and

communicate and share everything that

they've learned today um people went off

in the four corners of the earth and are

coming back with the golden keys to the

to Innovation a uh shopping cart has

been clocked at 35 M an hour traveling

through a parking lot in the wind we

were in the store what 2 hours and and

it was truly frightening just to see the

kind of stuff going on you got to

designate some people to make damn sure

that the store owners point of VI is

represented after nine straight hours

the team is tired they call it a day so

um cool well uh that's great thanks a

lot we had a great time

[Applause]

[Music]

today want to get together and start

here day two and the start of idido's

unique brand of brainstorming they call

it a deep dive a sort of total immersion

in the problem at hand idido's mantra

for Innovation is written everywhere one

conversation at a time stay focused

encourage wild ideas defer judgment

build on the ideas of others uh that's

the hardest thing for people to do is to

uh restrain themselves from U uh

criticizing an idea so if anybody starts

to nail an idea they get the bill 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 the the

Privacy blind like when you're buying

six cases of condoms no one see nesting

is it sort of has to nest if it doesn't

Nest we don't have a solution how about

velcro pants and and velcro seats for

the kids and just drop them down on

there velcro seats velcro pants for kids

yeah see you have to have some wild

ideas if then you build on those wild

wild ideas and 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 to

build a really Innovative idea it's

organiz organized cha it's not organized

um what it is is it's focused 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 poit not not with an

idea that's cool but with an idea that's

cool and buildable um if it's 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

you're the because because I'm I'm going

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

able to really judge what the best

ideas otherwise ideas wouldn't come out

that's right enlightened trial and error

succeeds over the planning blown genius

enlightened trial and error succeeds

over the plan planning of the lone

genius if anything sums up idido's

approach that is it that and the focused

chaos that seems to go with it um I took

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 so we don't want

to tell them what to build or else we

take away the benefit of the whole thing

what needs should they optimize their

solution to purpose is to refocus the

Deep dive maybe we arbitrarily say we

could do five teams four or five teams

four four or five teams and we and we

give each team a need area hey can we uh

grab everybody over to the uh 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 going to work on like it or

not the team is told it will split into

groups to build mockups covering four

areas of concern that have been

identified shopping safety checkout 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 um if you

don't work under time constraints you

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 idio what's happening in

here is uh that's a client meeting

that's a first client meeting that's the

first time we met with a client so we

haven't trained them

yet if 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 um 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

whether a place is playful in about the

first 15 minutes as you walk down the

the

hob 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 they're 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 you sound great you

always sound good you have to make it so

that this can

happen who it didn't break no it didn't

break there's a whole department at Ido

devoted to toys turns out to be one of

its most profitable areas fun too so got

these little wings and no matter what

you do if I get in trouble here it's

always a

spiral at Ideo 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 and they were designing this

space and they said to me you know we'd

like to have you know $44,000 extra in

our budget for a DC3 wing and I said uh

DC3 you have to have that and they said

yeah they have to have it so that's

that's a DC3 Wing piece of a DC3 Wing

yeah and that's just Decor that's Decor

that's um Ambiance 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 fa facilities person was

was okay he tried it and then like he

waited and see 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 trying

stuff and ask forgiveness you know

instead of asking permission is the way

people come up with new ideas Ido 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

okay Peter we're done back at the shop

it is 6:00 and the four mockups are

ready for showing baskets also can be if

you think you will have more volume

baskets can be put in a modular shopping

cart you pile hand baskets onto a 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 let Shoppers talk to the

supermarket staff remotely yeah where

can I find a yogurt the yogurt over

daily but the adults again decide more

work needs to be done before the mockups

can be combined into one last prototype

why don't we have all the carts come up

here for a 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 the in the design the

design is still not there but there's

another motto at Ido fail often in order

to succeed sooner and some of the team

will be up half the night trying to put

together a design that finally does work

so it is day five and Dave Kelly has no

idea what the final cart looks like B

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 that'll be good

there it

is there it

is 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

this 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 drop the put the

children in and then you can close the

um the the uh handle right over them and

they instantly have some little bit of a

work surface that they can play with

what do you think this well I 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

it works really well the cart's wheels

turn 90° so it can move sideways no more

lifting up the rear in a tight spot and

you shop in a totally different way

rather than taking your cart everywhere

you go in the store through a crowded

store like this uh much more efficient

to take take a small basket rush around

to where the the particular shelves are

and come back and put them back put them

here and treat this as like a center for

your shopping and with a high-tech

scanner so that in the future you skip

the checkout traffic jam here's how you

would scan an item you reach over and

pick up anything like uh like the salad

dressing and I would I would scan it and

if I want to accept that item I would

just press plus 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 oldfashioned way but the bags are

hung on hooks on the cart's 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's no value in this cart

without the basket because you can't

carry anything in it it's useless to

anybody you can't

a barbecue so it's not going to get

stolen that's right so this ought to

appeal to store owners yes I love it I

think it looks great at first I was a

little shocked but I think it's you have

some fantastic ideas here it needs a

little refining but I think that it's

great I mean we would we would want them

it makes us feel great uh 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 i'

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 um a

better or worse job of innovating or

improving but everything is designed it

has to go through this process it wasn't

this 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 love it so it doesn't

look like it's hard work but it's lot of

hours a lot of hours also an open mind a

boss who demands fresh ideas be quirky

and clash with his a belief that chaos

can be constructive and teamwork a great

deal of teamwork and these are the

recipe for how Innovation takes place

this is Jack Smith for Nightline in Pao

Alto

California I'll be back with a brief

update on our story in just a

moment

incidentally the Nightline shopping cart

won a 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

Coppel in Washington for all of us here

at ABC News good

[Music]

night