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Innovation and emerging technologies

What is innovation?

To prepare an effective innovation case study and an innovative major design project you need to understand the nature of innovation. In this tutorial, you will find information about:

what is meant by the term innovation
what is needed to develop an innovation
factors affecting the success of innovation.

Work through this tutorial and the other tutorials related to the innovation case study and you should develop a sound understanding of what is expected in an innovation case study.

Outcomes

This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcome:

H3.1 The student analyses the factors that influence innovation and the success of innovation.

Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Design and Technology Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses (1999)

What do you understand an innovation to be?

An innovation is the new use or application of existing technology for a completely different purpose from which it was originally used or intended. This is not a dictionary definition, it is a re-worded dictionary definition to make it more understandable. Look up the term innovation in a dictionary to get a more technical definition.

Let's look at a very simple example of innovation that you probably haven't even thought of as an innovation: Liquid Paper

Liquid Paper

In its simplest and most basic original form, Liquid Paper is white paint in a nail polish bottle. Think about it: Barbara Nesmith Graham was not a very good secretary. In the days before Liquid Paper, the only way to correct a typing mistake was to either start all over again, or to erase it with a special eraser. The eraser actually didn't do that good a job, the paper would tear easily as it was a fairly harsh eraser. Barbara Nesmith Graham ended up starting again a lot.

One day, while watching painters touching up mistakes in their paint work, she had a thought: What if I applied some white paint over the mistake with a small brush, then I could cover up my typing mistakes.

From there Liquid Paper was born.

These days, through research and development, we have a very different product in the bottle from the original white paint. We also have different methods of application, but the original little bottle still exists and Barbara Nesmith Graham became a very rich secretary. The company was sold to Gillette for 47.5 million dollars in 1979. When she died in 1980 her son Mike inherited half her fortune, the remainder went to foundations she established for women's welfare and to promote the arts. Mike Nesmith was a member of the band The Monkees.

Activity

Now that you have a fairly simple idea of what an innovation is, let's look at a few more innovations via their web sites. When looking at these sites, consider the features that have made these products or systems innovative.

Dyson vacuum cleaners
Furi professional knives
Cochlear implant
Cochlear implant 2
The AIBO
AIS/RMIT Olympic Superbike
Broadcasting for Remote Aboriginal Communities Scheme (BRACS)

What do you need to develop an innovation?

Many of you will have access to the book Making It (ISBN 1 86317 030 8), a Powerhouse Museum publication. Chapter one: Industrial innovation features the product Dynamic lifter. It has been used as an example of an innovation for many years. The basic information set out in chapter one may help you understand what actually needs to be done to research and develop any new product. It clearly identifies nine key elements that are present in all successful industrial innovations as well as six factors which are critical to their success.

Nine key elements present in successful industrial innovations are:

Identifying a market opportunity: If you are not going to be able to sell it to consumers because they don't need it, then you may not be successful.
Obtaining and managing resources: You must be able to access resources such as people, money, knowledge and facilities. These resources must be managed, so that they don't run out, especially when you need them the most.
Research and development: Research as described above, covers many facets. Maybe, there is a need for historical research to see what has been done before. You don't want to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes there are actually some great ideas that you can get from history but the technology of the time didn't allow for the innovation to be fully realised. For example, some of Leonardo Da Vinci's designs for submarines and helicopters remained as fairly eccentric ideas for many years.

Maybe there is a need for materials research or market research. Research is something that is on-going. It is part of the development process of the product. To keep a product in the public eye it needs to be regularly revised and improved, for example, Liquid Paper has been improved with new solvents so that it dries faster, thinners are sold separately, different methods of application such as pens, tape and different colours are available.
Protecting intellectual property: The main things that need to be protected are the design, the name, the logo, any new materials or methods and any artwork or textwork. This could be as simple as applying for a patent, a trade mark or a copyright. Different things are protected in different ways, so you may need all three. Copyright protects the written word, patents protect the workings and trademarks protect logos and the way in which names are written etc.
Product design: How does the product look? Is it functional? Does it look good? Does it work? In some cases looks are not as important as the function, in other cases, looks are more important. For example, a chair may be quite beautiful to look at but if it isn't comfortable then it is not very effective for its intended function.
Obtaining supplies: Can you maintain a regular and consistent supply of raw materials and keep the costs the same? Consumers are happy if prices go down in the future, but are more hesitant to buy if the price increases. As materials become more high-tech, are they worth substituting? Does increased production warrant the implementation of expensive high-tech machinery?
Manufacture: Computer technology has changed the way machines operate. The use of computer based technologies means that products can be produced faster and with greater consistency. But consider this, are small product runs still done best with traditional machines?
Promotion: Before any product can be sold, the public needs to know of its existence. It may need the help of a promotions company or an advertising campaign to achieve wider consumer awareness and marketplace presence.
Distribution, sales and service: Once everybody knows how great the product is, the manufacturer needs to ensure that the product is available in the shops in regular and reliable supply, the quality is consistent and that consumers can have their questions answered and problems solved should they arise.

These nine key elements form the basis of the industrial innovation cycle, a continuous interactive cycle with each element interacting with each other and leading on to another. Figure 1 is from the book Making it.

cycle

Figure 1: Innovation cycle (Renew, 1993: 16)

Innovation success

Six factors critical to the success of a new innovation are:

Effort and risk: Consistent and focused effort is essential. All problems need to be solved as they arise to minimise the delay in ongoing development of the product. Innovators need to be conscious of the risks involved in pursuing the development of their product, including financial and personal strain.
Managing all the elements of industrial innovation: All of the nine key elements must be continually addressed either by the individual or company or by experts or consultants paid for their expertise.
Seeking out sources of innovation: Innovation is not confined to manufacture, for example, new machines and materials. It may be necessary to be innovative in financial dealings, in packaging or promoting the product. The innovation doesn't have to stop once the design is complete. It is an ongoing process.
Integration of all elements in industrial innovation: The nine key elements continually impact on each other. As one element changes, so will the status of the others. Care must be taken to assess each proposed change and to see how it impacts on other aspects of the innovation before firm decisions are made.
Continuing improvements: The product must change and improve to stay fresh in the consumer's eyes. Rival products may steal your market away. The Dyson range of vacuum cleaners is a good example of ongoing innovation.
Sustained investment: This is not only in the form of money, but also as time, knowledge, staff training, equipment etc. Most innovations which are successful over time have a substantial investment made in terms of time, finances, energy and determination.

Activity

Borrow the book Making it from the library and read, in particular, chapter one. It is also interesting to read the sections further on in the book, chapter eight for example, from pages 83 to 99. It links the nine key elements of industrial innovation to a range of different innovations.

Identify the key elements that have contributed to the success of the innovation you have selected for your innovation case study. Can you also identify any of the six factors above which may have contributed to its success?

Factors affecting innovation

Some other factors to consider if you want your innovation to be successful and you want to be able to expand your markets overseas:

Political: These are things to do with governments. Is there an existing trade agreement between our countries? Do we have a policy which might contradict theirs? For example, the use of some food additives. Are our labelling laws the same for things like product safety? Are we speaking to them at the moment, that is, does Australia have a good relationship with the country? For example, when the French were testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific the reaction to French products was very negative.
Economic: These are things to do with finances and money. Is the product going to be financially beneficial to the country? For example, with Dynamic Lifter the farmers get better crops using an organic fertiliser. Will there be a creation or loss of several jobs in one industry yet the creation or loss of jobs in another as a result?
Cultural: These are things to do with the beliefs, customs and religion of other countries, for example, the live export of sheep to the Middle East is influenced by cultural beliefs. Sales of swimwear to this market are less likely to be successful due to cultural beliefs. Sometimes a product needs to be renamed as a word that is appropriate in one language is inappropriate in another, for example, the Pajero 4WD vehicle needed to be renamed for sale in South America. Sometimes a designer may like a particular traditional ethnic pattern and use it on their product, only to find that it is religious text or sacred.
Legal: Is the product safe for use? Could there be litigation as a result of injury or poor performance? Are labelling laws strictly adhered to, for example, in terms of standards, or content listings etc. Has any part of the design been stolen? Is the design properly protected by patents etc?

Visit the Paperbark Woman: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island fashion design case study for information on the appropriate use of indigenous designs.
Environmental: Is the manufacturing process going to pollute or destroy the natural surroundings? Is the product going to do this? Will it benefit the environment? A product or manufacturing process can even do both. Is the raw material endangered, for example, some rainforest timbers?
Ethical: Does the product do what it claims? Has the idea been stolen from someone else? Are the people who the product has been intended to assist, able to afford it?
Timing: The time of year a product hits the market can be crucial to its success. Notice the must haves that hit the market in time for Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day and Christmas. Why do toys hit the market in time for the school holidays? Videos and movies are released then too.
Entrepreneurial activity: Sometimes there is the need for someone outside the design group to help bring the product to the market, for example, someone with the contacts, money, know how and experience in that industry. Sometimes an idea needs to be sold to a larger company as they have the resources to bring it to the market and keep it on the market. Dynamic Lifter is now owned by Yates. Sometimes it is as simple as the designer no longer has the energy nor the means to keep going and sells the idea to someone else who can. Other times, it is because they just can't afford to do it by themselves.

See the tutorial: Entrepreneurial activity.

Click here for more examples of innovation.

References

Renew, R. (1993) Making it: Innovation and success in Australia's industries, Powerhouse Museum Publishing, Sydney, p. 16.