June 25

This morning we had our first presentations on chapters 1 & 2 of “The Ten Faces of Innovation” by Tom Kelley. The first chapter of the book highlighted the "Anthropologist” innovator. These are individuals who focus on observing the world around them and really spend time on the small details. It allows them to better understand the needs of customers by observing the behavior and looking for ways to add improvements where they are needed. As an activity, we walked around the block with the mindset of observing what was around us and the ways we have already seen innovation in Amsterdam, no matter how small the detail. Ultimately, it felt a lot like a mindfulness exercise to remind us that it is important to stop and notice the things that are around us. I have noticed that over the past three days, it has been a little overwhelming with how busy the streets are and how different Amsterdam is. I think this is a great example of a time when practicing the mindset of the "Anthropologist” and taking the time to really notice what is around us allows for a much richer experience here in Amsterdam.

The second chapter was focused on the "Experimenter” type of innovator. This is someone who spends much of their time prototyping both products and services. One thing that one of my classmates pointed out that I thought was really interesting was that the way that this innovator was described leaned towards the use of physical materials rather than data collection or surveying. One of the most important things when creating a product or service is having it be something that end users will actually want to use or purchase. The best way to determine what will be popular is to actually involve the end users in the process which is where prototyping can be extremely helpful. A great example that Kelley gives is the launch of a new smartphone was prototyped with teenagers. The two colors of phone that the company thought would sell the best were actually the least liked among the prototype group. Allowing for the end user to be involved in prototyping saved the company from producing a product that the end user would not have necessarily liked.

One of my biggest takeaways from the presentation is that we all have some traits that identify better with certain types of innovators, but this does not mean that we cannot practice from the perspective of the different types of innovators. Personally, I do not strongly relate to the "Anthropologist” or the "Experimenter” yet I left the day with tangible ideas of how to practice both of these perspectives. It involves both practicing mindfulness and remembering that sometimes the best way to innovate is to take risks and create something to share. I am excited to take these perspectives into our site visits at the Tropenmuseeum and the A’dam Public Library and see what questions I might be able to ask from this view. I am looking forward to Thursday’s presentations on chapter 3 and chapter 4 of the book to broaden the options of innovation perspectives for our future site visits.