Posts by Rick Chin
Strategic Retreats – transforming technology into product
Let’s start by assuming that your goal is to come up with products that your customers are compelled to buy and use to extract some important value to them.In many cases, companies start with a “great†technology they intend to productize and make millions. But “Great†depends a lot on whose perspective is being considered, and what…
Read MoreBrainstorming…Fast and Fun!
How many times have you come out of a brainstorming session feeling unsatisfied with the results? The team never felt like it got into a rhythm. The idea flow felt like a drizzle versus a storm. None of the ideas that the team spent much time on seemed especially good (BTW, you should never spend a lot of time on any one idea in a brainstorming session).
Read MoreDeveloping an Eye for Innovation
A great photographer understands what makes a great picture. They leverage this understanding and practice looking for those situations and acting on them. And like any other practice, the more you do it, the more instinctual the behavior becomes. Likewise, as a great innovator…
Read MoreUncork your Brain with Mind Maps
That great idea you are looking for is already somewhere in your mind or in the collective mind of your team. The real effort in coming up with a great idea, is all about getting out of your own way so that your great idea can reveal itself. I want to refer to this as the “idea release†process, rather than the idea generation process.
Read MoreFrustration – not all pain is created equal
Someone has a very important goal that needs to be achieved, or task that needs to be accomplished. But there is one or more barrier(s) to them achieving their goal which they feel is out of their control. This results in a combination of helplessness and anger, which we recognize as frustration.
Read MoreWhy are there So Few Glorious Products?
I was struck by the word “gloriousâ€. I hear it and words like it so rarely, especially in my professional life. As a person who invents software products for a living, it made me realize that most products just don’t move people in an emotional way.
Read More