AARRR! In 2007, Dave McClure coined the term Pirate Metrics to describe the various growth levers available to companies: Attention, Acquisition, Retention, Revenue, Referrals. Together, these levers spell AARRR. Like a pirate, get it? Gotta get thatGotta get thatGotta get thatGotta get that that that The Black Eyed Peas Two years later, in 2009, The…
Add 2+2 Easy, right? You did it in your head. Now add 25+47. Still easy? How about 174713414+104571? Math teachers urge their students to “show their work” even when the students can find the answer in their head. They do this so that the student can show that the hidden process in their head and…
What is Maximum Plaid? Never one to shy away from his nerdy impulses, Elon Musk named the launch mode in performance model Teslas “ludicrous mode” in homage to the movie Spaceballs. Doubling down on this, he’s referring to the next more ludicrous than ludicrous mode as “maximum plaid” – another reference to Spaceballs. If you’ve…
What is the deal with jokes? Many jokes are about the surprise that comes from incongruity, the connecting of two ideas that don’t normally go together. And, many innovations are about connecting two ideas that haven’t previously gone together. Can we use the idea generating technique SCAMPER to come up with jokes? Let’s look at…
SCAMPER is a proven idea generating technique. In this video, I am going to examine ways we can apply SCAMPER to see patterns in the comedy genius of Seinfeld.
Which was the moonshot? The term moonshot is often used to refer to an overly risky and unproven endeavour. Ironically, the methodical approach taken to develop the technologies that safely brought men to the moon in 1969 was abandoned when the Space Shuttle was conceived. I examine the different approaches, the tragic results, and what…
The term moonshot is often used to refer to an overly risky and unproven endeavour. Ironically, the methodical approach taken to develop the technologies that safely brought men to the moon in 1969 was abandoned when the Space Shuttle was conceived. In this video I examine the different approaches, the tragic results, and what can…
SCAMPER is a proven idea generating technique. In this video, I am going to examine ways we can apply SCAMPER to come up with the kinds of innovation we see at SpaceX.
Consulting engineering firms are a rich source of new product ideas This is the conclusion of a 2003 paper by SUNY Geneseo professor Ian Alam (citation below). In the paper, Prof Alam studied the efforts of a manufacturer of iron and steel components and materials. This company, given the fictitious name BILTI sold its products…
Applying Design Thinking Design Thinking can make sense on paper but it can be challenge to adopt it in an environment where it’s never been seen before. This quick 90 minute exercise takes pairs of participants through the steps of empathy and prototyping. What I’ve found is that not only do the participants come away…