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 | Big Innovations Question the Status Quo. How Do You Ask the Right Questions? |
| Warren Berger |
| What if someone sold socks that didn't match? In his new book Disrupt, Luke Williams, a veteran of frog design, talks about how that offbeat question was the impetus for the launch of Little Miss Matched, a company whose purposely mismatched socks proved surprisingly popular with young girls. It's one of a number of examples Williams cites of new business innovations that began with what he calls "a disruptive hypothesis." Another better-known one is Netflix, whose business model provided an answer to the question, What if a video rental company didn't charge late fees?  Read more |
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| | Innovation Always Starts With Empathy; Look at Zipcar and Even Apple |
| Sohrab Vossoughi |
| User research has been a critical part of Ziba's design process for more than 25 years, and we're not alone. Long before the term User Centered Design (UCD) was coined in the 1980s, the world's smartest companies have relied on insights gained from their customers to innovate. Read more |
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| | Infographic of the Day: 108 of the Best Haircuts in Music |
| Cliff Kuang |
| What's pop music without crazy haircuts? Nothing, that's what -- and as iconic as the great pop stars are, you might be surprised at how iconic their hair is, all by itself. Read more |
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| | Wanted: A Gorgeously Simple City Bike [Slideshow] |
| Cliff Kuang |
| I don't admit this too often, but my bike obsession is beyond embarrassing. To wit: In order to create my current ride, I spent about $1600 and a full year of my life searching out the perfect parts and gnashing my teeth over the right colors. And I ultimately decided I wasn't totally happy with either. If that sounds stupid, it is -- especially since you can buy a bike straight off the shelf that's even more beautiful than mine. Read more |
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| | Is This Poster to Aid Japan's Tsunami Victims a Crime Against Design? |
| John Pavlus |
| I almost didn't write this post, because the humanitarian tragedy following the earthquakes in Japan is such a sensitive, complicated situation. And designers like Signalnoise are earnestly trying to help by putting their formidable talents to work -- in this case, by designing and selling a very tasteful poster and donating the proceeds to help relief efforts. The poster was undeniably successful, funneling $7,000 to the Canadian Red Cross, and generating a wave of interest for a second print run -- which I was very tempted to join by purchasing one for myself. But when I stopped and thought about that knee-jerk desire for a second, the feeling wasn't good. Read more |
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