My presentation to the Barcelona Internet Start-up Group on September 19, 2013.

1. Innovation vs. Best Practice
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
Barcelona Startups, 19 September 2013
Barcelona, Catalonia
What is it?
Why bother?
Who cares?

3. Source: Financial Times, 6 October 2010

4. in·no·va·tion
noun
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device

5. best prac·tice
noun
1 : best way of doing a thing
2 : a tested idea, method, or device

7. Best practices represent
short-term solutions.
Innovation builds
long-term success.

8. If you always do it for the so-called gurus,
you will never build our industry!

9. And if you do it for yourself,
you’re doing it for the wrong reason!

10. Three bad reasons to innovate
To differentiate your product/service
To be “original”
To satisfy your ego

14. “pushing the envelope” ≠ innovation

15. “chindogu” ≠ innovation

16. being “original” ≠ innovation

17. satisfying your ego ≠ innovation

18. Rosser Reeves
“Do you want art? Or do you want the
f*cking sales curve to go up?”

19. Experiment

20. Invention

21. Invention

22. Innovation
15 April 1912

25. to solve a problem!
There is only one reason to innovate…

26. Law of Innovation #1
If an innovation does not solve
a problem, it will create one.

27. Let’s look at mouthwash...

30. Law of Innovation #2
Problems do not exist in isolation.
Solutions often have unintended
consequences.

31. Enfield M1853
• Technological
• Social
• Political

32. Gus the cat

35. People
Processes
Technologies

36. User Centered Design
Users
Innovate >

37. User Driven Design
Users
Innovate >

38. Important note:
Unhappy customers are dangerous

41. Law of Innovation #3
Invention may be accidental.
Innovation is always planned.

42. Fact:
Innovators often break the established rules.

43. Law of Innovation #4
Innovators understand the rules.
This is the difference between
innovation and idiocy.

45. Law of Innovation #5
Intuitive solutions do not
need instructions.

51. Intuition Instruction
Website Driving a car
Low High
Barrier to entry

52. Incremental Distruptive
Type of innovation

53. Do we have a digital revolution?
Do we have disruptive innovation?
Do we need to start from scratch?

54. No! We apply old skills in new ways

55. Law of Innovation #6
Innovation almost always
represents the combination of
two well-known technologies to
create a new, useful synthesis.

57. eturn n nvestmentR
“My problem is greater than the
effort needed to learn the system”
O I

59. Best practice is not the same as
tradition or habit.

60. Highland Park High School Math Club - 1969

61. Invention
Innovation Lifecycle
Innovation
Best practice
Habit
Innovation
Best practice
Fashion
Old-fashioned
Time
Progress

72. What are the warning signs of
fad and fashion?

73. Watch out if...
Your solution is only being used in your
local market
Your solution is only being used by a single
branch or industry
Your solution looks like something you also
did last week

74. Do we have a community of practice?

75. “It’s amazing how much we can
accomplish when you don’t care
who gets the credit.”
Harry S. Truman

76. If we do not demand good design,
we will never receive it.
Don’t just prevent bad things from happening,
you can make wonderful things happen!

77. Gracias!

78. You can (usually) find Eric at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
Twitter: @elreiss
er@fatdux.com
www.fatdux.com