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A brief talk about the theory and practice of failure in design, creativity, and innovation.
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By way of intro:- We all design or create stuff- sometimes we need to be ‘innovative’ and do something new- if you don’t need to be innovative, this talk might not be for you.- if you do need to be innovative or unique- this talk is might be very useful- I think the concept of failure can help enormously
The Theory
- uh-oh- failure is normally associated with lack of success, things not working properly, etc.- generally has negative connotations!- but is there ‘good failure’?- I think so:- two categories
Unintentional failure
1(aka ‘Happy accidents’)
- surprised if this hasn’t happened to you!
- For me, it’s usually in Photoshop, etc.- Accidentally press the wrong key combo
- “Wait a minute!”- Surprised at how many discoveries have been made accidentally- (The word ‘discovery’ implies surprise)
LSDTeflonViagrax-raysbrandy
penicillinCellophane
brandypenicillin
CellophaneScotchgardNutraSweetpotato chips
microwave ovenvulcanised rubber
Columbus’s discovery of America
Etc.
- Historical importance of these accidental discoveries is HUGE- Tend to think scientists plan everything- But the biggest leaps are always usually unexpected and unplanned
All things
Known things
- easy to see why:- it’s extremely difficult to conceive of what you don’t know- how can you know what you don’t know?
- I always use the example of the horse:- Ask someone in 1850 what transport they wanted:- “Faster horse that can go longer”
- No-one said a car
- DEFINITELY no-one thought of this!- Anyway, we rely on accidental discoveries to leap forward.- This notion is well-described by ‘serendipity’
- Not, not that Serendipity
serendipity
— the chance development of events in a beneficial way
“It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments
[...] It could better be described as serendipity.”
— Albert Hoffman, Swiss chemist
“Chance favours the prepared mind.”
— Louis Pasteur, French chemist
Opportunities present themselves...
...but you have to see them.
How many have you missed?
Intentional failure
2Failure as an innovation strategy
- This is about deliberately carrying out failure as a tool.
All things
Known things
- Remember our diagram- We know that innovation happens out here- There are a few great solutions- But lots of lemons- To innovate, you need to be prepared to fail
- It’s like a game of chance- Lotto: the more you play, the more likely success becomes- Lotto is like a really ground-breaking innovation:- Be prepared to fail a lot- Winning $2 on Instant Kiwi is a much smaller innovation, much more achievable- You need to factor this into your timelines and way of working
“Try everything – see what works.”
Active Failure StrategyDon’t bank on one approach
Expect to fail many times
Learn from your mistakesLimit failure fallout/fail small
- limit failure fallout: make sure you never fail too large
“Fail early, fail often”
— IDEO mantra
failure
time
bad :(
good :)
- green line: IDEO model- red line: ‘systematic failure’
Prof. Jack Matson— Pennsylvania State University
- Innovative Engineering Design course
Failure 101.
- requires students “to build and attempt to sell outlandish and frequently useless products” - like a hand-held barbecue pit.
- Prof Matson takes IDEO further:- Fail faster- Maze analogy: - blindfolded person in maze will make frequent mistakes- will eventually get there - faster mistakes, faster to get there
- Makers found players were a bit bummed out about dying- By giving players info about how they died and how to improve- Death became a valuable and positive experience for players!
Failure is a positive experience if we can learn from it.
- How can we leverage failure in our line of work?
Failure = :-)
- Finally, intentional failure has great effect on culture- Proven to be less stressful, happier, more fun
- Failure can give us a laugh
Failure = :-)and more productive too
- BUT it’s also proven to be more productive way to work- There’s a company doing quite well who adopt failure strategy- Each employee has time to try stuff out, no pressure.
- You probably haven’t heard of them.
- If it’s good enough for Google ...
So...- To sum up the theory:
The failure paradoxFailure is likely when you’re trying to succeed
Success is likely when you’re trying to fail
Bad failure is an outcome.
- it’s the end result- not good
Good failure is a process.
- tries lots of small things- the strong ideas survive- and become stronger
Innovative
Old news
- and because innovation only happens out here...
Innovation is impossible without embracing failure.
The Practice
- So, very quickly!- What are some pragmatic things to help you fail like champ?
Eliminate fear
1- Creatives say: “Don’t pressure me, man” and “I need my freedom”- Those creatives are often the ones that deliver gold- They intuitively understand...
Being free = lack of fear
Lack of fear = it’s okay to try and fail
Trying and failing = more likely to strike gold
- So when that monkey in a suit is holding a gun to your head...
- Explain that to him.
Know about design management
2- But you’ll probably need to compromise with that monkey- Design management is simple but not understood
- Give people 100% freedom when creating- No talk of deadlines, budgets, etc.- No idea is a bad idea- Critical part of brainstorming- But, once a direction or solution is agreed upon...
- It’s relentless pressure.- This pressure causes the brain to tune out other ideas and focus on delivering.- This is the compromise, and it is a good one in general.- I’ve had great success with this in the past... it's never let me down
Don’t be cool
3
“Don’t be cool”“Forget about good”
— Bruce Mau
“Trying to look good limits my life”— Stefan Sagmeister
“The good is the enemy of the great”— Milton Glaser
- When needing to be innovative or unique, good constrains you to the known and therefore you bad fail.- Note inversion of Milton Glaser quote
- If you don’t try, you won’t fail ... or succeed.
Start anywhere, don’t stop
4
- So start now! Start anywhere - go, go, go!- A common form of paralysis is not knowing where to start.
“Begin anywhere”“Keep moving”
“Repeat yourself”“Stand on someone’s shoulders”
“Imitate”“Work the metaphor”
— Bruce Mau
- All from Bruce Mau:- Note: do what you know, or copy someone.- Go from there...
Disclaimer-ise
5
“I know this is ridiculous, but ...”
- Keep face by prefacing everything with:- Tell them you’re about to be stupid.- Disarm them.
Thanks :)
darrylgray.wordpress.com
