{"id":732370,"date":"2021-03-30T09:02:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/?post_type=msr-blog-post&p=732370"},"modified":"2021-03-30T10:11:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T17:11:36","slug":"a-responsible-approach-to-innovation","status":"publish","type":"msr-blog-post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/articles\/a-responsible-approach-to-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"A responsible approach to innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Westworth (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"illustration<\/p>\n

Photo credit: iStock<\/p>\n

\u201cA good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.\u201d<\/em> \u2013 Frederik Pohl<\/p>\n

Do you ever feel that there\u2019s more to creating innovative products and features than just shareholder value and driving clicks? Have you ever had to retrofit added features to your product because of challenges you hadn\u2019t considered? Did you first conceptualize your feature as something to make a better world, but it\u2019s now being used for questionable purposes?<\/p>\n

Then you may have fallen into the Innovation Trap.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve fallen into the trap myself many times over the years \u2013 I\u2019ve been blinded by the incredible potential of technology and been driven by vanity metrics like growth, while not considering the potential consequences of technology or rationalized my decisions, convincing myself I was making the right choices.<\/p>\n

Having children has made me acknowledge my role in the current state of society, the kind of world I want to leave them and the example I want to set. I\u2019m trying to be a more conscientious traveler and better citizen.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, I\u2019d like to share information about the Innovation Trap so you can learn how to avoid it.<\/p>\n

The three attributes<\/em><\/p>\n

First, a bit of history: In the 90s defined three attributes of an innovative business or product.<\/p>\n

1) Desirability: Are we solving the customer\u2019s problem? Do they really need it? Will they buy this? Even further, is it solving the right <\/em>customer problem or pain point?<\/p>\n

2) Feasibility: Can we build it? Does it build on our core operational strengths? Does it strengthen the business?<\/p>\n

3) Viability: Is this profitable? Does it make sense for our business? Does it have a sustainable business model?<\/p>\n

The intersection of these three is seen as the sweet spot for innovation; these attributes are the cornerstones of Design Thinking. IDEO\u2019s Tim Brown described Design Thinking as \u201ca human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer\u2019s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marty Cagan in his book Inspired<\/u> added a 4th<\/sup> attribute, which has been adopted by many product managers:<\/p>\n

4) Usability: Can the user work out how to use it?<\/p>\n

\"Venn<\/p>\n

While all these attributes are necessary <\/em>for building innovative products, are they sufficient <\/em>for building responsible products?<\/p>\n

Good Product Management, like good science fiction, should be able to predict the unintended, long-term consequences of our product or feature while not being seduced dreams of our own success.<\/p>\n

The idea that you can succeed by just focusing on these four attributes is as alluring as a bad habit \u2013 you get instant gratification now and any likely side effect seems way off in the future. But just like bad habits, the pain you feel later will far outweigh the gains you get now. This is called \u201cpresent bias,\u201d and it\u2019s something we all fall prey to, in that we value short-term reward over long-term consequences.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen examples of technology that were created with the best of intentions and have been used and abused while their creators claim innocence or ignorance. \u201cHow were we to know that {insert issue here} would happen?\u201d Anyone who has seen the recent issues with social media platforms can appreciate that whilst the original intentions may have been good, the pressure to grow and focus on just these 4 attributes has led to issues.<\/p>\n

Enter responsible innovation<\/em><\/p>\n

When designing products or features, it\u2019s important to think beyond short term gains and focus on long term sustainability. It\u2019s about not just being innovative but being innovative responsibly. Another way to think about it is, would your work make your parents and grandchildren proud?<\/p>\n

So, what else should we be considering in addition to desirability, feasibility, viability, and usability?<\/p>\n