Puncturing Innovation by Thousand Cuts
Imagine innovation is like a tire that's rolling towards tomorrow. But every "no" and every "that won't work" is just like putting another cut in that tire. Little by little, our journey toward something awesome starts to shake and slow down.
It's not just something you see—it's something you hear. The constant 'pssss' of air leaking out is the soundtrack to our slowing pace.
On one side is the designer, brimming with fresh ideas, always tossing out 'what ifs’ and 'how about this?' On the other side, there’s a voice of caution, fond of saying 'This is how we've always done things', and 'It's safer not to rock the boat.'
These exchanges are like the sound of air hissing through those cuts in our tire, and they go something like this:
Designer: Hey, what if we do this?
Someone: Nah, doesn't fit with how we do things. That's reality.
Designer: What do you think of this concept?
Someone: You have seen that anywhere else?
Designer: What do you think of this new flow/interaction?
Someone: Let’s do it similar to the competitors. Multiple competitors doing it validate that the approach works.
Designer: What if we do this step of XYZ UX methodology this way? This would address our bottleneck or elevate the quality of output.
Someone: This methodology has been around for several years, even decades. We should adhere to the standards that have been established.
Designer: Improving the flow, UI, etc of this part of a feature will enhance ease of use.
Someone: Valid point. Makes sense. But this requires us to change code in many places. Let’s stick to what we have.
There are many more.
Now let's break out the calculator.
Suppose this is all happening during a two-week project. We've got 10 workdays on the clock.
Picture this crew: 1 designer, a senior designer for the green light, 2 engineers, 1 product manager. That gives us 5 minds at work.
If we're being optimistic: One resistance daily from just one mind.
10 workdays x 1 resisting mind = 10 cuts to our tire.
On the pessimistic end: The whole crew resists - the approver, the product manager, and 2 engineers.
10 workdays x 4 resisting mind = 40 cuts.
And most likely scenario: Each idea hits a wall with some team members:
10 workdays x 2 resisting mind = 20 cuts.
Each time we go through the cycle, it's additive. Each sprint stacks on top of the last. Before you know it, the trend line on a graph isn't just climbing; it's telling the story of our cumulative struggle.
Can you grasp how deep these cuts go? and the extent of damage done?
And that’s how cut by cut, the air goes out, and the ride towards innovation grinds to a halt.