Greetings! I tried many ways to use Generative AI in my daily job, e.g. brainstorming new ideas, and writing marketing copies. And I want to study how it can help the innovation process (e.g. identify needs / problem, design thinking, prototyping) as my dissertation research project.

If you are interested in the same topic, could you spare under 3 minutes to complete a brief survey?

Your time and insights are highly appreciated! Thank you so much! <3

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Good evening Reddit,

Some 20 years ago, I read an article about innovation. If my memory is to be a guide, the article was in an actual magazine - Inc. or Fast Company/ Business 2.0 or Fortune... not sure which one. Could have been as early as 2002, or as late as 2004. The article was more than 5 pages long - maybe 7 (i.e. it was not a short one).

Looking back, I think this article is one of the best I ever read on the subject. Amongst its main ideas:

1. it takes at least 100 years for an innovation to fully permeate society. For example, once the internal combustion engine (ICE) was discovered, it took more than 100 years until we invented all the things required to make this invention work: stuff like cars, highways, streetlights, gas stations, insurance and service.
2. In the article, the author went into some detail about the transformations required to adapt the world to the electric engine: steam technology used huge boilers (hence tall buildings) and power was transmitted to each workbench through a system of belts... the electric engines were much smaller, so they could be placed right at the individual bench. This required a complete redrafting of industrial buildings (and was one of the main reasons why the new technology took a long time to replace the old one).
3. a discovery spreads from the rich to the masses: kings used to be very interested in clocks - to measure longitude, i.e. as means to further geographical exploration, ergo colonialism, but also because watches were expensive - so as an way to display conspicuous consumption... As the technology became more accessible, cities started adorning the mayor's office with a watch towers, then universities built clock towers, then wealthy business men started buying big pendulum clocks... eventually, my grandfather bought a clock in the 1950s when he started working for the oil company in rural Romania.
4. I think this is were I read for the first time that when is fully implemented technology is indistinguishable from magic. Again, I remember the author describing the flick of a light switch as an awe inspiring moment. Which, if we come to think of it, it is.

Your help is appreciated,

In the cold

My groupmates and I are students in an entrepreneur class at Lehigh University. We have been tasked with exploring an issue and coming up with a solution. We chose D1 swimming.

Our solution is a wearable, waterproof communication device that swimmers can attach to their goggles. Coaches can communicate feedback through either a walkie talkie or app. The swimmer will be able to correct their mistake in real-time, and this will eliminate the need of coaches yelling from above water. We are marketing this device more towards D1 swim coaches/trainers/schools.

Does anyone have any suggestions or insights on these following topics:

• Feature that our device should have
• A pitfall of a current solution (such as Finis Swim Coach Communicator or Sonr)
• A problem a swimmer faces currently in the pool when it comes to receiving feedback from their coaches
• A problem a coach faces currently in the pool when it comes to giving feedback to their swimmers
• Any first-hand experience/stories people would like to share
• Any other relevant insights

You do not need to be a coach or a swimmer to give your insight. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thank you!!

Hello all, I am looking for some ideas here. I am part of a program that is trying to bring an old underfunded college (now funded) back to a presentable institution. I cannot release the name of the college in order to keep the plan out of media attention for now.

Background:

The college is a minority college with approximately 3,500 students. The first building was built in 1905 (give you an idea of the age of the college) and the funding stopped / slowed down in 1980. Maintenance is contracted out and has been poorly funded as well.

Most buildings are red brick facade. The campus itself is over 100 acres with approximately 70 buildings (some are closed due to being too far gone for repairs).

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Initiatives already listed in the plan

• Install a modular building for student mail services (currently, they enter the loading dock where semi trucks deliver)
• Install LED retrofit kits inside all buildings (only 65% of interior lighting is functional)
• Repair and LED retrofit all parking lot lights (only 50% of campus lighting works)
• Repaint all fire hydrants and bollards (currently chipping, faded, in poor condition)
• Remove all VCT and carpet from dorms and epoxy the floors (currently, all floors are in horrible shape and the university spends a lot of money on re-waxing bad floors semi-annually)
• Replace all dumpster enclosures (currently, they are collapsed)
• Trash and damaged equipment removal (there is approximately 35 30yd dumpsters worth of garbage spread throughout the university and in storage rooms that needs to be disposed of as well as broken down vehicles that have not moved in over 20 years)
• Replace all exit signs in dorms and install anti-damage cages over them (the students break these as soon as new ones are installed and over 100 are just dangling by the wires)
• Replace all fire extinguisher boxes with metal anti-damage ones (students have broken all of these off of every wall around the campus because they are the cheap plastic ones)
• Replace all dormitory window screens with Security Screens (over 70% of the screens on all dorms are damaged or missing due to students knocking them out)
• Pressure wash entire campus (most sidewalks, outdoor seating, and stairs are black from not being clean)
• Trim all trees (palm, oak, etc) around campus (no trees have been trimmed in over 30 years)
• Re-mulch, weed, remove dead plants, and trim all plants inside all flower beds
• Removal all broken and damaged training equipment from the football stadium
• Re-key all locks and have a centralized digital key control center in the maintenance building (theft and other crime is very high here at the moment)
• Install new wall lighting on the exterior rear of buildings where there is darkness
• Patch and repair all roads (massive potholes throughout campus)
• Repair all fences (currently, the university has a fence around it and there are many holes cut in it where student go to abandoned homes to abuse substances)

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Other known issues we have that we are trying to find affordable solutions to

• 30 buildings have leaking roofs. These are membrane roofs
• We have such old AC units in a lot of these dorms to where repairs are not doable anymore. We do not really want to install a lot of window shakers for aesthetic reasons.
• The whole campus has underground issues with water and sewage. over 40% of the sewage lines are clay

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We are just looking for ideas that maybe we have not thought of in order to bring this minority college back on track and be just as good, if not better, than other standard colleges.

Hi, r/Innovations.
We are graduate students, and we are excited to share that we are working on a new technology in the form of gloves that will enable real-time translation of AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE language into spoken English. The project is in its alpha stage right now.

This technology has a learning curve for the user since translating through just gloves has its limitations. We are currently testing why these types of technologies previously failed and how we can create a product that is helpful for the user and everyone else.

Feel free to express your thoughts and ask questions.

At utility scale these devices will produce unlimited free electricity by drawing off the excess thermal energy that creates "heat pockets" around US cities. It can also be adapted for electric and IC vehicles to capture waste heat from the electric motor or exhaust gases and nearly double the range of the vehicle. Versions that are made to extract heat from attics in sun-belt homes will be powerful enough to provide 2 kilowatts of continuous energy, and effectively allow homeowners to live "off grid" with minimal investment. This device is in development, and it's being created by an independent inventor who has no ties to any major corporation.

Aside from urban power and cooling, automobiles and power for homes, what other applications can you think of for this type of device?

I want to design a Bluetooth device similar to how you use Apple Pay. Basically it’s like a tap to unlock your house situation. How would I go about making this a reality and is this already being created?

Advising against relying solely on consumer focus group feedback in the innovation process can seem counterintuitive at first glance. After all, customer insights are crucial for designing products or services that meet market and user needs. However, there are compelling reasons why researchers and innovators might need to exercise caution with focus group feedback.

A. Limited Perspective: Focus groups only represent a pre-determined demographic and consumer profile. There is no opportunity for other potential consumers to self-select into the study. Nor is there a methodology, or a motivation, for participants to opt-out if they don’t see themselves as potential customers.

B. Groupthink: Individuals often alter their opinions to fit into the group dynamic or to align with what they believe the moderator wants to hear. In a group setting, individuals may sway towards the majority opinion, overshadowing unique viewpoints. Participants may feel uncomfortable expressing dissenting, critical or negative viewpoints.

C.  Limitations of Imagination: Consumers can find it challenging to imagine or appreciate the value of entirely new concepts or disruptive technologies. They tend to provide feedback based on their current understanding and experiences, and are imperfect at predicting their behavior after an innovation becomes integrated into their lives.

D. No Skin In the Game: When consumer research doesn't involve participants spending their own money, the results are unlikely to reflect real-world purchase behavior. Designing studies to include economic friction is critical to overcome the weaknesses of focus-group studies:

1. Lack of Real Investment Leads to Hypothetical Preferences: When consumers are asked about their preferences or choices without the need to make a real financial commitment, their responses often reflect ideal or aspirational behaviors rather than practical, real-world decisions. This discrepancy can lead to a misunderstanding of genuine consumer priorities and budgetary constraints.
2. Overestimation of Willingness to Pay: Without the pressure of actual spending, participants might indicate a higher willingness to pay for products or services, leading innovators to overestimate the market value or price points that real customers would be willing to accept.
3. Underestimation of Purchase Decision Factors: Real purchase decisions are influenced by a wide range of factors, including budget constraints, competitive alternatives, and immediate financial priorities. Research that doesn't require real spending may oversimplify the decision-making process, overlooking these critical factors.
4. Risk Aversion and Loss Aversion Are Not Accounted For: The psychological impact of spending money, including risk aversion (preference for avoiding losses over acquiring gains) and loss aversion (weighing losses more heavily than equivalent gains), plays a significant role in consumer behavior. Studies not involving real monetary transactions fail to capture these nuances.

Consumer studies that incorporate economic friction, or the perception of economic friction, offer better feedback than focus groups due to the realism and commitment involved in actual purchase situations. When consumers spend, or think they are spending, their own money, their choices reflect a more accurate picture of market behavior, taking into account personal budget constraints, perceived value, and the competitive context. This realism leads to insights that are far closer to real-world outcomes.

Read more at: http://marc-drucker.com

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The adoption of technology has facilitated worldwide business and expedited digital connectedness, particularly for the United Arab Emirates. This posture, when paired with supportive legislation, facilitates the nation's continued involvement in international business prospects. The outcomes show how the UAE has strengthened its supply chains and drawn talent, commerce, and investment from around the world.

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Innovation is seen as essential in a rapidly changing world, allowing young people to differentiate themselves and stand out. Entrepreneurship provides a platform for them to embrace innovation, explore new ideas, and create unique ventures.

Entrepreneurship also inspires youth to make a difference, as seen in the success stories of companies like Airbnb and Uber, demonstrating that innovative thinking can lead to billion-dollar businesses. Social media has made entrepreneurship more accessible, enabling young entrepreneurs to easily build online businesses and personal brands.

In conclusion, entrepreneurship and innovation empower young people to pursue their dreams, make a difference, and achieve success.