Just let the child inside you be free...

It is a quiet Sunday evening. I am walking along the beach by myself. An emotional sun has just painted a masterpiece on the sky’s canvas. A gentle breeze murmurs as if giving its nod to this breathtaking imagery. While the receding waters kiss my bare feet, I behold this visual in awe. Can there be a more beautiful moment I ask? Can you get more creative than this? Is this when the sky reaches out to meet his earthly soul mate? When every wave in the waters below rushes upwards as if to embrace a beloved friend...

Just then, I hear the laughter of small children. I turn around to see what is going on. I spot some children building sand castles. Oblivious to the world’s troubles, here they were living in the moment. Without any care that their dunes might have flaws. Without any care that the sea may wash away their dreams. Without any care that the wind may spoil their hope. They just laughed. They just played. They just lived to build this sand castle now. Nothing else seemed to matter...time stood still...

I was wrong. I could not be more wrong. More beautiful than the heavenly beauty was the earthly ruggedness. More creative than the colors of the sky were the holes in the sands. Even the sun and the sky must marvel at this carefree curiosity. #joiedevivre.

I wonder. What is it about children that curiosity and imagination flow so naturally? How do they unleash this energy and passion for little tasks that they do. #carefree #unbridled 

Consider life. A moth emerges from its cocoon and revels in its metamorphosis into a butterfly. A struggle gives way to a stunning vibrancy. But look at us. We, humans, have a different story. As adults, instead, we shrink into our shell – fear, doubt, and hopelessness. #shell

Today we ask this question – how do we spur creativity; corporations, b-schools, and consulting gurus lament the void of creativity in our environment. They invent games, card tricks, illusions, and even stimulants for the mind to spark this neoRenaissance. Why? In the hope that students, professionals, and everyone else will be able to break open this shell. Consider this. We even write a blog (like this one) to share our experiences and identify patterns and traits to foster creativity. Or at least get a conversation going. #neoRenaissance 

So then what do I have to say here about how we can encourage people to develop the audacity of Van Gogh, the flair of Mozart, and the innovative nerve of Jobs? Frankly, nothing new...

Let me share a personal experience. My former colleagues would often joke whether I was writing software or poems at work! To them, an engineer who could spin a few lines was amusing. So the question is how did this travesty unveil itself? No card games, no tricks and definitely no brainstorming. Just doing something that one enjoys. #enjoy

Two decades earlier. So I am the only child of my parents. They love me more than anything else. But when I was young, there was this interesting tug of war between my mom and dad. My father had an inclination for science and technology. On the other hand, my mother was more drawn to the arts and literature. Naturally then, both wished their son to follow their chosen lines. Unfortunately, for my mom, her son fell in love with technology when Dad built him a computer model. But her sharp mind recognized something – it was not science per se that attracted my mind, but curiosity and a verve for imagination. So that is how yours truly developed his other loves – books and poetry. #spark

Spark. Yes, the moment that lights up the world. That singular moment where an apple fell on a young man and inspired his life's work. How do we replicate that today? Is it possible? I beg to disagree with pundits who think card games and mind exercises can achieve this. They may create a few sparks here and there, but may not ignite the mind. What I suggest is letting people just be kids. For once, let your inner child be free. #innerchild

What do I mean by this? Let me illustrate. In many cultures and organizations, failure is frowned upon. I worked at such a company too. Under the relentless pressure of modern business math, it is difficult to encourage people to just be carefree, to just be unbridled. #carefree #unbridled  When people join new teams, they have energy and ideas. But slowly, that butterfly retreats into its shell. #shell So what can we do to prevent this impulse to retreat? Every baby makes that massive push to break open that fetal shield – you know one where the baby feels warm and comfortable. But once the baby emerges, it does not get to retreat into that shell. Instead, the baby has to learn to explore, fall, laugh, and learn. #fallandlaugh

So can we not replicate this in modern organizations? Can we do something to give space to these moths to transform into butterflies? Yes. Organizations could foster a culture that is open and non-judgmental. So when we spot these unbridled minds, we let them be free..we let them release their inner child..and do what they enjoy. As an individual, they will explore, fall, laugh, and learn. They will be frustrated by their fall, but they will rise. #nofear

Yes, organizations will need to facilitate the right mentoring to ensure that these butterflies do not retreat into their shell when they fall. So offices that allow this kind of real time interaction and mentoring must be developed. I think IDEO has tried to do something like that. When someone asks questions, they would be encouraged. When someone fails, they would be motivated. When someone is afraid, they would be assured. Not hand-holding, but rock solid assurance.  #realmentors 

Can an organization then become this melting pot of ideas? Absolutely. When teams allow questions without making them appear or sound stupid, individuals are more open to falling and learning. When team members do not see unbridled minds as encroaching upon each other's spaces, individuals are more open to exploring and stepping out. Take an example. In my previous company, any time some one came up with an idea to improve a process bottleneck or enhance customer experience, middle managers would view this as finger pointing to inefficiencies and substandard work on their part. Such a culture would have to be changed. One way to do this would be to have more and more people release their inner child. That way, this will cease to be an exception and will become more of a norm. It is quite natural to see that start ups may find this easier versus large organizations. But even for large organizations, this may not be impossible. It would start with one team and grow slowly. It takes conviction and courage to dissent. To be that solitary voice can be unnerving, but all it takes is one hole to break open the dike. #onehole

But then does this not assume that individuals by themselves are full of ideas? My entire blog seems to indicate that their creative powers are curbed by the external environment and that we must prevent this retreat into a shell. Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. I take this stand knowing fully well that it is not without controversy. One might always question that how is it that some moths are able to transform into butterflies, face the magnified scrutiny of life, and not retreat? Van Gogh, Mozart, and Jobs being examples of such butterflies. 

Well, my take is that these creative forces would have found exactly that kind of support and mentoring which I refer to. For Alexander, there was Aristotle. For Arjuna, there was Krishna. The task of these mentors is not to spark curiosity and creativity. Their task is to not let the flame vanish, but fuel it further. Like an able charioteer, they would guide the warrior when fear and confusion clouds his inner child. #fuel #notspark

So you might argue that there are different creative problems which require different creative processes. And these moths may not be well-versed when they step out of their cocoon. I agree. It will be a learning process. Slow, at times painful, and many times frustrating.  #fallandlaugh 


Some of this focus on process, methodology, and frameworks has led to the unintended consequence of over-complicating things. It is somehow cool to talk about minimalism in design, but it is uncool to ignore these modern day creative processes and just let it be. Unfortunately, I think b-schools and design schools are partially to blame for this. Where they should be encouraging students to bring out their inner child, they are subjecting them to even more processes and frameworks. While it is easy to highlight that modern technology has advanced our understanding in so many different areas, let us not forget that some of the greatest challenges known to mankind have been solved by curious and creative minds with a pen and paper. I am not against any of these processes, but I am against their unnecessary introduction as the way to pursue creativity. When processes are provided as aids to prevent people from retreating into their shells, then they are legitimate and must be encouraged. Example, counseling and motivation sessions with mentors when one is frustrated due to failures and lack of results.  However, introducing them to show sophistication and structure to achieving creativity is inappropriate. #faketools

Should we just trust ourselves to know or sense? Trust our instincts. Feel secure that each of us is creative. And that we just need to guard ourselves from retreating into that shell? #shell

I say yes. I see these children building sand castles. Building their dreams. Having hope. They care not what others have to say about those castles. The sea may wash their castles away. The wind might blow their castles astray. They are creative. Because they are not afraid. For once, just let the child inside you be free....

#joiedevivre #carefree #unbridled #innerchild

Driving your "Food Truck"...

There is no place like home...

This is a classic scene from The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy returns from Oz! Well, what if our homes were magical like Oz -- the modern version of it anyway?? 

When I was nine, Dad built me my first computer model. I fell in love with all things related to technology. You always hear of stories where kids say they want to be an astronaut. Well, in my case, at least back then, I was fully convinced that I would become a computer engineer some day. Which I did. But only years later did I realize that it was not the love for computers that sparked a nine year old's imagination. In fact, it was a world of marvel that fueled his curiosity. Here was a "box" that could answer my questions, no matter how many I had. Here was a "box" that did not get mad at me asking so many questions. And here was a "box" where I could do different things...play, write, and hear music.

Circa nineteen years forward. In today's hour and time, when Prof Walls asked that we pick a topic to write a paper on, I wondered what I should do. After a walk and a nice cup of tea, I decided on my topic. It had all started in my home. That place where I first experienced the marvel of modern technology. That very place where I first witnessed the proverbial "giant leap of mankind" -- technology. So I wondered -- have we reached the point where every home would be technology driven aka smart? Homes that are not just smart, fully automated, efficient, and effortless...but truly integrated into the "home experience" for everyone.

Imagine you are seated in your "smart home". All your devices are "intelligent" --from tv to refrigerator.. from doors to windows.. from lights to air conditioners..absolutely everything..you would use your tablet or smartphone to change the scenery on walls or switch movies or channels on TV.. Or intelligent sensors turn on the brightness of lights based on the environment.. Or that air conditioners modify the temperatures according to people's activities..

Just imagine.. play along with me.. What if all devices could be charged wirelessly? We already have doors that open and close based on sensors. We already have lights that turn on/off based on occupancy. Staples Connect allows you to use an app to control many things in your home... Nest thermostat remembers your hand setting.. what if you could say aloud "get me a coffee" and a machine served you one immediately? Briggo Version 2020?? Things that once looked sci-fi are now slowly becoming a reality. Many of the things that we look for in a "smart home" are well on their way... question is not what or how, but when..


So, the  potential topic of my paper is: 
"Smart homes" - What do people really want? (subject to Prof Walls' approval)

Some of the questions related to this are: Are we close to "smart homes" more than ever before? Would people want to live in such houses? Just remind yourself -- not every house is a home....a home is where people live, laugh, and do all those things that make them happy and "human"... Is "smart home" that place? Are people ready for such changes? What will be their attitudes and emotions? What do people really want in their smart homes?

So why is this topic important to me? As I wrote earlier, home is where I was first introduced to a "box" of technology. Over the years, I have seen technology make rapid advances. My fascination has not ended..But now I want to explore this topic from both sides -- what are the technology advances that will define a true smart home.. and how are people going to accept them and incorporate them into their living style. I purposefully choose to write living style over lifestyle here because I feel it conveys so much more, describing a home as a place of being, thinking, imagining, and doing all things dear to us. 

The next question then is -- what has this got to do with customer insights? how does design thinking come into picture? Well, smart homes are ultimately where people will live.. spend a majority of their lives.. these places should be a reflection of what they see, what they believe, and what they want. Today, in class, we discuss how we should incorporate "design elements" into designing various products.. Prof Walls once remarked something similar to this .."sometimes the whole is not a sum of every part".. well, I think this is a classic example.. It is one thing to design a smart technology that people will love.. but it is totally another challenge to envision "a complete smart home experience". This will require designers and technologists to take into consideration so many different things...

-- how do people live?
-- what things, devices, and surfaces do they interact with? how? do they like somethings over others? if so, why?
-- what do they do at home? what kind of activities? do they do them alone or with their complete family?
-- is home just another "place where people are" or is it something much more?
-- would automation qualify as a smart home or do people look for something more meaningful? Here is an example: Do i want a gadget that automatically restocks my groceries by placing online orders OR Should that gadget be able to sync up with calendars and grocery inventory to understand we are having a family get-together..which may mean figuring out a special meal.. OR Something totally different...May be simply store and sort groceries intelligently based on people's food habits, dietary restrictions, and eating preferences,.. I don't know as I write...and I probably won't even after the paper.

Right now, I have collected a couple of articles which I think are good leads..
First one is a report by Arthur Little: Catching the Smart Home opportunity It tries to highlight some of the potential smart home technologies.. Second one is the more interesting article..Microsoft Research: Homes that make us smart. This one talks about how technology is just a resource for the intelligence in a smart home...and that in reality, the smartness of the home comes from various interactions we have throughout our activities and home surfaces.. I find this an intriguing argument. While it is very easy for many like me to fall prey to envisioning a technology driven smart home.. this paper cautions against this very aspect, It highlights the uniqueness and special characteristic of our smart homes as being more people driven.. and that technology is a facilitator, not necessarily the main driver!

The authors describe a device called the "Whereabouts Clock". Such a device allows family members to observe the whereabouts of other relatives. JK Rowling described a similar device in the Weasley household!! Coming back to the clock, the authors envisioned the use of cell phone towers and smartphone apps to provide location updates.. where each family member is..whether they are in school or work or play. I can imagine how useful this may be to a worried Mom.. just like Mrs Weasley.

Another example the authors describe is something that I can totally relate to. Managing clutter at home. We have so many things we collect and store. Example: papers, books, letters, etc First, we hate to spend time sorting it out. Second, its another chore that none of us want to do. I can imagine a system, an organizer, which allows us to store documents better. A colored bowl or bin? It could be a start. Bring in some technology. Bowls that scan documents and upload to the cloud --easy to access, search, and sort! Now, this is not at all a futuristic technology right? We have scanners today. If someone could figure out how to enable a scanner in bowl, we have this "Clutter manager"... just another intelligent solution. Nothing automated, but greatly enhances human interaction with those documents. 

In short.. what I am getting at is the case, at least to me, seems to be: 
Is smart home a technology driven OR technology facilitated home? 
Without getting lost in semantics.. I am guessing that the authors are making a case that complete automation may not necessarily be the only way..and that exploring human interaction with technology might be a good way to start considering different possibilities. I hope to dive deep into this thought process through my paper.