ABC Nightline - IDEO Shopping Cart

Tonight the deep dive

One company's secret weapon for innovation.

(Music)

we went to IDEO product design folk

and said take something old and familiar like say

the shopping cart and completely redesign it for us

in just five days.

ABC correspondent Jack Smith tells us

what happened next.

9 in the morning,

day one

and these people have a deadline to meet.

So welcome to the kick off of the shopping cart project.

This is Palo Alto, California in the heart of Silicon valley

and these are designers at IDEO

probably the most influential product development firm in the world.

IDEO has designed everything from high tech medical equipment,

25 foot mechanical whale from the movie Free Willy

and the first computer mouse for apple.

Smith Ski goggles, Mike sunglasses, NEC computer screens.

Hundreds of products we take for granted.

The point is we're not actually experts at

any given are,

we're kind of experts on the process of how you design stuff,

so we don't care if you give us a tooth brush,

a tooth paste tube,

a tractor, a space shuttle,

you know a chair,

it's all the same to us,

we like want to figure out how to innovate

by using our process and applying it.

Project leader, is Peter Skillman a 25 year old Standford engineer.

Project leader because he's good with groups

not because of seniority.

He's only been at IDEO for 6 years.

the rest of the team is eclectic.

But that's typical here.

Whitney Mordimore, Harvard MBA.

Peter Claughmen, Linguist,

Tom Kelley, Dave's brother, marketing expert,

Jane Fultonsury, psychologist.

Alex Casacks, 26, a biology major.

Whose turned down medical school 3 times

because he's having too much fun at IDEO.

Safety emerges early as an important issue.

22,000 child injuries a year,

which is, so they're hospitalized injuries

I mean there are many others.

An theft.

It turns out, a lot of carts are stolen.

As the team works,

it becomes clear there are no titles here,

no permanent assignments.

And the other side says,

gives us a lot help says, be safe.

(Laughing)

I'll give you a big red ball on a

on a post and that says you're a big guy.

If you got a ball,

you're senior vice president.

You know, what do I care,

of the death, the red ball it's all the same.

In a very innovative culture you can't have a kind of hierarchy

like here's the boss, and the next person down and the next person down.

Because it's impossible that the boss is the one who had the insightful experience

with shopping carts,

it's just not possible.

The team splits into groups,

to find out first hand what the people who use,

make, and repair shopping carts think.

Okay go.

Problem with the classic cart is the wind catches it.

And these things have been clocked at 35 across the parking lot.

(Laughing)

Man, that's actually a pretty good point.

The trick is to find these

real experts so that you can learn much more quickly

than you could by jut kind of doing it the normal way.

and just kind of learn about it yourself.

From everything I read these things aren't that safe either.

You know.

So.. probably, the seat itself is going to have to be redesigned.

One of the interesting things for me,

is how people really don't like to let go

of the cat,

except for the professional shopper.

Whose strategy is to leave the cart at various places.

3:30 in the afternoon,

and the group is back at IDEO.

There is no let up.

Each team is going to demonstrate,

and communicate and share everything that they've learned today.

A shopping cart has been clocked at 35 miles an hour,

traveling through a parking lot in the wind.

We were in the store, what two hours,

and it was truly frightening just to see the stuff that was going on.

You got to designate some people

to make damn sure that the store owners point of view is represented.

After 9 straight hours,

the team is tired.

They call it a day.

So uh-- is everyone cool?

That's good, thanks a lot.

I had a great time today.

(Clapping)

IDEO's mantra for innovation is written everywhere.

One conversation at a time,

stay focused,

encourage wild ideas,

defer judgment,

build on the ideas of others.

That's the hardest thing for people do,

is to restrain themselves from the

criticizing of an idea

so if anybody starts to nail an idea they get the bell.

(Ding)

The ideas are poured out and are posted on the walls.

On the blind, the privacy blind

like when you're buying 6 cases of condoms

no one sees.

A dozen nests,

we don't have a solution for this.

Organized kit,

it's not organized, what it is, is focused chaos.

Vote with your post it,

not with an idea that's cool,

but with an idea that's cool and build able.

If it's too far out there,

and it can't be built in a day,

then I don't think we should vote on it.

In lighten trial and error,

succeeds over the planning of the lone genius.

In lighten trial and error,

succeeds over the planning of the lone genius.

If anything sums up IDEO's approach,

that is it.

Worried that the team is drifting,

what can only be called a group of self appointed adults,

under Dave Kelley,

holds an informal side session.

4 or 5 people, 4 or 5 teams

and we give each team a neat area.

It becomes very autocratic,

through a very shot period of time

in defining what things people are going to work on.

If you don't work under time constraints,

you could never get anything done because it's a messy process that could go on forever.

Back at the shop,

it is 6 o clock before mock ups are ready for showing.

Baskets also can be if you think you will have more volume,

baskets can be put in.

A modular shopping cart ,

you pile hand baskets on to.

A high tech cart,

that gets you through the traffic jam at check out.

You could mount a scanner on the shopping cart,

so that you as the customer as you pull it off the shelf,

would scan each item.

One that's built around child safety.

And another that let's shoppes talk to the super market staff remotely.

Yeah, where can I find the yoghourt?

But the adults, again, decide more work needs to be done

before the mock ups can be combined into one last prototype.

Why don't we have all the carts come up here for a second.

I think you take a piece of each one of these ideas,

and kind of back it off a little bit

and then put it in the design.

the design is still not there.

But there's another manta at IDEO,

fail often, in order to succeed sooner.

And some of the team would be up by half the night,

trying to put together a design

that finally does work.

There it is!

(Cheering)

So we took the best elements out of each prototype.

The cart which is designed to cost about the same as today's cart,

is different in every other way.

what do you think?

(Laughing) I'm very proud of the team,

I think it's great.

Does this work for you?

Works for me great.

It's also beautiful.

The carts wheels turn 90 degrees, so i can move sideways,

no more lifting up the rear in a tight spot.

And you shop in a totally different way.

the bags are hung on hooks,

on the carts frame,

remember there is no basket here.

At first, I was a little shocked,

but I think you have some fantastic ideas here.

It needs little refining but I think it's great,

I mean we would want them.

she also gave us some really good comments about how we could make this thing better.

A lot of hours also an open mind,

a boss who demands fresh ideas

be corky and clash with his,

a belief that chaos can be constructive and team work.

A great deal of team work.

And these are the recipe for our innovation takes place.

This is Jack Smith from nightlife Palo Alto, California.