ENTR390 Blog

Part 1: Everything is a Remix In this short series, the narrator explains that every "big" idea is somewhat a "remix" on another idea. The video starts by pointing out that Thomas Jefferson, didn't actually invent the light bulb like is perceived, but instead invented a market for the light bulb, and innovation around that market like measuring electricity usage, and lightbulb filament material. Mainly, the video focuses on the Macintosh Personal computer, which when released wasn't anything new, but instead created somewhat of a "remix" on the current standard in personal computing (Xerox), and made the price affordable for anyone. The trade-offs described in the video involved the affordability vs convenience. In Apple's specific case, the macintosh was more affordable and catered to the everyday individual. Ford Automation: Ford is currently in a position in which it sees the competition working on new and innovative ideas in the ...

Brainstorming session: As I sat in the lobby of the Duderstadt Center, I slowly notice the lunch-time rush created at Mujo's Cafe. One by One student line up, and wait for their turn to purchase or get an item from the baristas. This process was slow, and inefficient, after about 15 minutes into the rush, the line had extended far past my field of vision. Immediately, I thought of an easier way to implement a system in which both the students and the university profit. Since the students Mcards are linked directly to their accounts (and every student has an Mcard), if you could track a few non-custom items at Mujo's, you could easily create a Mcard swiping system that allows the students to pay instantly, and be on their way.  With a photon, this could, in fact, become a reality. I'm excited to explore this idea, or another related to this in the future.  Below are some concept drawings of the idea:

Dominate Design: 1. Music playback - One of the most important luxuries in today's world, the ability to replay music instantly anywhere you are. 2. Reusable/Recyclable Mugs/Coffee Cups - Millions are used and reused every day. With material properties that can stand the rigors of our hot and cold drinks 3. Apple/ Android User Interface - Billions of devices around the world use these two interfaces to connect with the world around them, in an intuitive manner. Before Dominant Designs: 1. Everyone remembers cd players and their immense size. Not only were these inconvenient but all the activities we now do with music would have been impossible without the small and compact size of today's music players. 2. Imagine carrying around a glass mug around and handing it to the barista to fill your coffee. This inconvenience led to the use of reusable and now recyclable products we take for granted every day. 3. Remember the screen on your old flip phone? Where customizat...

Design Challenge: Most computer displays have a power save mode. Typically, a person can enter that mode through some manual action (e.g., a menu selection), or the system may do this automatically after a predetermined amount of time. The computer then 'wakes up' when a person moves the mouse. The problem is that if the time-out period is long, screens stay on unnecessarily even when a person is away. While people can switch it off manually, they often don't bother. Sketch alternate approaches to this strategy using the 10 plus 10 approach (detailed below). Create 10 different ideas for solutions to the problem, and then choose one or two and create 10 variations of that idea and/or refinements of that idea. First 10 designs: 10 Plus 10:

 iPod Introduction Reflection: Steve Jobs career spanned many revolutionary products, but one which Apple, and him are most known for is the iPod. In his iPod introduction video, Jobs starts with the identification of the target market, and identifies current market leaders. He alludes the audience to the downsides and characteristics of the three choices in the current music playback technology, but yet doesn't immediately introduce the iPod. Instead, Steve Jobs slowly unveils aspects of the new iPod, and finally at the end introduces the new product. This way of presenting was intriguing to me, not only did Jobs never fully introduce the product, but instead slowly revealed new and interesting aspects of it, one at a time. This way of presenting hooks the audience, and immediately holds their attention till the end of the presentation. Scalable Innovation Prologue/Forward: This was quite an interesting read for me. Going to the University of Michigan, I see inno...