Szymon's Zettelkasten
Powered by 🌱Roam GardenPN: Innovation is about combining things
Keywords:: PermanentNote
Reference: https://jamesclear.com/first-principles#
Innovation tends to be associated with some magical ability to come up with something completely new. In reality, many inventions are about combining existing things from seemingly unrelated fields.
Gutenberg's printing press was a result of combining the winepress with the coin punch. The microscope was a result of combining a lens with a tube. The locomotive was a result of combining the steam engine with the carriage. And many more...
There are two concepts that will help you create new things in a similar manner. First principles thinking and optimizing for function.
First principles thinking is about breaking things down into their smallest components – things we are absolutely sure of – and reasoning with them. First principles are the ingredients of your potential idea.
Optimizing for function rather than form is about focusing on what the thing needs to accomplish rather than how. When envisioning the future people tend to focus on the form too much. 50 years ago we thought that today we would have flying cars. We have them - they are called planes.
It's related to The product OKRs where you tell people what to do (i.e. outcomes) instead of how to do it (i.e. outputs). This way you enable flexibility in the execution which ensures original solutions.
In sum, your goal as an innovator is to think of an outcome you want to achieve; break down things from unrelated fields and take the parts and combine them to achieve a particular function.
Example:
Relevant notes:
PN: Environment for idea generation: New ideas need spare parts that can trigger new connections. First principles can help you to get those spare parts.
PN: Problems stay, solutions (products) change: Innovation is driven by people's problems and technology. Product managers are the ones who are combining what is currently possible in terms of technology with what is desired by the users.
PN: Most new ideas are incomplete: innovations need other ideas to make baby ideas.
Referenced in
PN: What is the adjacent possible
One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the nature of new ideas. Ideas don't appear out of thin air. They need existing parts to be built from. Each new idea is a new combination produced from what is currently possible. The great thing about it is that whenever a new idea springs up, what is currently possible expands as well.