Innovation & Vision

The Role of Vision in Design

At the staff and director level, designers don't just solve today's problems—they envision tomorrow's possibilities. Vision is about seeing what doesn't exist yet and making it real.

Vision vs Execution

Execution	Vision
Improve existing features	Imagine new categories
Optimize current metrics	Define new success measures
Solve known problems	Identify future opportunities
1-2 year roadmap	5-10 year vision

Visionary Product Examples

Example: iPhone (2007)

Context: Smartphones existed (BlackBerry, Palm) but were clunky

Steve Jobs' Vision: "An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator"

Revolutionary Decisions:

No physical keyboard: Everyone said it was crazy
Multi-touch screen: New interaction paradigm
App Store: Platform, not just device
Beautiful design: Premium materials, obsessive details

Impact: Created smartphone category, changed computing forever, $3T company

Lesson: Vision requires conviction to ignore conventional wisdom

Example: Figma's Browser-Based Vision

2012 Context: Design tools were native apps (Photoshop, Sketch)

Dylan Field's Vision: "Design tools should work like Google Docs—collaborative, in browser"

Challenges:

Everyone said browser was too slow
WebGL was immature
Designers loved native apps

Conviction: Spent 3 years building before public launch

Result: Became industry standard, $20B acquisition, proved vision right

Creating Vision

Vision Creation Process

Observe Trends: What's changing in technology, society, behavior?
Identify Gaps: What needs aren't being met?
Imagine Possibilities: What could exist in 5-10 years?
Define Point of View: What do you uniquely believe?
Create Artifacts: Videos, prototypes, narratives
Test and Refine: Get feedback, iterate
Build Coalition: Get others to believe

Example: Airbnb's "Belong Anywhere" Vision

Original: "Rent air mattresses in your apartment"

Evolved Vision: "Create a world where anyone can belong anywhere"

How They Got There:

Observed: People wanted authentic travel experiences, not hotels
Insight: Travel is about connection, not just accommodation
Vision: Platform for belonging, not just booking

Vision Artifacts:

Video showing hosts and guests forming friendships
Concept designs for "Experiences" (before it existed)
Narrative about creating global community

Impact: Vision guided every product decision, from design to features to brand

Innovation Frameworks

The Innovation Matrix

	Existing Markets	New Markets
Existing Technology	Incremental Innovation Improve current products Example: iPhone 14 → 15	Market Innovation Apply tech to new market Example: iPad (tablet market)
New Technology	Technological Innovation New tech, same market Example: Touch ID → Face ID	Radical Innovation New tech, new market Example: Apple Watch (wearables)

Example: Netflix's Evolution

1997: DVD by mail (incremental innovation on Blockbuster)

2007: Streaming (technological innovation—new tech, same market)

2013: Original content (market innovation—became studio)

2016: Global expansion (market innovation—190 countries)

Lesson: Continuous innovation across all quadrants

Moonshot Thinking

10x vs 10% Thinking

10% Improvement: Optimize existing solutions

10x Improvement: Rethink the problem entirely

Example: Making cars 10% more efficient vs inventing electric cars

Example: Google's Self-Driving Cars

10% Thinking: Improve GPS navigation, traffic alerts

10x Thinking: Eliminate human drivers entirely

Vision: "Reduce traffic deaths to zero, give people time back"

Approach:

Started with "impossible" goal
Built team of best engineers and designers
Invested billions over 10+ years
Accepted high failure risk

Status: Waymo now operates robotaxis in multiple cities

Moonshot Criteria

Huge Problem: Affects millions/billions of people
Radical Solution: 10x better, not 10%
Breakthrough Technology: Something recently became possible

Design Fiction & Speculative Design

What is Design Fiction?

Creating artifacts from imagined futures to explore possibilities and implications of new technologies or social changes.

Example: Microsoft's Productivity Future Vision

Concept: Annual videos showing future of work (5-10 years out)

2011 Video Showed:

Video calls on transparent screens
Real-time translation
Holographic collaboration
Gesture-based interfaces

Purpose:

Inspire internal teams
Guide R&D investments
Shape product roadmap
Recruit talent excited by vision

Result: Many concepts became real (Teams, HoloLens, Surface Hub)

Balancing Innovation and Execution

The Innovation Portfolio

70% Core: Improve existing products (safe bets)

20% Adjacent: Expand to related areas (moderate risk)

10% Transformational: Moonshots (high risk, high reward)

Example: Amazon's Innovation Approach

Core (70%):

Improve e-commerce experience
Faster delivery
Better recommendations

Adjacent (20%):

Amazon Prime (subscription)
Marketplace (third-party sellers)
Amazon Fresh (groceries)

Transformational (10%):

AWS (cloud computing—now $80B business)
Alexa (voice AI)
Amazon Go (cashierless stores)

Philosophy: "We're willing to be misunderstood for long periods"

Overcoming Innovation Barriers

Common Innovation Killers

"We've always done it this way": Status quo bias
"That's impossible": Limiting beliefs
"Too risky": Fear of failure
"Not invented here": Rejecting external ideas
"Let's wait and see": Analysis paralysis
"We tried that before": Past failure bias

Creating Innovation Culture

Psychological Safety: Safe to propose wild ideas
Time for Exploration: 20% time, hack weeks
Celebrate Failures: Learn from experiments
Diverse Perspectives: Different backgrounds spark ideas
Customer Obsession: Innovation serves user needs
Long-term Thinking: Willing to invest for future

Vision Communication

Vision Artifacts

Vision Video: Show the future (3-5 min)
Concept Prototypes: Make it tangible
Narrative: Tell the story (written doc)
Principles: Decision-making framework
Roadmap: Path from here to there

Example: Tesla's Master Plan

2006 - Elon Musk's Master Plan:

Build expensive sports car (Roadster)
Use that money to build affordable car (Model S)
Use that money to build even more affordable car (Model 3)
Provide solar power

Why It Worked:

Clear, simple vision
Logical progression
Publicly committed
Executed over 15 years

Result: Most valuable car company, accelerated sustainable transport

Emerging Technology & Design

Technologies Shaping Future Design

AI/ML: Personalization, automation, generative design
AR/VR: Spatial computing, immersive experiences
Voice: Conversational interfaces, ambient computing
IoT: Connected devices, smart environments
Blockchain: Decentralization, ownership, trust
5G: Real-time everything, edge computing

Example: Notion's AI Integration

Vision: "AI as collaborative partner, not just tool"

Design Approach:

AI embedded in workflow, not separate feature
Helps with writing, summarizing, brainstorming
Learns from your content and style
Transparent about what AI can/can't do

Impact: Differentiated from competitors, drove growth

Responsible Innovation

Ethical Considerations

Privacy: How is user data used?
Addiction: Are we designing for engagement or manipulation?
Accessibility: Who's excluded by our innovation?
Bias: What assumptions are we encoding?
Environmental Impact: Sustainability considerations
Social Impact: Unintended consequences

Example: Instagram's Well-Being Features

Problem: Research showed Instagram could harm mental health

Response: Designed features for healthier usage

Time spent dashboard
Daily usage reminders
Mute notifications
Hide like counts (tested)
Restrict bullying

Tension: Balancing business (engagement) with user well-being

Lesson: Innovation must consider long-term impact, not just growth

Leading Innovation

Staff/Director Innovation Role

Set Vision: Paint picture of future
Allocate Resources: Fund exploration
Protect Experimentation: Shield teams from pressure to ship
Connect Dots: See patterns across teams
Build Conviction: Get organization to believe
Measure Differently: Learning, not just shipping

Example: Spotify's Innovation Strategy

Structure:

Core Teams: Improve existing product (70%)
Innovation Teams: Explore new opportunities (20%)
R&D Lab: Far-future bets (10%)

Process:

Innovation teams get 6 months to validate idea
Success = learning, not shipping
Failed experiments celebrated
Successful ones become core teams

Results: Podcasts, Discover Weekly, Wrapped all came from innovation teams

The Future of Product Design

Trends Shaping Design's Future

AI Augmentation: Designers + AI create faster, better
No-Code Tools: More people can design
Spatial Computing: Design beyond screens
Ethical Design: Well-being over engagement
Inclusive Design: Designing for everyone by default
Sustainable Design: Environmental impact matters
Design as Strategy: Designers in C-suite

Staying Ahead

Continuous Learning: New tools, technologies, methods
Experiment: Try emerging technologies
Network: Learn from other industries
Question Assumptions: Challenge status quo
Think Long-term: 5-10 year perspective

📅 Evolution of Innovation in Design

Pre-2000: R&D Labs & Skunkworks

Example: Xerox PARC, Bell Labs

Innovation in isolated research labs
Long-term projects (5-10 years)
Huge budgets, minimal accountability
Inventions often not commercialized
Academic approach to innovation

Pre-2023: Lean Startup & Design Sprints

Example: Google X, IDEO innovation

Rapid prototyping and testing
5-day design sprints
Fail fast, learn quickly
Innovation teams within companies
Customer validation required

2023+: AI-Accelerated Innovation

Example: AI-generated concepts, rapid iteration

AI generates thousands of concepts instantly
Simulation replaces physical prototyping
Continuous innovation, not projects
Open innovation and crowdsourcing
Innovation democratized to all employees

Fun Fact

The Post-it Note was invented by accident and took 12 years to become a product! In 1968, Spencer Silver at 3M created a weak adhesive by mistake. Nobody wanted it. In 1974, Art Fry used it to bookmark his hymnal. 3M rejected it multiple times. Finally launched in 1980 after secretaries loved free samples. Now it's a $1B+ product line. Lesson: Innovation often comes from accidents, persistence, and finding unexpected use cases!

⚠️ When Theory Meets Reality: The Contradiction

Theory Says: Innovation requires vision, moonshot thinking, and big bets on the future

Reality: WhatsApp was built by 2 guys with no vision for innovation—they just wanted a better address book.

Example: WhatsApp's Accidental Innovation

Jan Koum wanted to update status next to contacts
No grand vision, no moonshot thinking
Accidentally created messaging when users started replying to statuses
Kept it simple: no ads, no gimmicks, just messaging
Result: $19B acquisition by Facebook, 2B+ users

Lesson: Not all innovation needs to be visionary. Sometimes solving a simple problem really well is enough. Incremental innovation can be as valuable as moonshots. Don't overthink it—build something useful.

📚 Resources & Further Reading

Books

Christensen, Clayton M. The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Harvard Business Review Press, 1997.
Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011.
Thiel, Peter. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. Crown Business, 2014.
Johnson, Steven. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. Riverhead Books, 2010.

Articles & Papers

Harvard Business Review. "Disruptive Innovation" by Clayton Christensen. https://hbr.org/
MIT Sloan. "Innovation Management." https://mitsloan.mit.edu/

Frameworks

Jobs-to-be-Done Theory
Disruptive Innovation Framework
Innovation Ambition Matrix