“Innovate or die” is the contemporary moto for companies around the world. Remember when Nokia mobile phones were all the rage? For over a decade, Nokia was the biggest manufacturer for mobile phones in the world, but it eventually started to decline and was left behind in the race for innovation in telecommunications.
The world is changing, and technology seems to keep pushing our social and cultural boundaries, changing the way we interact with one another and the way our own brain works in the way we communicate with ourselves. Another massive change technology has promoted is the way we consume; we’ve become seriously demanding customers – which is absolutely amazing but also gives companies one hell of a challenge.
Being innovative has never been so important, and it has also never been so hard. Innovation isn’t only seen anymore as the creation of new technology, products or services; to be truly innovative today, a company needs to know their customers intimately to provide solutions to their needs.
At Echos, we believe that the road to innovation has some shortcuts and that you can get to them if you use simple tools, such as Design Thinking tools. That’s not all, though. There are even simpler tools that can be used in everyday tasks that can help you with coming up with solutions to your daily challenges.
Innovation, Design Thinking & Post-It Notes: How Do They All Relate?
As a mindset, Design Thinking gives structure to the creative process. In one of the steps, brainstorm meetings happen like this: the team is encouraged to come up with as many ideas as possible, the only rule is that people write down one idea per post-it note.
“Why is that?” you may wonder. After all the ideas are written down, the post-it notes allow magic to happen in the step of clustering ideas together. Not only the colourful little squares create a great visual for the ideas, but they also make it easier to connect ideas that are similar, complementary, in the same category. This practice allows ideas to become stronger and things that may have seemed silly start to make sense.
In other words, the colourful symmetric paper is a fun way to keep your thoughts organised.
Cool. How Else Can Post-It Notes Be Useful, Then?
You can use post-it notes to help you with daily tasks. Seriously, it’s a simple thing that makes all the difference.
- You can glue post-it notes to your computer while you work. This is an “oldie but goodie” way of not letting anything slip off your to-do list. On top of that, starring at these post-its throughout the day will help you memorise things you shouldn’t forget.
- Put post-its up around your house. This one may sound crazy, but post-it notes at home are also a great way not to forget to do daily chores, such as paying bills. You can also use them to leave loved ones nice notes that will make them smile (even if you’re reminding them of doing their chores).
- Use post-it notes in your diary. By writing things down in a post-it note instead of directly on your diary, you will have the freedom of swapping things around a lot easier if plans change.
- Use post-it notes as bookmarks. An easy way to mark the last page you read in a book and to make notes as you go.
- Use them because they are fun. A little colour never killed anyone and in a world full of dull processes, introducing a little fun to your daily routine will inspire your creativity while helping you keep on top of everything you need to do.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, post-it notes are fully recyclable.
*This article was translated, adapted and edited by Rani Ghazzaoui Luke.
—
Follow us on social: Instagram – Facebook – LinkedIn
If you’d like to start an innovation journey in your company, you can check out our in-house course offering as well as download for free our Design Thinking toolkit by clicking here.
If you’d like to see what are the upcoming courses in your region, visit our website.
If you have a special project and would like to use Echos’ consultancy services, you can send us an email.
