“Innovation” can often seem like an intimidating or obscure concept, but it can be found in both the small and large moments of everyday life and work!

One of the ways I innovate is by bringing together diverse people from different industries, fields, and walks of life to combine their expertise and perspectives. This approach leads to compelling discussions and helps solve complex issues!

I’ve implemented various strategies through DEI programs and initiatives, fostering my own community around beauty and relationships, and my hiring practices at past jobs to build diverse and creative teams.

It definitely requires a bit of patience, curiosity, and utilizing multiple resources to find the best people and talent, but the resulting work and conversations are incredibly impactful. That’s how I innovate! How do you??? 

Innovation is about challenging the status quo and continuously seeking better ways to achieve our goals. It's about embracing new technologies, thinking outside the box, and not being afraid to experiment and learn from failures. Whether it's in the professional sphere or personal life, innovation is the key to staying ahead and making a meaningful impact.

On the professional side, when I was at HBO, we built an accelerometer into a boxing glove to test the force and speed of a punch, and bring more story to the viewing of HBO Boxing outside of a guy counting punches at the side of the ring. My personal innovation on the NYC subway system in the summer is to strap a cold pack under your clothes while commuting. I call it a PAU, personal air-conditioning unit.

IN-KNOW-VAY-SHUN: Is saying the same thing but in different ways that resonate with the culture it is trying to grow or solve the problem for.  We - User researchers, product designers, engineers, product managers are trying to solve and make a better place. 

ART SAVES LIVES - PEACE ON EARTH - LOVE THE ONE YOU ARE WITH 

Finding new avenues for value creation without falling into the trap of creating entirely new values. All the while ensuring a culture, that is open to adapt to change. Transparency is a huge part of how I see innovation with the customer’s perceptions in mind. And it starts within your team before it reaches the customer. More about the “us” then the “we”. How adaptability can lead to entertaining the education of progress for us.

Hi @usmannaeem 

I really liked your insightful take on innovation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 

@Caroline Giegerich 

Personal air-conditioning unit! That’s funny! (Don’t your clothes get wet?) Either way, these takes on innovation made me smile today. :)

Innovation is about finding new ways to generate business revenue - and this in turn comes from identifying unmet human needs. The Design Thinking process is how I innovate - researching user needs, analysing business strengths and looking for the intersection of these two - which is where value lies. Innovation means finding new recipes for the Desirable / Viable / Feasible formula that underlies successful products and services. Understand > Define > Design > Test… using Miro for collaboration all the way through of course! :-)

“Identifying unmet user needs”-- that alone can unlock so much potential and innovation @JazUXNZ! Thank you for sharing!

Innovation is about transforming challenges into opportunities.

Well said Anna! Simple and direct! Just curious do you have any challenges you’ve faced recently that you were able to transform into an opportunity that you’d be willing to share?

For my in essence, innovation is about introducing new ideas, products, or processes that add value and bring about positive change. In the context of urban mobility that is the sector that I work, it translates into solutions that improve the quality of life for citizens, optimize resource use, and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Examples: integration of product and services into the App, incorporation of new features such as bikes, motorcycles, car sharing in the app, integration of loyalty plans, knowledge of users profiles, etc.

Hello Miro Community!

Innovation, to me, is fundamentally about fostering an environment where flexibility, adaptability, and interconnectivity are at the forefront of organizational practices. As an Agile Coach, I see innovation not just as the adoption of new tools, but as a mindset shift that embraces continuous improvement and collaboration across all levels of a product organization.

Recently, we've started using Miro to completely transform our approach to product backlogs and roadmaps. ️ By visualizing these elements, we’ve made our planning processes more dynamic and transparent. This allows every team member to see how their work connects to larger organizational goals, boosting alignment and motivation. 

Additionally, using Miro to map out dependencies between teams has ignited a new level of strategic collaboration, crucial for tackling complex projects that span multiple product teams. This practice not only improves our workflow efficiency but also enriches our collective strategic insight, making our development processes not just faster, but smarter.

These innovations are more than just improvements; they're about creating a culture that anticipates change and embraces it with open arms. I’m eager to hear how others are using innovation to enhance their organizational and personal lives.

Innovation is about redefining what's possible. When we innovate, we don't just solve issues, we envision new worlds and light the path that gets us there. Staying one step ahead of industry requires us to anticipating tomorrow's challenges or our Clients future desires today. To have breakthrough process and tech designs that leap us forward we require tools that help others see our vision. Miro helps us tap into uncharted territory during creative ideation sessions, supports the organization of ideas, and ultimately helps us visualize and influence our innovative ideas.

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In my work, innovation involves introducing new ideas, workflows, methodologies, services, or products that significantly improve or transform an organization’s operations. It’s about developing and implementing novel solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business outcomes. Innovation isn’t just about creating something new; it’s also about optimizing existing processes, encouraging creative problem-solving, and fostering a culture that supports continuous improvement and adaptability. 

From my experience, critical aspects of workplace innovation include creativity and ideation, collaboration and teamwork, technology and tools, process improvement, a customer-centric approach, and adaptability and flexibility. However, the role of leadership and vision in driving these aspects cannot be overstated. Encouraging employees to question, think outside the box, and propose ideas is crucial. I believe in creating environments that stimulate creative thinking, such as brainstorming sessions, innovation labs, and cross-functional workshops. Promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration helps leverage diverse perspectives and expertise while open communication and teamwork build a collective approach towards innovation. In one role, this led to the launch of over 40 digital features that enhanced application usability and access, resulting in a 30% increase in customer engagement and a 59% growth in active users in one year.

Building a culture that embraces change and encourages experimentation and learning from failures is essential. Staying nimble and responsive to changes, technological advancements, and emerging opportunities is something I strive for. Developing scalable and sustainable solutions that can grow with the organization and adapt to future needs is another critical aspect. Creating frameworks and processes that ensure long-term viability and continuous improvement is part of my approach.

Hello Community!

I am really loving all the valuable contributions! It helps us all get better at our jobs 

From my experience, Innovation is all about teamwork and a deep understanding of user needs. Often, the most groundbreaking solutions emerge from seemingly insignificant details shared by our users. In my line of work, staying flexible and constantly iterating on our products is key to unlocking innovative solutions. 

As a business coach and leadership trainer, I use Miro to co-create with my clients. The co-creation already takes place before getting the purchase order. I listen to my client, "paint the picture” in Miro, brainstorm on possible approaches and at the end of the meeting(s) we've co-created the way we will deal with their challenges. Making the final offer is now a piece of cake, because I allready have the buy in from the client.

For me, this is completely different from how I did it before Miro. Also the success rate of my quotations has improved considerably. 

Another example is collaboration accross the world and time zones. By getting everone on the same board, we can add our part to the project at the time that suits us best. Using Zoom for synchronous and Miro for a-synchronous collaboration, is a real game changer. 

For me it's becoming hard to imagine work without Miro!

I believe innovation comes from change, measurable improvement, and impact. It’s an approach.

Although small things can be innovated, like going from the classic to-do list to a kanban board to unlock process views and roadblocks, it’s the impact the innovation generates that often makes us go “wow!”. That impact is the contrast between “before” and “after” the innovation. Did that kanban board help a team collaborate x% more effectively? Did it help reveal roadblocks that otherwise went unnoticed? Did it eliminate task-list frustration thanks to a progress visualization?

I don’t tell my clients that I work to innovate. I much prefer that they tell me whether something we’ve done has brought innovation to them as a consequence  Every time you tackle a project, aim at results through a dose of change, a method to measure improvement, and your heart set on the biggest impact you can achieve for (and with) that client or project.

Very true TVKarina! It doesn’t matter that it’s apparently insignificant to others, if it’s a change that has lots of positive impact it will be perceived as an innovative leap forward! Actually, especially because it was “insignificant” it will also have a bit of a surprise wow effect once the results are seen!

I love this, because that diverse team will also get together and unlock even more innovation by tackling challenges with their varied perspectives. Ripple-effect innovation 

Exactly! You get it-- Thank you :)

Innovation - doing something for the very first time
 

I've always used this simple definition while working across different sectors, companies, and with various audiences. And guess what? Everyone understands it and can relate.

One situation stands out to me. I was helping a team build an innovation pipeline for a new program. We had to assess projects based on their content quality, past projects, and the reliability of partners, all under the innovation umbrella.

To define innovation, we asked questions like, "Have we done this before? Have we worked with these partners before? Have we explored this area before?" These questions made our work much easier and more effective, avoiding the confusion of different definitions. It was very straightforward.

Innovation is about doing something for the first time, even if others have done it before or similar things exist. We always add our unique touch, making it something new.

Innovation is continuous improvement (Kaizen). Here in Brazil I had a case of a client who had a productivity problem and there I was able to show how improvement can go further using creativity. Even innovation is not just about technology. Watch the video to see the difference between innovating in technique (1 and 2) and innovating with technology (3). Innovation brings a new product or process to a new level that was previously established, regardless of the context, it will always be an improvement.

To me innovation is change for the better.  I especially enoy it when it involves a pardiagm shift and/or unlocks potential in teams beyond the orignial scope. 

Helping people see their worth

My place of work is going through large scale restructuring, a complete change to the ways of working – loosely Waterfall to Agile. At the same time, from the highest levels, we now have mandated cost reductions - that always seems to only mean a severe haircut to the headcount. The job market here in New Zealand is being suddenly flooded by those without work. 

Fast paced change? It feels more like a chaotic everything everywhere, and all at once! Needless to say, people are worried.

It’s hard to be innovative when it feels like nothing is stable and the sands could swallow you at any point. Not knowing if I am safe or not, I have chosen to focus on what I can do in my circle of control, to help my colleagues I see struggling.

I’m leveraging Miro to collaborate and conduct visual workshops to help my team see how their existing skillsets from the Waterfall structure can be effectively translated to Agile roles, while simultaneously helping them see their transferable skills.

My hope is by reducing the cognitive load and reducing the stress of the unknown, they can shift their focus to their circle of control - obtain new skills and backing themselves by highlighting the existing value they bring to the table.

I want to create an anchor point to hold on to- people being able to see we all remain valuable assets- in this new structure or to other potential employers.

Someone had to use Miro to reply 

Many view innovation solely through the lens of creativity. But without implementation and market adoption, something new is just a concept. Worse, if it's not new, it's just an imitation.

At Odepar, my consulting practice aims to help entrepreneurs bring their innovative ideas to market, especially those that can have a positive impact on society. 

It's not always obvious. Before consulting, I worked at iZettle (now Zettle by PayPal). At first glance, marketing a financial service to small business owners may not seem impactful. But one of my first tasks was to launch the product in Mexico and Brazil. As I reviewed customer interviews, I realized that for some, accepting card payments was life-changing. 

It can be difficult (as in the current AI debate) to predict the impact of a new, widely adopted product or service. While the flowchart above oversimplifies what innovation really is, it serves as a useful mental model when I meet with startup founders.