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在过去10年间,在Google之外,有一个名字,它捕捉到了商业世界的无穷想象力,它引发了全球大大小小的创新公司宗教般的崇拜和追随,它被人们不断传诵,它的传奇故事,它的工作方法,它的创新理念,甚至,它的工作团队成员------对许多巨头而言,它只是一个拥有350个员工的小公司,因为它在2003年只有6200万美元的收入,然而正是这些巨头们,给它带来了这些收入------对于许多人而言,它已经成为一个传奇,它叫Ideo.
Ideo的两位创始人,一位在上个世纪80年代为苹果电脑设计了第一款鼠标,而另一位,也在同一年(1982)设计了世界上第一台笔记本电脑,于是在1991新公司成立之后的10多年里,这家神奇的设计公司与消费类电子业结下了不解之缘,乃至整个网络繁荣后90年代,它35%的精力都投注在网络设计服务行当中,当它在2002年时达到顶峰后它开始随网络泡沫一起衰退,但很快,它的掌门人指引着这支生力军转型为一家专业的注重实践/提供专家式服务的商业顾问公司.
上个月的商业周刊为我们介绍了这家神奇的公司,称之为设计的力量,而这种设计以及其力量来源的本身,只有一个词:体验.IDEO正在已自己的服务理念改变着整个商业世界的营销方法,它真正从人---消费者的角度去换位思考(Bodystorming),寻求创新,从而更好地服务公司雇主获得成功,对此,商业周刊如此评价:

在教导全球公司如何变革把关注点转移到消费者身上的同时,IDEO自身已超出了设计公司范畴.事实上,它如今已成为传统的公司智囊团---McKinsey、Boston Consulting、Bain---之类的咨询顾问公司的竞争对手.管理顾问们趋向以商学院(B-School)的视角来考虑商业世界,而与此鲜明对照的是,IDEO帮助客户们如何从人类学家、图形设计师、工程师和心理学家的角度来揣摩消费者的世界.
IDEO的团队成员身份极其多样,个个博学多才,他们具备创新意识,他们拥有战略头脑,他们崇尚时尚生活,他们喜欢玩乐,喜欢骑自行车穿越阿尔卑斯山,喜欢在亚马逊河旁享受捕鸟,而且,最重要的是,他们工作热心,并且工作效率高:对于公司的每一个客户,IDEO的成员都能与其迅速组成项目团队进入工作状态,他们与客户一起参与对消费者的研究/分析/总结,一起进行整个决策过程,IDEO甚至开设整个设计教导计划---IDEO U---与客户们一起经历整个创造过程,这样到最后,他们的客户已经知道该去做什么并且如何去做去完成目标.


对此,IDEO的创始人David Kelley认为,IDEO永远都处于"实验状态",无论是在项目中、工作空间中、甚至在企业文化中,"我们无时不刻都在尝试新思想",对IDEO Guys而言,"工作就是娱乐,集体讨论就是科学,而最重要的规则就是打破规则",而自始至终最重要的是,IDEO"创造(并展现)了创造的过程本身".
IDEO的客户回忆道,通常咨询顾问公司进驻客户公司,往往会引起公司员工的恐慌和厌恶,他们在留驻一段时间后,然后撤离,最后在客户老板的办公桌上 放上厚厚的一叠装订好的报告---这是许多外协公司的做法,不单在咨询顾问领域---而"与IDEO合作时,我们是工作伙伴,大家齐心协力并肩作战,我们吸取/消化他们的工作方法,从而建立我们自己的创新".
这正是IDEO成功的奥秘所在,对许多公司甚至国际顶级大公司而言,IDEO的思考角度和行事方式异常地新鲜甚至古怪,这对于很多传统保守的公司而言,是难以接受的;但IDEO把自己的工作理念融入到与客户合作的项目中去,倡导一种和谐的气氛,在合作的过程中,IDEO与客户一起分享了工作方法乃至企业精神,在一个更高的层次上去完成项目---正因为此,许多大公司包括P&G都派人去考察学习.
曾经不止一次听过诸如"我们与客户一同成长"的口号,可是,能够真正做到并贯彻执行以至产生实际效果的公司,又有多少呢?IDEO算是其中少数的一个,它的客户们学习IDEO的思考方法,尝试IDEO的新奇工作方式,从而去取得创新赢得成长.
也许正因为如此,商业周刊评论道,"IDEO的客户不是喜爱而是真正热爱这家公司".
以下是IDEO的工作方式,记录下来,各有所用:

The IDEO ways:

1. OBSERVATION >>
IDEO’s cognitive psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists team up with corporate clients to understand the consumer experience. Some of IDEO’s techniques:
•Shadowing Observing people using products, shopping, going to hospitals, taking the train, using their cells phones.
•Behavioral Mapping Photographing people within a space, such as a hospital waiting room, over two or three days.
•Consumer Journey Keeping track of all the interactions a consumer has with a product, service, or space.
•Camera Journals Asking consumers to keep visual diaries of their activities and impressions relating to a product.
•Extreme User Interviews Talking to people who really know—or know nothing—about a product or service, and evaluating their experience using it.
•Storytelling Prompting people to tell personal stories about their consumer experiences.
•Unfocus Groups Interviewing a diverse group of people: To explore ideas about sandals, IDEO gathered an artist, a bodybuilder, a podiatrist, and a shoe fetishist.

2. BRAINSTORMING >>
An intense, idea-generating session analyzing data gathered by observing people. Each lasts no more than an hour. Rules of brainstorming are strict and are stenciled on the walls:
•Defer judgment Don’t dismiss any ideas.
•Build on the ideas of others No “buts,” only “ands.”
•Encourage wild ideas Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions because they can be the key to solutions.
•Go for quantity Aim for as many new ideas as possible. In a good session, up to 100 ideas are generated in 60 minutes.
•Be visual Use yellow, red, and blue markers to write on huge 30-inch by 25-inch huge Post-its that are put on a wall.
•Stay focused on the topic Always keep the discussion on target.
•One conversation at a time No interrupting, no dismissing, no disrepect, no rudeness.

3. RAPID PROTOTYPING >>
Mocking up working models helps everyone visualize possible solutions and speeds up decision-making and innovation. Some guidelines:
•Mock Up Everything It is possible to create models not only of products but also of services such as health care and spaces such as museum lobbies.
•Use Videography Make short movies to depict the consumer experience.
•Go Fast Build mock-ups quickly and cheaply. Never waste time on complicated concepts.
•No Frills Make prototypes that demonstrate a design idea without sweating over the details.
•Create Scenarios Show how a variety of people use a service in different ways and how various designs can meet their individual needs.
•Bodystorm Delineate different types of consumers and act out their roles.

4. REFINING >>
At this stage, IDEO narrows down the choices to a few possibilities. Here’s how it’s done:
•Brainstorm in rapid fashion to weed out ideas and focus on the remaining best options.
•Focus prototyping on a few key ideas to arrive at an optimal solution to a problem.
•Engage the client actively in the process of narrowing the choices.
•Be disciplined and ruthless in making selections. Focus on the outcome of the process—reaching the best possible solution.
•Get agreement from all stakeholders. The more top-level executives who sign off on the solution, the better the chances of success.

5. IMPLEMENTATION >>
Bring IDEO’s strong engineering, design, and social-science capabilities to bear when actually creating a product or service.
•Tap all resources Involve IDEO’s diverse workforce from 40 countries to carry out the plans.
•The Workforce Employees have advanced degrees in different kinds of engineering: mechanical, electrical, biomedical, software, aerospace, and manufacturing. Many are experts in materials science, computer-aided design, robotics, computer science, movie special effects, molding, industrial interaction, graphic and Web information, fashion and automotive design, business, communications, linguistics, sociology, ergonomics, cognitive psychology, biomechanics, art therapy, ethnology, management consulting, statistics, medicine, and zoology.
Much of their success can be contributed to their consumer focus at the beginning stages of their process.
还有悬挂在公司墙上IDEO集体讨论的五大原则：
1、切中主题
2、鼓励奇思异想
3、不妄下结论
4、取长补短
5、每次一个议题