Innovation at Google

Last week at CQon London 2011, one of the day’s opening session was Patrick Copeland from Google, talking about the way they innovate. Thoughts that speaker was trying to get across:

• Idea is only 1% of the successful innovation, 99% is constant repetition of try and fail cycle. Thomas Edison as an example of the cycle that lead to invention of a light bulb.
• Every idea can be a winner or a loser. Twitter was never suppose to catch up and Windows CE was suppose to be the greatest mobile platform.
• Surround yourself with innovators, not thinkers. Look for track record of innovation in portfolio/cv.  Innovators beat ideas.
• Build fast, build the THING, and don’t worry about the RIGHT way of building it. Just get it out. Iterate fast. Dare to fail.
• Create Pretotypes. Google’s Android application design kit contains a paper clip and a pencil. Draw your idea, application on a piece of paper. Put it into pocket and try to use it like a real thing.
• More time you spend on the idea without releasing it, the more in love you’ll be with it. Therefore less likely to dump it.
• Data is apolitical and factual. Use data not opinion to decide upon idea, if it’s worth doing, if the prototype/prototype/beta is getting more popular, etc.

Are you feeling like innovating something now? Go and do it 🙂