Innovation in a Single Day, the Average

Innovation In a single day, the average person comes into contact with a range of services, products, and processes that can be categorized as forms of innovation. Furthermore, most of these innovations will differ in degree, some being radical innovations and others being merely incremental; some sustaining, others breakout, and still others viewed as disruptive innovations.

This paper will analyze the different examples of innovation with which I come into contact on a daily basis, show how they are innovative, what generic lessons can be derived from them, and under what form of innovation they would be categorized. The water purifier is a perfect form of process innovation that is often applied to product innovation: for example, it may be found within the mechanism of the refrigerator, attached to the kitchen faucet, or even inside a portable water bottle.

All three provide purified water and illustrate how process innovation can be adapted and applied to enable product innovation. Another form of process innovation is the pre-packaged frozen dinner kit. Helpful for the person always on the go, the frozen dinner kit allows one to prepare and enjoy a full meal in a matter of minutes. The frozen dinner is a lesson in processing basic human needs in a quick, easy and affordable manner. Starbucks always plays a part in my day and is an example of service innovation.

Starbucks provides the ultimate coffee experience by combining the bean with a cool, relaxing atmosphere in which I can work online and stimulate my mind. While at Starbucks, it is easy to notice another example of innovation: the laptop -- which could be classified under product innovation. The laptop allows one to take his desktop computer with him anywhere. It is a product that radically reshaped the way we compute.

Just as the dinner kit allows us to eat on the go, the laptop allows us to compute on the go. Much of modern culture, in fact, is based on this on-the-go innovation. Skype is just one more example. Skype applies the principles of the telephone to Internet communications, allowing people on different sides of the world to communicate instantly and virtually face-to-face. This is an example of service innovation: Skype has allowed people to communicate in a fast, free, easy way thanks to utilization of the Internet.

The smart phone may be categorized as another service innovation (or even as a product innovation). In one sense, it has changed the way we access the Internet, navigate from place to place, and entertain ourselves. In another sense, it has changed the way phones are engineered. The smart phone is the next step in phone technology, leaving cell phones of ten years ago far behind in terms of practical capabilities.

The smart phone allows people to connect with friends through social media, read, play games, watch movies, take pictures, browse the Internet, and more. Another product innovation can be found the car I drive. Bluetooth technology allows me to place a call using nothing but my voice and is another example of on-the-go innovation. OnStar is a similar innovation, providing services such as automatic crash response and roadside assistance. This could be categorized as service innovation. The GPS system is another service innovation, helping to make travel easier.

One need only enter a destination and follow directions. GPS has nearly made maps a thing of the past. While driving I can listen to my iPod, which is another example of product innovation. From records to cassettes to digitized music, sound recordings have seen one innovation after another, the iPod being the latest.

The iPod allows me to carry my entire music collection with me wherever I go and has changed the way we listen to music -- just like the Nintendo Wii has changed the way we play video games. The Wii is also an example of product innovation, encouraging gamers to physically interact with the game rather than to sit and play using thumbs on a controller. Smart boards at work have replaced the traditional chalk board and may be understood as a kind of product innovation.

It acts as an electronic whiteboard and is equipped with laser tracking and is touch sensitive. It helps teachers take their lesson plans to the next level and interact with their students in a flashier way. When I come home I can catch up on shows I might have missed using my DVR, which has replaced the old method of videotaping shows using a VCR.

The DVR allows me to access my show at any time without having to worry whether or not there are any blank VHS tapes in the house. All of these innovations can be categorized as.