Tag: innovation

creativity

Wonder: Finding inspiration in healthcare technology

Christa Avampato

“Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.” ~Sir William Osler

I spent a good part of the weekend delving into the most recent healthcare technology innovations. A number of publications released their lists of promising new possibilities, and I was astounded by what’s on the horizon.

In a time when there is so much negativity and heartbreak around the world, this reading lifted me up. Nanobots in the blood to fight disease, mind transfer, smart hospitals (akin to smart homes), simulators for surgical training, the simulation of disease outcomes, DNA transfer, the increased appreciation and value of mindfulness, and augmenting human capabilities with sensing prosthetics. The list goes on, and it sent my mind spiraling upward.

It was also a reminder that no matter how bleak the world may seem, the desire for all of us to live healthier, happier lives drives an incredible amount of creativity. The power of creativity and the role of imagination in building a better world is always something we can count on.

creativity

Wonder: Project Rubeus and the beauty of small solutions

Christa Avampato

small_better_small“The problem with history is that it usually doesn’t go back far enough.” ~Reverend James Forbes

We have a lot of great big problems in this world. Sometimes I think they’re getting bigger, more numerous, and more complex because we think that all big problems need big solutions. Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to find the smallest solutions possible, solutions that are simple, easy, elegant, and inexpensive.

Project Rubeus is a perfect example of this. I’m trying to solve the problem students face having to sift so much history to make sense of the world around them. And because time waits for no one and history is being made every day, this problem will only get more complex with each passing day.

I could develop an enormous, expensive solution that boils the ocean in search of the most distal shreds that build a cohesive story with multiple perspectives. I want to focus on finding the smallest slice of a solution that works, and then go from there. Step by step, piece by piece, word by word. That’s how all great travels start, how all great works of art get made, and how all great books get written.

Just focus on the next and smallest step, see what you find there, and proceed with love. That is enough.

creativity

This just in: Innovation Station takes another small step forward

Christa Avampato
Innovation Station
Innovation Station

This weekend, I had the great privilege to work with a team on Innovation Station, a design for a new middle school design that marries storytelling and the product development process to teach core subjects and career-based skills.

The startup competition was sponsored by 4.0 schools and CityBridge Foundation in Washington D.C. I had the seed of this idea in 2007 and I’ve left it untouched in a file on my computer for many years. It was really an honor to be able to devote a weekend to it with a talented group of people, and see what we could craft together.

Though my team didn’t win, the experience was invaluable and I met a number of wonderful and passionate people who care as much about education as I do. And it’s got the wheels turning in my head. Maybe this is a new beginning…

creativity

This just in: Don’t let innovation be the enemy of improvement

Christa Avampato
Photo by Elisabetta Foco
Photo by Elisabetta Foco

In the push for wild ideas that get public attention, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. What companies and products need to focus on is improvement, not innovation.

The iPod was a better looking mp3 player that could be personalized. Virgin America didn’t do anything beyond providing stellar service to customers who were used to an industry that treated them badly. Starbucks decided to serve strong coffee prepared to order and gave customers a comfy chair in its cafes to enjoy it. Those aren’t mind-blowing ideas. They’re elegant improvements in industries that badly needed any improvement at all.

So don’t chase far out innovations. Most of that is just a flash in the pan that gets a lot of buzz for a short period of time and then dies a quick and meaningless death. What you want is a steady hum of improvement that inches up a step at a time. And those steps will add up not only to a staircase of innovation, but a meaningful long-lasting impact that makes the world a better place.