Accidental Creative Blog

Usability Fail

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:51:09 +0000

Anyone know what the photo on the left is? It's probably indicative of several transactions you have each day and, although you've maybe never thought about it, I'll bet you've had this same thought on more than one occasion. When receiving change at a counter, why is it that cashiers hand you (1) the bills, with (2) the receipt layered on and (3) the change on top?

What happens next? You have to lay down your food, put the change in your pocket, get out your wallet or purse, put the bills in your wallet or purse, fold over your receipt and put it in your pocket then pick up your food (which by now is cold) and walk away. The items the cashier is giving to you - while all there - are in a completely useless and random order and in such form that you have to disassemble them in order to put them where they belong.

The heart of it is this: the cashier is trying to push through dozens of transactions per hour and isn't thinking about what's best for you. Instead, the cashier is just trying to get through this transaction and move on to the next one. The cashier is giving you change in a way that makes sense for his/her situation, not for yours.

It's something to consider when we are crafting our messages, creating products and making art. If we want to create art for ourselves on our own time, great. But the moment there is a customer/client involved, it's no longer about our needs and instead must center in on the their needs. I've been processing this a lot lately, and specifically thinking about ways in which I project my preferences onto others. It's a worthwhile thing to consider for anyone who has to create things for other people.

15 Minute Breakthroughs

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Organizations are wired for efficiency. If they can’t prove a 1:1 cause-and-effect between an activity and its result, then it can be difficult to make a case for its existence. But many of the things that provide the greatest results are activities that seem inefficient in the short-term but are incredibly effective over the long-term. They are the practices that increase mental space and allow connections to form. They are the disciplined, focused times of idea generation that often yield nothing but occasionally yield business-changing thoughts.

But if these practices can yield such great results, why don’t more of us build them into our life? One reason is because we fall prey to the efficiency race as well. We want to feel productive, and sometimes the best way to feel like we’re getting something done is to push paper around or reply to emails instead of doing things that generate less predictable results like purposefully generating new ideas, organizing our life/work or spending time with people who creatively stimulate us.

We each have activities in our life that fall under the “incredibly unpredictable but potentially life changing” category. It’s important to remember that - while they might not be as predictably efficient as the other activities - these activities are the cornerstone of our long-term creative engagement.

Resolved

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:40:57 +0000

A few years back I was reading David McCullough’s fantastic biography of John Adams (amazon link) and was struck by Adams’ obsessive note taking and commitment to self-awareness. On more than one occasion, when Adams came to a decision about some personal aspect of his life he would record that decision in his journal by writing:

“RESOLVED: ______________________________”

To resolve is arrive at a firm decision about something. It’s from the Latin word meaning to “untie.” When we resolve something, it means that we’ve unlocked its constituent parts and arrived at the most clear solution to a problem. More than that, though, it means that we’re making a personal commitment to that solution.

I’ve since begun following Adams’ example by creating resolutions of my own. I’m careful not to commit prematurely to any principle, because breaking commitments with ourselves is often more damaging than never making them. But I’ve found that - for very important things - it can be helpful to “sign on the dotted line” and put my personal integrity behind it.

For example, I make personal resolutions in the areas of time, energy, stimulus, focus and relationships as a way to keep my practices in those areas alive and meaningful. I make commitments with time limits - typically by the quarter - so that I have an “out” if those commitments are no longer relevant.

It may not be helpful for you, but I’ve found that simply recording moments of clarity - resolutions - helps me track my thinking and set rails for the upcoming season.

Just a thought: is there something in your life that you need to resolve?

Free Range

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:20:47 +0000

If you've been following the conversation over "free" that's been happening for a few years, you know the dialogue heated up significantly when Chris Anderson (of Wired) released his latest book, FREE (Amazon link). The implication is that once a product is digital, pricing becomes arbitrary and potential price point is broadened (subject to the perceived value of the product) because now the physical cost of distribution is practically nothing. (Phew.)

I've been chewing on this for about a year now, because I think this conversation has significant implications for anyone who creates things for a living. (Probably most of us reading this.) How do you place value on the work you create? And as content becomes "free-er", how do you determine whether your art, your thoughts, your perspectives, are something you should charge for?

It's easy from a business perspective to prove "if you buy our widgets, you'll save 25% per year on supplies." It's more difficult to say, "if you use my art/thoughts in this campaign, then your business will improve by XX%." I think that this dissonance and the lack of connection we often feel between the work we do, the value we create and the paycheck that magically shows up in our bank account can cause a certain amount of block for artists and creative pros.

Sometimes it helps to remember that what we are creating is value, not products. The value of what we make is higher than the cost of materials on which its printed or the time it took to write the concept. It can be a difficult thing to hold to, but it's important to remember that a tremendous amount of value can be created in a very short amount of time. We shouldn't be ashamed for that. It's the beauty of the creative process at work, no?

Nose In The Niche

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:50:14 +0000

How would you like to ensure (1) complete blindness to the real issues at hand, (2) irrelevance and inability to connect to the greater needs of your target and (3) become a complete bore at the same time? Sound like a great deal?

But wait! There’s more!

If you act now, you can also experience the utter terror of watching your creative drive wither on the vine and become completely disconnected from reality.

Want to know how? I call it “nose in the niche” and it is a seductive epidemic that’s sweeping the create-on-demand world.

“Nose in the niche” is what happens when we become so obsessed with an extremely narrow problem, focus exclusively on our small part of the solution or start to weed out seemingly irrelevant data so that we are ignoring important and potentially useful stimulus.

I’ve experienced this many times in my life, and I’m usually pretty far down this path before I recognize that I have a problem. (“Hi, my name is Todd and I have my nose in my niche.”)

Some symptoms include:
1.   Extreme obsession with a problem, at the exclusion of everything else in your life.
2.   Unwillingness to listen to advice from others.
3.   Obsessively comparing work with others, especially those who do similar work.
4.   Being generally closed-minded about exploring alternative solutions.
5.   People stop hanging out with you.

There are five generally accepted “phases” of creative problem solving. They are (1) defining the problem, (2) research and absorption of relevant information, (3) breaking and allowing the info to “connect” and provide breakthroughs, (4) the “a-ha!” moment (or as we call it, the “creative accident”), and (5) implementation and testing.

When we have our “nose in our niche” we are perpetually stuck on phase two. We are continuously absorbing data in hopes that staring at the problem even harder will provide a solution.

The remedy for “nose in the niche” is to take a break from the problem. Try something new. Explore other problems, or find some way to take your mind off of the one you’ve been working on. In the book The Breakout Principle (amazon link) author Herbert Benson says that performing repetitive tasks at the end of a long period of data collection can be a way to find new solutions. (It takes your mind off of the problem long enough for patterns to form.) Whatever your method, it’s important to occasionally break from a problem so that your mind can do what it does best - solve problems.

So, am I the only one who struggles with this? Am I the only one who doesn’t know when to take a break?

The Tyranny Of Guilty Creating

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:25:06 +0000

One of the struggles I’ve had over time in my creating is the tyranny of the “ought.”

I “ought” to do this or that.

This especially plays out in my study, my unnecessary creating and in some of my creative choices throughout the day. When I make decisions based upon what I think I should do rather than what I really want to do, there are almost always consequences.

Now, this isn’t excusing blatantly poor decision making. There are some things we ought to do simply because they are the right things. I’m mostly talking about decisions where there are a few perfectly viable options but I choose the guilt-laden one.

For example, I’ve found over time that my study almost always yields better results if I’m reading something that I truly enjoy rather than something that I think will be “good for me.” It’s important to read things that challenge us, but not in such a way that our life becomes one of obligation.

The same thing applies to my unnecessary creating. I realize that it often gets filled up with things I feel obligated to make because I once thought it would be a good idea. Now I’m simply following-through (out of guilt) on an idea I once had but am no longer excited about.

There are some things we do because we know they are good for us, (eating well, practicing physical self-discipline, etc.), and there are some things that are purely a matter of taste and discretion in the moment. I’m trying to become more aware of how guilt and obligation plays out in my life, especially as it relates to my creating.

One of the questions I’ve been asking myself lately is, “am I doing this because I think it’s the best thing, or because I think it will make things easier?” I’ve realized that often my choice to create out of obligation is made in order to avoid difficult conversations or push things through the queue, even when I’m not so crazy about the idea any longer.

We can’t fool ourselves. Deep down we really know how we feel about an idea or project. It’s better just to be honest about it and act on what we think is best. It’s a good way to avoid unnecessary dissonance in our life and creating. At least it is for me.

202-329-5746

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:16:59 +0000

Does anyone know what the number in the title is? (OK...I'll give you a clue... pop culture, novels, ancient mysteries...)

The number is referenced in Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol (amazon link). I noticed something quirky as I was listening to the opening chapters on my commute yesterday. This phone number was referenced, and it's not one of the typical "212-555-1212" variety. Intrigued, I jotted the number down and tucked it away. When I arrived at work, I picked up the phone and dialed.

"You've reached the voicemail of Peter Solomon. Please leave a message."

It was the voicemail of the character from the book. Hmm.

It's a small thing, but it's a detail that I greatly respect. It would have been easy to fabricate a phony number - and it would have been expected by readers - but this little detail added to my level of intrigue and engagement. And throughout the day yesterday it served as a reminder to go a step beyond in my work and not just do what's necessary, but to do the little unexpected things that make the work engaging.

How can you go a little bit beyond expectations today in order to make your work more engaging to your client or target? Just a thought.

Gaining Traction In Your Creating

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:13:01 +0000

I was scanning some old notes yesterday and organizing them for an upcoming project when I came across something scribbled on an old sheet of notebook paper.

"Traction...points...opposable surfaces."

Makes sense, right? Any questions?

As I thought about my "chicken scratch" note, I realized that this was my weak attempt to record how unnecessary creating gives us traction in our life.

To illustrate, think about what it's like to walk on ice. There are really only two options if you want to get from point A to point B: you fall to the ground an crawl (not ideal) or you make small, slow steps looking for...points of traction. You're looking for a place where the surface of your foot catches against a textured part of the ice. You're looking for opposable surfaces to give you something to "push off" of.

I submit to you that this is a little like what our unnecessary creating does in our day-to-day life. If we have a regular, disciplined regimen of unnecessary creating it gives us small points of traction in our personal creating. It gives us confidence, new skills, new ideas, and these all work against the opposable surface of the creative problems we face in our on-demand work.

Start small with some unnecessary creating this week, and start gaining some traction in your on-demand creating.

Imitation and Inspiration

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:29:29 +0000

I spent much of this weekend with my family doing various "Labor Day Holiday" kinds of things. One of the unplanned activities was spending time with my oldest (6 year old) son creating a comic book called "Superboy." (We also created Super Salamander, Super Sausage, etc. Pretty much anything with the word "Super" in it.) Ethan loves to write and make books and has even joined forces with another girl at school to form "Kids Incorporated" (we haven't had the trademark violation conversation yet...) which is a company that writes and distributes books for free. Chris Anderson would be proud. (amazon link)

One of the other books Ethan wrote is called "Star Dogs". It is a pretty direct rip-off of Star Wars complete with "doggie-sounding" adaptations of character names, familiar places, etc. It is quite elaborate, really.#172#8224

Here's the thing about all of his pseudo-rip-off and derivative work: he has a blast making it. He is not concerned about what other people are going to think, he's not concerned about how it will make him look to create something that looks similar to something else, and he's certainly not worried about lawsuits. (Although given how litigious the Star Wars empire has been, maybe I should measure my words.)

There is a time and a place to shy away from derivative work, but why is it that so many of us fear using something great as a starting point for our ideation? With all of the appropriate caveats about intellectual property, why are we so terrified of being compared to something that is already "out there"? Are we afraid that being compared to something else will automatically limit our own value? Are we afraid that we won't like the comparison?#172#8224

While copying is of little to no use and is an ethical issue to boot, using reference points of brilliance can give us a great launching pad for a new initiative, especially if we are using the aspects of the reference that inspire and challenge us to think in new ways. We miss out on a lot of great ideas because we self-limit out of fear.

PLEASE HEAR ME...I am not advocating the proliferation of derivative work. (Remember me? "Cover bands don't change the world"? Ring a bell?) That is not my point. I am simply challenging the notion that a brilliant solution must be completely unique and stand on its own platform.#172#8224

Is there some inspiration you can draw from your environment today? Is there work that you admire that you can pull into your unnecessary creating time and use as fodder for your own expression? I'm going to. I'll let you know how it goes.

I Want To Work With THAT Person

interact@accidentalcreative.com (Todd Henry) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:25:05 +0000

Thanks so much to my new friends at Mattel for a gracious and stimulating time yesterday. After the talk, riCardo Crespo gave me a tour of their design center and I was blown away by the number of young, energetic, bright, collaborative people I encountered. Amazing.

Along those lines, I've been thinking lately about what separates people I WANT to work with from people I (kind of) dread working with. It seems there are certain characteristics that mark someone who is a "magnet" for collaboration in a team setting. The best people want to work with them. The smart people want to work FOR them. Everyone wants them on their side. As far as I can tell, there are three things about these kinds of people that seem to attract others to them.

1. Competence. I don't care who you are and how nice you are, if you can't get the job done I don't want to work with you. I might hang out with you after work and I might buy you a birthday card, but I won't necessarily gravitate toward you when it's time to get things done.

2. Passion. I want you to CARE about what we're doing. I want to know that you have a personal stake in getting things right. I want to know that you will pour yourself into the project we're working on.

3. Grace. I want to know that we will speak truth to one another and do it in a way that is out of concern for each other, not in a way that belittles. I want you to assume the best of me and I will assume the best of you.

Many (MANY!) people have two of these three things.

Passion + Grace - Competence = Nice person, but can't keep up with the team.

Passion + Competence - Grace = Extreme performer that no one wants to be around.

Competence + Grace - Passion = Really good performer, but no backbone. I don't trust that they have "skin" in the game or that they're giving their best.

My challenge to you (and to myself) is to think about how you're cultivating and exhibiting passion, competence and grace on your teams. If you do, you'll be the kind of person people want to work with (including me!)