Jennifer B. Davis
The following quote is attributed to Isaac Asimov:

The most exciting phrase to hear in science the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny…”

What strikes you as funny? Interesting? Surprising? What kind of human behavior have you observed and thought "that's funny, I wonder why we do that"? What kind of unexpected, unintended uses of technology have you observed? These are the raw materials of innovation.

I am reminded about a stand-up routine by Jerry Seinfeld (of Seinfeld fame) about cordless phones. He said they would never catch on because hitting the button to hang up on someone wasn't nearly as satisfying as throwing down a receiver. Although he was wrong about the cordless phones, I wonder if the same principle didn't apply in the popularity of the flip-phone cell phone style which hangs up on a caller when you close the lid of the phone (which can be done with style and a degree of passion if the conversation warrants it).
Does this bode a problem for the iPhone? How do you hang up the phone with gusto on a paddle-style phone? Perhaps we have just invented a whole new use for multi-touch user interfaces: passionately pinch the image of the caller's face on the screen and they get a dial-tone. Strangely in this promotional picture for the iPhone, it looks like that is what is happening. That's funny....
0 Responses