Innovation in Extreme Environments – A Roadmap

It is fitting on the 50th anniversary of NASA, we talk about innovation. NASA represents one of the few examples of government where spin-off activities provide an objective net positive to society both from an economic and social perspective regardless of your political point of view. Technology and development for the harsh environs of space have worked their way through our society in forms too numerous to detail in this format. From Tang to laptops to automobiles, the extreme environment of space spurred innovation that trickled down to our kitchens, offices and highways.

Disability, in many contexts, can be seen as an extreme environment. Across the disability spectrum there is commonality in that there is one(or more) characteristic(s) that does not mesh with the typical way of doing things. One might call it an alternate path to a common goal. At its essence, that is what innovation is, finding a new way of doing something. Question is, how does a firm understand those alternate paths to not only serve the disability market, but also to roll those learnings into the broader marketplace as well?

The path through extreme environments to innovation is well worn. The auto industry, literally, has this down to a science. Auto racing is a mammoth sport on a global basis. Formula One, NASCAR and Indy Racing League are followed by hundreds of millions of fans on 6 continents. The real value of these series is technological development of cars that end up in your driveway. Seatbelts, radial tires, engine designs and better crash management systems are all innovations that came about through jostling cars two feet apart at 200 mph.

The military is another excellent example of an extreme environment that acts as an incubator. Bullets, bombs and frequent use have a way of breaking stuff. The military demands its products stand at a higher use threshold than everyday. New metal/synthetic alloys, purpose-built electronics and medical techniques are hallmarks of innovation through military research. It even extends to vehicles as the Hummer has been a roaring success, driving off base into suburban driveways. There are cell phones, laptops and GPS devices that trace their lineage directly from defense research, through the battlefield right to your local neighborhood Best Buy store. This is simply because if it works in Tora Bora, it will probably work in the most difficult consumer environments.

NASA has a history in disability-based innovation. Shortly after the moon landing, the founders of United Cerebral Palsy hosted a meeting with NASA scientists and engineers to figure out how space technology could be applied to disability, and vice-versa. These early efforts resulted in the development of a lightweight wheelchair, multi-directional conveyances which can climb stairs, remote control limbs and sensory devices to help the blind.

The key to ensuring viability in a competitive marketplace is to extend technology gleaned from innovations for people with disabilities to the broader market. Easy-use packaging not only assists people with disabilities, but aging boomers as well, even though most would never admit to it. Changing ad strategies to reach those with learning disabilities can hone and sharpen your message to improve your reach to all potential Customers. Designing your firm’s Customer touch-points to provide access to those who have different ways of getting around, opens your doors to not only wheelchair users, but boomers, families and those who carry a little extra weight.

Information technology is where this model is most robust. Software and hardware that makes people with disabilities more productive have a similar effect on all users. The ‘extreme’ of not being able to write translates into voice recognition and powerful multi-platform switches from phone-to-computer-to-control-devices. Scaled up, one could control anything chip-driven with words. Spread this technology across the population and various home/office platforms and you have a ‘killer app’, driven by disability. Any tech firm that does not make disability a key component of their R&D activities is missing a colossal opportunity and should be thought of as a laggard.

Start adding up the populations touched by viewing people with disabilities as a catalyst for innovation. It becomes a number that cannot be ignored. A firm, by finding ways to make their interface easier to use by people with disabilities, is making it easier for all its Customers to part ways with their dollars. As a firm evolves, it turns over plants, headquarters, brands and ideas. The market forces entities to constantly re-invent themselves through the cycle of obsolescence and innovation. Disability provides an excellent launching point from which to attack this cycle.

The best innovators put themselves in positions of extreme use and spin those extremities into salable product to their core Customer. Disability covers the bases in a mammoth market unto itself and an extreme use basis for broad innovation. As we move into the next cycle of change, disability plays an important role as global catalyst. Thought leaders pay close attention.