Intro & Plan

Meet Your Facilitator - Bala Ramadurai

Entrepreneur, Professor, Author and Innovation Coach

• Marie Curie Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
• PhD from Arizona State University, USA (Materials)
• BTech from IIT Madras, India (Metallurgy)

Prof. Bala Ramadurai - Professor

• IIT Madras, Chennai, India
• Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
• Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, India

Bala Ramadurai - Author

Bala Ramadurai - Innovation Coach

Bala Ramadurai - Entrepreneur

Spirelia

Innovate with Confidence

Courses Taught

Design Thinking

Human Centred Design of products and services

Innovate Like a Boss

Systematic Innovation using methodologies like TRIZ, Brainstorming

Technology Forecasting

Love to keep in touch

https://balaramadurai.net/about/

bala@balaramadurai.net

http://in.linkedin.com/in/balaramadurai

My LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/balaramadurai/

Intros

Intro

1. What is your specialization?
2. What org do you work for?
3. What is your superpower?

Context

Ideas implemented should lead to sales/revenue from the customer

Ideas are meant to solve problems

Whose problems?

Not many will like untested products

The Innovate like a Boss (ILAB) Journey

ILAB Journey - Part 1

ILAB Journey - Part 2

Session 1: What is Innovation?

What the heck is Innovation?

Innovation

10s → 1200 hours

Moral of the story

• Think about the customer situation
• Formulate the problem according to the customer situation
• Think systems (not just ideas/products/services)
• Create systems which make business sense

Innovation

• Customer Desirability
• Technical Feasibility
• Business Viability

Source - Ideo's model - https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/how-to-prototype-a-new-business

Task: Your first task

Your Shared Drive

https://bit.ly/2026-AU-GROW-Innovation

Your Work Folder

Create your team folder inside Assignment Uploads

Your Project

Create a one-slider with 3 pictures and descriptions of what problem you would like to work on for this course

Your reference

PDF version of notes from every class will be available inside the folder Reference

Tips for picking a project

• Pick a project that you feel the drive to solve
• Pick a project that might have more than one solution
• See if it is something you have the skills to work on
• Think about if there are more than a market of one who will benefit if the problem were solved

AI usage policy

• Please use AI tools as necessary
• Please remember that AI can make mistakes
• Please check with me, if you have any doubts or questions
• Please remember that AI, sometimes, behaves like a junior colleague
• Please don't pass off results from AI as your own
• Please cite results from AI, if you have used AI

Session 2: Tech Feasibility - Short Term

Problems Identification - Function Analysis

Moral of the Edison story

• Think about the customer situation
• Formulate the problem according to the customer situation
• Think systems (not just ideas/products/services)
• Create systems which make business sense

How do we think systems?

Visually, of course

Imagine trying to convey our best idea(s) through words to stakeholders

Instruments that record, analyse, summarize, organize, debate and explain information which are illustrative, non-illustrative, hardbound, paperback, jacketed, non-jacketed with forward introduction, table of contents, index that are indented for the enlightenment, understanding, enrichment, enhancement and education of the human brain through sensory root of vision… sometimes touch

Source - https://www.quotes.net/mquote/107715

How many of you have seen back to back movies or episodes?

Can you recall what went on in that scene in that movie "3 Idiots"?

How many of you would like to sit in my lectures back to back?

Recall question - What is the title of the 3rd session?

Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKzBmRRdPXo

Water Case study

The evaluation of rural water purification systems necessitates a comprehensive assessment of water quality parameters, contaminant profiles, and operational constraints. A multi-barrier approach is essential, encompassing pre-treatment, primary treatment, disinfection, and post-treatment processes. The selection of appropriate technologies, such as membrane filtration and UV disinfection, is contingent upon site-specific factors. Ensuring system sustainability necessitates robust maintenance, community engagement, and adaptive management strategies. Socio-economic factors, including affordability, accessibility, and community ownership, are critical for successful implementation. The development of sustainable financing mechanisms and capacity building for local stakeholders are essential for long-term viability.

We need a visual tool to capture and communicate the problem situation

Function Analysis

I speak to you

Pen writes on paper

Visually

How do we describe a system visually?

Step 1: List Objects of the System

Step 2: Connect the Objects

Step 3: Add verbs to the relationships

Step 4: Classify the relationships and add a legend

Step 5: Write the function

aka Job to be done

Step 6: Write down available objects

Hint - Available objects are objects in the environment not yet part of your system

Source - Kamarudin et al, Procedia Engineering 131 ( 2015 ) 1064 – 1072

Source - https://triz-journal.com/case-study-with-triz-allocation-system-for-a-processing-machine/

Functional Analysis - The procedure

1. List Objects of the System
2. Connect the Objects
3. Add verbs to the relationships
4. Classify the relationships and add a legend
5. Write the function
6. Write down available objects

Task: TF - Problem - Function Map

1. Continue in the same presentation as Task 1
2. Start with your current system
3. Perform functional analysis
4. Highight your problems from your project on your function map
5. How would you like to improve the system in the problem areas depicted?

Session 3: Tech Feasibility - Short Term

Problems Identification - Conflict or Contradiction

Take one item from your list of problems and ask yourself

What would you like to improve in the system?

What stops you from achieving this improvement?

What you just framed is a…

Conflict or Contradiction

What is a conflict or a contradiction?

Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl3e-OUnavQ

Where can we learn how to define a conflict or a contradiction?

All that is fine, but where is conflict used on an almost daily basis?

Why so serious?

The Matrix

Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRbIlMJI4Y

The conflicts

If

Morpheus reveals code,

then

agents hack into Zion's mainframe,

but

Zion is more important than Morpheus

If

tank pulls the plug,

then

Zion's codes will not be revealed,

but

Morpheus will die

If

Neo enters the military building,

then

he can attempt to save Morpheus,

but

there are three agents holding Morpheus

Bhool Bhulaiyya

The clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbUsBTlB3fA

The conflict

If

Manjulika (Avni) kills "Siddharth",

then

her revenge is complete (and Avni is cured of her illness),

but

Avni loses her husband

Source - https://trizindia.org/2009/09/triz-in-films-ideas-for-fooling-filmi-ghost/

Conflict or Contradiction Model

If

<Thing happens or Action taken>

Then

<Positive Consequence>

But

<Negative Consequence>

Conflict - Put on your movie critic's hat

1. Think of a movie or novel that you really liked
2. Pick a scene you liked
3. Find out the conflict that the character faced
4. Represent in the model that I described (If… Then… But…)

Time left for the exercise:

Formulation of a Conflict

The system

A luxury car's battery system

The Contradiction

If

a massive battery for long range driving is added

then

it provides long-distance luxury travel

but

the added weight increases braking distance

So, the problem now becomes - How might we reduce the braking distance?

Task: TF - Problem - Conflict

1. Consider each item from the list "What would you like to improve in the system?"
2. Ask "What stops you from achieving this improvement?"
3. Frame each of these as a conflict in the contradiction model
4. Rewrite the contradiction as a How-might-we question

じゃ、また

See you in 2 weeks

Session 4: Tech Feasibility - Short Term

Silent Brainstorming

• Write down all ideas for your desired results
• Keep track of the number of ideas
• Set a target number of ideas and beat the target

Time remaining:

Теория Решения Изобретательских Задач

Теория Решения Изобретательских Задач

TRIZ

TRIZ Nina Videos

TRIZ Philosophy

The system

A luxury car's battery system

The Contradiction

If

a massive battery for long range driving is added,

then

it provides long-distance luxury travel,

but

the added weight increases braking distance.

So, the problem now becomes - How might we reduce the braking distance?

Step 1: Draft your conflict in specific terms

• Range vs.
• Braking distance

Step 2: Define the conflict in a generic manner

Tip - The mapping of the parameters needn't be exact

Step 3: Find the generic solution/principles from the Matrix

Step 4: Generate the specific solution for your problem

Pulsed Electromagnetic Braking (TRIZ 19: Periodic Action):

Patent

Electromagnetic pulse operated bi-stable brake

Summary

Describes an electromagnetic brake that uses DC pulses to latch and hold in either of two positions, eliminating the need for continuous current and reducing power loss.

US5185542A

Task: TF - Ideas

1. Pick the How-Might-We question from the previous step
2. Use the 4-stage TRIZ philosophy to generate ideas
3. Use https://www.triz40.com/TRIZ_GB.php
4. Combine/Merge all ideas from silent brainstorming and TRIZ into a concept

Task: TF - Ideas

1. Pick the How-Might-We question from the previous step
2. Use the 4-stage TRIZ philosophy to generate ideas
3. Use https://www.triz40.com/TRIZ_GB.php
4. Combine/Merge all ideas from silent brainstorming and TRIZ into a concept

Session 5: Tech Feasibility (TF) - Long term

Trends of Innovation

What was intended and what went wrong?

Voice of customer was clearly identified

but voice of the product blew him off-track

Ideally…

• We heard the voice of the customer
• We also hear the voice of the product

When voice of product meets voice of customer, we have innovation

• But, how do we know when voice of product will meet the voice of the customer?
• Voices of the products are the trends of innovation

can be applied to services as well

There are 8 trends of innovation

As observed by Genrich Altshuller, pioneer in the field of TRIZ, an invention methodology

1. Law of increasing ideality
2. Law of increasing dynamism
3. Law of transition to super system
4. Law of transition from macro to micro
5. Law of shortening of energy flow paths
6. Law of completeness
7. Law of harmonizing of rhythm
8. Law of uneven development of parts of a system

1

Law of increasing ideality

\[ IdealFinalResult = \frac{\Sigma Benefits\ or\ Features}{\Sigma TIMES} \]

TIMES stands for Time, Information, Material, Energy, Space

Think of other places

• Chat
• Shopping

Ideality - Your Turn

1. Take any product or service that you really like
2. Remove a component or part or a step
3. Figure out a voice of customer (or a customer story) that matches your "new product"

Time remaining:

2

Law of increasing dynamism

Increase the number of hinges or moving parts in the system

Think of other places

• Chair
• Hospitals

Dynamism - Your Turn

1. Take any product or service that you really like
2. Increase the number of hinges in a flat or inflexible part of the product
3. Figure out a voice of customer (or a customer story) that matches your "new product"

Time remaining:

3

Law of transition to supersystem

The function that the product carries out is absorbed into the "supersystem"

Think of other places

• Beds
• Fuel filling/recharging a vehicle

Supersystem - Your Turn

1. Take any product or service that you really like
2. Think about the "supersystem" that uses/houses the product
3. Generate ideas on how the "supersystem" can absorb the product function
4. Figure out a voice of customer (or a customer story) that matches your "new product"

Time remaining:

All Trends of Innovation

1. Law of increasing ideality
2. Law of increasing dynamism
3. Law of transition to super system
4. Law of transition from macro to micro
5. Law of shortening of energy flow paths
6. Law of completeness
7. Law of harmonizing of rhythm
8. Law of uneven development of parts of a system

Age old story

Product meets Customer

Task: TF - Long term

1. Take your product from the TF - short term stage
2. Apply ideality
3. Apply increasing dynamism
4. Apply law of transition to supersystem

Conclusion

Now What?

①

• Apply the model in your area of work
• Teach this model to your neighbour/colleague who didn't attend this session

②

Learn even more by doing more projects using the learning from this course

Suggested References

1. Karmic Design Thinking by Dr. Bala Ramadurai
2. Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society by Prof. Karl Ulrich, U. Penn
3. Change by Design by Tim Brown
4. And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared, by G. Altshuller
5. IDEO
6. Stanford d.school
7. Wikipedia.org - Four Noble Truths

③

Suggested Videos

Watch this - Empathize

Watch this - Analyze

Suggested Videos

Watch this - Solve

Watch this - Test

Acknowledgments

• Emacs - this old editor rocks! - https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/
• Spacemacs - this new configuration is space age - https://spacemacs.org
• Org Mode - I run my life using this - https://orgmode.org
• Reveal.js - cool presentation script - https://revealjs.com/
• Org-reveal package - lets me live in org-mode - https://gitlab.com/oer/org-re-reveal
• Org-teaching - original codebase for this presentation - https://gitlab.com/olberger/org-teaching
• Plantuml - for all the cartoon work - https://plantuml.com/
• Hugo - for converting into static html - https://gohugo.io
• Gitlab - for hosting my website and the presentations - https://gitlab.com

Acknowledgments

• Conversations with
  1. Dr. Dmitry Kucharavy, Professor, France
  2. Dr. Murali Loganathan, Head, Research and Sales, Spirelia Innovation, India

Meet Your Facilitator - Prof. Bala Ramadurai

https://balaramadurai.net/about/

bala@balaramadurai.net

http://in.linkedin.com/in/balaramadurai

Oh and one more thing

Selfie

2026-AU-GROW-Innovation