IdeaLab

Komodo Weekly

IDEA LAB
 About Idea Lab
A systematic approach for inspiring new
opportunities and bringing innovative, differentiating
features to the editors
 Why Idea Lab?

Shared language Continual effort Right involvement Explore freely

Develop a shared language Deliberately think about Scale involvement to the Experimental and freely
around innovation within our innovation on a consistent right people, including a explore a wide range of ideas,
team and clearly articulate basis rather than through diverse set of backgrounds, but failing fast at the
our innovation efforts ad-hoc or short-lived efforts expertise, and perspectives appropriate times
Broad area of
interest

Specific
opportunities for
investment
 TRANSFORMATIONAL
Invent completely new ways of
doing things

ADJACENT
Incremental improvements to
CORE existing products

Optimize existing product

features for existing users
Problem definition

Domain definition
Opportunities & solutions

1 Explore quickly & “fail fast” faster

2 Generate & test a lot more ideas

3 Get the right data at the right points

4 Think about costs at the right points

 Idea Lab framework

INVESTIGATE
Conduct formative research
and existing work as inputs for
brainstorms
 Idea Lab framework

INVESTIGATE IDEATE
Conduct formative research Generate a wide array of
and existing work as inputs for opportunities and ideas with
brainstorms interdisciplinary teams
 Idea Lab framework

INVESTIGATE IDEATE
Conduct formative research Generate a wide array of
and existing work as inputs for opportunities and ideas with
brainstorms interdisciplinary teams

CONSOLIDATE
Collect related ideas to form
opportunity spaces
 Idea Lab framework

INVESTIGATE IDEATE FORMULATE

Conduct formative research Generate a wide array of Define the opportunity spaces and
and existing work as inputs for opportunities and ideas with formulate concrete value
brainstorms interdisciplinary teams propositions for each

CONSOLIDATE
Collect related ideas to form
opportunity spaces

INVESTIGATE
Conduct formative research
and existing work as inputs for
brainstorms
Idea Lab framework
IDEATE
Generate a wide array of
opportunities and ideas with
interdisciplinary teams
CONSOLIDATE
Collect related ideas to form
opportunity spaces
FORMULATE
Define the opportunity spaces and
formulate concrete value
propositions for each
EVALUATE
Concept test with users using a
technique called MaxDiff to
understand the need and measure
impact

INVESTIGATE
Conduct formative research
and existing work as inputs for
brainstorms
Idea Lab framework
IDEATE
Generate a wide array of
opportunities and ideas with
interdisciplinary teams
CONSOLIDATE
Collect related ideas to form
opportunity spaces
FORMULATE PRIORITIZE
Define the opportunity spaces andPrioritize the opportunities by
formulate concrete value type of innovation using findings
propositions for each from the MaxDiff study and inputs
from PM, UX, and Eng team
EVALUATE
Concept test with users using a
technique called MaxDiff to
understand the need and measure
impact
Where we’re at
Currently in pilot:
● Future of Collaboration
● Assistive Writing

Refining & tweaking process

Plan to get pilot projects through

current process by end of Q4
 We want to
collaborate!
+ ● Provide diverse perspectives ● Partner for brainstorms

● Share domain expertise ● Pilot the best strategies to

(collaboration, ML, etc.) bring engineering knowledge
into the exploration process
● Scoping opportunities
● Partner on a project or area
that’s important to explore
Questions?
 Thank you!
Reach out to idealab@google.com if you’re interested
or just let us know directly
 High

Problem
definition

Low

Domain
Low High
definition