big ideas, ideal job, and other holy grails

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Recipe for Big Ideas, Ideal Jobs, and other Holy Grails

Viswanath Poosala (vishy)

Head of Bell Labs – India

[email protected]| twitter: vishyp

Blog: http://vishypoosala.blogspot.com

Alumni Leadership Talk at IIT Chennai, Oct, 2012

I can’t believe I’m standing on

this side of CLT!

Seriesly

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Innovation = New & Useful


Bell Labs Innovations that changed the World

2002

BLAST (MIMO)

Hi- Capacity RF

1998

Wide Bandwidth

Optical Amp

1998

100% Plastic

Transistor

1998

Allwave™

Bandwidth Capacity

1999

All Optical

Router

2000

3.28Tbps

Transmission

1876

The Telephone

1939

1st Digital

Computer

1947

The Transistor

1954

The Solar Cell

1958

The Laser

1962

The Telstar Satellite

1969

Unix

1988

Digital Cellular

1989

HDTV

1995

Data Mining &

Visualization

1996

SCAPEL Electron

Beam Lithography

1997

World’s Smallest

Transistor

1997

2nd Gen ATM

Switching

Chips

1997

High-res Map

of Dark Matter

N Antennas2

M Antennas

2003

E2E Network

Security Reference

Architecture

Foundation of new

ITU X.805

specification

31,000+ patents, 2+ U.S. patents granted each workday


Can we engineer Innovation?

“it’s in the genes”

“it can be put in a manual”


A recipe for innovations: from mind to market

Problem

Solution

Prototype

Try it out

Try it out on more people


Don’t have to look too far for problems and opportunities

Problem


Get Real about WHOSE problem you are solving (ideally yourself!)

KNOW who your customer is (name, address, face,

issues)

Create use cases. Very detailed. With names of

real people against it.

Talk to them. Again and Again.

Problem


Random Slide


Where do new ideas come from?

Wait for that spark

Or

Make them happen

Solution


We hardly think about thinking

Critical thinking: Is it TRUE?

Creative thinking: What else is possible?!

Solution


A recipe for thinking up new ideas

1. Study: Gather available information

from IN and OUT

2. Create: Propose an idea

3. Build Up: Focus on how well it works

4. Critique: Focus on whether it will

work

5. Refine: Address the problems

6. Decide

Solution

Study

Create

Build Up

Critique

Refine

Decide


Lateral thinking tricks for generating new ideas

Suggest the outrageous

No one buys books anymore

Ask the opposite / Break the Cliche

Shopping What if the shop pays the

buyers?

Pick an unrelated (even random!) word

Kangaroo on Campus

Solution


Thinking dynamics: Jumping is faster than walking

Logical push

This is so. Hence this follows.

Creative Pull

This COULD be so. If we make that

jump, then what?

Main track

Side track

Direct

Roundabout

Solution


Random Slide: Let’s think outside the basket


Roadmap: Keep it simple.

Prototype


A-B-Cs of Product Roadmapping

•A: Can’t drive the car without it

•B: Would consider paying for that A/C

•C: Will take it if it’s free

Prototype

The Ideal Career

1. pays me the most

2. my parents and advisors want me to take

3. uses my skills best

4. lets me do what I love doing the most

Engineering one’s way to success

Write your goals down

Road ahead

What do you want to achieve? (Think BIG)

Write your goals down (Think SPECIFIC)

How do you get there? (Think like an ENGINEER)

What is the First step you can take – TODAY (Act

like an ENGINEER)

Key Takeaways 1. Build up before Tear down

2. 3 tricks for disruptive ideas

3. Leave some time for silence

4. Write your goals down

5. Do what YOU LOVE the most

Don’t let your past achievements

limit your future

I still can’t believe I’m standing on

this side of CLT!


Thank You!

[email protected]

Twitter: vishyp

vishypoosala.blogspot.com

Bell Labs India

Innovating for Emerging Markets

and Beyond


•27 | Bell Labs India

Bell Labs India

Innovating for Emerging Markets and the World

Launched in 2004

Located in Bangalore

World-class talent with MS and PhDs

Our Mission

•Create disruptive innovations that impact the lives of millions of people in emerging markets

and beyond

Computing Sciences

User & NW Analytics, Privacy & Security, Mobile banking,

Content Delivery, HCI

Networking Research

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Whitespace networking, Low-cost connectivity

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