Experimentation: The Ultimate Innovation Machine

Experimentation: The Ultimate Innovation Machine

Ann Michael

November 21, 2008

[email protected]

Twitter: annmichael

mailto:[email protected]

Prepared for the STM Journal Master Class, November 20082

What we’ll discuss

• The Purist versus the Pragmatist

• What can I do?

• It’s still a business

• What are others doing?

• What might the future hold?


The Purist = Adherence

Risks loosing credibility and support

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The Pragmatist = Adaptation

• No idea can be applied to everyone, every company, or every situation

• Ideas are rarely applied in their “purest” form

• How can I determine…• What works for my company?• My customers? • Their customers?

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What can I do?

• Build Knowledge – not just passively but actively

Participate

• Experiment – try things out for yourself

Learn, change, grow

• Build Trust – with your customers and colleagues

Be honest, listen, consult

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It’s a business

• Whether non-profit (mission driven) or commercial we need to sustain ourselves

• Having a process or methodology whereby we identify & evaluate experiments helps us gain credibility with our client & parent organizations

• It doesn’t have to be perfect

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It’s a business

• Defensive driving: SIPDE• Scan• Identify• Predict• Decide • Execute

• Add Measure/Evaluate• On potential profitability• Strategic fit• Competitive requirement or differentiation• Learning outcome

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Then what?

Repeat

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What are others doing?

• Show us what you can do (Elsevier Article 2.0)

• Tell us what you like (NEJM Beta)

• Tell each other what you like (Nature Network)

• Help each other get answers (Sermo)


Elsevier Article 2.0

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There’s lots of buzz..

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…and some controversy

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But…why is it important?

• Elsevier is trying to learn from the market – or at least those interested and specifically talented enough to experiment with the Elsevier API

• It may work. It may not.

• But, if they’re smart there will be another iteration and it will be different

• They’re doing SOMETHING!

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NEJM Beta

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NEJM Beta

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Why is it important?

• To the participant?• Engagement• Having a voice = sharing opinions• Seeing results = “Beta Graduates”

• To the publisher?• Engagement = Traffic (Now & Later)• Listening = Customers inform development

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Nature Network

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According to the Nature Editor (speaker at SSP earlier this year):

• Drives traffic - time spent & return visits

• Adds value to traditional editorial content and core journal business

• Strengthens relationships

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What is community?

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Does community mean everybody?

NO!

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Sermo

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• Forget the current business model for now• What if a publisher had done this?

• Forget our current organizational biases• Did a publisher do this?• Did doing this make Sermo a publisher?

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• Offers customers• Practical application of knowledge; practice often

requires interaction with peers to be successful• Learning opportunities• Connection/Community

• Could afford publishers• Learning = customer trends• Future content products?• Positive branding = offering tools that enhance practice

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Where can we look for ideas?

• Clay Shirky and cognitive surplus

• Watch the whole thing

http://blip.tv/file/855937

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What might the future hold?

• Think about serving all customer needs: produce, share, and consume

• Always think about interactivity (look for the mouse)

• “…look at every place that a user or a reader or a listener or a viewer has been locked out – has been served up a passive or a fixed or a canned experience…”

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Exposing our biases

• Identify people and/or product ideas you consider annoying, irrelevant, or misguided

• To start, pick one and learn all you can about it Ask & listen with an open mind.

Why do you think they/it annoys you?

• Look for ways these ideas could be adapted to the benefit of your products and customers.

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Summary

• Customers (consumers, readers, authors, users) want more

• Publishers (commercial and society) want to flourish

• The rules are in flux

• The only option: Experiment (Learn)

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Business

Experimentation: The Ultimate Innovation Machine