Prof. Lee: InnoClub is from InnoLab. This gathering will bring together professional leaders and Industry executives to share their best knowledge and to identify common gaps. With this, they will end up with shared knowledge and their goal will be to innovate the business process faster, which is what today¡¯s program can help achieve.

Prof. Lee: Dominant design is not about ideas. I think everyone has great ideas. But dominant design is not ad hoc creativity. Creativity is combined activity with many interests and fantasies. Dominant design is a systematic approach to allow companies, business leaders, engineer researchers to look at the custom of gaps. When you identify the gaps, you can systematically identify the potential business opportunities. When you design products, rather than selling the product, you¡¯re bridging the gap. The product can eventually have very demanding needs, like the iphone and the ipod; they¡¯re not just mp3 players. It¡¯s a service package system with itunes.

Prof. Lee:Yes, dominant design will impact lifestyle and social needs, and create contagious behavior. For example, the Toyota car has an ipod slot. Hotels have radios with an ipod slot. Dominant design will change the social environment; it¡¯s more than just an economic impact.

Prof. Lee: Yes, SJTU¡¯s Industrial Innovation Center (IIC) is working with 12 international corporations. Some examples are Rockwell Automation, General Motors, Microsoft, Haier, Shanghai Electrical, Toshiba, ABB. IIC has spent the last 7 years working on opportunities, the gaps. A few successes are with United Technologies¡¯ jet engine with Pratt & Whitney. IIC has worked with them to reduce the noise of engines flying in China. Also the Toshiba elevator. The designs created are to allow a more comfortable ride, it¡¯s not just an elevator.

This particular course that I am teaching in dominant design is to help the Industry in changing needs. China has needs in many areas: cleaner water, better energy, better air quality. These needs surround products. An example is, instead of just selling an air conditioner, they could be selling comfort, cleaner, healthy air. Washer machines can sell healthy wear versus the traditional. Computers are selling computer services. This class is getting the students used to design; it¡¯s getting them engaged early so when they go to the Industry, they bring the culture with them and have a greater impact.

Prof. Lee: We have selected a few that are more generic. Water with water filtration and healthy water is one example. Another is dining. People eat in China everyday; dining is a common place where people meet to make decisions or have social events. Smart dining can fulfill the needs for people to select a menu with healthy food. Restaurants will be able to identify customer needs and have better traceability and better services. A third example is bicycles. Bikes are very common in China. But a bike is not just a bike. It has energy and personal interests, so we¡¯ve selected a smart bike design as well. These three are examples of how dominant design can make things very different from very common day to day things

Prof. Lee: They¡¯re looking for good people and good ideas. When you work in the Industry everyday, it doesn¡¯t matter what you do; you¡¯re focused on the bottom line - making money. Good ideas make money for a long time. Bad ideas make money sometimes. Better ideas make money once. I guess companies are looking for good talents, and this program is a good chance for them to talk to students with good ideas. Also from the presentations they can learn the systematic tools that students may have that can benefit them for a long term. I think its knowledge, people, and system thinking that can benefit the company a good deal.

Prof. Lee: There are many businesses like InnoLab or innoacts. The question is what the customer needs are. Customers are looking for innovation for the bottom line. The bottom line is speed and the power of network. If InnoLab could become a conduit to bring companies together, we can have a very innovative mechanism to allow companies to harness greater opportunities. InnoLab also needs to use rich technical thinking and tools. Eventually, the speed of innovation can bring value to companies through network value. I think that is what InnoLab¡¯s future challenge is. It is also very critical for InnoLab to transform in 5 years.