What Innovation Really Is (And Isn’t)
People often ask what innovation really means, and the honest answer usually disappoints those expecting a story about the “next big technology.” Innovation is not about chasing buzzwords like GenAI, IoT, or blockchain. It is about something far more fundamental: seeing a real human problem clearly, understanding it deeply, and solving it in a way that is simple, effective, and meaningful.
Technology, in that sense, is just an enabler. It is a tool, not the hero. The real hero of innovation is clarity of thought.
The Power of Cross-Associational Thinking
One of the most underrated aspects of genuine innovation is what can be called cross-associational thinking. This is the ability to borrow an idea from one context and intelligently apply it in a completely different setting.
Using game mechanics from mobile apps to encourage savings habits in banking.
Applying principles from hospitality to redesign patient experience in hospitals.
Bringing behavioural nudges from psychology into everyday public spaces.
When this kind of thinking is done well, the result feels obvious in hindsight. But before it appears, it looks nothing like a “breakthrough technology” and everything like a simple, almost ordinary idea executed with uncommon clarity.
A Staircase That Teaches You Health
Recently, I took a trip and encountered a staircase designed to encourage people to choose stairs over escalators by displaying the “kilocalories burned” on each step. No apps. No sensors. No wearables. Just numbers printed on the risers of each step.
Every time you place your foot on the next step, you see a slightly higher number: 5.35 kilocalories, 5.56 kilocalories, 5.78 kilocalories… and so on. Visually, it creates a sense of progress. Psychologically, it turns a mundane staircase into a mini health dashboard.
This is a brilliant example of real innovation:
It addresses a genuine problem: physical inactivity and lifestyle diseases.
It uses an existing habit: people already need to move between floors.
It adds a tiny piece of information in the right place at the right moment.
Result: without a single line of code or any complex system, people are nudged toward a healthier choice, almost playfully.
When the Math Is Wrong But the Idea Is Right
Here is the interesting twist: the calorie numbers on the staircase are not mathematically accurate.
From basic exercise physiology, a single step typically burns only a fraction of a kilocalorie, roughly in the range of hundredths of a kilocalorie for an average adult, not whole kilocalories as these steps suggest. In other words, the display is exaggerating the numbers for effect, even though the underlying concept—“climbing stairs burns energy and improves health”—is correct.
At first glance, this might look like a design flaw. But looked at more generously, it teaches an important lesson about innovation:
Innovation is not about being perfect on the first attempt.
It is about intent, insight, experimentation, and refinement.
The designers got the psychology right, even if the arithmetic was off. The staircase still succeeds at its core job: it makes more people choose the healthier option.
The Core Principles This Staircase Teaches
This simple staircase contains several powerful principles that apply to any field, including law, finance, health, education, or technology:
Start with human behaviour, not with technology
Don’t ask “What can we do with GenAI?” Ask “What problem are people struggling with?” and then decide if any technology is needed at all.Design for the moment of decision
The calorie numbers are not in a brochure or a PDF report. They are exactly where the decision happens: on the staircase itself.Make progress visible and tangible
The numbers turn an invisible benefit (calories burned) into a visible, almost gamified experience. Visibility changes behaviour.Accept that version one will be imperfect
The first attempt may have conceptual brilliance but imperfect data, clunky execution, or rough edges. That is not failure; that is the starting point.Refine, don’t romanticise
The correct next step is not to dismiss the idea because the math is wrong, but to keep the concept and improve the accuracy in the next version.
Why Buzzword-Driven Innovation Fails
Buzzword-driven “innovation” often runs in the opposite direction:
It begins with a technology and then goes hunting for a problem.
It optimises for presentations, not for real-world usage.
It focuses on what sounds impressive, not on what quietly works.
Such projects may generate headlines and conference talks, but they rarely change everyday behaviour. They are innovation theatre, not innovation.
Real innovation looks almost boring from the outside. A better question on a form. A clearer message at the right place. A smarter default option. A staircase that talks to you through numbers.
Innovation, At Its Core
Innovation is not the art of adding complexity; it is the discipline of removing everything unnecessary until the solution feels obvious.
It is grounded in human behaviour.
It is driven by clarity of thought.
It is measured by real impact, not by the sophistication of the tools used.
Whether you are designing a public staircase, a legal-tech platform, a healthcare intervention, or a simple form on a website, the question to ask is not, “Can we use the latest technology here?” but “Can we make this simpler, clearer, and more meaningful for the human being on the other side?” The smartest innovations will rarely be the loudest ones. They will be the ones that quietly change what people do—one step at a time.