True innovations have one feature that sets them apart from the numerous pseudo-innovations that are actually experiments carried out on the masses. And that is the CONVENIENCE feature. Innovation is convenient at its core and meets or exceeds the convenience in technologies or methods that are being displaced. Such convenience cannot be an afterthought or involve excessive sacrifice.
The product/process that I feel has been most revolutionized in my lifetime so far by true innovation is photography (yes, more than computing). The industry as well as consumer experience changed in spectacular fashion. Industry shifted and adapted – some successfully but others less so. Consumer choices (and consumerism) grew. But the factor that sets it apart from other can’t-live-without candidates such as computers and phones is convenience. Here are three selected convenience features that make digital photography a true innovation:
1. Convenience of preservation: With negative film photography, preservation (even in the short term) was difficult for both the negative and the print. Negatives would get scratched and colors on prints would fade. With digital photography, image damage due to handling or age is impossible, and archiving and backup are straightforward.
2. Convenience of touch-up: Touching up digital images is massively more accessible than with darkroom photographs…and quicker. Experimentation with effects is also easier thanks to Undo.
3. Convenience of self-mastery: With film photography, one had to take the exposure then wait hours or days for the print results. With digital photography, one takes multiple shots and can delete instantly the ones not worth saving. This raised the virtual mastery level (and motivation) for practically every photographer.
So when choosing to recognize innovation, take a measure of the rise in convenience as well as its accessibility, influence, impact and longevity – on technology as well as society.