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How might we increase social impact with OpenIDEO over the next year? Read the challenge brief

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An Open IDEO app

Imagine an easy-to-use app that we can use to jot down our bursts of inspiration and quickly share it with those in our network. Enter the Open IDEO app
I, like most of us, have my best inspirations outdoors. I feel that if we have a dedicated App for Open IDEO, we could quickly jot down our ideas that are relevant to the challenge and share it with the community. When I tried to access IDEO on my phone's browser, I found it cumbersome and slow. Perhaps if we had  a Open IDEO Lite, tailored for the purposes and restrictions of a smartphone, it would facilitate the usage of the platform and make sharing ideas much more easier.

What kind of social impact does this concept achieve?

If we could have a ready to use, ready to share platform, the number of ideas generated and shared would rise exponentially.

What skills are required to take this concept forward?

App designing would be necessary skill.

How do you envision this concept being supported financially?

The cost of development has rapidly fallen due to widespread open source app designing and with the help of volunteers.

1

Does this concept increase social impact?

Absolutely! This idea will drive social change
It’s a good start – some impact is likely to be achieved
No – increasing impact is not the main focus of this idea
2

Does this idea inspire *you* to take action?

Sure does – I’m itching to get started turning this idea into impact
Possibly – I’d need to know more to make a decision about how to get involved
No thanks – it’s an interesting idea, but it would be best taken forward by someone else
3

Does this concept help the OpenIDEO community connect and collaborate together?

Yes – it does a brilliant job of enhancing our community connections and might even reach out to external partners
Maybe – it may drive increased collaboration but the concept would need to be further developed first
No – it doesn’t help our community connect or collaborate better
4

How easy would it be to try prototyping or experimenting with this idea?

Easy – I could have an early prototype running in a few hours
There’s potential but it would take some planning and coordination to make it work
Not really easy – this idea would take considerable resources and planning to get it off the ground
5

Does this concept clearly outline how it will be funded?

Yes, this idea clearly explains funding sources
Sort of – we’d probably still need to think more about how this idea would get funded
No, this idea doesn’t really explain where funding for implementation would come from
1

Does this concept increase social impact?

2

Does this idea inspire *you* to take action?

3

Does this concept help the OpenIDEO community connect and collaborate together?

4

How easy would it be to try prototyping or experimenting with this idea?

5

Does this concept clearly outline how it will be funded?

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Comments

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Anne-Laure Fayard

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September 08, 2011, 07:06PM
Congratulations Ashwin! Now looking forward to have the app...
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 08, 2011, 07:10PM
Thank you, Professor. I would also like to thank the entire Open IDEO community for the wonderful experience. I look forward to getting more people involved to solve even more challenges.
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Meena Kadri's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Meena Kadri

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September 08, 2011, 11:32PM
Bring it on, Ashwin! We're looking forward to it too :^) Loving your enthusiasm and we're sure you'll bring more switched-on folk along with you.
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Ashley Jablow's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashley Jablow

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September 09, 2011, 08:58PM
I'm so excited to see how a version OpenUNI gets piloted at NYU Poly :)
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Ana Cecilia Santos

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September 08, 2011, 09:09PM
Hi Ashwin, congrats on your winning concept!
This seems like a very plausible and realistic next step for the platform, and I'd love it to become reality.

It would be great to have an option where users could upload photos taken in real-life circumstances they think enhance and emphasize a concept, seeing as that is the whole point of OpenIDEO/IDEO = to make the world a better place, and what better than to include real life examples on here on the go?

If we could incorporate on-the-go inspiration everyday & anytime, maybe have an 'image bank' of this kind of contribution in the app. Kind of like CNN's i Reporter function on their app where any citizen can report a special event they are witnessing to CNN.

Anyhow, congrats and take care!
Ana
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Meena Kadri

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September 08, 2011, 11:10PM
Great stuff, Ashwin! Our team has been discussing what an OpenIDEO mobile app might look like so it's been brilliant to catch the conversation you've started here and add these to our thoughts. We'll continue to check in on discussions and builds here as we progress.
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Jin Kim

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August 29, 2011, 05:03AM
Could we possibly have a Post-It notes-like feature where we can jot down ideas and then 'flick' it up to the Open IDEO chalkboard in the war room?
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 29, 2011, 12:42PM
Yes, I was thinking about something like that but more specific to particular challenges to begin with. Later, it can be expanded to function as an independent idea capturing and sharing platform without specificity to challenges. This will be possible once there are multiple challenges existing at the same time and inspirations are common to them.
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Anne-Laure Fayard's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Anne-Laure Fayard

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August 29, 2011, 11:03PM
I like the idea of being able to move from individual uses to shared platform. that'll be a nice addition and will increase collaboration.
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Paul Reader's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Paul Reader

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September 05, 2011, 05:26PM
I can see the potential (and therefore justification) of owning a SmartPhone to combine notetaking, photos, communication and connectivity. For the time being I can manage with 4 discrete devices, albeit slowly and with greater effort. Those of you who have the technology - go for it - I will cheer you on!!!
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 08, 2011, 05:34AM
I completely understand, never having owned a smartphone myself. I still use a phone that can, at max, double up as a calculator and a good-old notebook and pencil. I actually find it easier to be objective about it when being an outside-observer!
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Paul Reader

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September 06, 2011, 04:00AM
Just a counter-point thought. With a simple mobile phone and a dial-up internet connection I believe I represent a proportion of those we are trying to reach. I (and people like me) could act as weather vanes for platforms accessibility - thinking of which accessibility for those with vision, hearing and other impairments bears consideration too.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 08, 2011, 05:27AM
Of course, I am sure that accessibility to the platform is a key issue that will be addressed in terms of geographical, technological and personal connectivity. I believe that cost-benefit ratio an app has consistently fallen since it's inception and I feel that it will be a great experiment to see how much further we can extend the platform and then reverse engineer that connectivity, the social element and the entry-barrier-lowering convenience to see how we can use those factors can aid us in developing the platform itself.
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Paul Reader

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September 05, 2011, 07:29AM
As I am not connected in a mobile way (being an old 'fuddy duddy' but with perhaps twice as many years of life experience as the average Ideator) it will be a while before I could access such an app. Nevertheless I recognise its value to those who are connected. As Erica points out enhancing individual connectivity would probably be an important aspect. Having said that I would venture to suggest developing this should follow decisions on changes to the OpenIDEO site - just to incorporate the most appropriate functionality to complement those things available through desktop connection.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 05, 2011, 04:26PM
You remind me of a very successful lawyer in New York who still uses only a land-line. I am jealous of people who are not connected in a mobile network but I believe that many of us are entrenched in it. The app will be a prototype in beta from which we can draw-out mutual learning. As virtual and physical interactions blur (http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/07/blurring_face-to-face_and_virt.html), I think that the app will serve as a study to see how inspirations are captured from the world around us and then try to translate it into the physical realm, for example: by using pen and paper or even just the way we consciously observe and sub-consciously associate. And then, we can use the online platform (with modifications in the future) to network and collaborate. I am sure that individual connectivity is the right way to go once we have established a working system in that field and then we can find a way to combine the two concepts.
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Erica W.

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September 04, 2011, 06:00PM
Take it to the next level and have the App have location-capabilities to connect you with other local OpenIDEO collaborators so you could start your own OpenIDEO challenges.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 04, 2011, 07:57PM
Yes, that definitely should be an upgrade. Perhaps we can integrate this concept with the others in this challenge and come up with either hybrid solutions or use this as a support system for another concept.
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Mike Hatrick

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August 31, 2011, 08:33AM
The biggest benefit I see with this concept is that it allows us to capture our inspirations and concepts whilst on the move.

Sometimes our best ideas come whilst on the drive home, walking around the supermarket, etc. and for sure the best inspirations occur while we are immersed in an appropriate environment, which most likely is when we are away from our computer!

Because of that I particularly like Jin's build that maybe the app could focus on quick and easy capturing of these ideas which could then be uploaded to OpenIDEO-proper when you get the chance.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 01, 2011, 07:33PM
I was actually inspired by the head of the New York IDEO office, Ryan Jacoby's speech in NYU Poly where he said that to innovate, we must look to the world outside. He carries a camera around with him to capture inspirations from the world around and uses it to solve real-world problems. This lead me to integrate that idea with the social aspect of the platform and I thought of this app which could convert each member of Open IDEO into a portal to their world and they could provide inspiration from therein.
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Adriana Olmos's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Adriana Olmos

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September 03, 2011, 10:37PM
Yeah, I really like this in particular for the inspiration phases... A quick way to post something that we see out there that might address a given current challenge… One could be inspired by aps like foodspotting… where people contribute pictures and observations around a particular theme, in this case food.
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Mike Hatrick's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Mike Hatrick

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September 04, 2011, 08:16AM
Ooh, now we're cookin'. How about an App that as soon as you take a photo with your Smartphone you could add a few words of comment and in one click upload it to the Inspiration phase of a challenge?
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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September 04, 2011, 07:55PM
Exactly. we could also use Jin Kim's idea of using the app also as a stand-alone tool so that we could capture inspirations in the way you described and store it in our phone for future reference or share immediately in a relevant challenge. Also, we could also use Video or attach a voice recording explaining how and why the situation inspired them.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 26, 2011, 02:37AM
Wow, this is what I almost I had in my head, what a co-incidence. Thank you for sharing this. Yes, something like this but developed internally so that no monthly fee has to be paid and it can be designed to meet the Open Ideators' expectations...
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anjelika deogirikar

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August 14, 2011, 07:06PM
In addition to the potential opportunity of creating an app or an m. site, there's also an opportunity to consider responsive website design to enhance the mobile-experience. This would hopefully then allow for the website to change based on the device. Sometimes challenges with apps is that they are platform-dependent. (Although it's an m. site example, a good comparison is the m.united.com website which specifically addresses what you need when you are on-the-go and accessing the website from a mobile device.)
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 24, 2011, 01:47AM
This is a great idea. It would eliminate the need for an app while providing the same benefits. We have to make it sensitive and function in order to trim most of the available features and instead focus primarily on making drawing inspiration from the world around us mush easier through image, video and text capturing and sharing.
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Chloe Tseung

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August 17, 2011, 04:09AM
Ashwin, I have to admit that many times the thought of "how nice would it be if OpenIDEO has an app" crossed my mind. I am so glad you have submitted this concept!!

In addition to all the cool features this app can provide, one of a direct way this concept can increase social impact is to

1. Charge for the app

2. The income of the app would go to a foundation / funding pool to provide financial support to

- Any NGO / Institutions / individuals that would benefit from hosting a challenge but does not have the fund
(Check out Jennifer Davis' concept - Open up the challenge-selection and challenge-hosting processes - http://bit.ly/o7fazV)

- Any NGO Institutions / individuals that need funding to implement some of the winning concepts from a challenge

Not only the app can indirectly make more impact by increasing the level of participation, but also directly making social impact by sponsoring organizations and individuals that will take the actions in real world with the help from the OpenIDEO app fund!
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 17, 2011, 05:13AM
I really like that idea of a way to generate income but will that make Open Ideo more social or create a smaller but more dedicated set of Open Ideators? I believe that the app should be free while Jenifer Davis's idea of creating a platform to match partners must remain an option that can be accessed on the app. I believe that a free app would make Open Ideo more accessible (an intangible benefit of sorts) and thus more social. There is one way to generate income/value on the App though I do not how many would agree to it. It's by displaying advertisements for the sponsors of the Challenges and providing them with an intangible benefit or by charging and advertisement fee and then funneling the profits back into the Challenge. I would love to have more ideas and to know if such a model is feasible.
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Chloe Tseung's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Chloe Tseung

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August 17, 2011, 05:42AM
Ashwin, that's good point. I do see the benefits of making it a free app and thus making it more accessible would make more sense in this context. Quick thought: what about building a feature for interested individuals to "contribute" to certain challenges or NGO that needs fund to either sponsor a challenge or implement a project, so the option is the user's hand!
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Ankita Dewan's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ankita Dewan

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August 17, 2011, 01:22PM
Practical point is to keep the application free, not only because of more accessibility but their are people coming from diverse backgrounds who want to be a contributor to social cause but cant afford spending Rs1 or $1 per comment per day, which can varry from Rs1 to Rs 5/$1 to $5(depending on currency) per day depending on their contribution of suggestion.
Because an Individual/Contributer can be a student to elderly who is living on pensions to a lower income person who himself is a part of social cause..
But I agree to Chole too, by keeping an option for interested individuals who are ready to contribute funds, but don't know if sponsors will come under play, would give more commercial feel to it, might create negative impact to the whole thing.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 24, 2011, 01:44AM
Another challenge would be that the app market itself is not very developed in many countries and proper channels may not exist to utilize it. This is why it should remain free to broaden it's reaches. And true, commercialization is a delicate topic to be approached carefully as it would not be worth damaging the perception of the platform. This is where I hope we could work together to create the perfect experience and self sustaining communication channel.
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Juan Cajiao

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August 12, 2011, 07:48AM
I will definitively get it! I believe access and sharing are the two functionalities I would choose to improve to increase reach. And to catch latest trends we should be able to comment through SMS-texting technology :)
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 13, 2011, 03:15PM
In Prof.Anne Laure Fayard's paper, Who Moved My Cube ( http://hbr.org/2011/07/who-moved-my-cube/ar/1 ), she talks about the factors influencing casual interaction (a major initiative to creative ventures) in physical and Virtual spaces. The factors are Privacy, Proximity and Permission. I believe that we have plenty of the third, but not enough of the first two when we are away from our computers. I believe that innovation and collaboration is a continuous process and while we don't HAVE to be connected all the time, it would prove beneficial if we had the opportunity to do so.
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 13, 2011, 03:17PM
And yes, I like your idea about SMS. Geographically speaking, it is not possible to be connected to the internet at all times. But it is much easier to find a cellular tower in most places and by utilizing that technology, we can increase our reach.
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Jennifer Davis's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Jennifer Davis

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August 14, 2011, 02:20PM
This is a great idea. There has been a lot of conversation already about possible features, both on the inspiration that I posted (http://www.openideo.com/open/impact/inspiration/is-there-an-app-for-that/) and on the User forums (http://3bl.me/tc5khg). Maybe you can incorporate some of these suggestions into your concept, or launch a brainstorm-in-a-box with some folks in order to flesh out the app features a little more?
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Kara Pecknold

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August 12, 2011, 08:18PM
This idea is something that has been on my brain from the start of OpenIDEO. I often want to comment/build/upload ideas while I'm walking, riding the bus or having a conversation with someone about the ideas.
Notably, I would love it when I'm working on cross-cultural projects because some of the challenges offer a different insight once I'm in the field.

I do this for my "vision boards" on Pinterest (that is both web: http://pinterest.com and app enabled: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pinterest/id429047995?mt=8).
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Ashwin Gopi's reply to Syed Suffiyan's comment

Ashwin Gopi

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August 13, 2011, 03:02PM
Someone did offer an alternative solution. He said why don't we note down our ideas on a pre existing app. But then, if we had a dedicated app with interested people subscribing to Challenges pertaining to their interests, we can increase our collaboration and acquire feedback on our Inspirations while on the move.
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