Innovation Sighting – Apple’s Use of Attribute Dependency in iPhones
 Drew Boyd

http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/09/04/innovation-sighting-apples-use-of-attribute-dependency-in-iphones/

This is an interesting approach to thinking about innovation in that it  focuses on the context of the situation  Just thought I would share it as a thought provoker.

“The Quiet Time™  Universal System turns cell phones off automatically in designated areas such as theaters, hospitals, doctor’s offices, and business meeting rooms. Our patented technology converts your incoming calls to text messages and alerts the cell phone owner.”….
….“Imagine a mobile phone that automatically turns off its display and sounds when it senses that it’s in a movie theater. For example, the phone could disable its own noise and display if it knows it’s in a theatre. It could be prevented from communicating with other devices if it detects that it’s in a classroom. Or it could automatically go into sleep mode if entering a sensitive area where noises are taboo….
….This is a classic example of the Attribute Dependency Technique …
…Attribute Dependency differs in that it uses attributes (variables) of the situation rather than components. Start with an attribute list, then construct a matrix of these, pairing each against the others. Each cell represents a potential dependency (or potential break in an existing dependency) that forms a Virtual Product. Using Function Follows Form, we work backwards and envision a potential benefit or problem that this hypothetical solution solves -