IDEO facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
IDEO

Type	Private
Industry	Design firm
Founded	1991, with the merging of David Kelley Design (est 1978), Moggridge Associates (est 1969), ID Two (est 1979), and Matrix Product Design (est 1983).
Founders	David Kelley Bill Moggridge Mike Nuttall
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Key people	Derek Robson, CEO Tim Brown, Chair
Number of employees	500+ (2023)

IDEO is a company that helps design new things and solve problems. They have offices in the U.S., England, and China. It started in Palo Alto, California, in 1991.

The company has over 500 employees. They use a special way of thinking called "design thinking." This helps them create cool products, helpful services, interesting places, and digital experiences.

In 1996, a company called Steelcase bought most of IDEO. But IDEO still worked on its own. By the early 2000s, IDEO started helping companies with their management and how they are set up. In 2016, a Japanese company called Kyu Collective bought a smaller part of IDEO.

History of IDEO

IDEO began in 1991 when four different design companies joined together. These companies were David Kelley Design, Moggridge Associates, ID Two, and Matrix Product Design. The founders were David Kelley, Bill Moggridge, and Mike Nuttall.

One of the companies that joined, Hovey-Kelley Design, helped design the first computer mouse for the Apple Lisa and the original Apple Macintosh computers.

In 1996, Steelcase, a company that makes office furniture, bought most of IDEO. IDEO kept working independently. Later, Steelcase started selling its shares of IDEO back to the company.

By the early 2000s, IDEO began to offer more services. They started helping companies with their management and how they organize their teams. In 2016, a Japanese company called Kyu Collective bought a part of IDEO.

At first, IDEO mostly designed products for people to buy. These included things like toothbrushes and personal assistants. But by 2001, IDEO started focusing more on how people experience things and on different services.

In 2011, IDEO helped start IDEO.org. This is a non-profit group that helps people in communities that need it most.

Tim Brown in 2018

In April 2019, Sandy Speicher became the new CEO of IDEO.

Sandy Speicher in 2011

Then, in November 2022, Derek Robson was announced as the new CEO, starting in January 2023.

The Deep Dive: Redesigning the Shopping Cart

On February 9, 1999, a TV show called Nightline showed IDEO in a special segment. It was called The Deep Dive: One Company's Secret Weapon for Innovation.

The show challenged IDEO to redesign the shopping cart in just five days. This was to show how IDEO uses its special process for creating new ideas.

The new shopping cart design had a steel frame that could stack easily. It also had plastic baskets that could be removed. This helped stop theft and made shopping more flexible.

The design also included a double seat for children with a tray that could swing up. There was even a cup holder! It also had a barcode reader to skip the checkout line and back wheels that could steer for easier movement.

This TV segment became very famous. It is now used in many schools and universities to teach about innovation.

New Partnerships and Acquisitions

On October 17, 2017, IDEO bought a company called Datascope. Datascope is a data science company from Chicago. They had worked with IDEO on many projects before.

Tim Brown, who is the Chair of IDEO, said this purchase was important because of new ideas in data science. These new ideas help IDEO focus more on human-centered design. The Datascope team moved to IDEO's Chicago office.

Since IDEO was bought by Kyu Collective, it often works with other companies that are part of the same group.

IDEO's Culture and Teams

IDEO has a special way of working. They use project teams and have a flat structure, meaning everyone's ideas are valued. They encourage creativity and teamwork.

The company has over 500 people who work in many different areas. These include:

• Behavioral Science (understanding how people act)
• Branding (creating a company's image)
• Business Design (planning how businesses work)
• Communication Design (how to share messages)
• Digital Design (creating digital experiences)
• Education (designing learning tools)
• Engineering (electrical and mechanical)
• Food Science (designing food experiences)
• Healthcare Services (improving health care)
• Industrial Design (designing products)
• Interaction Design (how people use technology)
• Organizational Design (how companies are set up)
• Software Engineering (creating computer programs)

What IDEO Designs

IDEO has worked on projects for many different industries. These include food and drinks, retail stores, computers, medical devices, education, furniture, and cars.

Some famous things they helped design include:

• Apple's first mouse
• The Palm V PDA (a type of early handheld computer)
• Steelcase's Leap chair (an office chair)

They have worked with many big clients like Air New Zealand, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Steelcase.

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  Early Apple computer mice

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  Palm V

OpenIDEO: Solving Problems Together

In August 2010, IDEO launched OpenIDEO. This is an online platform where people can work together on design projects.

OpenIDEO was first made for IDEO to work with its clients. But now, it's open to everyone! Its goal is to bring people together online to solve social problems. People with different skills and backgrounds can share their ideas.

For example, OpenIDEO has helped with projects for the WWF (a wildlife conservation group). It also helped with chef Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution movement.

They also worked with Sutter Health to "reimagine the end of life experience." This led to new international projects like End Well and Re:imagine.

Learning Design Thinking

IDEO U is an online learning program that started in 2015. It teaches people about "human-centered design thinking." This means designing things by focusing on what people really need and want.

IDEO and its partners have also written books about design thinking. One popular book is Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All.

Tim Brown, a former CEO, wrote Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. In this book, he explains how design can turn problems into chances for something new. He stresses that design thinking is about understanding people. He especially values empathy, which means being able to understand what others are feeling and the problems they face.