Before diving into the specifics of how I approach product development, let me share a fundamental truth: creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things[1].
I've always believed that the difference between the people who do things and the people that just dream about them is simply taking action[5]. Creativity begins with curiosity. To imagine something new and bring it into the world requires an insatiable curiosity that we're all born with[5].
When an idea first emerges, it's fragile. If we're not careful, it will die before it ever has a chance at life. The problem with new ideas is they are deeply flawed. Ideas don't come to us fully formed; rather, they are like raw material that needs to be shaped[5].
As thoughts grow into ideas, however fragile, this is hallowed ground. Creating should be afforded rare respect – not only when the ideas are good or the circumstances convenient[5].
I've always found that you've got to start with the customer experience and work backwards for the technology. You can't start with the technology and try to figure out where you're going to try to sell it[7].
When we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with: What incredible benefits can we give to the customer? Where can we take the customer? Not starting with, let's sit down with the engineers and figure out what awesome technology we have and then how are we going to market that[7].
This is a key distinction that many technology companies miss. True innovation isn't about following trends or trying to convince customers to want something they don't need. It's about anticipating future needs and offering products that customers didn't even realize they wanted[8].
One of the keys to Apple is Apple's an incredibly collaborative company. You know how many committees we have at Apple? Zero. We have no committees. We are organized like a startup[13].
One person is in charge of iPhone OS software, one person is in charge of Mac hardware, one person is in charge of iPhone hardware engineering, another person is in charge of worldwide marketing, another person is in charge of operations. We're organized like a startup. We're the biggest startup on the planet[13].
We all meet for three hours once a week and we talk about everything we're doing, the whole business. And there's tremendous teamwork at the top of the company which filters down to tremendous teamwork throughout the company. Teamwork is dependent on trusting the other folks to come through with their part without watching them all the time, but trusting that they're going to come through with their parts[13].
If you want to hire great people and have them stay working for you, you have to let them make a lot of decisions and you have to run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have to win, otherwise good people don't stay[13].
I use specific approaches to draw out the best ideas from my team:
When I want to understand what's working or not working, I'll directly ask team members: "Tell me what's not working." After receiving their input, I'll seek validation from others. Then I'll turn to someone else and ask, "Tell me what's working." This alternating sequence continues until I have a comprehensive understanding[12].