Havaiianas

I've only been at IDEO ... I joined a year last July. So this isn't the best time, project-wise, obviously, so I couldn't probably tell I've only been on three projects, and I was very fortunate that they were three very good projects that all went really well, so- [8805]
Havaianas is obviously based in Brazil, so that was quite a pain in the out-start. Because it wasn't feasible to fly the whole team out there for presentations and whatnot, so- [8797]
Yeah, so, in terms of the Havaianas footwear, that was tricky because like I say, they were ... Havaianas is obviously based in Brazil, so that was quite a pain in the out-start. Because it wasn't feasible to fly the whole team out there for presentations and whatnot, so- [8808]
But it wasn't feasible to fly the whole project out there, so there'd be like, Ingrid, who's a project leader at that time, and Miguel, who's the senior designer. So they'd go out there and then they'd come back and it'd be a case of them having to reiterate to the design team what their decisions were and whether they liked it or not. So that's always tricky, trying to remember everything that was said over meetings which lasted sort of a week long. [8798]
So they'd go out there and then they'd come back and it'd be a case of them having to reiterate to the design team what their decisions were and whether they liked it or not. So that's always tricky, trying to remember everything that was said over meetings which lasted sort of a week long. [8814]
There was also a lot of issues ... It was our second project with Havaianas, the first project was a range of bags that we'd done for them. That I was on that as well, so that was quite hard, because one project finished and then there was a certain couple of weeks, and then the next project started. So it was very tricky in terms of ... The bags project hadn't sort of totally finished, because that was going through engineering and manufacturer, so it was quite often at the stat of the footwear, you'd be trying to get bags to finish near phone calls and clients, clients and engineers saying, oh, what about this? And then we'd have to re-spec something, but Miguel would be too busy trying to get the footwear stuff done. [8802]
The bags project hadn't sort of totally finished, because that was going through engineering and manufacturer, so it was quite often at the stat of the footwear, you'd be trying to get bags to finish near phone calls and clients, clients and engineers saying, oh, what about this? And then we'd have to re-spec something, but Miguel would be too busy trying to get the footwear stuff done. [8815]
because it was one of the first things that was going to go to market from IDO for quite a while, so it was all guns blazing to get that through. [8816]
So I'd be having to like do a design spec document, but then also falling back on the sandals, so the initial sort of crossover stage of that was hard. It was also hard because Ingrid was controlling the crossover, sort of going through the production of the bags. This was a key product as well, because it was one of the first things that was going to go to market from IDEO for quite a while, so it was all guns blazing to get that through. [8803]
because it wasn't tricky things, but there was a bit of a blur between who was project manager and whatnot. It was just the crossover phase that was tricky there. [8818]
Miguel who's one of the designers, he sort of took over the project manager role of the sandals, which he sort of stepped up a bit, and then he was sort of doing things that you weren't so much used to doing, [8817]
So Ingrid was sort of fighting her battles and sort of sorting all that out. Which meant that Miguel sort of ... Miguel who's one of the designers, he sort of took over the project manager role of the sandals, which he sort of stepped up a bit, and then he was sort of doing things that you weren't so much used to doing, because it wasn't tricky things, but there was a bit of a blur between who was project manager and whatnot. It was just the crossover phase that was tricky there. [8804],[8806]
And also Ingrid was sort of keeping the client relationship going, so there was less time for project managing and there was a lot of things. And this was November and December last year, which I think were the busiest months I've ever been in IDEO history. Everybody was working 140%, if such a thing exists. [8813]
And this was November and December last year, which I think were the busiest months I've ever been in IDO history. Everybody was working 140%, if such a thing exists. [8819]
Actually there was me and another two designers. Excuse me, we'd just churn out hundreds of pairs of flip flops, there's a photo at the end of just flip flops all in a row that we've made in the foyer, taken from the top floor, and it's just like, sort of filling this room, flip flop by flip flop. [8820]
ctually there was me and another two designers. Excuse me, we'd just churn out hundreds of pairs of flip flops, there's a photo at the end of just flip flops all in a row that we've made in the foyer, taken from the top floor, and it's just like, sort of filling this room, flip flop by flip flop. [8822]
Well, that was good, that was one of the first really hands-on project. So with the bags, we had a seamstress in who was sort of making the bags as we were going along, sort of mocking up and trying things out. So a lot of things ... And we started doing sort of brainstorms which were sort of body storms, [8821]
And we just made those, and that was when ... So after that point, prototyping really came in, I think it sort of dwindled, from what people were saying. It sort of dwindled off when we sort of got into this, and also electronic presentations and then prototyping really came back then. And that was, sort of decision made to start going down the process route, and sort of tangible processes you'd take and put up and talk around you, rather than sit in a dark room staring at a projector screen. [8800]
Yeah, it went well, because like I said, everyone just sort of stepped up a notch. Ingrid was still sort of project manager, but for quick questions and just general discussion around design, you just went to sort of Miguel, and everyone sort of, literally, Ingrid sort of popped off and was controlling all of it. And then just had a new deputy project manager- [8796],[8807]
Miguel was sort of ... On every project, it'd be, if Ingrid was on the project, it'd be Miguel. They were like a team. They were like ... So the trust is inevitably there, I mean Miguel moved over from the London office to work with ... From the Munich office to the London office to work with Ingrid more on projects, so I understand, so there was no worries about trusting them. [8799]
So the trust is inevitably there, I mean Miguel moved over from the London office to work with [8824],[8823]
Well, Miguel and Ingrid were the classic pair, like, Miguel was sort of ... On every project, it'd be, if Ingrid was on the project, it'd be Miguel. They were like a team. [8825]
Well, Miguel and Ingrid were the classic pair, like, Miguel was sort of ... On every project, it'd be, if Ingrid was on the project, it'd be Miguel. They were like a team. They were like ... So the trust is inevitably there, I mean Miguel moved over from the London office to work with ... From the Munich office to the London office to work with Ingrid more on projects, so I understand, so there was no worries about trusting them. [8811]
And she just turned us over, do our own thing, don't bother ringing me, just do stuff. [8827]
And then we all got along really well with Ingrid and stuff as well, so that wasn't an issue. Like I said, the trust was there, so with in terms of the flip flops, Miguel and Ingrid went over to Brazil, and that left me, and another guy, so we'd only ... This was like our first full-time project at IDEO after being sort of interns over the summer. And Ingrid left us and was like, yeah, just design. So you in a week when we come back. And she just turned us over, do our own thing, don't bother ringing me, just do stuff. [8809],[8812]
Like I said, the trust was there, so with in terms of the flip flops [8826]
And she opened up the floor to us when she came back in a week, and we'd made sort of a hundred pairs of different flip flops, and we'd structured the project, and we came out of sort of areas where we thought we could design to. And that was great, because she just empowered us, sort of two junior designers to just do whatever, how we want. And that worked really well, and that's when the prototyping thing really started to come through, because within a day we realized there was no point drawing a flip flop, because it would just look like that. [8801],[8810]
we'd structured the project, and we came out of sort of areas where we thought we could design to. And that was great, because she just empowered us [8828]
we'd structured the project, and we came out of sort of areas where we thought we could design to. And that was great, because she just empowered us, [8830],[8829]
Reference Tags
[8805] Inexperience,[8797] Communication issues,[8808] Planning fallacy,[8798] Communication issues,[8814] Communication issues,[8802] Indecisive leadership,[8815] Alignment,[8816] Unbalanced workload pressure,[8803] Indecisive leadership,[8818] Internal changes/challenges,[8817] Inexperience,[8804] Indecisive leadership,[8806] Inexperience,[8813] Unbalanced workload pressure,[8819] Planning fallacy,[8820] Believes one has high agency,[8822] Collaborative-Creative Disposition,[8821] Methodologically creative,[8800] Ikea effect,[8796] Great example - Team Dynamics,[8807] Organizing effectively,[8799] Great example - Productive innovation norms,[8824] Communicating ideas across domains,[8823] Trust,[8825] Collaborative-Creative Disposition,[8811] Trust,[8827] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[8809] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[8812] Trust,[8826] Trust,[8801] Ikea effect,[8810] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[8828] Creative Confidence,[8830] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[8829] Trust