As we’ve said before, it’s a common misconception that experts are the best at creating new methods of innovation. In reality, it’s often the person who gets to take an unsullied look that comes up with a new way to approach a business, product or method. As far as innovation is concerned, it’s not the experts who are the experts. It’s the outsiders who have those fresh eyes. Who, then, do you think it was the invented the $12 bicycle made from cardboard?
Izhar Gafni
Though he is the designer of several industrial pieces of machinery such as one that peels fruit and another that sews shoes. Think Rube Goldberg machines that actually serve a purpose. He’s good with design (those two machines even earned him awards), but his experience with bicycles stopped with riding them. A creative mind and a passionate interest—Izhar Gafni was the perfect guy to revolutionize bicycles!
How it happened
The idea came to Gafni simply enough. He was working on a fruit-related machine when he began to consider a new, highly sustainable bicycle made from bamboo. Though they held appeal, the price was still out of range for him.
He had recently heard of a similar creation that saw a man build a boat from cardboard. Because he was unhindered by the traditional engineering of bicycles, he allowed himself to play with the idea. As it turns out, folding cardboard the right way strengthens it immensely and treating it with the proper product makes it stand up to elements like water. The materials were cheap and he thought the demand was probably there. Eureka! A cardboard bike!
Wasn’t there an expert available to do this?
Bicycles have been around for a pretty long time. Learning to ride has become a rite of passage for many kids, they’re popular with outdoorsman and are a great source of exercise, too, so there’s no shortage of demand. There are riders all over the country. There’s no shortage of suppliers, either.
Among the many qualified candidates for a bicycle innovation of this magnitude, there are Huffy, Schwinn, and Giant. Each company’s website brags about being around for over 100 years (except for Giant which is someone younger). Each claims to be the bike of the people. Each website boasts about being innovative and designed for the “modern era.” None of them created anything close to Gafni’s cardboard “Alfa Bike.”
So, was there an expert available to create the extraordinarily innovative bicycle made out of recycled cardboard? Sure, those companies have lots of people available for such an endeavor. It doesn’t matter, however, because none of those available people were capable of doing it.
The beauty of fresh eyes
You see, the thing about Gafni’s idea is that it is totally outside the box. You couldn’t expect an engineer at Schwinn to come up with it. It’s too different, too new. The guys over at Huffy or Giant couldn’t have either because they’re also too close to the action. There’s an intrinsic bias that comes with the tradition of working in the industry too long. It cripples your innovative spirit.
When you want to try something new, the best eyes are fresh eyes.