Jin Kang Moller Jin Kang - The Simplicity Playbook for Innovators

Keeping things simple, as we often say, is complicated and hard. Jin has unlocked the way to make simplicity a way of thinking, working and living. Through equally fascinating frameworks and stories, The Simplicity Playbook for Innovators identifies the way to develop ideas that change the world and appeal to our better nature.

ROB FINDLAY

Digital Innovation Lead, Amazon Web Services

Founder of Next Money

A must-read for anyone who wants to venture into design thinking. The references in this book are tried-and-tested concepts that work!

WYSON LIM

Head of Group Wealth Management, OCBC Bank

Jin is both engaging and insightful. Her commitment to a structured yet user-centric approach towards simple and elegant solutions to workplace challenges and industry transformation needs will continue to inspire others, especially those who wish to be change agents and facilitators of innovation teams.

DR LIM LAI CHENG

Executive Director, Singapore Management University Academy

Jin Kang Mller is a simplicity guru. She got me started on my simplicity journey, and it changed the trajectory of my career significantly. I came to realise, from Jins teachings and modelling, that simplicity is the heart, mind and soul of good experience. In this book, Jin transcends theory, giving the reader practical guidance on making complex customer experiences and communications more simple. I highly recommend the book for any business leader who recognises the obvious simpler is better and needs a playbook for achieving that noble goal.

MARK MCCORMICK

SVP, Strategic Design, Innovation Group, Wells Fargo

In The Simplicity Playbook for Innovators, Jin Kang Mller breaks down innovation into simple, easy-to-understand concepts and shows how less is more when creating something new. This book is especially relevant in todays post-Covid-19 world, where we need to be agile and creative in coping with the many unprecedented challenges.

DENNIS TAN

CEO, Prudential Singapore

Creating lovable experiences
in a complicated world

JIN KANG MLLER

2020 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd and Jin Kang Mller

Published in 2020 by Marshall Cavendish Business

An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196.

Tel: (65) 6213 9300. E-mail:

Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref

The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 800 Westchester Ave, Suite N-641,
Rye Brook, NY 10573, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd, 253 Asoke, 16th Floor, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46,
Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor
Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Marshall Cavendish is a registered trademark of Times Publishing Limited

National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data

Name(s): Mller, Jin Kang.

Title: The Simplicity Playbook for Innovators : Creating lovable experiences in a complicated world / Jin Kang Mller.

Description: Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Business, [2020]

Identifier(s): OCN 1165405577 | eISBN 978 981 4893 95 4

Subject(s): LCSH: Organizational change. | Simplicity. | Creative thinking.

Classification: DDC 658.406dc23

Printed in Singapore

For Sabina, Ben and Noah,
who make my life nothing but simple,
but simply beautiful

For Jonas,
who always anchors me back to simplicity

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

Ernst F. Schumacher

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers was a seminal moment in the Global Financial Crisis. The world saw the deepest economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. At that time, I was working with Credit Suisses private banking division as a customer experience designer. I witnessed how this crisis affected the financial lives of millions of people and saw how their trust in financial institutions and the industry plummeted. One of the reasons behind this crisis were the so-called innovative products. They were devised with very sophisticated mechanisms that leveraged many different financial instruments. The innovation reached a level that was too complicated for ordinary customers.

The crisis taught the industry that pursing innovation without considering customers point of view is dangerous; it damages businesses and destroys customers trust. It was a painful wake-up call. As a direct response to this crisis, simplifying the customer experience became imperative for restoring and advancing the industry. It became my mission and passion.

Spurred by advancements in Fintech, Blockchain and AI, the financial industry, along with other industries, has been undergoing a massive wave of change. This environment presents endless opportunities for disruption, with many emerging players now having the capacity to substitute financial services businesses. The lines between industries are blurring, and it has become critical to build a creative business model that goes beyond traditional industry lines in order to succeed.

However, as companies race to explore opportunities for innovation, I cant help but feel that customer-centricity has lost its importance. In companies meeting rooms these days, I hear more about the latest technologies, emerging players or building ecosystems, and less about the needs and pain points of real people, the customers. It reminds me of the climate and circumstances that culminated in the 2008 financial crisis, and I ask myself: Where does the pursuit of innovation without customers point of view lead us?

On 11 March 2020, as I entered the final stages of writing this book, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. The toll that it is taking on lives and businesses is immense, and even experts cant predict how long it will continue, or agree on the best way to manage it. The world we operate in now is truly very complicated, and companies face greater challenges than ever.