From a Little Spark May Burst a Flame

As of last week, Arc90 successfully launched its first product, Kindling. Kindling simply put, is an idea management system base on this simple formula: Idea + Discussion + Voting + Approval = Best, “Most Likely to Succeed” Ideas. For a more formal definition: Kindling is a web-based application that cultivates and manages the ideas of everyone in your organization. And that is exactly how Kindling came about. Kindling’s Baby Daddy, Chris Dary came up with the idea, built the app and we used it to decide to make Kindling our first public product. So Meta.

The impetus for this post grew out of my appreciation for the Kindling product and the team that made it all happen. I sat down with the team members to discuss what Kindling is to them. The general consensus was that the application is incredibly SIMPLE and focused, giving users a voice. Jess Eddy, Lead UI Pixel Pusher, said, “At its core it is exactly what it needs to be. It is simple and easy to use.” The application is a homegrown grass roots effort that gives people a voice that might not otherwise be heard, thereby empowering individuals and the group collective. And not only does Kindling get the fire sparked and ideas rolling, it offers a call to action and a way to realize full-baked, completed ideas. The willingness to use such a tool speaks strongly to the culture of the organization. Our Client Dynamo, Jen Epting feels, “It’s so great this space exists, making people feel like they are part of the conversation.”

In this digital age, humans are now more than ever freed up from low-level menial tasks. We can really start to harness the potential of our 70% of unused brain capacity. Ideas are what separate us from the beasts. Innovation is the key to human progress and with a tool like Kindling, it is easier to collect an organization’s internal ingenuity.

Using Kindling here at Arc has changed our process. We’ve gone through a plethora of ideas in the last few months. The ideas have run the gamut, from publishing our intrablog for public consumption, to making Kindling our first product, to having an Arc90 prom! Some are great, some are small. Regardless it’s been an amazing sounding board for our collective thoughts. According to Josh Diehl, Kindling Project Ninja, “Using Kindling helps me keep a finger on the pulse of people’s wants and needs.” Without a tool like Kindling, really great ideas can dry up or fall off the radar. Bit Herder, Matt Williams says, “Ideas can easily peter out with out a feedback loop.” Kindling gets the idea flames stoked and is not just a suggestion box whose contents are read, laughed at and promptly disposed of.

Thus far, our first round of beta testers have given enormous amounts of feedback showing they actually care enough about the product to take the time to offer constructive criticism as well as positive comments. Fearless Leader, Rich Ziade says about our first product here at Arc, “Unlike client work where there are inherent limitations, product work allows us to really take chances.” Hopefully the public will be equally willing to take a chance on us.

Better ideas can streamline processes and reduce costs delivering real value. The value in voting allows the best ideas to bubble to the top like the cream on a perfect espresso. I think Chris said it best, “Experiencing new and different perspectives can be key to igniting a spark of imagination that has the potential to create something great.” I am proud in knowing that Kindling is our first product and showcases the collective talent and the creative energy here at Arc90. My personal equation to add to the mix would be: a bit of clever + a generous helping of collaboration = pure genius!