A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled “The New, Faster Face of Innovation” points out that technology is transforming innovation because it allows companies to test new ideas at speeds – and prices – that were unimaginable even 10 years ago.

Changes implemented on websites or even in-store promotions can be launched, watched and analyzed all within a 24 period. In turn, the authors believe that innovation is becoming a “way of life” at more and more enlightened companies, and we say it’s not a moment too soon. Companies will (or should) be willing to try new things because the price of failure is so low.

In turn, customers should be getting better tailored services, products and offers. This is all good news for service design. These are the types of clients we love to work with; they think big, start small and act fast. And in the end, they win because their customers win.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, there was an article entitled, "Job Loss in the Age of Blogs and Twitter" in which they reported that Internet gambling, gaming and social network sites have all grown at the same time people are losing their jobs. Beyond job searches, the Web is "performing another important role: a social anesthesia that distracts people from the stress of unemployment." Some facts pointed out in the article:

• The number of visitors to online game sites jumped 29.9% during the fourth quarter of last year, compared with a 0.3% decline during the same period the prior year, according to comScore Inc.
• Traffic on Internet gambling sites soared 28.6% over the holiday quarter, compared with a 26.9% decline over the holiday season the previous year, comScore says.
• Last week, the online movie rental service Netflix Inc. said its number of subscribers grew 26% over the holidays to 9.4 million, compared with 18% in the same period the year before.

For some, this is a period to sulk and get lost in online Soduko. For others, it is a time to seize opportunities. This applies to both individuals and corporations alike.