Finding Innovation in Happy Accidents
Organisms evolve across multiple generations to ensure long-term success and survival. Similarly, many of our products manage to evolve too, but evolution isn't always a straight path toward a predetermined goal. Some of nature's and humanity's most successful innovations emerge from unexpected outcomes, failures that become breakthroughs, and accidents that reveal new possibilities.
This is the essence of integrating the unexpected, one of Biomimicry’s Life’s Principles: the ability to recognize value in unintended results and pivot toward new opportunities.
Penicillin's Accidental Discovery
Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin (1928) started when he returned from vacation to find mold contaminating his bacterial culture - typically a ruined experiment. Before discarding the "failure," he noticed something remarkable: the bacteria surrounding the mold had died. This happy accident led to the discovery of antibiotics, revolutionizing medicine and saving countless lives. wikipedia.org
Nature itself constantly integrates “accidents”. Genetic mutations which are essentially "mistakes" in DNA replication for example, occasionally produce traits that prove advantageous, becoming the foundation for evolutionary adaptation.
A Human Design Example: Play-Doh
Play-Doh began as a wallpaper cleaning compound in the 1930s. The putty-like substance was designed to remove coal residue from wallpaper in homes heated by coal furnaces. But as natural gas heating became standard, the product's original purpose vanished; a classic business failure scenario.
Then came the unexpected observation: teachers and parents had begun using the wallpaper cleaner for children's craft projects and Christmas ornaments. Rather than abandoning a "failed" product, the company recognized this unintended use and pivoted entirely. They reformulated the compound, added colors, and relaunched it as a children's toy. Today, Play-Doh is an iconic craft material with over three billion cans sold worldwide. wikipedia.org
Another Human Design Example: Post-it Notes
In 1968, 3M scientist Spencer Silver was attempting to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he developed a weak, pressure-sensitive adhesive that could stick to surfaces but was easily removable; essentially a failure by his original objective.
For years, this "failed" glue sat without purpose until 3M colleague Art Fry experienced a frustration: bookmarks kept falling out of his church hymnal. Remembering Silver's low-tack adhesive, Fry realized this "failure" was perfect for re-positionable notes. The result? Post-it Notes became one of 3M's most successful products, generating billions in revenue from what began as an unsuccessful experiment.
The Design Lesson
Accepting and embracing something that you never expected to happen during the design phase requires maintaining a certain level of openness. It means paying attention when mockups behave differently than anticipated, when users interact with products in unintended ways, or when "failed" prototypes reveal hidden potential. Sometimes the sketch that falls on the floor and lands upside down sparks the breakthrough idea.
As you design, test, and iterate, stay alert to happy accidents. The unexpected isn't always a problem to solve, sometimes it's an opportunity to evolve in directions you never imagined. The ability to recognize and embrace change, even unexpected change, is what separates enduring success from obsolescence.
Happy Accident Play-doh
Happy Accident Post-it
