A lot of distractions for innovation stem from the wrong metrics at the wrong time. For example, when I write this blog, I write it first in something like notepad because it doesn’t have a spelling and grammar checker. I am also deliberate in not rereading while I’m writing. If I were to concern myself with those metrics right off the bad, I would lose track of my ideas while chasing after grammar issues.
When engineering products, there are a number of design criteria which need to be followed. In general, it helps to ignore things like weight and space constraints at the beginning. This allows you to focus on developing a product that solves the problem presented. Refinement becomes a separate process. As a result, the creative work of finding a design solution is unhampered.
Think about your metrics carefully and decide when in the innovation process they are best applied.