“Help us OV-1 KENOBI, you’re our only hope” (to get buy-in for new tech and ideas)
- Samara Kitchener
- May 1
- 4 min read
Updated: May 2
What we’ve learned from military system visualisations to drive innovation
Imagine planning out Defence operations 20 years into the future. You need to assess your current capabilities, picture future technologies, and consider how they best integrate within various competitive scenarios. You may have a vision or strategy, but you need to get others on board – to invest in it, believe in it, build it and make it happen. How do you ensure that all involved buy into the mission and long-term objectives – which will take years of concerted effort to realise?
You can’t be what you can’t see, and you can’t build what you can’t conceptualise. Enter the OV-1 – a high-level operational concept graphic that functions as a cornerstone for strategic, conceptual thinking and military planning. An OV-1 is an all-encompassing view which shows the crucial capabilities and elements of a battlespace or scenario, how they interact, and key advantages or vulnerabilities. OV-1s are often used to conceptualise future innovations and how new technologies can be integrated with military systems to gain asymmetric advantage over a competitor. They are very useful for ‘explicitly tying user requirements to strategic-level capability needs, enabling early agreement to be reached on the capability boundary[1]’.
One of the biggest challenges in innovation is getting people to buy into something that doesn’t yet exist. At House of Kitch we love creating OV-1s as we firmly believe in the power of visualisation to bring new ideas to life. We can’t openly share the OV-1s that we have developed as most of this work is classified, so we have created an 'OV-1 Kenobi' for May the 4th to extend this powerful methodology into broader innovation.
Strategic facts through science-fiction
If we were to demonstrate the advantages of acquiring a fleet of X-Wings for the Rebel Alliance, how would we do it?
Operating as a coalition of resistance against the Empire, the Rebel Alliance’s strength comes from their ability to integrate diverse assets to function as a cohesive whole. With a decentralised force working across multiple planets, the Rebels need to prioritise capabilities that can function independently and slot in seamlessly into existing frameworks.
As demonstrated in the OV-1, X-Wings can link to the existing communications network mesh, enhancing resilience even if individual units are rendered inoperable. Human/AI (droid) integration allows for enhanced manoeuvring and decision-making. With individual war fighter’s safety an upmost priority, each X-Wing has its own defensive shielding, and X-Wing fighters can operate independently with their own landing capabilities and hyperdrives.
In contrast, the Empire operates from a completely centralised model, with a command centre aboard the Star Destroyer directing TIE Fighter swarms that operate as a networked group. A lack of shielding, landing capabilities or hyperdrives mean the fighters are faster and more agile in the battlespace, but also more vulnerable and completely dependent on the wider system. Sheer numbers that prioritise offensive tactics make up for their defensive weakness.
By clearly visualising the advantages of the X-Wing in the theatre of war, the viewer can quickly understand the benefits to incorporating the capability into their strategy.
Seeing is believing
Visualisation lays the foundation for new modes of thought and dissemination of scientific ideas and information.[2] Visuals and concept diagrams are one of the fastest accelerators of innovation adoption as they communicate at an intuitive emotional level - speaking to the gut (limbic system) and helping people to adopt new ideas much faster than words.
Our brains are wired to respond to images and act on them, from ancient rock art to video games. Visuals are processed up to 60,000 times faster than text, hitting the visual cortex and triggering emotional centres like the amygdala almost instantly.[3] The brain runs a “dual system” for handling information in which words need decoding, but pictures plug straight into memory and emotion[4]. This makes visualisations and concept art powerful tools for innovation especially in an attention scarce environment.
House of Kitch applies this thinking to all our work - we develop creative visualisations or concept art at the early stage of projects, or to get new ideas more widely adopted. For example, it can be hard for a client to embrace an outlandish activation idea, but create a compelling visualisation, and you will shorten decision making time.
Storyboards are another brilliant tool – e.g. for a Space Command STEM project we needed to get multiple stakeholders onboard to create a video for Science Week – involving an Australian sensor from Western Sydney University being sent to space involving the US Space Force, NASA and International Space Station teams. We created a compelling storyboard where each stakeholder saw how they were a part of the story, and miraculously all agreed to be part of the collaboration.
This May the 4th, think of the impact you could have if people truly understood your vision. If you have a compelling idea that you need help communicating – get in touch! We’re offering a 40% discount on your first OV-1 with discount code OV1Kenobi, all you need to do is email us via media@houseofkitch.com.au
[3] Potter, M. C., Wyble, B., Hagmann, C. E., & McCourt, E. S. (2014). Detecting meaning in RSVP at 13 ms per picture. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 76(2), 270-279.
[4] Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford University Press.
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