Experience looks good on a CV, signals expertise and earns respect. After all, few people like being called inexperienced.

Yet innovation often comes from people with no experience at all – people who succeed precisely because they lack it.

With no background in engineering, James Dyson re-invented vacuum cleaners after seeing how sawmills used cyclone force to eject sawdust.

Put simply, doing things differently is harder when you know how they’re usually done. Or as Dyson explains, “experienced people always know why you shouldn’t do something”.

But how can you un-learn what you already know?

Seeing through the eyes of a child

It’s impossible to erase experience, but you can first acknowledge how it shapes your thinking. The second, more unconventional, approach is to adopt the mindset of a child.

Children see the world without assumptions or rules about how things should be. It’s why they’re fascinated by questions that seem normal to adults: the colour of the sky, how aeroplanes fly, or why ants travel in colonies.

They’re also unafraid to probe difficult topics. It’s no coincidence that, in the famous story, it’s a child who notices the emperor has no clothes. Perhaps the “innovator mindset” should really be called the “child mindset”.

A child’s take on market research

With all this in mind I wondered: what questions would a child ask about my work? And could their raw perspective actually prompt better research?

Let’s explore five questions.

1. Why do you call it research? Isn’t it just asking questions?

There is certainly a lot more it, not least data analysis and strategic thinking, but the question raises an important point: you can do research anywhere, with anyone. No single source has a monopoly on insight.

I’ve learnt just as much about the Met Police from strangers at the pub as from respondents in a survey in my current role. This is why researchers should spend time talking to people outside the office, even if they’re not in the ‘target market’. One person may not give you the full picture, but they’ll give you a vital piece of the puzzle.

2. Why do you ask so many questions instead of just one?

The short answer is to get more insight, but this question should serve as an antidote against long and complex surveys.

I’ve found that it helps to work backwards: imagine the final report you’ll compile, and then consider the questions (and data) you’ll need to complete it. You quickly recognise the number of unnecessary questions that will never make it to the report. They exist simply because they’ve always been asked.

3. Why do you need a big report if the answer is just yes or no?

The ideal response: “to include all the fantastic insight I’ve discovered”. The realistic response: “because it justifies the cost of the project”. It’s sadly true that many reports answer one key question and yet need 50 slides to do so.

Researchers would be better off creating shorter reports where the recommendation is clear and each slide is unmissable. This also benefits the recipient, who has fewer data points to remember. Keep in mind that you’re being paid for your thinking, not your slide count.

4. Why does someone’s age matter for their opinion?

In short, people’s needs and experiences shape their perceptions. But I like this question because it reveals a common mistake: researchers default to age and other basic demographics even if they’re too broad to be useful.

For instance, it’s life stage – not age – that dictates purchases of children’s products. In my work at the Met Police, I’ve found that police perceptions do differ by age but this doesn’t tell the full story: victimisation and crime visibility, both linked to age, play a key role.

5. What if people don’t know the answer?

This question should be shared far and wide. The problem is that respondents like to be helpful, so researchers assume they can answer just about anything.

Surveys ask people to match personality traits with toothpaste brands, or to discuss the impact of subtle packaging changes. You might get data but it’s probably not accurate.

Good research focuses on what people can respond to. As guidance, it’s good to focus on past behaviour (not future prediction), in a realistic setting, about a subject people have (mostly) thought about. If you’ve ever wondered why general election exit polls are so reliable, this explains it.

Children remind us that experience can blind as well as guide. By questioning defaults, challenging assumptions and daring to ask the obvious, they show us the path to better research, and, more broadly, to innovation itself.

If experience narrows your vision, borrow the eyes of a child.

Sam Salama is senior insight manager at the Metropolitan Police Service