Observing People:

Product Design

Observing Disruptive People

Discovering Hidden Needs of Prospective Customers

"People don't pay for technology. They pay for the solution to their problems or for something they enjoy."

– Dean Kamen

 Case in Point

New Way to Cook Salmon

Source: Advanced Systemic Inventive Thinking (ASIT) Network

Many times customers use products in a way their manufacturers never dreamed of. This is why it's so important to spend time and money watching the customers while using the product. To illustrate, guests at a wedding enjoyed the catering very much, and most of all the hosts received lots of praise for the salmon dish. Curiously they asked their caterer how he prepared the Salmon. To their surprise he willingly revealed his secret... "I cooked it in a dishwasher."

 Case in Point

Washing Machine – a New Application

Source: Advanced Systematic Inventive Thinking (ASIT) Technique (ASIT) Network

Whirlpool washing machines in India was studying the market for the Whirl products in Northern India. In the northern part of India, most people consume buttermilk made out of curd. To company managers' surprise, many families used their washing machine for stirring curd and making buttermilk! The reason was simple: washing machines were cheaper than stirrers and more suitable. The company managers could not believe it! 

 Case in Point  IDEO

All IDEO-designed products were inspired by watching real people. "We are not funs of focus groups. We don't much care for traditional market research either. We go to the source. Not the "experts" inside a company, but the actual people who use the product or something similar to what we're hoping to create. It's precisely this observation-fueled insight that makes innovation possible. Uncovering what comes naturally to people. And having the strengths to change the rules," writes Tom Kelley.¹