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Observation-fueled Value Innovation

 

  

 
Vadim Kotelnikov (VadiK) business guru, teaching by example

Observe people empathetically to discover their hidden needs and desires.

~ Vadim Kotelnikov

  

Yin-Yang of Observation-fueled Product Innovation

Yin (passive, accepting side): Uncovering what comes naturally to people.

Yang (active, aggressive side): Having the strength to change the rules.

  

 
 

What do people buy? Products and services? Not at all.

People buy solutions to their problems, satisfaction of their desires, or the hope of experiencing pleasure.

The task of the innovative value creator is to first discover these hidden needs and desires and then satisfy them.

The best way to discover these hidden needs and desires is by observing people.

   Innovation Process A-Z/360 ppts download, presentation slide deck

 
 

Design Thinking Process

The process of design thinking is a series of steps for gaining insights, setting objectives, generating options, testing strategies, and getting feedback. Observe people to uncover what comes naturally to them and discover their hidden needs. Observe disruptive people who can inspire creation of new trends in the marketplace... More

  

Design Thinking

Benefits

Approaches

Process

Make Design Thinking Thrive

  

 

 
 

6 Innovation Practice Tips by IDEO

① Observe people, customers and non-customers, especially enthusiasts... More

  

BLISSful Inventor

Productive Creativity

  

 
 

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 in his book The Art of Innovation.

  

Customer-driven Innovation

Co-innovate with Customers

Serendipity

Apple's Design Process

Disney's Creativity Strategy

  

 

 
 

Example: An outside-the-box way to cook salmon

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."

  

Creative Dissatisfaction

Entrepreneurial Creativity

Thinking Outside the Box

'Why? What If?' Questions

Tips for Challenging Assumptions

  

 
   

Example: A fundamentally new use for the washing machine

 

  

 
 

Whirlpool washing machines in India was studying the market for the Whirl products. 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 were shocked!