Author Archives: Thomas Kadavy
Is the success of your innovation projects based on luck? Would you rather your product development team be lucky or good? Being lucky in the things you can’t control is a wonderful thing, but relying on luck for the things you can control really isn’t the best strategy for your innovation efforts. So, is your development team practicing Luckovation? Here are few characteristics of “Luckovators” to help you find out: Continue reading
Most organizations strive to keep their product developers locked up far away from customers. After all, you never know what an engineer or designer might say. Those R&D guys tend to be coldly straight, to the point and struggle with the concept of “spin,” which can be kind of scary. They also deeply understand the product, its special nuances, performance profile and underlying technology platform. It is also in their power to change these attributes. For these reasons customers love to talk with these “factory” guys. They feel like their gripes and suggestions are making it unfiltered to the source, and if they can garner some great tips for using the product, all the better. It’s worth considering how you can unlock your R&D team to drive adoption of your products. Key Customer Collaboration To build stronger relationships with key customers, consider opening a communication channel between them and your … Continue reading
Most organizations strive to keep their product developers locked up far away from customers. After all, you never know what an engineer or designer might say. Those R&D guys tend to be coldly straight, to the point and struggle with the concept of “spin,” which can be kind of scary. They also deeply understand the product, its special nuances, performance profile and underlying technology platform. It is also in their power to change these attributes. For these reasons customers love to talk with these “factory” guys. They feel like their gripes and suggestions are making it unfiltered to the source, and if they can garner some great tips for using the product, all the better. It’s worth considering how you can unlock your R&D team to drive adoption of your products. Key Customer Collaboration To build stronger relationships with key customers, consider opening a communication channel between them and your … Continue reading
Many innovative new products have their genesis in simple observation. Observation reveals unmet user needs, problems and opportunities. These insights are the inspiration for great products that create new markets and a strategic competitive advantage, ultimately driving revenue growth. Understanding the power of observation is essential for building your company’s product development innovation engine. The Observational Study The observational study is intended to provide actionable information for defining user needs, creating problem statements and understanding use scenarios. These studies are generally not complex and usually consist of observers embedding themselves with people as they go about their daily work or specific tasks. Studies should be well-planned and have written goals and clear expectations for type and format of output. Depending on study design observations can be as short as hours or as long as days. The subject may be observed only once or multiple times over many days. The number … Continue reading
We all know intuitively when we are using a truly great product. There is just something about the experience that leaves a lasting impression. And, while it may be hard to say exactly what that special “something” is, you inherently know when it’s there. So what are these attributes of very best products? The Very Best Products are Tolerant All day – every day – we are making mistakes, involved in accidents and cutting corners. Incorrect key strokes, parts installed backwards, dropped items, false starts, skipped steps and re-dos are rampant. With minimum hassle, the very best products tolerate, survive and recover from these mistakes and abuse. We deeply appreciate when the products we buy are robust and discreetly watch out for us without getting in the way. The Very Best Products Play Well with Others Interfaces matter. Great products are sensitive to the way they interface with accessories, other … Continue reading
