Is Your Idea Really Brilliant?
Gijsbertus J.J. van Wulfen
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What a brilliant idea! That’s what a lot of people think after a new idea pops into their minds. Or it’s something someone says at the end of a wonderful ideation workshop where a team of colleagues has just brainstormed a lot of new concepts. Of course, at that very moment it looks and feels like utter brilliance. Just like adoring parents swooning over their child. But, in this instance is it really justified?
Well actually, most new ideas don’t lead to new successful products. There is considerable evidence that show of the thousands of ideas out there, only one of them is converted into to a successful product. It takes 3000 raw ideas to get to 1 successful product[1]. Many ideas cannot be transformed into products due to technical or economic reasons or because customers are not interested.
So brilliant new ideas require three checks:
- Customer: will it be liked?
- Business model: will it be profitable?
- Technology: will it be feasible?
A lot of ideas are generated from an ideation workshop, idea contest or R&D and marketing getting together. Therefore, it’s wise to first do a quick-and-dirty check on all three aspects. In my innovation practice I notice most companies check the feasibility. Some of them also check the viability of the business model. But hardly anyone checks if the customers will like the idea at the front end of the innovation process. Why do organizations forget to connect with customers at the front end of innovation?
- Arrogance: we know what’s best for them;
- Ignorance: we didn’t give it any thought ;
- Habit: this is not something we’ve ever done;
- Laziness: this is a lot of hassle;
- Fear of rejection: they will criticize us;
- Fear of openness: they will steal the idea from us;
Having been involved in a lot of early concept testing, one thing strikes me most. In almost every innovation project, the ranking of top ideas made by the innovation team was completely different from the ranking made by their customers.
You are absolutely right to fear that your customers will criticize your ideas. That is exactly what they do. And that is the one reason testing your ‘brilliant’ ideas out on customers has such a great added value. In an era where the speed to market is increasingly more important, you shouldn’t waste valuable time and resources on hopeless concepts. Quit as early as possible and focus your attention on developing products or services with a promising concept and good market perspective. This will boost your innovation productivity and reduce the time to market.
So connect customers early in your product development process, listen to them and check if they like it a.s.a.p. Learn from them and use these customer insights to improve your concepts. You should not do what your customers ask you for. You should surprise them and even do better. Then your idea is really brilliant.
[1] Stevens, G.A. and Burley J.,”3000 Raw Ideas = 1 Commercial Success!”, may/June 1997, Research Technology Management, Vol 40, #3, pp. 16-27.
CEO at Goosen Enterprises, LLC
10 年Have you ever noticed that without fail when some-one comes up with a new idea , in a split second it will be shot down in flames? I have told this story before but it still applies, so here goes. When Yuri Gagarian was orbiting the earth, the USA could not even solve the fiirst questions! I met a physiologist , Dr. Patterson in Richmond, Virginia, who explained how they finally developed the method of delaying criticism of any idea and so found sucess. In 1958 I was working in the research lab in Cape Town where the surgeons were attempting to design a prosthetic heart valve. While I considered none of their ideas as of value, I learned how to mold silicone,etc. When I announced that I had found the answer I made a deal to make a dog size one and would briing it in when we were already on bypass. It worked and within 2 wees we were already using it on patients! The same valve in specially adapted form was used in the world's first correction of Ebstein's analogy! Carl Goosen
Design thinking and healthcare
11 年How about testing, prototyping and experiment it * In a constant loop of perpetual movement!!!
Proofreading
11 年YES!
Managing Partner at MCZ Management Consulting
11 年3000:1? It doesn't seem right. In 20 years, I had ~10 raw ideas, implemented 6, and got 6 significant commercial successes. A few key points: 1. Identify market/ customer segments needs; 2. Raw idea(s); 3. Develop and Refine idea(s); 4. Develop and test business model; 5. ACT!
Environmental Regulatory Development Manager
11 年Many ideas are good, connected to customer, profit value etc.... The 'brilliance' is in how that idea actually gets traction in an organization to become a new product / service etc.. For sure most new ideas never see product, and I have heard the 3000:1 ratio (maybe even lower!). But I think this ratio is less a function of the idea itself, and more a function of HOW the idea is incubated, presented, nurtured, lobbied, resuscitated, hidden, protected, promoted, demonstrated, championed etc... Thanks for the article!!