- Identifying and addressing unsaid (latent) needs is crucial for creating truly disruptive, successful products. The article argues that focusing on explicit customer requests often leads to incremental improvements, while true innovation comes from understanding and fulfilling needs customers themselves might not be aware of.
- Killer apps across industries have historically succeeded by addressing latent needs. The article provides numerous examples of companies like Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Toyota, and SpaceX who revolutionized their respective industries by solving problems customers didn't explicitly voice.
- AI can be leveraged to identify latent needs and accelerate change. The article showcases how OpenAI's language models can be used to generate insights into customer behavior and uncover hidden needs.
Most Important Ideas/Facts:
- Explicit vs. Unsaid Needs: Explicit needs are directly communicated by customers, while unsaid needs are often unarticulated desires or pain points that customers might not even recognize.
- "A Faster Horse": The article highlights Steve Jobs' famous quote referencing Henry Ford: "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" This illustrates the limitations of relying solely on explicit customer feedback.
- Disruption through Unsaid Needs: By focusing on unsaid needs, companies can create products that not only meet existing demands but also introduce entirely new ways of thinking and behaving.
- ChatGPT as an Example: ChatGPT's rapid success is attributed to its ability to address the unsaid need for a more human-like, intelligent, and conversational chatbot experience.
- Identifying Latent Needs with AI: The article demonstrates how OpenAI's language models can be used to generate lists of potential latent needs and research methodologies to uncover them.
- Steve Jobs: "Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do... People don't know what they want until you show it to them."
- Manav Sehgal: "Services and products primarily built on top of explicit customer needs are disrupted by services and products built on top of unsaid customer needs or latent needs. That is why the term - Killer Apps!"
- Embrace a mindset that prioritizes understanding unsaid customer needs.
- Utilize observational research, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration to uncover latent needs.
- Experiment with AI-powered tools like OpenAI's language models to generate insights and identify potential areas for innovation.
- Challenge assumptions about what customers want and be open to exploring unexpected solutions.
This briefing document summarizes the main points of the article Unsaid Needs, Before Asks - Accelerating Change With Simple AI Hacks. By understanding the importance of addressing unsaid needs and leveraging AI to uncover these latent desires, businesses can position themselves to create truly disruptive and successful products.
