Steve Jobs Case

I agree with this statement, probably because most of my favorite innovations come from that statement. For example, the backup camera on my SUV, the iphone, and facetime are a few. Until I had the capacity to own or experience these, none of these items were on a "want or must have" list for me. Creativity and innovation are not strength of each individual; some of us possess more of these two qualities than others. Customers can be inadequate sources when conducting market research and focus groups. According to Sturt and Nordstrom (2014) inventors of market disrupting ideas know that what people think will attract them to a new product or service may often be very different from what actually does. True innovation is really the art of what product developers call empathetic design. It involves careful consumer observation and investigation, rather than market research; this is how those new customer needs are discovered that no one knew existed. Sturt and Nordstrom (2014) share a story told by A.G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble. Lafley had done market research on everyone's favorite laundry detergent Tide. A rare problem was encountered that there were no clues for improvement. Customers liked the packaging, the smell, how clean the clothes got, there was a dead end. The team decided to go out into the customers' homes and actually watch them do laundry. In one lady's home she first put in the powdered detergent, let the machine fill up with water, and then added the clothes. Just before she closed the lid she reached for a nearby broomstick and poked it into the water while stirring the water. The customer had never mentioned that there was an issue with the powder dissolving in the water, now it was obvious there was something to work on. The creation of liquid Tide came from this home observation. Customers are so accustomed to current conditions that they don't think to ask for a new solution; they can't always say what they would love, because they don't know that the possibility exists for dramatic change.

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