Innovation Games : Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play

Innovation Through Understandingsm The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can’t explain what they want. Now, there’s a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers’ true, hidden needs and desires. You’ll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start. Learn how your customers define success Discover what customers don’t like about your offerings Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities Understand where your offerings fit into your customers’ operations Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions Increase empathy for the customers’ experience within your organization Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike. Contents......Page 14 About the Author......Page 20 Foreword......Page 22 Preface......Page 24 Acknowledgments......Page 30 PART ONE: The Why and the How of Innovation Games......Page 32 What Are Innovation Games?......Page 33 Organizing Innovation Games......Page 37 Innovation Games as a Market Research Technique......Page 38 A Market Research Process......Page 40 Primary and Secondary Data......Page 41 Whom Do I Ask? Market Segmentation......Page 43 Questions, Data, Answers, and Actions......Page 45 The Unique Benefits (and Drawbacks) of Qualitative Market Research......Page 46 What Makes Innovation Games Special?......Page 47 The Innovation Games Process......Page 49 Degree of Open-Ended Exploration......Page 51 Number of Customers Who Can Play the Game......Page 52 Preparation Workload......Page 53 Time Frame of Action......Page 55 A Planning Timeline......Page 57 Phases of Preparation......Page 58 Organizing Your Team......Page 60 The Day of Your Innovation Game......Page 66 Processing the Results of Your Innovation Game......Page 68 Innovation Games and Customer-Centric New Product Innovation Processes......Page 71 Ideation Phase......Page 72 Using Innovation Games to Feed Product Requirements......Page 74 Using Innovation Games with Customer Advisory Boards......Page 75 Summary......Page 76 PART TWO: The Games......Page 78 Prune the Product Tree......Page 79 Preparing for the Game......Page 80 Playing the Game......Page 83 Processing the Results......Page 85 How I Can Use Prune the Product Tree......Page 86 Remember the Future......Page 87 Why It Works......Page 88 Playing the Game......Page 90 How I Can Use Remember the Future......Page 92 Spider Web......Page 93 Why It Works......Page 94 Preparing for the Game......Page 95 Processing the Results......Page 97 How I Can Use Spider Web......Page 98 Product Box......Page 99 Preparing for the Game......Page 100 Playing the Game......Page 103 Processing the Results......Page 105 How I Can Use Product Box......Page 106 Buy a Feature......Page 107 Preparing for the Game......Page 108 Playing the Game......Page 112 Processing the Results......Page 113 How I Can Use Buy a Feature......Page 114 Start Your Day......Page 115 The Game......Page 116 Preparing for the Game......Page 117 Playing the Game......Page 119 Processing the Results......Page 120 How I Can Use Start Your Day......Page 122 Show and Tell......Page 123 Preparing for the Game......Page 124 How I Can Use Show and Tell......Page 126 Me and My Shadow......Page 127 Why It Works......Page 128 Playing the Game......Page 129 Processing the Results......Page 131 How I Can Use Me and My Shadow......Page 132 Give Them a Hot Tub......Page 133 Preparing for the Game......Page 134 Processing the Results......Page 135 How I Can Use Give Them a Hot Tub......Page 136 The Apprentice......Page 137 Preparing for the Game......Page 138 Processing the Results......Page 139 How I Can Use the Apprentice......Page 140 20/20 Vision......Page 141 Why It Works......Page 142 Playing the Game......Page 143 Processing the Results......Page 145 How I Can Use 20/20 Vision......Page 148 Speed Boat......Page 149 Why It Works......Page 150 Preparing for the Game......Page 151 Playing the Game......Page 152 Processing the Results......Page 154 How I Can Use Speed Boat......Page 156 PART THREE: Tools and Templates......Page 158 Phase One Planning in Greater Detail......Page 159 Customizing Speed Boat......Page 162 Customizing Buy a Feature......Page 163 Key Goals......Page 164 Key Remaining Action Items......Page 165 Room Layout and Customer Organization......Page 166 Detailed Schedule......Page 167 AirIT Sample Thank You Letter......Page 168 Start Your Day Materials......Page 173 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)......Page 175 Give Customers Time to Play the Game......Page 178 Transcribe the Results......Page 179 A Good Facilitator......Page 180 Conclusion......Page 182 C......Page 184 I......Page 185 M......Page 186 P......Page 187 R......Page 188 T......Page 189 U–Z......Page 190

Innovation Through Understandingsm

 

The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can’t explain what they want. Now, there’s a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers’ true, hidden needs and desires.

 

You’ll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start.

• Learn how your customers define success
• Discover what customers don’t like about your offerings
• Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities
• Understand where your offerings fit into your customers’ operations
• Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service
• Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions
• Increase empathy for the customers’ experience within your organization
• Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations
• Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features

Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOsand development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike.

This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version. Innovation Through Understandingsm The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can't explain what they want. Now, there's a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers'true, hidden needs and desires. You'll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start. Learn how your customers define success Discover what customers don't like about your offerings Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities Understand where your offerings fit into your customers'operations Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions Increase empathy for the customers'experience within your organization Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike. This is the eBook version of the printed book.Innovation Through UnderstandingsmThe toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can't explain what they want. Now, there's a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers' true, hidden needs and desires. You'll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start. Learn how your customers define success Discover what customers don't like about your offerings Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities Understand where your offerings fit into your customers' operations Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions Increase empathy for the customers' experience within your organization Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable featuresInnovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike. "The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can't explain what they want. Now, there's a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers' true, hidden needs and desires." "You'll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start. Learn how your customers define success, Discover what customers don't like about your offerings, Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities, Understand where your offerings fit into your customers' operations, Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service, Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions, Increase empathy for the customers' experience within your organization, Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations, Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features. Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET Innovation Through Understanding sm The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for . Even if you ask them, they often can't explain what they want. Now, there's a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games . Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers' true, hidden needs and desires. You'll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start . Learn how your customers define success Discover what customers don't like about your offerings Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities Understand where your offerings fit into your customers' operations Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions Increase empathy for the customers' experience within your organization Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R&D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike "The toughest part of innovation? Accurately predicting what customers want, need, and will pay for. Even if you ask them, they often can't explain what they want. Now, there's a breakthrough solution: Innovation Games. Drawing on his software product strategy and product management consulting experience, Luke Hohmann has created twelve games that help you uncover your customers' true, hidden needs and desires." "You'll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers. Then, Hohmann shows how to integrate the results into your product development processes, helping you focus your efforts, reduce your costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver the right solutions, right from the start. Learn how your customers define success, Discover what customers don't like about your offerings, Uncover unspoken needs and breakthrough opportunities, Understand where your offerings fit into your customers' operations, Clarify exactly how and when customers will use your product or service, Deliver the right new features, and make better strategy decisions, Increase empathy for the customers' experience within your organization, Improve the effectiveness of the sales and service organizations, Identify your most effective marketing messages and sellable features. Innovation Games will be indispensable for anyone who wants to drive more successful, customer-focused product development: product and R & D managers, CTOs and development leaders, marketers, and senior business executives alike. Book jacket."--Jacket