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Leonard: spark innovation through empathic design

3 important questions on Leonard: spark innovation through empathic design

How can, according to Leonard, a company identify needs that customers themselves may not recognize or maybe do know, but don't know that those desires can be fulfilled?

A set of techniques, empathic design, can help resolves the above mentioned. At its foundation its observation: watching consumers use products or services in their own environment/normal daily routines. Observation are important to identify needs of customers that they don't know they exist. F.e. they have work-arrounds and forget they are forced to behave less optimal.

The techniques of empathic design (gathering/analyzing/applying observation information from the field) aren't common practice. But developing this expertise is a worthy investment. Why? (Leonard)

1 It is relatively low cost, low-risk to identify customer needs
2 It is an important source of product ideas
3 It had potential to redirect a company's technological capabilities toward entirely new businesses.

What is the important note in the research of Leonard?

Empathic-design techniques can not replace market research. They contribute to the flow of ideas that need further scientific testing before a company commits itself to the development project.