Ideo: Consumer Focused Innovation

1. Where does IDEO get inspiration for its product designs?

IDEO gets its inspiration for its product designs from the consumers who will use these products. They look at what the consumer will need or want from the product. When designing a new product they try to look at all aspects from the consumers’ perspective. This gives them a better idea at what will provide the most gratifying experience for the consumers. Once they have looked at all areas on what a consumer will like and not like they design a product that they believe will provide the most value for the customer. IDEO takes it a step further by testing their products with consumers and obtaining feedback about the consumer’s prospective. The article written by Professor Vicky Szerko shows us many examples of this approach from the design teams at IDEO with her examples of them designing a wheelchair, student desk, and especially with their innovative design for changing the experience for children needing a CT scan.

2. What kind of value do you think successful products deliver to consumers?

As stated in our textbook value is equal to what you get minus what you give. Value in a product has many different aspects. Consumers can perceive value by the price they pay as well as what the consumer gives up to obtain the benefits they desire. Lastly “value is what a customer gets in exchange for the price it pay.” (Anderson & Narus, 1998) These types of value can be different for each consumer such as having the name brand product, having the ease of obtaining the product, or having a product that gives them more than what they expected.

3. Why do you think having a product that simply works doesn’t always translate to consumer acceptance?

Having a product that works doesn’t always translate to consumer acceptance because there may be a variety of products out there that just simply get the job done but the product might not be ideal for the consumer. Choices between different markets make...