What can old products can say about products not yet invented?
4/22/2002
What are the ingredients underpinning a successful new product? Inspiration and market research probably top many people's lists. But how about studying successful products themselves to see what they say about consumers? Many hit products contain similar characteristics, which the authors Goldenberg and Mazursky call creativity templates. Thus a technology used by Compaq that allows people to keep their notebook batteries charged simply by typing is similar to the car phone that uses your powerful radio speakers instead of its own tinny speaker. The pattern? Using something in the immediate product environment (typing, car speaker) to replace an inferior component (fast-expiring batteries, poor quality speaker). The authors posit that identifying such proven patterns helps you to focus your product development process as well as to generate unexpected ideas.