Hunting Insights
Seeing the obvious for the first time
Consider gravity, for example. We've all experienced it, but Sir Isaac Newton described it first. The weirdest thing about discovering insights is that -- very frequently -- they were sitting right in front of you the whole time.
At a recent speaking engagement, I led the audience through an activity to discover insights related to conference/hotel seating. The room was lively and noisy as attendees interviewed each other and took some simple ethnographic notes. But come time for the debrief, no one thought they had anything to report, despite having taken extensive notes.
After a bit of encouragement, people shared their observations. Here are the ones I thought offered the most potential for innovation:
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Most of us are wider than the seat, and we don't want to sit that close
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There's no place to stash anything
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You have to write on your lap
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Beverage containers are designed for tabletops, but are used in a lap or stored on the floor
These are pretty great insights from a ten minute learning activity in a room full of people! But they felt obvious to their discoverers.
But innovation thrives on obvious insights! Consider seat heaters and air conditioning in cars (we don't like being too hot or too cold), roller wheels on luggage (carrying a heavy bag is a drag), and caller ID (all callers are not equally valued.)
Staying competitive in today's world means coming up with a steady stream of insights, and then crafting innovative approaches to make things better, faster, cheaper, smarter, prettier, easier, or otherwise more valuable.
The trick -- is seeing the obvious, and seeing it with new eyes.
Happy insight hunting!
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