The topic of innovation certainly has a lot of buzz in the business world lately. I've seen a lot of consultants and business theorists offering up ideas about the process of innovation, but they seem to differ wildly in the approaches. Some are rational and step-by-step, others offer lightening breakthroughs.
For me, innovation is a solution to a market problem that is solved in new or much more valuable way.
I believe the key to real innovation turns some popular views of innovation upside down. While I see a lot of literature on the creative process, I've often felt short-changed by finishing a book and not recalling a clear picture of actions and techniques. A repeatable innovation process requires a rational process to identify the market problem to solve, and perhaps some faith and "irrational" leaps to create an innovative solution.
The folks at Pragmatic Marketing have done a nice job analyzing and defining the steps in innovative product development. Check out the steps to getting "Tuned In" on the site.
A principle of the process involves tuning into the needs of buyers and the market. I understand this priority, as I've been involved in plenty of unsuccessful product initiatives that were either internal "whiteboard" exercises or "me-too" features that just meet a competitor's offering. Understanding the needs of buyers is a lot of work, but so is building something without a clear understanding of buyer needs just to be "first to market" with something no one really needs.
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