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What Customers Want: Using Outcome-driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services (精装)
by Anthony Ulwick
| Category:
Innovation, Growth strategy, Marketing, Business |
| Market price: ¥ 268.00
MSL price:
¥ 248.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Ulwick's customer driven framework is a ground- breaking tool to help companies stay competitive through Outcome-Driven Innovation. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 9 items |
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Jeff Baker (Senior Market Research Manager, Corporate Market Research, Microsoft) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
We are institutionalizing across the entire company desired outcomes as the essential form of customer input we collect in research, and we've seen the powerful results it's had in our product development, marketing, and sales groups. |
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Dr. Robert Pennisi (Director, Advanced Product Technology Center, Motorola) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
This methodology was used to create the PRO7150 and the TalkAbout - two of our best-selling radio products to date. It was also used to build a valuable patent portfolio in the fuel cell market without making a large investment in technology. |
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Mitchell Auren (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
I have read several new books on innovation and I finally understand why Clayton Christensen referenced the work of Tony Ulwick frequently in his book the Innovator's Solution. Although at first blush, Ulwick's thinking could be cast aside as common sense, this book has made me realize that there is a brilliant, new way to think about innovation.
Let me try to explain how Ulwick frames his thinking. Generally speaking, innovation is the process of finding solutions that address the customer's unmet needs. Most companies agree that they should first uncover and prioritize the customer's unmet needs and then devise solutions that address them - but, as Ulwick explains very well, although companies think they understand this concept, they continue to get it so very wrong - to the point where their customer-driven, "voice of the customer" led efforts are causing the failures they are trying to avoid!
This book makes it clear that because companies are focused on customers and products (and not the job the customer is trying to get done), they are simply getting the wrong inputs into innovation, and incredibly, they don't know it. In my experience, this is exactly right. Ulwick contends that to truly succeed at innovation companies must understand just what a customer "need" is. Ulwick's notion that different innovation strategies require different customer inputs (needs) was an epiphany for me.
In his books and articles on innovation, Clayton Christensen mentions the jobs-to-be-done theory, but Ulwick turns this theory into a science by making the job the customer is trying to get done - not the customer or competition - the focal point of innovation. Ulwick provides ample evidence that the customers desired outcomes are the building blocks of innovation - the customers' measures of value - but they are rarely the company's focus of capture when using traditional "voice of the customer" techniques. In fact, Ulwick suggests that companies should "silence the literal voice of the customer", an argument that I now understand and agree with. His argument that there is no such thing as a latent, unarticulated need is also quite compelling.
Rarely does a book offer such new insight and theory along with practical ideas for execution and implementation. I have since read other articles on their web site (strategyn.com) and have become a fan. This sounds like the future of innovation to me. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
Whether you are in product development or a CEO, if you are looking to grow your company this book is a must read. The book is easy to read and Tony describes the process step by step. The methodology helped me reduce the variability in my product development process and create a breakthrough product. It took the ambiguity out of the fuzzy front end and gave me the data to make a difference. In addition, the process helped me prioritize my existing product pipeline and drive effective marketing. The process works and it made a difference for me and my team. |
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Michael Davis (MSL), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
Question: What do people want?
Answer: To get their job done? (Whatever the job may be, such as to regain energy in their bodies, or to be entertained).
In his series on innovation, Clayton Christensen touches upon the Jobs-to-be- done theory. Ulwick dives into it by showing us that what customers really want is desired outcomes.
Customers are strange creatures. On one hand they openly say what they want and then turn around and do exactly the opposite. The reasons for this is that customers often are not able to articulate what they want - except in the form of desired outcomes.
Stop spinning your wheels. If you're serious about creating something new and innovative, then you need to study this book to learn how to find out what customers really want.
Venture Capitalists, Angels, and almost every serious investor in the world, want to see two things in every venture: 1) Customers who love the product because it satisfies a burning need, and 2) Business Models that capture a significant amount of value created.
Customers are by far the most important aspect of any successful venture, yet time and time again attention is not paid to proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that a given product gives customers what they want.
Ulwick says that "... most companies come up with ideas and solutions and then test them with customers to see if they will buy - without ever knowing how customers measure value." From my personal experience I know that Ulwick is dead on. Most entrepreneurs and business professionals understand very little about what customers truly consider value. Instead they heap on the features - hoping to shotgun their way to hitting that one aspect customers want.
If you're serious about creating a successful enterprise, then you need to read this book. And, if you are just too hard pressed for time, at least read his article in Strategy & Innovation titled "Do You Really Know What Your Customers Are Trying to Get Done?" (Harvard Business Online). |
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J. Baker (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
I have seen Ulwick's principles put to the test at my company, and the quality of insights they generate is head-and-shoulders above most other methods of research that tries to represent the voice of the customer. For years I've seen engineers dismiss market research as "not actionable"; not so with these Outcome-driven methods. The book is an easy read, and a great roadmap for companies that want to raise the level of influence that the customer POV has in the new product development decision-making process. |
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Dominick (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
This book provides a great framework for improving the likelihood of successful development initiatives. The case studies included effectively move the reader from the theoretical to the practical. So many innovation cultures promote brainstorming to pursue hundreds of end points rather than fostering processes to provide precision, focus, and predictability. Although the former can be initially fun and invigorating, the latter is sustaining and profitable - that is always more fun!
I recommend this book to those companies seeking an improvement in outcomes associated with their development initiatives. Great for marketers, business and product developers, as well as the C-suite folks. This read provided me with a great deal to work with and work on in the future.
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Daniel Klotz (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
Like most businesspeople, you don't need more tricks to put in your bag. You don't have time to read vague expositions on a fad. You want to know how to serve people better through better products and services.
In What Customers Want, Anthony Ulwick offers a rigorous, comprehensive methodology for doing just that. The underlying principles in the book, which were introduced by Ulwick in the Harvard Business Review, each receive thorough treatment. In clear language, Ulwick explains the big picture behind his outcome-driven method. He capably explains in minute detail how to put the method to work.
As the title suggests, Ulwick's outcome-driven method is as much about marketing as it is about innovation proper. Yes, it is about research and development, but it is also about branding. It may just be that the ultimate brand message follows a simple pattern: "We offer you exactly what you want - in fact what you can't do without--with no superfluous bells and whistles, for a very reasonable price." This book shows you how to arrive at a point where you and your company can confidently make such a statement.
The outcome-driven approach to innovation rests on common-sense tenets that have been supported by fairly rigorous research. These principles include:
- Customers have a hard time articulating what it is they want. With skilled guidance, however, they are very good articulating what they want to get done.
- As humans, we can't help but measure how successfully we were able to complete a task, even mundane ones like shaving or cutting a board. We unconsciously do this measuring using between 50 and 150 different criteria. These criteria are the "outcomes" we want to result from the task. It is possible for skilled interviewers to help customers articulate these outcomes.
- The responsibility and freedom to develop new features should belong to your experts, not your customers.
- Your experts deserve two vital pieces of information: (1) a list of exactly what tasks your customers are trying to get done, and (2) a list of the 50-150 outcomes customers use to measure how well a product or service helps them complete those tasks. Armed with that information, your experts can engage in focused, productive brainstorming and ultimately deliver a breakthrough product or service that is full of value.
- A product or service has maximum value when it is free of unneeded features and empowers customers to complete a task 100% successfully.
This book takes you from the beginning of an innovation initiative all the way to its measurably successful completion. Each step includes specific, actionable guidance. Attention is also devoted to segmenting markets within an "outcome-driven" paradigm.
In What Customers Want, Ulwick does not just write about his experiential knowledge; he explains a complete method. As methods go, this is a solid one that results in greater customer satisfaction and increased return on investment.
What is more, it is an energizing read. To follow through with Ulwicks methods is embark on an adventure that is exciting yet prudent. I have seen the results in my company, and I have no qualms over speculating that the outcome-driven approach is the future of innovation. |
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Clayton Christensen (author of The Innovator's Solution) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
Ulwick's outcome-driven programs bring discipline and predictability to the often random process of innovation. |
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1 Total 1 pages 9 items |
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