One Secret to Kick-Ass Innovative Products

Scenario: "Dude, people will revolve their lives around our amazing Web 2.0 invention when we build it. We'll segment customers, plan product pricing strategies, have market plans, write comprehensive business plans, and do whatever else we need to do to make our billions. Yay!"

It's the "How can we cheat people into buying our products?" approach.

Instead of trying to seek solutions to help people, the innovators seek ways to "cheat" the mutha flucka out of customers -- so they can earn their billions. (Okay, we call it "cheating". The so-called business experts call it "strategic planning".)

Oh no, they didn't!

So trying to seek their billions, the "innovators" start "thinking" what customers will buy. Then, they build products they "think" will make them their billions. As a result of the one-dimensional mindset, those so-called "innovative" inventions force users to change their lifestyles, instead of -- drum-roll -- actually helping them.

Super bad approach.

The reality: You can't change habits people have formed their entire lives; you can only improve their already splendid lives. Says Harvard's Clayton Christensen:

A business plan predicated upon asking customers to adopt new priorities and behave differently from how they have in the past is an uphill death march through knee-deep mud. Instead of designing products and services that dictate consumers' behavior, let the tasks people are trying to get done inform your design.

What then is the secret to kick-ass innovation?

Just help people.

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