[ 3] von Hippel, E. “Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts.” Management Science 32 (1986): 791–805

[ 4] von Hippel, E. The Sources of Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

or how they mark standard settings, and prestructure devices to eliminate complexity.

Those who hack and create workarounds are people like you and me when we encounter a problem: We cobble together some new device, post notes and labels, remove confusing knobs and buttons, point the cell phone screen at the walls and doors while we try to find light switches and keyholes, and tape over switches and controls to prevent accidental activation. Hacks and workarounds are the soul of innovation. Observing is easy; recognizing the innovation and then knowing what to do with the observations are where the difficulties lie.

 

ABOUT ThE AUThOr Don Norman wears many hats, including cofounder of the Nielsen Norman group, director of a dual-degree MBA-plus engineering program in design and operations at Northwestern University, and author—his latest book is The Design of Future Things. He lives at www.jnd.org.

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July + August 2008

The point is that the observations didn’t just reveal a need: They revealed a solution. Someone needed to get to a light switch or navigate a dark corridor or read some text in the dark: Their hack was to use the lit screen of their cell phone as a light source. Hacks and workarounds are truly revealing, both of needs and also of solutions.

Although the story is enhanced by the far-off locale of China, Nokia’s researchers didn’t really have to travel to Asia for this observation. They could have stayed home—or simply watched me.

How many readers of this column have used the lit screen of their portable electronic device as a light? Probably quite a few. How many of you recognized this as a potential product? Probably very few of you, possibly none. Aha! We don’t need exotic methodologies to discover new product ideas: We need prepared minds, minds that make the leap from casual observation to business insight.

Eric von Hippel of MIT has long championed a related approach to product development—“lead user” is a concept he first introduced in the mid- 1980s [ 3, 4]. None of this average user stuff; instead, look at experts who push the limits in novel ways. Von Hippel carefully identifies those who are

lead users and then studies, observes, questions, and interviews them. But I don’t think von Hippel’s formal classifications and careful legwork apply to everyday products used by everyday people. In fact, I think his formal processes may blind him to the real creativity that comes about from everyday, unheralded people.

Look to see how everyday people have modified and cobbled together some product with other stuff to try to meet their needs. Analyze how they use duct tape, and mashups, and workarounds. In other words, you don’t have to invent; you can copy (and improve) what your clever, extreme users have had to do to accomplish their needs. Some people keep shampoo bottles or mustard jars upside down, standing on their lids, to make it easier to get the last remnants out of the bottle. Clever, observant design teams have seized upon those observations, and now a variety of goods are packaged in bottles that were designed from the beginning to stand on the cap.

Many ordinary people use the objects around them in unordinary ways. Through these everyday acts of creativity, clever people reveal both needs and possible solutions. They lead to the innovations that will benefit many. Always look for how people cover confusing labels,