Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play: Creating Breakthrough Products and Services

Customers are people. They have trouble understanding their own problems. And even if they think they understand their problems, they often can't describe the solutions they seek. Of course, many times they often don't know they had a problem or that they desired a solution, until they see or possess it. This book takes the challenge of developing customer understanding head on by providing a fresh perspective on how to use a variety of games with customers to develop the understanding that forms the foundation of innovation. Innovation Games is organized in two parts. The first describes each of the twelve games. The second provides sample processes and templates to help the reader organize their team, plan and run a game, and incorporate the results into their product development plans. The exercises described in this book provide a unique and fun approach to a problem that has plagued product developers and managers for many years: how to identify a customer's thoughts and behaviors in order to ensure your product is solving the right problems.