Business: Innovation

Much has been written on the difference between innovation and invention. This makes some sense because it seems every company in the world, big or small, is striving for an innovative approach to solving existing problems. However, there is mass confusion about what innovation actually is—especially in the enterprise-software space.

It seems that every consultancy is frothing at the mouth to win the very lucrative opportunities to help organizations solve their digital-transformation problems. And they’re employing our experience-design playbook to do this.

How? In a word: empathy. Hearing and reading about all the latest approaches in technology and sales, empathy is the best new thing—the secret skill that can enable us to reach dizzying, new heights. Empathy could solve world hunger and make us all better people. But the fact that empathy does actually make us better people is lost on most. Empathy can help us innovate more quickly and, ultimately, sell more products, satisfy more customers, and generate greater revenues. Read More

New technologies and user behaviors are continually emerging, forcing us to rethink how we design and develop mobile apps. As someone who has been deeply invested in this space for years, I find this constant evolution exciting. It pushes us to break boundaries and create mobile experiences that are not just functional but truly transformative.

But where are we going from here? What innovations will shape the next generation of mobile apps? In this column, I’ll cover some exciting innovations that will revolutionize the way we interact with our mobile devices.

The Rise of AI-Powered Experiences

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a dream for us. Mobile-app solutions have started to use AI to personalize experiences and automate tasks. For example, a fitness app tailors workout routines based on the user’s activity level and preferences, and a travel app curates personalized itineraries based on the user’s interests and past trips. These are some common examples that we can find everywhere, but the possibilities are endless. Read More

This is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Jim Kalbach’s new book The Jobs to Be Done Playbook: Align Your Markets, Organization, and Strategy Around Customer Needs. ©2020, Rosenfeld Media.

Chapter 4: Defining Value

In this chapter, you will learn about these plays:

• How to find unmet needs
• How to create goal-based personas
• A new way to compare competing solutions
• How to define a value proposition

The product marketing manager at a company I once worked for stood up in a meeting to present his strategy. He proceeded to describe the top customer needs that we should support with our solutions. I was thrilled to see him align to a customer-centric model. Read More