One of the best places I know for people watching is Disneyland. The sheer diversity of the people that wander the magical streets of the amusement park lends itself readily to observation. And, I suppose that you could learn quite about about human nature across various cultures just sitting the French Quarter listening to the jazz band play. (I am, of course, referring to the French Quarter in Disneyland, not the actual NOLA French Quarter - although, I'm sure that's great people watching too.) Are there ideas for profitable products and services in the Magic Kingdom?
In the study of two different innovation strategies, there is one point that comes to prominence and that is Observation. This is a key element of the IDEO innovation process as well as the process that Strategos teaches. This step of observation and discovery is described as "shadowing, consumer journey, storytelling, and extreme user interviews" as well as "gain new perspectives, identify insights about unmet needs, identify limiting beliefs, and trend surfing". What these processes are suggesting is that the process of innovation involves ethnography. Formally, ethnography is defined as a genre of research that uses observations to provide a descriptive study of human culture. It is doing just what IDEO suggests, go to the grocery store and look at how people interact with a shopping cart. Discover something new that you wouldn't have thought of before and don't enter the field of observation with a list of pre-supposed hypotheses. Probe for the meaning behind the action and there you will find a truly innovative idea. Ask "why" during this first phase of innovation.
There are three methodological principles to be cognizant of when embarking on an ethnographic discovery journey.
1. Be Natural - the value-add of ethnography is that the observation happens in a natural environment, not something contrived like a focus group where the only reason the people showed up is for the free food. The researcher can participate or just observe, but keep it real either way.
2. Understanding the "Why" -Why do we do what we do? What lies beneath the mechanical function of the task and what cultural norms are forming our actions?
3. Discover and Be Open - leave preconceived notions at the door and don't be afraid to deviate from what the original objective was. It's about figuring out what's important and that's what we're here to learn.
I think the more observant one is of people and their interactions with others and stuff, the more ideas will flow about how to create something of value. Observation and discovery leads to insights about unmet needs. And solving unmet needs is the best way to generate great idea for a business. Since Disneyland is about 2,000 miles away, I'll have to be on the lookout for really good people watching places. Any suggestions?
That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.*
Posted by: coach outlet | November 16, 2010 at 07:52 PM