Every company wants to be innovative, ideally as much as Apple and other tech giants. Therefore, they try to get inspired by successful innovators such as Steve Jobs, who argued that it makes no sense to ask customers what they want. Market research, he said, is unnecessary because customers don't know what they want, and if they do, their wants will change before you launch the product they wanted originally.
However, this is one of the most common myths about innovation, writes Fastcompany.com. In a recent article titled Three Innovation Myths That Just Will not Die, the website highlighted several deep-rooted misconceptions about innovation that companies should finally stop believing in their own interests.
Myth 1: The customer knows what he wants
If Steve Jobs had asked his customers what they wanted in 2000, they certainly wouldn't have answered "the iPod". It's a fundamental mistake to ask what customers want. This question can't be answered otherwise than that they are looking for a solution. Customers are simply not as creative as companies would like them to be. You should ask yourself about their needs.
Myth 2: Innovations arise from discussions with the best customers
Companies tend to focus on the interests of their biggest clients. This is fine, but it should not be the only group of customers you communicate with. The interests of this group may be inconsistent with the broader needs of the market and thus deprive you of important opportunities. Valuable information can be obtained from communicating with people who are not your customers.
Myth 3: Gradual improvement is not innovation
Everyone wants to come up with a completely new product that will rewrite history. Such cases are, however, very rare. Most successful products are based on gradual improvements and finding better solutions to customer needs that have already been known for a long time. Efforts to invent something totally new will not only decrease your chances of success, but also cripple your ability to innovate.
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