Challenge and selection.

I’m employee as system Engineer in a French major corporate and in parallel; I’m Entrepreneur as  application developer with my brother.

Our Entrepreneur business model is to develop mobile application for smartphone. We are inspired  by two books « Fail Fast or Win Big » of Bernard Schroeder and “Art of Innovation” of Tom Kelley. To  summarize our challenge: “Big win or Fail fast”: Be lean and prototype quickly to validate or not our  idea. I have always plenty of idea of new applications that we could develop but because we have a  limited budget, resources and time; Our challenge is to choose among these ideas which one we  must launch or not. The learning launch activity is an experiment conducted quickly and  inexpensively and it is all what we need.

Our challenge is for each idea; we put in place two learning launch steps:

-  Step 1: Is the application answer to a real need from customers?

-  Step2: Verification: Is the application cover properly this need (Human Machine Interface,  function, technical difficulty …)?

The Learning Launch tool helps me to pass these two steps to know if we have to launch a new  application development. So let me introduce how I apply the Learning Launch tool.

Application

To pass the step 1 : Is the application answer to a real needs from customer ?

First I try to go walk in the shoes of my potential customers. I imagine a list of scenario on a paper  where my futures customers could really need my application. I try to discover for which scenario,  my application would work and would not work. I ask myself the question if I would install this  application on my mobile and if I would pay to get it. Of course at the beginning of this step, I have  made a lot of assumptions and the goal of the learning launch will be to tests these critical  assumptions. So I do a list of all my assumption that I will try to validate.

I then select between 10 and 20 different people (different age/sex/culture). I choose them among  friends of my friends to avoid a bias due to friendship. I organize a meal or have a drink with each  one in face to face to avoid a group that could be influenced by others expressing their opinions at  the same time. During the meal, I guide the discussion to discover if in the life’s interviewee, it exists  some situation where my application would help him/her. My objective is to know if the application  answers the need or not. I try to know if the critical assumptions I have taken are true. For that I use  the list of key assumptions that I have elaborated before. Then, I explain to my interviewee how my  application could help him/her in this situation.First I just observe the reaction of the visage. From  my prospective it is more important to observe reactions than ask directly the question « do you  think it is a good idea »? It protects myself from confirmation bias due to the fact that people doesn’t  want to hurt me for example.

When I have validate the step 1, I go to the step 2: Is the application cover properly this need on a  functional aspect (Human Machine Interface,function, technical difficulty …)?

To answer this question I experiment with a role-play with a group of 4-5 people.

At this step I have not yet a first beta version (prototype) of the application, so what I do is that I  begin to imagine the different screens of the mobile application and function to do a kind of  « prototype sketch ». I prepare by drawing on several cardboard of the size of a Smartphone, the  different possible screens of my application that I have imagined. And with these cardboards, we  “emulate” the application during a role play of scenarios that I have elaborated and selected in step  1. It allows me to observe the behavior of the participants. I can test the remaining assumption. I  collect the feedback of participants to adapt/add/remove some functionality or detail in the  application and to improve the interface. If some change has to perform, we perform the changes  and do the role-play again by iterative cycle. If this step is conclusive, we begin/continue to develop a  beta version. When we have a first beta application version available, I again organize a role-play  with the real application. It allows me to validate deeply the technical aspect of the application,  mostly when I use technology linked to real environment of the Smartphone like geo-tracking with  GPS  or internet access functions …

Insight & Approach

What I have learn by conducting this Learning launch activities on two different ideas/applications is  that sometimes the interviewee people just don’t answer the question that I had prepare but instead  of prefer to give their opinion. They try to assess the chance of success of the application instead of  focusing to answer if the application could help them or not. That why now I will try to understand if  my application could help them by guiding discussion before explaining them what is the goal of the  application. Another situation that I met was that people involved in the role-play was shy and I  guessed they modify the way they would use the application in the real life and then it could bias the  conclusion. But I consider the Learning Launch tool like an estimator and an estimator is never  perfect but it is better than nothing.

All these steps are the first contact with the real world and it helps us to refine the application and to  fix some issues prior either losing a lot of money because the application doesn’t stick any real needs  or saving a lot of money because performing later change in an application is always more expensive  than at the beginning of development. Sometimes it could be discouraging when the feedback of the  Learning Launch activities concludes that it is not a so good idea (in fact I realize that the application  would be good for me in my special context but not applicable to enough other people): sometimes I  have to struggle with myself abandon an idea. In that case I tried to remember that “Innovation is a  probability game” and soon I will have another good idea I will test it with “Learning Launch” tool  because it is definitely a tool that I will continue to use.


Challenge and selection . I ’m employee as system Engineer in a French major corporate and in parallel ; I ’m Entrepreneur as application developer with my brother . Our Entrepreneur business model is to develop mobile application for smartphone . We are inspired by two books « Fail Fast or Win Big » of Bernard Schroeder and “ Art of Innovation ” of Tom Kelley . To summarize our challenge : “ Big win or Fail fast ” : Be lean and prototype quickly to validate or not our idea . I have always plenty of idea of new applications that we could develop but because we have a limited budget , resources and time ; Our challenge is to choose among these ideas which one we must launch or not . The learning launch activity is an experiment conducted quickly and inexpensively and it is all what we need . Our challenge is for each idea ; we put in place two learning launch steps : - Step 1 : Is the application answer to a real need from customers ? - Step2 : Verification : Is the application cover properly this need ( Human Machine Interface , function , technical difficulty … ) ? The Learning Launch tool helps me to pass these two steps to know if we have to launch a new application development . So let me introduce how I apply the Learning Launch tool . Application To pass the step 1 : Is the application answer to a real needs from customer ? First I try to go walk in the shoes of my potential customers . I imagine a list of scenario on a paper where my futures customers could really need my application . I try to discover for which scenario , my application would work and would not work . I ask myself the question if I would install this application on my mobile and if I would pay to get it . Of course at the beginning of this step , I have made a lot of assumptions and the goal of the learning launch will be to tests these critical assumptions . So I do a list of all my assumption that I will try to validate . I then select between 10 and 20 different people ( different age / sex / culture ) . I choose them among friends of my friends to avoid a bias due to friendship . I organize a meal or have a drink with each one in face to face to avoid a group that could be influenced by others expressing their opinions at the same time . During the meal , I guide the discussion to discover if in the life ’s interviewee , it exists some situation where my application would help him / her . My objective is to know if the application answers the need or not . I try to know if the critical assumptions I have taken are true . For that I use the list of key assumptions that I have elaborated before . Then , I explain to my interviewee how my application could help him / her in this situation . First I just observe the reaction of the visage . From my prospective it is more important to observe reactions than ask directly the question « do you think it is a good idea » ? It protects myself from confirmation bias due to the fact that people does n’t want to hurt me for example . When I have validate the step 1 , I go to the step 2 : Is the application cover properly this need on a functional aspect ( Human Machine Interface , function , technical difficulty … ) ? To answer this question I experiment with a role - play with a group of 4 - 5 people . At this step I have not yet a first beta version ( prototype ) of the application , so what I do is that I begin to imagine the different screens of the mobile application and function to do a kind of « prototype sketch » . I prepare by drawing on several cardboard of the size of a Smartphone , the different possible screens of my application that I have imagined . And with these cardboards , we “ emulate ” the application during a role play of scenarios that I have elaborated and selected in step 1 . It allows me to observe the behavior of the participants . I can test the remaining assumption . I collect the feedback of participants to adapt / add / remove some functionality or detail in the application and to improve the interface . If some change has to perform , we perform the changes and do the role - play again by iterative cycle . If this step is conclusive , we begin / continue to develop a beta version . When we have a first beta application version available , I again organize a role - play with the real application . It allows me to validate deeply the technical aspect of the application , mostly when I use technology linked to real environment of the Smartphone like geo - tracking with GPS or internet access functions … Insight & Approach What I have learn by conducting this Learning launch activities on two different ideas / applications is that sometimes the interviewee people just do n’t answer the question that I had prepare but instead of prefer to give their opinion . They try to assess the chance of success of the application instead of focusing to answer if the application could help them or not . That why now I will try to understand if my application could help them by guiding discussion before explaining them what is the goal of the application . Another situation that I met was that people involved in the role - play was shy and I guessed they modify the way they would use the application in the real life and then it could bias the conclusion . But I consider the Learning Launch tool like an estimator and an estimator is never perfect but it is better than nothing . All these steps are the first contact with the real world and it helps us to refine the application and to fix some issues prior either losing a lot of money because the application does n’t stick any real needs or saving a lot of money because performing later change in an application is always more expensive than at the beginning of development . Sometimes it could be discouraging when the feedback of the Learning Launch activities concludes that it is not a so good idea ( in fact I realize that the application would be good for me in my special context but not applicable to enough other people ): sometimes I have to struggle with myself abandon an idea . In that case I tried to remember that “ Innovation is a probability game ” and soon I will have another good idea I will test it with “ Learning Launch ” tool because it is definitely a tool that I will continue to use .