Challenge

I lead the Innovation and Incubation cell in my organization which is tasked with the responsibility of developing new scalable  businesses. Identifying spaces which can be explored around adjacency and core competence of the company is something  which is defined by us in terms of frames. However, the actualization of ideas in terms of concepts which has coherence with  our hypothesis and assumptions is always a challenge. Often we have a pipeline of ideas but how these will work in the  marketplace is always questionable and based on certain assumptions. These assumptions can be around the actual market  potential of the concept, the response of the consumers in terms of the purchase and usage behavior and the route to market  which is optimum in terms of reaching out to the target segment taking into consideration the cost targets. Also positioning  of the product based on the category and branding related challenges like brand, tagline resonating in the minds of the  consumers are also important.

Selection

One of the Design Thinking tools which I find very appropriate to address the challenges mentioned above is Learning Launch.  I feel an idea on paper is not worth the salt until and unless it is tested out in the market with consumers and the relevant  channel. Learning launch is a good way to get a quick understanding on how the target consumer is perceiving the product,  what are the key value propositions, attributes to be improved and taken into account during versioning which is building the  next prototype. This is also a platform which helps in testing different route to market- the cost and efficacy.

Application

One of the instances, I used this tool was while developing a product around storage solutions in Indian homes. The product  was targeted at a segment which was premium, at the same time probably a moving population which will need their furniture  to be modular so that they can carry it around while moving into different cities. The segment was also perceived to be wanting  quick solutions as time is constraint for them. We selected a city for this learning launch which had this kind of a population  and placed the product in 2 outlets of furniture to gauge the response. Also the product was promoted in societies where  similar segment existed. There was activation campaigns in malls as well as major newspapers of that city. The branding was  stylish and premium to resonate with the target group of consumers. The route to market was largely physical as the  hypothesis was customers will like to physically interact with the product before making purchase decision in this category.  Promotion was through both digital and physical media.

Insights

Some of the key insights developed was that the walls of the Indian homes are not standardized and hence any storage solution  needs high degree of customization which is difficult to achieve in mass manufacturing which our company is into. While  population might move around but when it comes to furniture, any feature like modularity is also perceived as something  which is not sturdy or durable. People want to have a feeling of permanency around their houses and furniture and much  rather sell of their furniture while moving to a new home. Consumers in premium space are not looking for furniture which  they can carry around but they are willing to have a product for 5-10 years in their home and then replace. The choice of the  material for storage solution is also important since in Indian homes wood is perceived to be premium while material like  steel, plastic or MDF/HDF (different compressed wood varieties) are not perceived as premium even though they might be of  the best quality.

Approach

This learning actually helped me to also understand that a consumer testing to validate the preliminary hypothesis before  moving into a Learning Launch can be useful as you may make certain modifications into the prototype itself. Secondly, it is  always best to do Learning Launch in 2 different areas instead of one especially in a country like India which has got cultures  which are very diverse separated by geographies. Also Learning Launch might not be designed at a city level but a block/district  level which will limit the expenses made during the Learning Launch and allow for quicker and more sublime changes.


Challenge I lead the Innovation and Incubation cell in my organization which is tasked with the responsibility of developing new scalable businesses . Identifying spaces which can be explored around adjacency and core competence of the company is something which is defined by us in terms of frames . However , the actualization of ideas in terms of concepts which has coherence with our hypothesis and assumptions is always a challenge . Often we have a pipeline of ideas but how these will work in the marketplace is always questionable and based on certain assumptions . These assumptions can be around the actual market potential of the concept , the response of the consumers in terms of the purchase and usage behavior and the route to market which is optimum in terms of reaching out to the target segment taking into consideration the cost targets . Also positioning of the product based on the category and branding related challenges like brand , tagline resonating in the minds of the consumers are also important . Selection One of the Design Thinking tools which I find very appropriate to address the challenges mentioned above is Learning Launch . I feel an idea on paper is not worth the salt until and unless it is tested out in the market with consumers and the relevant channel . Learning launch is a good way to get a quick understanding on how the target consumer is perceiving the product , what are the key value propositions , attributes to be improved and taken into account during versioning which is building the next prototype . This is also a platform which helps in testing different route to market- the cost and efficacy . Application One of the instances , I used this tool was while developing a product around storage solutions in Indian homes . The product was targeted at a segment which was premium , at the same time probably a moving population which will need their furniture to be modular so that they can carry it around while moving into different cities . The segment was also perceived to be wanting quick solutions as time is constraint for them . We selected a city for this learning launch which had this kind of a population and placed the product in 2 outlets of furniture to gauge the response . Also the product was promoted in societies where similar segment existed . There was activation campaigns in malls as well as major newspapers of that city . The branding was stylish and premium to resonate with the target group of consumers . The route to market was largely physical as the hypothesis was customers will like to physically interact with the product before making purchase decision in this category . Promotion was through both digital and physical media . Insights Some of the key insights developed was that the walls of the Indian homes are not standardized and hence any storage solution needs high degree of customization which is difficult to achieve in mass manufacturing which our company is into . While population might move around but when it comes to furniture , any feature like modularity is also perceived as something which is not sturdy or durable . People want to have a feeling of permanency around their houses and furniture and much rather sell of their furniture while moving to a new home . Consumers in premium space are not looking for furniture which they can carry around but they are willing to have a product for 5 - 10 years in their home and then replace . The choice of the material for storage solution is also important since in Indian homes wood is perceived to be premium while material like steel , plastic or MDF / HDF ( different compressed wood varieties ) are not perceived as premium even though they might be of the best quality . Approach This learning actually helped me to also understand that a consumer testing to validate the preliminary hypothesis before moving into a Learning Launch can be useful as you may make certain modifications into the prototype itself . Secondly , it is always best to do Learning Launch in 2 different areas instead of one especially in a country like India which has got cultures which are very diverse separated by geographies . Also Learning Launch might not be designed at a city level but a block / district level which will limit the expenses made during the Learning Launch and allow for quicker and more sublime changes .