Customer Reviews

What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services

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I have read several new books on innovation and I finally understand why Clayton Christensen referenced the work of Tony Ulwick frequently in his book the Innovator's Solution. Although at first blush, Ulwick's thinking could be cast aside as common sense, this book has made me realize that there is a brilliant, new way to think about innovation.

Let me try to explain how Ulwick frames his thinking. Generally speaking, innovation is the process of finding solutions that address the customer's unmet needs. Most companies agree that they should first uncover and prioritize the customer's unmet needs and then devise solutions that address them - but, as Ulwick explains very well, although companies think they understand this concept, they continue to get it so very wrong - to the point where their customer-driven, "voice of the customer" led efforts are causing the failures they are trying to avoid!

This book makes it clear that because companies are focused on customers and products (and not the job the customer is trying to get done), they are simply getting the wrong inputs into innovation, and incredibly, they don't know it. In my experience, this is exactly right. Ulwick contends that to truly succeed at innovation companies must understand just what a customer "need" is. Ulwick's notion that different innovation strategies require different customer inputs (needs) was an epiphany for me.

In his books and articles on innovation, Clayton Christensen mentions the jobs-to-be-done theory, but Ulwick turns this theory into a science by making the job the customer is trying to get done - not the customer or competition - the focal point of innovation. Ulwick provides ample evidence that the customers desired outcomes are the building blocks of innovation - the customers' measures of value - but they are rarely the company's focus of capture when using traditional "voice of the customer" techniques. In fact, Ulwick suggests that companies should "silence the literal voice of the customer", an argument that I now understand and agree with. His argument that there is no such thing as a latent, unarticulated need is also quite compelling.

Rarely does a book offer such new insight and theory along with practical ideas for execution and implementation. I have since read other articles on their web site (strategyn.com) and have become a fan. This sounds like the future of innovation to me.

If you are new to market research or product innovation, this book is practical and easy to read and I recommend it. No need to read further in my comment.
For the more experienced reader: As a businessperson, I was disappointed in this book. At first I was carried away; Ulwick is a good writer. I was so excited, I restared the book and took notes. That is when I realized that this is essentially a marketing tool for his company. Ulwich doesn't give insight into how to find the "50-150" criteria he mentions beyond saying that good marketing researchers are important. Furthermore his comments about customer-driven innovation are incorrect. While I agree with him that many companies behave as he describes, this is because, as with other business tools/concepts, customer-driven innovation is misunderstand and misused. Most of what he talks about is identical to what I tell employees during training. What I got out of this book was a handful of sentences about focusing on the job your customer needs done, the constraints and the criteria by which customers will measure your "solution".

Question: What do people want?

Answer: To get their job done? (Whatever the job may be, such as to regain energy in their bodies, or to be entertained).

In his series on innovation, Clayton Christensen touches upon the Jobs-to-be-done theory. Ulwick dives into it by showing us that what customers really want is desired outcomes.

Customers are strange creatures. On one hand they openly say what they want and then turn around and do exactly the opposite. The reasons for this is that customers often are not able to articulate what they want - except in the form of desired outcomes.

Stop spinning your wheels. If you're serious about creating something new and innovative, then you need to study this book to learn how to find out what customers really want.

Venture Capitalists, Angels, and almost every serious investor in the world wants to see two things in every venture: 1) Customers who love the product because it satisfies a burning need, and 2) Business Models that capture a significant amount of value created.

Customers are by far the most important aspect of any successful venture, yet time and time again attention is not paid to proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that a given product gives customers what they want.

Ulwick says that "... most companies come up with ideas and solutions and then test them with customers to see if they will buy - without ever knowing how customers measure value." From my personal experience I know that Ulwick is dead on. Most entrepreneurs and business professionals understand very little about what customers truly consider value. Instead they heap on the features - hoping to shotgun their way to hitting that one aspect customers want.


If you're serious about creating a successful enterprise, then you need to read this book. And, if you are just too hard pressed for time, at least read his article in Strategy & Innovation titled "Do You Really Know What Your Customers Are Trying to Get Done?" (Harvard Business Online).

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Michael Davis, Editor - Byvation

"Business Success through Innovation"

Like most businesspeople, you don't need more tricks to put in your bag. You don't have time to read vague expositions on a fad. You want to know how to serve people better through better products and services.

In 'What Customers Want,' Anthony Ulwick offers a rigorous, comprehensive methodology for doing just that. The underlying principles in the book, which were introduced by Ulwick in the Harvard Business Review, each receive thorough treatment. In clear language, Ulwick explains the big picture behind his outcome-driven method. He capably explains in minute detail how to put the method to work.

As the title suggests, Ulwick's outcome-driven method is as much about marketing as it is about innovation proper. Yes, it is about research and development, but it is also about branding. It may just be that the ultimate brand message follows a simple pattern: "We offer you exactly what you want--in fact what you can't do without--with no superfluous bells and whistles, for a very reasonable price." This book shows you how to arrive at a point where you and your company can confidently make such a statement.

The outcome-driven approach to innovation rests on common-sense tenets that have been supported by fairly rigorous research. These principles include:

-Customers have a hard time articulating what it is they want. With skilled guidance, however, they are very good articulating what they want to get done.

-As humans, we can't help but measure how successfully we were able to complete a task, even mundane ones like shaving or cutting a board. We unconsciously do this measuring using between 50 and 150 different criteria. These criteria are the "outcomes" we want to result from the task. It is possible for skilled interviewers to help customers articulate these outcomes.

-The responsibility and freedom to develop new features should belong to your experts, not your customers.

-Your experts deserve two vital pieces of information: (1) a list of exactly what tasks your customers are trying to get done, and (2) a list of the 50-150 outcomes customers use to measure how well a product or service helps them complete those tasks. Armed with that information, your experts can engage in focused, productive brainstorming and ultimately deliver a breakthrough product or service that is full of value.

-A product or service has maximum value when it is free of unneeded features and empowers customers to complete a task 100% successfully.

This book takes you from the beginning of an innovation initiative all the way to its measurably successful completion. Each step includes specific, actionable guidance. Attention is also devoted to segmenting markets within an "outcome-driven" paradigm.

In 'What Customers Want,' Ulwick does not just write about his experiential knowledge; he explains a complete method. As methods go, this is a solid one that results in greater customer satisfaction and increased return on investment.

What is more, it is an energizing read. To follow through with Ulwicks methods is embark on an adventure that is exciting yet prudent. I have seen the results in my company, and I have no qualms over speculating that the outcome-driven approach is the future of innovation.

I haven't ever taken the time to write a review before. But I LOVE this book. If you have ever been disappointed with the outcome of discussions concerning how to define and position products because proposals were justified on gut instincts, group think or "I have 30 years experience"- then this book is for you.
Ulwick outlines a scientific process that takes the voodoo out of this process focussing on what customers actually want and how to separate that from what they say they want. Also included is how to position existing offerings using this scientific process.
Read this book.

This book takes a high risk art and turns it into a "sure bet" science. I found the process described in this book to be easy to follow and makes so much sense that I will never think about new product innovation in the same way.
The author has a created a process that generates product concepts and segmentation that will truly disrupt the marketplace everytime. By focusing in on the outcomes consumers expect and measuring the performance of the current market offerings, gaps in the marketplace become obvious. And by evaluating not only underserved consumers but also overserved markets, the process uncovers low cost, low end disruptive concepts that would never be seen in traditional innovation excercises.
A must read book for anyone involved in product development.

This book provides a great framework for improving the likelihood of successful development inititiatives. The case studies included effectively move the reader from the theoretical to the practical. So many innovation cultures promote brainstorming to pursue hundreds of end points rather than fostering processes to provide precision, focus, and predictability. Although the former can be initially fun and invigorating, the latter is sustaining and profitable-- that is always more fun!

I recommend this book to those companies seeking an improvement in outcomes associated with their development initiatives. Great for marketers, business and product developers, as well as the C-suite folks. This read provided me with a great deal to work with and work on in the future.

Whether you are in product development or a CEO, if you are looking to grow your company this book is a must read. The book is easy to read and Tony describes the process step by step. The methodology helped me reduce the variability in my product development process and create a breakthrough product. It took the ambiguity out of the fuzzy front end and gave me the data to make a difference. In addition, the process helped me prioritize my existing product pipeline and drive effective marketing. The process works and it made a difference for me and my team.

Proposes a different purpose for gathering VOC -- that is, focusing on the customer's desired "outcome" of the job to be accomplished. I was very delighted to read about this approach since it allows more objectivity in designing final solutions. However, it appears the author fails to capture that this is infact VOC data collection. Students of Six Sigma know that VOC data collection is not about writing down what the customer "says". It is about uncovering true "needs" (or whatever term you want to use) directly from the customer and not some secondary party ill-equiped to articulate those "needs".

Describes an approach to market research that involves highly structured product/service user interviews and vetting. What the author fails to explain, however, is the somewhat dubious notion that companies will be able to secure the participation of numerous customers and non-customers in this very time-consuming process.