Crossing the Chasm: Innovation for Business Unit Switches

The requirements for customer interaction with switches are increasing. Visual feedback is becoming more important; switches are increasingly connected to bus systems and thus become part of an intelligent system themselves.
For companies to be successful, they must bring new products to the market with the objective to keep up with new trends and technologies.

This study aims to find new innovative product ideas that fulfil these new requirements to enhance an existing product portfolio. Furthermore, the ideas must meet actual customer needs to ensure market success.

This was realised with a user centric approach, based on Ulwick’s outcome-driven innovation process. First, the customers and the business were defined. Then, eight contextual interviews with potential users were conducted with the aim to find out what their “Job to be Done” is. Based on this, customer needs were identified, and ideas were generated that aligned with those needs. The most promising ideas were then realised in the form of simple prototypes that then got tested with potential users. The feedback was used to improve the ideas and ensure that they aligned with the customers’ needs. Finally, a value proposition was created.

As a result of this study, three diverse conceptual product ideas are presented. The explanations of these ideas are supplemented with examples for use cases and target segments. Furthermore, recommendations for the company are given, regarding the choice and further proceeding with the ideas.

Image source: © SCHURTER AG