Epilogue

We are seeing a new class of innovators (see Figure E.1). Many are young people in or recently graduated from college. These Echo Boomers have a different outlook and set of goals driving them. As a cohort, they are driven not so much by profit, but rather by society and the world around them. They are interested in being involved in roles with clear social and environmental impact. They also want to do what is possible and have no fear in trying something new. They are comfortable pushing and integrating technology and lifestyle, and envisioning new possibilities. They are comfortable transcending bounds, working across disciplines, and even redefining their own discipline.

Figure E.1. Characteristics of today’s innovator.

Many of these young innovators are entrepreneurial and starting their own company cooperatives. They need a new venture capital model to help them get started. Other young innovators are working in traditional companies and need management to fully empower them to maximize their value and potential. These managers need to recognize that traditional job functions might constrain the innovation they seek in their business. An opportunity also exists for universities to open up educational constraints for collaborative programs that redefine the way designers, engineers, and marketers are taught. The university is where these young innovators will begin to determine what they can and cannot do, what is possible, and how realistic their dreams are.

At the other end of the spectrum, humans are living longer and also staying in the work force longer. Experienced employees and entrepreneurs have the wisdom to see the entire playing field. We need to develop new structures to take full advantage of the value that people over 65 can bring to the complex problems we face today. In the third tier of workers, we see a percentage dip in the age group of 35–50 in the population of all developed nations. This group is between the Baby Boomers and the Echo Boomers. This means that companies do not have the necessary numbers of midcareer employees to evolve into leadership roles, as was common during the 20th century. Companies need to accelerate young employees to prepare for management roles. Creating the right level of continuing education for both empathic and rational decision making will be key if today’s companies are going to continue to stay innovative.

Regardless of the age of an innovator, as the SET Factors change and new opportunities become promising or new crises strike, innovators will need to design the product, interface, or service that delivers the value proposition that society seeks. In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering proclaimed 14 “Grand Challenges” that must be solved to maintain the quality of life that people expect personally and as a society. These Grand Challenges include making solar energy affordable, providing access to clean water, restoring and improving the urban infrastructure, advancing health informatics, and preventing nuclear terror, among others.¹ Professional design organizations such as the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design have societal goals with an emphasis on universal/inclusive design. From a business point of view, Jim Stengel’s book Grow² describes the challenge for marketing to become more consumer driven and to embrace a people, planet, profit approach. It will take a multidisciplinary approach to create useful, usable, and desirable solutions for these and any new critical problems that society addresses. At the end of the day, consumers of products and services, regardless of age or ability, are not interested in how companies leverage these different skill sets. They care about how the result affects the lives they lead and the world they live in. Products and services must be viewed as enabling and empowering by consumers, and that requires the integrated synergy of all the dimensions of a company working in harmony. Achieving those goals is the ultimate challenge.

A movie and a physical product have a lot in common. Both need to make a profit. Both are the result of technical and creative forces working together. The relationship that connects script, actor, camera, director, editor, stunt people, special effects, sound, and music is as complex to manage as any product. Finishing a picture in time and under budget is equally challenging. Both rely on distribution channels and advertising. Movies focus on a target audience and are timed for release at certain key points during the year.

Dreamworks has become particularly adept at identifying and producing movies that are blockbuster hits. Building on the history of the three principals, Dreamworks (particularly Spielberg) produces movies that are in the Upper Right. They combine elements of technical competence, visual/auditory sophistication, quality acting and directing, and the right level of storytelling to captivate and entertain a broad audience base. A shared vision at the top flows down to the director, actors, and crew. The company supports making movies with a balance of cost and quality. It does not make the cheapest movies, yet the studio makes significant profits.

The best products do not only support our lifestyle, but also enhance it and help us create situations in which we reach a state of flow. Whether it is as mundane as shaving or as thrilling as mountain climbing, we are looking for experiences that aid in fulfilling our expectations. Watching an entertaining movie for two hours allows us to escape into a fantasy state of flow. We should be able to achieve the same level of satisfaction while driving a car, riding a mountain bike, or preparing a meal.

The ultimate win/win for companies occurs when the people developing the product feel as satisfied with the result and process as the end customer does with the product. The goal of companies should be to not only develop successful new products, but to also replicate successful product programs. Methods create clarity and allow for communication and vision that produces the emotional element to inspire people to do great things. The best programs combine these attributes to push people to places they never thought possible and to position the result of their labors in the Upper Right.

This book has been a proof of process. It was based on the idea that a book needed to explain how to navigate the Fuzzy Front End of new product development (our POG). We did our research with a target audience in mind. We developed a network of lead users and expert advisors. We wrote prototypes and put them out for review and feedback. We then reworked the book in several iterations until we felt that it was complete. Finishing this book required the participation and support of a number of people. They are listed in our credits, the book’s Acknowledgments. The book has impacted the product development process, both directly and indirectly, in companies and universities across the globe. The first revolutionary innovation (aka edition) had strong staying power. However, to remain in the Upper Right, the book needed some evolutionary input. The result is this second edition. We hope that it has the same impact and the same staying power that the first edition had.

Developing Upper Right products is exciting and rewarding. Any company can succeed in doing so if it makes a commitment to the process. We hope that you find this book relevant and useful. We now see the world through the eyes of the Upper Right, identifying breakthrough products that are differentiated from the competition through the merging of style, technology, and value. You will see the world this way, too, when it becomes a part of your way of thinking about product development. Good luck in the process—and remember, have faith in the leap; it’s not a leap of faith.

2. J. Stengel, Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies (New York: Crown Business, 2011).

3. J. K. Yamaguchi and J. Thompson, Mazda MX-5 Miata—The Rebirth of the Sports Car in the New Mazda MX-5 Miata with a History of the World’s Affordable Sports Cars (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989).