industry thoughts from Clarteza

My team works with incredible clients and on some amazing projects. We are privileged to be able to look for interesting insights and connect them through different cultures. We get to learn about people’s needs and behaviors, so we can help our clients come up with great solutions or products. It’s exhilarating!

Over the years, however, I have observed the curse of three consistent issues: “marginal thinking”, “sunk cost” and “conformity” which, as trifecta, can stifle innovation and overwhelm any good decision-making process.

Let me demonstrate what I mean. Coming up with a new … Continue Reading

When we get inspired, we create. When we are relaxed, we are more creative. Here are some of my time-tested activities that have worked for me:

• Expand your interests. Go to a library or a store and pick up a book or publication from an industry or genre that you would not normally explore. Even though random reading material may not seem relevant at first, I promise you if you give it a chance you’ll learn something you’ll be able to apply to your … Continue Reading
  

What do a phone, a car service, and a vacuum cleaner have in common? The best innovators in these categories applied design thinking principles to create success stories.

Apple, Uber and Dyson are not alone; numerous companies have applied design thinking principles and processes to new product or service innovation – some with considerable success, others… not so much. At Clarteza we’ve been involved in a number of design-led innovation projects in the consumer packaged goods industry and have observed several key success elements that can be borrowed from design … Continue Reading

The big idea:  It’s out there, and you want to be the one who discovers it, markets it, and profits from it.  Right or wrong, there is no shortage of approaches to uncovering the big idea, from trend analyses, to focus groups, to epiphanies in the middle of the night.  But how do you know when you’ve found it?  How do you uncover the diamond in the rough from the laundry list of ideas that come out of any well-meaning brainstorming effort?

Your gut is certainly a good start, and there are situations (and corporations) that call for avoiding conventional consumer … Continue Reading