So, you have this great idea!  And you think about it and draw pictures and diagrams, and you discuss it with your business partner and the whole thing keeps you awake at night thinking about how this will work – and work so very well!

But, when it comes to innovation, keep in mind that your obsession to your idea may be blinding you to the most important part to its entire success!

The absolute painful truth is – it does not matter how wonderful your idea is or how much it can make life better or for how many people!

What matters is whether people will buy and use it — and WHY!

In short – how well does your idea solve the problem of those who would use it?

So – you know your idea (or the solution) very well. Now, how well do you know your potential users?  Because they are the ones who KNOW what they need, what works for them, what solves their problem and what creates “WOW” (insert “quality” here) for them.

Knowing the PROBLEM from the perspective of your potential customers is the SOLUTION!  And it is most assuredly not quite the same as what your idea is. Knowing that and making adjustments to your proposed idea early in the process saves you time and money and quite often is the difference between success and failure.

Now is the time to work out the bugs. Now is the time to refine and perfect your idea in the eyes of the customer. Now is the best time to remove the hassles for the customer and insert the WOW.

Who knows what works the best? Who knows what will sell? Who knows where, when, how, why and what the problem is?  Your potential customers! Get out there and go ask them – lots of them! Usually they are very happy to share that information with you!

Find out what bothers them, how to amaze them, where are the pain points, and what you can adjust and provide to solve their problem.  Remember – What’s In It For Them?

Healthcare Innovation Institute is a not for profit organization committed to helping healthcare practitioners, businesses and caregivers transform innovative ideas into a reality that furthers the health, value, and well-being of others. Hii believes in the optimism, innovation, and ingenuity to continuously redefine and improve healthcare for all. Bduffy@hiinstitute.org   Hiinstitute.org