Idea Generation Methods

Voice-of-Customer Methods

1. Ethnographic Research
It involves observing customers for extended periods of time by staying or closely
spending time with them. It helps to know how customers use or misuse the product. This
method is difficult to follow in case of many product categories.

2. Customer Visit Teams

In this method a team of usually three members visit the customers for in-depth
interviews with carefully-designed interview guide to get user problems and needs. Many
a times it is difficult to get honest answers.

3. Customer Focus Groups

FGD for idea generation need to be used with a clear focus of getting new ideas and to
know existing problems or needs of the customers. It is very important to have a skilled
moderator.

4. Lead User Research

It involves identifying lead users [innovative customers] who are able to provide
workable product ideas and not just end up with sharing product problems or needs. Lead
users face needs for products that do not exist in the market and find solutions
themselves.

5. The Customer or User Designs

It involves getting design ideas from the customers. It can be used through web with right
software.

6. Customer Brainstorming
It involves gathering a group of users and then conducting a formal brainstorming session
to uncover the problems faced by customers with the existing products. It is a generally
used method but is a challenge to conduct with B2B customers. It is also a time
consuming approach and has difficulty to gather the relevant customers.

7. Customer Advisory Board or Panel

It involves a group of customers to advice on product problems and on customer needs.
However, many a times such a session ends with just general discussions.

8. Community of Enthusiasts
It is normally done through net. An online community helps to give inputs to generate
new ideas. Over a long run it proves effective, if maintained.

Prof. Anita Goyal, IIML, PM Page 1

Open Innovation Methods

1. Partners and Vendors

It is an existing method to get ideas from suppliers, dealers and the like as they remain in
contact with customers.

2. Accessing an External Technical Community

These are scientific, technical or expert community other than customers who offer their
services to the companies.

3. Scanning Small Businesses and Start-ups

This is to get ideas from entrepreneurial firms.

4. External Product Designs

Inviting designs (primarily designs and not intricate features) for the product from anyone
and not just from customers.

5. External Submission of Ideas

Normally through company website anyone can submit an idea. In this method, company
has to develop a channel (website) through which one can submit ones idea. It is difficult
to manage and operate. It can also be done in collaboration with other companies having
innovative ideas or can work together on new ideas due to their expertise.

6. External Idea Contest

Companies may organize a contest where ideas are invited and selected idea gets
rewarded. It is expensive and risky as gets exposed to competition.

Other Methods

1. Peripheral Vision
It is scanning the environment and look for opportunities.

2. Disruptive Technologies
It is to identify or locate any breakthrough being worked upon by some R&D. It is very
difficult as it is rare to have such incidences.

3. Patent Mapping
By analyzing the existing patents, one can get an idea.

4. Idea Capture Internally

It involves generating ideas from ones employees.

Prof. Anita Goyal, IIML, PM Page 2