Leading with Insight Matthew Milan, Critical Mass
1.Insight 2.Being Insightful 3.Leading With Insight
Insight.
“A lot of times,  people don’t know what they want  until you show it to them…” Steve Jobs
people don’t know what they want…
“ Recognizing the need  is the primary condition of design" Charles Eames
Recognizing  the need
“Design works if it’s authentic, inspired, and has a  clear point of view.  It can’t be a collection of input” Ron Johnson
clear point of view
It can’t be a collection of input…
Why is insight important?
Insight occurs when people  recognize relationships  or make associations between objects and actions that can help them  solve new problems . Britannica
Recognize relationships
Insight is the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or  seeing intuitively . Websters
Apprehending the inner nature
Recognizable Truths … that help you understand  the real nature of problems.
2. Being Insightful
To be insightful, you must embrace the following…
1:  You must ask thoughtful questions
2:  You need to look beyond the obvious
3:  You shouldn’t be afraid to reframe the problem
4:  You must learn to trust your gut
Who did I learn this from? Richard Feynman
Who did I learn this from?  Richard Feynman
Who?
COLUMBO
That’s right… Columbo taught me everything I need to know about being insightful.
Back to Feynman for a minute…
Karl Popper - 1968 The “Wizard Merlin” Perspective of Insight
“ A magician of the highest caliber” Wizard Merlin
Michael Posner - 1973 The “Prepared Mind” Perspective of Insight
“ I know I've been a pest.  I'm just trying to do my job.” The Prepared Mind
No Magic Prepare Incubate Illuminate Verify The Art of Thought - Wallas, 1926
The prepared mind has a repeatable process
The prepared mind is always running its process
The prepared mind is always asking questions
One more thing…
The prepared mind looks beyond what is obvious
You know what I don’t understand…
The prepared mind isn’t afraid to reframe
There are a couple of loose ends I’d like to tie up.  Nothing important you understand…
The prepared mind trusts their gut
It’s just one of those things that gets in my head and keeps rolling around in there like a marble…
What’s really going on here?
Columbo is: Treating insight as a consequence, rather then a cause in problem solving Understanding the underlying structure of the problem and restructuring the problem to avoid functional fixedness Applying procedural similarity to take advantage of representative transfer Waiting patiently for “suddenness of solution”
3. Leading With Insight
What does leading with insight mean for your business?
A pair of stories about research, culture and results.
Validation vs Inquiry
A culture of validation: $200K+ OF DISCOVERY RESEARCH 100 FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS 25 INDEPTH INTERVIEWS 10 ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY SUBJECTS 5 PERSONAS   = 0  UNIQUE INSIGHTS
A culture of inquiry: $1300 TO RENT A VAN AND A CAMERA 5 LOCATIONS 4 HYPOTHESIS 3 GUT CHECKS 1 SEVEN MINUTE FILM   = 2  UNIQUE INSIGHTS
The Moral
Lots of research is a waste of time and money.
Lots of research is a waste of time and money.  
Don’t use research to tell you what you already know…use it to  tell you what you don’t know .
Don’t use research to tell you what you already know…use it to  tell you what you don’t know .  
So What?
Insights help uncover and reframe the true nature  of a problem
Insights help businesses identify and target positions of differentiation.
How do I do this?
Iteratively Reframe To Uncover the True  Nature of the Problem
Iteratively Reframe To Uncover the True  Nature of the Problem
Insight should be a key driver of your business thinking.  Here’s why:
Good insight (and good research) helps you to know what your customers need… before they know themselves…
Leading  with insight  means that you can create “the need”. True Differentiation Real Innovation Tangible Results
Insight is a state of mind
And a way of doing business [email_address]

Leading With Insight