Innovation, To transform or introduce contemporary ideas into new products, services, or advanced processes. By allotting a “radical” designation to this term, the purpose of innovation is to change the very fundamentals of that product or theory. Unlike the software update in your phone, it is a complete evolution from a conventional phone to a modern device.
Barring the newer models, radical innovation results in a complete upheaval of the customers’ experience and the business model. Varied branches connect people with new technologies, and ambitious businesses make it impossible for such creativity to confine itself anywhere in this fast-paced business ecosystem. Put differently, the “who?”, “what?” or “how” behind innovation remains elusive and almost out of our control.
As designers, we work and benefit from developing and fine-tuning radical innovation as per the consumer market demands. As so, improving an already-existing solution or product’s form and function is the bread and butter of design. Is it sufficient for a business to skyrocket? Surprisingly, no! Nowadays, consumers, customers, and constituents hold the ability to innovate for themselves. The competition is no longer solely limited between a number of producers but also crops up from individual consumers themselves. Seeing this as a threat to the cardinal relationship in the market web, market leaders consequently constantly strive to stay ahead of the curve.
However, as times have gone on, the monopoly of major companies over the market has gradually reduced. This reduction has been counterbalanced by the rise of smaller companies and design centers. This is where creators like us modify and develop a design to attract new user groups, or differentiate a product by improvising its ease of usability, aesthetics, or features. Contrary to public knowledge, design is a far more intricate process than it appears. Good product design aims to innovate radically and lay out a conceptual understanding of the product to correspond with consumer satisfaction, brand credibility, and market profitability.
The purpose of design’s deliberate existence is to create the new, purposefully. By tinkering with how we perceive and utilize an object, new products can redefine entire markets and industries. Innovation can compose an improvement in a pre-existing solution, but this only happens through the disruption of our traditional approach to context and purpose. For instance, while the whole world is cognizant of Apple watches and other smartwatches today, one would be surprised to know that the present-day devices are inspired by the creation of Steve Mann in 1998. The world’s first smartwatch, called the “WearComp” was introduced to the world in 2000 and operated on a Linux platform, and successfully created what is now a massive market of consumers today. Similarly, Dyson has gone through the same process of resetting the outlook of a range of domestic appliances such as vacuum cleaners and fans.
If we talk about the rewards of radical innovation, then the two examples above are enough to emphasize the achievements and their prevalence. What is more superior than a significant win in the market? One can establish a strong identity and gain a monopoly out of this idea. And there! The market is not scarce of new players. However, one’s radical innovation will successfully create both consumers for itself and also draw in fresh talent to work on it further.
As designers, we can understand and manage consumer gratification according to the benefits of the market. With technology shifting and constantly reshaping itself, there is no doubt that timing is everything. Therefore, analyzing and striking consumer needs at the right time is the style of every designer. Nonetheless, radical exploration and innovative modeling can build a business for tremendous accomplishments, and who wouldn’t want to be the next dynamic business?
