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RADICAL INNOVATION
FINDING BIG IDEAS THAT MAKE SENSE
This approach is larger scale—it disrupts both context and purpose. Radical innovation is changing the way we think and it can lead to the creation of new markets and industries.
A great example of radical product innovation is the Pebble smart watch. Bursting onto the market via Kickstarter in 2012, the technology and its application created a whole new category long before Apple joined in with the launch of their Apple Watch, three years later.
Another product innovator that follows the radical approach is Dyson. They have gone through the process of reinventing often-overlooked categories of domestic appliances such as the vacuum and fan. They have delivered market disruption not only through technology, but also through their business model.
So, what’s the reward of radical innovation?
The chance of getting a ‘bigger win’ is one of the main advantages of radical innovation.
With an entirely innovative idea comes the chance to create a whole new brand and market—a market so untapped that a single design could gain a monopoly.
The radical model suits new players far better, as they have no incumbent history that can restrain the breadth of their innovative design—they have a blank, limitless canvas. With Kickstarter allowing new and exciting inventors to launch into a large marketplace, radicals will continue to wow the world with products we didn’t even know we needed.
However, timing is everything with radical product innovation. If timed well it can be the perfect fit, but if a product comes out too early there is a chance people will not get it, let alone want it. Also, technology is often underdeveloped, causing slow market adoption.
Another consideration is that to develop the technology to match the potential of the product, substantial investment must be made. Radical innovation, as impulsive as its sounds, is in fact the longer game to play in terms of returns. Markets can be slow to grow when time framing and exploring an idea.
Nonetheless, radical exploration and subversion of existing product categories that are often overlooked can result in huge success—who wouldn’t want to be the next Dyson?
The time has come. Designers have a choice to make: Are you for the incremental approach or are you a radical?
