Approach
Kurt’s approach to innovation is based on a design philosophy called Human Centered Design. This approach emphasizes three lenses, or three perspectives combined into a single cohesive point of view, which are desirability, feasibility, and viability.
ONE
Desirability Is the Human Component
In order to achieve a successful and sustainable solution, it is important to first fully understand the pain points, desires, and experiences of the human beings in the ecosystem that you are trying to serve. Innovation begins with empathy. Once empathy is established, we can develop an understanding about what is desirable to all people involved.
TWO
Feasibility Is the Technology Component
In this lens of the Human Centered Design process, technical feasibility constraints are applied. Constraints are embraced and are often the fuel of new innovations. In the fast paced world of technology, cloud computing, and AI, feasibility is a fast moving target. What is impossible today, might be possible tomorrow.
THREE
Viability Is the Business Component
Once there is an in-depth understanding of the desirability and feasibility of a project, it is crucial to think critically about the viability of the proposed solution. Does it make sense from a business perspective? Will there be a return on investment? Will the product or service generate healthy profits? Models need to be built in order to understand and defend viability.
The Value of Making the Intangible, Tangible
An important part of the Design Thinking process is synthesizing ideas in a way that creates team alignment and calibration. Big ideas and thoughts are made tangible solutions through explorations such as war rooms, road maps, system thinking, architectural diagrams, sketches, etc.
Testing Viability
Prototyping allows us to pressure test ideas. Increasing the fidelity of the prototype as the business’ confidence in the idea increases is what pushes the project forward, moving from an idea to a viable business reality.