Lead User Research for Breakthrough Innovation

LEAD-USER RESEARCH FOR BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION
Lead-user research can help companies uncover both unmet customer needs and the innovative solutions that leading-edge users are developing to meet those needs.

Ivy Eisenberg
OVERVIEW: The best companies often work closely with their customers to uncover needs and wants that can be translated into new or improved product or service offerings. The lead-user research method goes a step further, looking not only to the typical customer, but to those users whose needs and preferences lead the market. These lead users, as they are called, will modify products or use them in unforeseen ways to meet their needs. The lead-user research method was developed as a systematic way to mine the insights and innovations of these lead users. Since it was pioneered in the late 1990s, the leaduser method has evolved and grown. This paper offers an update on the use of the method and on adaptations to increase its efficiency using online search and communities as well as an overview of lessons learned from experiences on more than 20 lead-user projects. KEY CONCEPTS: Lead-user research; Customercentered innovation; User innovation Most companies want the same thing—a healthy pipeline of breakthrough products and services that will provide robust and steady profits. To achieve this, companies often reach out to their customers directly in order to tap into what matters most to the people who will purchase their products and services. There is much to be learned from one’s current and potential customers. The lead-user research method goes beyond other customer-centered approaches, seeking insights not only from customers but from “lead users,” users who are so far ahead of the industry that they see no choice but to invent solutions to meet their needs. Lead users are tapped for their understanding of future needs, but even more, these visionaries provide solutions—or keys to potential solutions—for the companies that can discover these

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