Which Comes First: Needs or Technology?
In his 2009 article “Technology First, Needs Last,” Don Norman provoked the design community with a polemic assertion:
I’ve come to a disconcerting conclusion: design research is great when it comes to improving existing product categories but essentially useless when it comes to new, innovative breakthroughs… New conceptual breakthroughs are invariably driven by the development of new technologies.
A pioneer in human-centered design, Norman seemed to defy his own school of thought with this contention. But, he has a point: when it comes to revolutionary technologies, history shows that technology often came first.
In that same year, Sarah Miller Caldicott, grandniece of Thomas Edison, wrote extensively about her great uncle’s work. After studying his approach to innovation for years and poring through his notes and papers, she concluded:
Edison realized that by understanding customer needs first, he could invent useful products more efficiently than he could otherwise. Edison’s trained teams visited people in their homes and watched how they used their current lighting products.
This begs the question, which comes first: technology or needs?
Everett Rogers, a thought leader in innovation adoption theory, offers some insight here. In his landmark book Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers points out: “An individual may develop a need when he or she learns that an innovation exists. Therefore, innovations can lead to needs, as well as vice versa.”
Like Rogers, I believe the answer to the question is both. Said another way, it doesn’t matter where the impetus for innovation comes from: it’s an iteration between technology and needs. If inspiration comes from a new discovery or invention, that can lead to innovation. On the other hand, human needs can point to opportunities, too.
However, always keep the endpoint of innovation in mind: the end inevitably lies with the people who adopt the innovation. It’s up to them to decide whether they want to actually use an innovation or not.
So ultimately, it’s not a question of where the inspiration for innovation begins, but rather where it ends: with human goals and needs.
JTBD seeks to reduce the chance of non-adoption by focusing on solutions that people actually need. This is also known as achieving “product-market fit.”
Ultimately, JTBD helps you predict adoption and increase your chances of innovation success. And it does so with a consistent language and approach to align teams around customer needs.
