#demand #innovation ## Customer indifference Most innovation efforts falter not due to lack of creativity or technology, but because customers simply *don’t care* – they remain indifferent Authentic demand -- not merely as what customers want or need, but as that to which they *cannot be indifferent* => [[Pay attention to customer indifference as much as interest]] ## "Not Not Razor" Authentic demand for a solution exists when someone is put in a situation and they can*not* *not* buy or use the solution The ultimate goal for an innovator is to identify or create a product or service that customers *cannot not* buy or use when confronted with a specific circumstance ## Situations, not Psychographics demand is often dictated more by the situation a customer is in rather than their inherent traits or psychographics. [[Specifc situation & context over customer characterisctics & profile]] ## Why traditional markers like pain points or stated desires are not reliably predictive of purchasing behavior - Pain points -- Pain is not predictive because you and I have many pains that we don't do anything about. We simply learned to cope with them. - Desires -- often superficial, fleeting, not predicative of bahviour > People frequently learn to cope with numerous pains and often do not act upon all their desires. [[Most people make satisficing instead of optimal decisions]] | Feature | Traditional Approach (Pain/Desire-focused) | "Heart of Innovation" Approach (Authentic Demand/Situation-focused) | | :----------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Basis of Demand** | Customer-stated pain, needs, or desires. | Customer's inability to be indifferent within a specific situation. | | **Predictive Power** | Often low; people cope with pain and don't act on all desires. | Potentially higher; focuses on unavoidable action/behavior change. | | **Key Question for Customers** | "What are your pain points?" "Would you buy this?" | "Is it okay for you _not_ to use/buy this in X situation?". | | **Primary Focus of Research** | Identifying and quantifying pain/desire across demographics/psychographics. | Deep understanding of specific situations and behavioral triggers. | | **Risk of Founder Bias** | High; easy to find "pain" that confirms pre-existing ideas. | Lowered by "not not" razor and focus on observable non-indifference. |