Innovating Faster and Smarter
By: Emma White
Tags: Business, Innovation

Innovating Faster and Smarter

Smart, fast innovation is critical to any business’ success, no matter what they do or when they do it.

Today’s world is plagued by instability, with a global pandemic wreaking havoc on practically every industry and aspect of our lives. Innovation is critical to thrive in any economy — and will prove indispensable in weathering the challenges imposed by COVID-19 and beyond.

Turning to technology and other innovators like BairesDev is an essential step in surviving and prospering in an uncertain, chaotic world. How else can you innovate — and do it intelligently and quickly? Here are five key ways to create products people want, and that will help you stay ahead of the competition, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

1. Consider Talent Outside of Your Organization

You may well have many talented employees at your organization. But innovation requires a fresh perspective and thinking outside the box. In today’s highly connected world, it’s easier than ever to find experts who specialize in areas critical to your business’ success — even individuals and companies based in different areas or countries. Outsourcing projects to outside teams can lend you that new set of eyes to bring your products up a notch.

Another benefit of outsourcing responsibilities or assignments is that it will free up time for your internal employees to focus on other priorities and business functions, while the external team will focus exclusively on the project with which you’ve tasked them. This ultimately leads to a faster turnaround.

2. Pinpoint Consumer Needs

It’s essential to identify and understand your customers’ needs and wants. While this may seem like a lengthy process — performing market research, including holding study groups and testing out ideas — it will ultimately save you time in the long run, since you won’t have wasted hours developing a product that fails and forces you to start from square one.

Product managers, market researchers, and other professionals can work with you to study the market and develop ideas that will respond to the needs of your consumer.

3. Involve Everyone in Brainstorming

Sometimes, the right idea comes from the unlikeliest of places. Just take the origins of Disney’s hit movie Frozen. Struggling with pinpointing an ending, Disney promoted writer Jennifer Lee to co-director — and by listening to others on her team and adapting to a new role, she was able to turn the film into a masterpiece.

Smart innovation involves switching things up, instead of fueling your ideas with the same source again and again. Rather than relying on the same players for every project, consider looking to others for ideas. Doing so could just help you find a hidden gem. Also, consider experimenting with new ways of developing products and services — you might identify a more efficient process, leading to a speedier turnaround.

4. Look at the Data

Today, we have an abundance of data at our fingertips. And we can use this data to ensure that we don’t repeat mistakes, as well as keep doing the things that are working well, which ultimately leads to a faster and more efficient development process.

Consider, for example, how customers and users have responded to your previous efforts, from marketing to feedback on the product’s actual performance. Use these insights and feedback to inform your next effort. Take into account suggestions on how to improve your product — this will help you solidify and strengthen your overall brand identity.

5. Don’t Forget About Quality Assurance

But doesn’t quality assurance (QA) take more time? Yes, it does, but if you put out a defective product, you’ll spend far more time correcting and fixing it than you would have if you addressed these errors before it reached the market.

For example, in software development, QA professionals and testers are often involved in the process throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). A skilled QA tester will be able to identify problems — in usability, in performance, in functionality, and in a variety of other areas — that the developers can address earlier rather than later, leading to a more successful, polished product.

While it’s impossible to declare a product completely bug-free, this vital process can help ensure that you’re minimizing the prevalence of these issues to the extent that it’s humanly possible and delivering the best product you can.

Smart, fast innovation is critical to any business’ success, no matter what they do or when they do it. At a time when so many people are experiencing stress and challenges, answering the call to deliver quality products that help them in myriad facets of their lives is paramount — and doing it quickly and with intention is equally important.

Going forward, incorporate these strategies into your product lifecycle, from looking outside your organization to welcoming ideas from unlikely sources to implementing a thorough quality assurance process, to help you innovate for success.