[Sigia-l] making the case for field research for innovation

[kalbach at scils.rutgers.edu]

David,

Highly recommended: Everett Rogers,_Diffusion of Innovations_. Rather theoretical, but user-centered 
through and through. The latest edition (which I
don't have) has a section on the Internet.

I wrote a little essay summarizing some of his ideas
a while ago for the Razorfish Reports series:
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kalbach/understanding_innovation.pdf

A key argument is the *adoption* of your so-called 
innovation. Maybe this is just splitting semantic
hairs, but an invention is not an innovation *until* 
it has been adopted. Something like this:

- Idea: Abstract concept
- Invention: Realization of an idea
- Innovation: Implementation and adoption of an invention

Thomas Edison had lots of ideas and inventions that 
never became innovations. Inventing is only half of it.

Do they want to wait until after a release to find
out that people don't want it or why they don't want it? 
"Validation" sounds arrogant to me - as if they *know* 
they have a winning idea and just need a seal of 
approval. Rogers' thesis: to accelerate adoption, 
listen to the users during the *design* process.

Ciao,
Jim