1. Expressing innovation in terms of user objectives

The user objective is often "broader" than the proposal you're about to make. In this first stage, it's vital to identify and qualify the real user objective(s).

Innovative, use-centered design turns design thinking on its head. First and foremost, the user's objective must be clearly defined in terms of the benefits of use (the customer), and not in terms of function (the machine). In other words, we don't a priori define a benefit in terms of the technical capabilities or innovations available, but seek to identify what is meaningful for the end customer (the benefit of the proposal), and then deploy the right implementation solutions.