Page 107 - Transforming an Idea Into a Business with Design Thinking

86 ◾ Transforming an Idea Into a Business with Design Thinking

benefit the customer, consider an archer who is aspires to hit the target
using his bow and arrows. You, as an entrepreneur, want to build a solution
that helps the customer hit the target:

◾◾ Better. If the solution improves the way the particular user went about
fulfilling his/her need, the solution value proposition is that it helps the
user hit the target better. The benefit could be helping the user maxi-
mize some aspect that he/she intends to maximize or alleviate a pain
that the user is wishing to minimize. Better translates into a competitive
Quality Advantage for the customer where the solution is more accu-
rate and consistent in delivery of value.

◾◾ Cheaper. If the solution lets the user hit the target at a lower cost, the
value proposition is cheaper. This translates into a competitive Cost
Advantage over your competition.

◾◾ Faster. If the solution lets the user hit the target in a shorter amount
of time and permits hitting more targets than it used to hit, your value
proposition is faster. This translates into an Efficiency Advantage over
your competition.

◾◾ Easier. If the solution helps the user hit the target in an easier way,
the value proposition is easier. If the user is able to hit the target with
more ease, comfort, pleasure, delight or novelty, it translates into an
Experience Advantage over your competition.

The target could be helping the user do any of the following:

◾◾ Finish a job. The famous “Jobs to Be Done” concept from Clayton
Christensen of the Harvard Business School describes it well. In short,
when a user buys a product or service, he/she actually is hiring that
product or service to do a job. For example, you buy a thermometer to
do the job of measuring your body temperature. You buy a car to do
the job of transporting yourself from one location to another as well
as doing the job of projecting a specific image about yourself to your
friends, family and strangers.

◾◾ Accomplish a goal. We are a collection of jobs that we do on a daily,
weekly, monthly or yearly basis. Each specific job helps us accomplish
a goal. For example, we buy a car to help us do the job of going from
our home to work, and by doing this job we are accomplishing the goal
of reaching work or back home in a timely fashion.