Top Ten Reasons Ideas Fail
Good ideas fail just as often as bad ideas. Here are the top ten reasons ideas fail:
1. The idea is nothing new; it just has a new package. This is a fairly common mistake and often occurs without anyone realizing it. To overcome this you must research, research, research! Talk to experts in the field because they will know what has been tried in the past and what went wrong.
2. Flaws in the idea are overlooked. This often occurs because people are unwilling to let their idea go. Even when you’ve invested time and money into an idea you need to know when to start over. Keep in mind that even though you are throwing out the idea, you’ll have gained many key insights that will inform your next design iteration.
3. The idea fails to meet real needs of real people. To speed up design processes we often design for stereotypical people; however this can lead to ideas that are just not useful to real people. Get the people whom you are designing for involved in the design process. Present them with the problem and see how they solve it.
4. The idea fails to create meaningful experiences. This reason ideas fail is often overlooked, but don’t forget that people purchase experiences not products. Always keep experience in mind.
5. The idea is too proprietary, which can hinder adoption. This is a tricky one which requires careful consideration. Sony for example is highly proprietary in their innovations. Personally I would say they border on being too proprietary; however since they have such an established brand, they get away with it. Sony cameras require Sony memory sticks. Personally I didn’t switch to a Sony camera because I wanted to use my existing SD card. If an idea requires too much change at once adoption is delayed.
6. The idea is not proprietary enough and the market becomes instantly flooded. To “make it” with an idea that is not proprietary you must have a strong brand and a large portion of the market. The fewer hindrances for your competition the more likely it is that someone will come along and takeover your market share.
7. Lack of buy-in from top level stakeholders. The only things worse then your boss or your investors not liking your idea is if they think your idea is just okay. If they don’t like your idea it won’t get off the ground. No gain, but no harm. However, if they think the idea is just okay and let you move ahead without totally supporting the idea, you are set up for failure. You will spin your wheels trying to implement the idea but will not get past the initial conception. If the idea is worth it, learn how to sell it. A solid proof of concept or prototype can go a long way toward gaining buy-in.
8. Cultural barriers prevent the idea from taking root. Your ideas can be great, but you may need to implement it in different ways for different cultures and subcultures.
9. The idea is good but it is not solving the root problem. This is dangerous because the idea in this case is often very good, but it is not complete. Problems have multiple dimensions; make sure you are solving the root problem.
10. The solution is more complicated then the problem. The typical example of this when someone develops technological solution to replace a common task. For example a few years ago many microwaves came with a message button so that you could leave audio messages for family members. The problem is that you cannot place the microwave in known activity locations. You ended up leaving notes telling people to check the message on the microwave.
Double check your idea against this idea of reason that ideas fail. Remember good ideas fail just as often as bad ideas.
