About the Class
Faculty
We teach proven methods used by entrepreneurs and established firms to gain a deep understanding of the consumer needs that drive successful growth. We emphasize qualitative methods such as voice-of-the-customer interviews, ethnographic observational methods, and the elicitation of deep metaphors, which are tailored to deep customer insight. Building on proven examples from a variety of industries, we provide theory and coaching so that you can use these methods immediately. The heart of the course is the team project, which has two parts: (1) a qualitative voice-of-the-customer ‘front-end,’ which generates a structured inventory of issues relevant to the idea that your team is exploring, and (2) an articulation of a specific new concept or new solution, based on this front-end customer insights. This is not a traditional customer insights class. Our philosophy is that numbers (and especially large samples) are over-rated in customer insight; a deep understanding from a small number of knowledgeable and intellectually engaged individuals may tell you more than questionnaires (or data analysis) used to collect broad insights from a hundred or a thousand customers. We focus on methods that: - Can be relatively quick and inexpensive (and, if necessary, done directly by you) - Obtain rich, high quality information from a small number of customers - Add creativity, challenge, and excitement to the customer insight process
John Hauser