Analogies can trigger breakthrough ideas in new product development. Numerous examples demonstrate that substantial innovations often result from transferring problem solutions from one industry or domain to another. For instance, the designers of the new running shoe generation of Nike, Nike...

Germany and Japan have particularly been affected by a rapid demographic change. The accelerated development of an aging and shrinking population has caused many changes, for instance, in customer needs and demands. These affect the value creation in both B2C and B2B markets, consequently...

In a study of innovations developed by mountain bikers, we find that user-innovators almost always utilize “local” information– information already in their possession or generated by themselves – both to determine the need for and to develop the solutions for their innovations. We argue...

In order to reduce the risks of failure usually associated with NPD, leading companies such as 3M, HILTI, or Johnson&Johnson are increasingly working with so-called Lead Users. Their identification and involvement is supported by the Lead User method - a multi stage approach aiming to generate...