framework-stage-empathize Empathize Phase

Opportunity
Developer

Used to turn your insight themes into business opportunity. The opportunity statements are more specific, targeted “How Might We” statements that are insight driven and serve as the springboard for ideation.​

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When would you use Opportunity Developer?

Opportunity Development happens immediately following the theming, journey mapping findings and/or the empathy mapping findings. The key insights or themes from each of these techniques should be turned into an opportunity statement which turns the user centered insight into a company centered opportunity statement. ​

Here’s where Opportunity Developer can be a difference maker:

  • Your team has conducted insights work and now needs to make these outputs actionable solutions
  • You just got back extensive market research and your not sure what to do next with all of the learnings and insights
  • You are refreshing your brand planning and you are trying to turn your planning work into a tactical plan

How does Opportunity Developer work?

  • 1
    Start​ with a priortized theme from your theming work. Be sure to describe the connection amongst the key findings from your research findings.
  • 2
    Explain ​and document why your target customer might care about the theme.
  • 3
    ​Generate "How Might We" statements that make the insight theme an actionable opportunity, using the insight-based theme.
  • 4
    ​Converge on the most compelling and actionable opportunity statements.
  • 5
    Test ​your opportunity statement to make sure that the question is connected to the insight-based themes and will generate potential payoff by answering the question

Download the full Opportunity Developer guide

Get access to instructions, templates, a case study, and more

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Deliberate Innovation Opportunity Developer Tool Guide

Guide-10-Opportunity-Developer

    Top Opportunity Developer Tips

    • empathize-tip-1 Start by being sure of your objective, goals and outcomes for this exercise. ​What would success look like if you got it right!
    • empathize-tip-2 ​The purpose of the opportunity statement is to turn the insightful themes into opportunities that can generate solutions.
    • empathize-tip-3 ​While insight themes are written from the persective of the customer/user the opportunities should be written from the perspective of the problem solver of business
    • empathize-tip-4 ​Reflect the customer pain point or unmet needs
    • empathize-tip-5 ​Go for quantity when it comes to generating opportunity statements.
    • empathize-tip-6 Always test to make sure that the heart of the insight/theme is embedded in the opportunity statement. If it loses the essence of the customer unmet need, the solutions will veer from solving something meaningful.
    • empathize-tip-7 One way to test your opportunity is to ask: If we solved this question, would it be one way to address our overall business challenge?

    More Opportunity Developer Tips & Stories

    Storytelling is at the heart of our teaching and is essential for understanding new concepts. Here are some short stories and tips to continue to bring this tool to life.

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