Who Do You Want Your Customers to Become

The most important takeaway is the insight that innovation’s role is a human capital investment in the competence and capabilities of customers.

Customers don’t just adopt innovations; they alter them, adapt to them, and are changed by them.

The essential insight from these examples is that successful innovators create customer experiences that create greater capabilities for both themselves and their customers. Values and value are aligned; that alignment is inseparable from business innovation.

Disney’s “ask” became a fundamental design principle for the entire line: What does the innovation ask its customer to become? More like the princess she wants to be. That’s powerful. That’s profitable. That’s transformative.