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Strike While the Iron Is Hot: User Centricity Adapted to the Agile Innovation Development Process

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Strategy and Communication for Innovation

Abstract

The increasing demand for more agility and flexibility in innovation development projects also sets new requirements for market and user experience (UX) researchers. In this chapter, we discuss several challenges and issues inherent in the liaison between agile innovation development and the claim for user centricity. We outline one specific approach to agile market and UX research in the project field User Driven Innovation at the Telekom Innovation Laboratories. By introducing two different types of user researchers, the UX consultant and the UX tester, who are deployed in different stages of an innovation project and who operate in different working modes, we offer a hands-on solution based on experience for the issues described. Two short case studies exemplify more agile and flexible methods that are tailored for fast but yet profound market and UX research. We argue that Rapid Ethnography and the Customer Advisory Board are ideal for the new requirements mentioned. In conclusion, we list critical success criteria for user integration in agile innovation development projects.

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Correspondence to Jörn Schulz .

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Schulz, J., Steinhoff, F., Jepsen, K. (2017). Strike While the Iron Is Hot: User Centricity Adapted to the Agile Innovation Development Process. In: Pfeffermann, N., Gould, J. (eds) Strategy and Communication for Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49542-2_21

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