Gadgets or widgets, those products, ideas or inventive things in our lives that may have a name but often we’ve forgotten it. The term widget is reported to have a history all they way back to the sailing world of trade and commerce of the late 1800’s, and might have been used as a slang word for any small mechanical thing or part of a ship but its name was not easily recalled from memory.
Today as noted, we use the term in similar fashion, ‘hey have you seen my new gadget?’ to proudly show off a new cool item to others. It makes us feel like we’re a trail blazer, showing something that no one else might have yet, and become eager to share of its uniqueness and benefits. And like what often happens, that other person responds with ‘I could use one of those!’
These gadgets or new products in our sphere, or something larger like a Tesla electric cyber truck are items pushing cutting edge concepts, even ideas like the hybrid hydrogen engine! Yes even the technology that has many critics buzzing, Toyota launched the Mirai model vehicle, which employs a fuel cell powered by hydrogen. This early concept of a John Deere tractor below, they all start with an idea to solve a problem either mechanical, functional or a human factor – to list a few – that improve our world.
Project: Vintage John Deere concept styling with LED head lamps, and improved cabin. Airless wheel-to-track tires can manipulate from round to oval configuration where speed or ground pressure is critical.
We often coin these new things as fancy gadgets, and companies today can find themselves in a struggle with reinvesting for these futuristic developments. One thing seems consistent in business, that positive action and forward thinking is critical for success. If a business fails to push ahead it often allows competitors to mimic or copy the product and take away market share value. One of the most difficult parts of being innovative — the doing of new things, is solving the problem or customers pain point that will allow that idea to become a wanted item by the customer.
But how do we get there? The new gadget, widget or product model, all face the same problems, and once you have found the solution there is this question: ‘how to make it desirable?’ This in essence is the work, coming up with the solution from the field, and also to give that ‘thing’ a body, a face — the creative style, feel and shape, to add to the ‘wow’ factor to help launch it into the market.
A business in today’s environment may be considering staffing and how to keep someone on full time who can help with developing and launching a single new item. However with that said, a new project development could be leveraged using the in-house team working with an outsourced specialist. Where this process can free up the production team, and help your business speed up the time-to-market, and improve upon the customer focused value to produce the end goal i.e. ‘have you seen my new gadget?’ and ‘I could use one of those!’ desired reaction to your product.
With good team work you can make your traditional production methods better, look at ways to improve the product life cycle and improve your profitability. All of which will help you stay innovative, competitive and help drive your business toward your long term goals.