There’s no substitute for the kind of vision Ford had. As most designers know its important to include your users, but never ever let them design the product (anyone ever see the Simpson’s episode where Homer is allowed to design a new car? That’s not far from the reality when users are given too much say of product design).

h yes, and the alternative to the walkman wasn’t nothing back in the day. The alternative was to carry around a giant ghetto blaster, dislocate your shoulder doing so and annoying everyone arround you with your bad taste in Cheap Trick (and with a walkman you could indulge your your even worst taste by listening to Air Supply, and no one would be the wiser).

They assert that users “just need to get things done.” And that successful products address those needs in an economical, useful, and perhaps cool way. Says Christensen, “the marketer’s task is therefore to understand what jobs periodically arise in their customers’ lives for which they might hire products the company could make.”

So it’s not divine inspiration that spurs a company to create a great product. Nor is it a customer who writes down on a blank sheet of paper, “give me something that looks like this.” The beauty of the process is in the synthesis between need and action.