8/16/2019 Tethering the Void Between Moonshot Ideas and Customer Connection

1/2

Tethering the Void Between Moonshot Ideas and

Customer Connection

FEI Conference, Boston, MA, 2016—Donna Sturgess, Executive in Resience, Carnegie Me!!on

"niversit#

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the future,” is how turgess opened this evocative

session! “Things get funded at Carnegie Mellon for big, brea"through ideas, e#ponential

innovations!”

Moons$ot ieas is the recurring theme! $hat is Moonshot thin"ing% &ow does it wor"%

“Technolog' runs far ahead of the customer(and the sweet spot is relevance and shape)

shifting technolog'!”

&ere are two e#amples* elf)driving cars and big data!

Self-driving cars

The concept for autonomous vehicles began in +-, but the ones we "now began in +./!

This concept has been brewing for a long time!

“This car can drive from 0ittsburg to eattle without a human,” said turgess, showing aCadillac! “$e onl' need humans to fill gas and change oil!” $e too" it to $ashington where

there is concern about traffic patterns man' 'ears from now!

The cars are here, but policies are "eeping them from being on the road! 1et, Congress

reali2ed the technolog' is read'!

8/16/2019 Tethering the Void Between Moonshot Ideas and Customer Connection

2/2

3ne driving 4uestion is “what do people want in a self)driving car%” &ere surve'ed +,555

people! &ere are some of the responses*

+! $ant to connect to home s'stem

6! $ant m' car to be designed li"e an office-! $ant m' car to be a mobile medical office/! $ant to have a part' car!

7nderstanding the conte#t helps design the e#perience! 1et, people have to see the future to

believe in it!

Big Data

Big data versus little data! “The moonshot here is how advanced sensors can be! &ow specific

can the use be% 8or e#ample, if we add sensors in devices to be mindful when elderl' peoplefall, it would be a win!”

There is an “enormous hunger” for services and product for sensors and the elderl'!

0erhaps sensors can be used with infants, too! “how can sensors add real value%”

In this case, the sensor can measure 'our gait and let 'ou "now that 'ou are moving toward a

condition to anticipate falls!

9ooming out, turgess claims that the public is not open to the 4uantum speed of innovation!

“I feel pressure where the future is being created, but we haven’t defined what "ind of

future we want!”

“:ot until 'ou are willing to abandon 'our world view, can 'ou see new mental models,” she

sa's!

There is a correlation in between the earth and the moonshot ideas! This gulf between the

two is the road to opportunit'!

Michael Graber is the managing partner of the Southern Growth Studio, an innovation and

strategic growth firm based in Memphis, TN and the author of  Going Electric. Visit

wwwsoutherngrowthstudiocom to learn more

http://www.southerngrowthstudio.com/http://www.southerngrowthstudio.com/