An idea is absolutely worthless if it is not realized. Innovation means shaping instead of administrating and doing instead of dreaming, not planless action but sound and strategically convincing action. What our customers want are therefore not abstract management theories but solid achievements and measurable market results. "Innovation Action," however, is not only what we do but is also an expression of our working method:

New needs are not discovered in an air-conditioned conference room but where they happen. If we do research, we do it right, even if it means that we spend almost every night on sofas in Saudi Arabian households for two weeks, as was the case for a project for Arla Foods. Because if you want to understand the needs at breakfast, lunch and dinner, you have to be there from beginning to end. In order to gain the decisive information we become deeply involved with the subject matter in order to recognize what is hidden beneath the surface. Successful innovations do not stand out by the fact that they are as "spectacular" or "crazy" as possible, but by the fact that they are successful on the market. Therefore, they always have to raise or satisfy a relevant need, and that's why it is so important for us to know and understand the hidden needs, motivators, barriers or stimulating factors.

Rapid prototypes make the abstract tangible and force a closeness to reality. Prototypes, however, are not the end of a development but rather its constant companion. The rapid prototyping of ideas also means recognizing mistakes and problems much more quickly, learning from those mistakes for the next prototype in order to achieve faster and better results in the end. And if fast prototypes generate wow-effects it doesn't take complicated abstract PowerPoint slides to do that. However, prototypes also get things moving and initiate developments. As long as abstract "concepts" are all there is, there may be perhaps 100 things that "can not function." As soon as rapid prototypes are available, 100 things that can be done better in the next prototype become visible.

Everybody has an opinion – about almost everything. And if everybody holds the same opinion the idea is either not innovative or something is wrong. On the other hand, if the smallest common denominator is agreed upon, the result is rarely something truly innovative. What we experience in our research every day is that there is a big difference between what people say and what they efficiently do. Logically, what it takes is hard facts and robust data and as few opinions and hypothetical statements as possible. The generation of this data is the real purpose of prototypes. We call it "prototype for marketers, not for engineers." Many things are possible technologically. However, the key question is whether there is a market for them. We therefore do not measure opinions with rapid prototypes, but the actual behavior in genuine buying, decision-making and use situations. Thus we are able to realistically assess the market chances with "real" data, establish a clear focus, save development costs and, at the same time, be faster to market with a better result.

First the why, then the what and how. Innovation is a journey into the unknown. First we have to clearly understand the why. Only then can we tackle the “what” and the “how” in a focused way and properly realize it, whether in research, in prototyping & testing, or the definition of the goals of a new project. Understanding the why allows us to get a clear view of things, tackle them at their root, and discover new perspectives.

We do not focus on results that are as extraordinary, crazy or spectacular as possible; we focus on results that are as successful as possible. What matters in the end is the effect in the market. The satisfaction of our clients proves that we in fact achieve an effect in the market and do not make empty promises: a total of 88.2% of our customers have commissioned us with a second project within 18 months.