On Fast Company’s Co.Design (@fastcodesign), Warren Berger (@GlimmerGuy), the grand inquisitor of the website a more beautiful question, says “breakthroughs are often born with someone asking ‘What if...?’”
What if someone sold socks that didn’t match? In his new book Disrupt, Luke Williams (@LukeGWilliams), talks about how that offbeat question was the impetus for the launch of Little Miss Matched, a company whose purposely mismatched socks proved surprisingly popular with young girls. It’s one of a number of examples Williams cites of new business innovations that began with what he calls “a disruptive hypothesis.” Another better-known one is Netflix, whose business model provided an answer to the question, What if a video rental company didn’t charge late fees?...
Innovation is driven by questions that are original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive.
What “disruptive hypothesis” will you use today to lead to game-changing innovation in your world? What questions should publishers, agents, organizations, and authors be asking?