The unknown unknowns – part 1.

We don’t know what we don’t know. So we don’t know what questions to ask. The customer asks how should I use this? How does it apply to me and my needs? But a business is unlikely to have all the answers of the many ways their product/service can be used and experienced. Who would have ever guessed that gamers would make videos of ‘unboxing’ new games or making videos of exploiting game glitches. This was only made possible because of the creation of sharing platforms such as YouTube. This is an example of how new value is co-created by a new ecosystem – here it is the game producers, sharing platforms, the user and then again between user and user. 

There may be 1000’s of ways to use a product or service and repurpose it for different experiential aims.

To take this further - we can use our customers to act as our advertisers, product and service developers, recruiters and brand managers. Ideally we would train them to do a good job and provide them with access to tools they need to get creative. An example of customers being given  roles is hissing and booing at a pantomime.

I have helped in the development of online digital tools in the past and the question is - to have or have not - customer user groups. For the reasons above it can be seen that these do add value – letting users learn from other users.  This sort of more randomised learning allows for serendipity - that luck element when you stumble upon a new use or potential experience.

Certain exercise equipment links up with other users so they can compete against them. And we instinctively do what other people do and form group identities too.

My business is value-creation consulting – providing advice, insights and research.

   ©️2023 Alexandra Stacey