Improvement Insights Blog
Design of Experiments May Not Satisfy Customers
In this video, Malcomb Gladwell describes the quest for the perfect spaghetti sauce. While one company tried to optimize smooth Italian-style spaghetti sauce, another company discovered that customers wanted chunky sauce and stole the show.
http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html
DOE can optimize a product, but may not satisfy your customer’s needs.
In this case, if you asked a customer what they wanted in a spaghetti sauce, they couldn’t tell you (Voice of the Customer). The company tried all kinds of variations in their sauce (spicy, thick, thin, chunky, smooth) and tested them with customers. Spicy and chunky had significant showings. Sometimes you have to listen to the “Stomach of the Customer” (SOC).
You’ve probably tried out various chairs or sofas before buying one. That’s listening to the “Body of the Customer” (BOC).
Maybe we need a new language to describe the sight, sound, smell, taste and touch of a customer. What looks good? Sounds good? Smells good? Tastes good? Or feels good? How do we get them to experience it, not just talk about it? That’s when the insights happen.
