Dispelling the Myths of the Fuzzy Front End
Exciting. Creative. Evolving. Challenging. Confusing. Scary. These are just some of the words that come to mind when we think about the fuzzy front end of innovation.
While the term “fuzzy front end” has been popular since the early 1990s, a universal definition still does not exist. The term itself can take different forms – Front End of Innovation, Phase 0, Top of Funnel and Pre-Project-Activities. So, it’s not surprising that what is supposed to happen during the fuzzy front end can be a bit hazy.
And, therefore, intimidating for many. As a start, we really need to articulate what the fuzzy front end is. Our perspective is that it is a strategic process to feed your innovation funnel with good ideas.
During this earliest stage of innovation, the primary goal is to uncover and validate insights – but that’s not all. The key is to start with the consumer, understanding his or her behaviors, motivations, attitudes, and desires. It’s also important to examine the brand, the category and the competition as critical inputs into articulating an innovation strategy . The innovation strategy then focuses the playing field for in-depth insight generation, which, if done correctly, will lead to ideas and ultimately concepts that will yield incremental brand growth.
In this paper, we will highlight six myths about the fuzzy front end and dispel them with the realities of how the fuzzy front end really operates. We will explore the true roles of insights, ideas, emotions, and processes – to help you better navigate through this chaotic period and come out of it with more robust and concrete results.
