Our Approach
[/imageframe][/one_third][two_third last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””]The BRIDGE Method (Breakthrough Idea Development and Germination) is a scientific innovation framework designed to institutionalize innovation through a holistic adoption of specific practices.
Just as in any scientific method, the BRIDGE Method involves a problem statement, compiling existing knowledge, hypothesis testing and analysis.
There are four pillars to the Bridge Method:
- Map out existing innovation activities and removing barriers to breakthroughs: Large organizations have countless “innovation related” activities that are often disjointed and disparate. Bridges develops an Innovation Map, highlighting programs in place, mapping out the idea-to-development flow and highlighting barriers preventing innovation. Bridges also builds out an Innovation Readiness Framework across the four key dimensions of innovation (culture, practices, leadership and implementation).
- Understand implicit and unstated needs: Breakthroughs come from solving unstated or implicit needs of customers – things customers don’t even know they want. The only way to get this insight is through observing customers in their own environment or [modal_text_link name=”ethnography” class=”” id=””]Ethnography[/modal_text_link]; which is often difficult to execute and scale. Bridges has developed a virtual ethnography solution that allows you to view and guide customer activities anywhere in the world, observing unstated needs, inefficiencies and understanding innovation opportunities. Bridges Customer Experience Journeys combine the science of ethnography with real-time viewing technology.
- Democratizing the innovation process: While all organizations have numerous product ideas and concepts, most innovation decisions are still top down. Bridges provides and implements a platform designed to let employees share ideas and innovative concepts across the organization, using crowdsourcing principles that allow the best ideas to get nurtured and developed and rise to the top based on a feedback loop. This platform not only instills an innovation culture across the organization, but results in peer-vetted ideas that truly meet customer needs and are most likely to be successful in the market.
- Build out a structured and grounded innovation plan: The rate of innovation in corporations is alarmingly low relative to the R&D spend. Bridges will help develop a comprehensive innovation plan and build out a program to bring the most innovative concepts to market, grounded by the above three pillars. What makes Bridges unique is that we work with you through the implementation and development phase. We are as vested as you are in bringing breakthrough and transformational innovations to customers.
[/imageframe][separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”10px” bottom_margin=”10px” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]― USPTO
Done well, there is no doubt ethnography can result in breakthrough innovations. However, the problems with ethnographic research include (a) it is not scalable; (b) it is too cumbersome, time consuming and expensive to study customer journeys around the world; (c) it is very subjective, each individual viewer may have a different take on what they see; and (d) it is hard for diverse groups to engage and brainstorm together while watching a live customer journey.
Bridges is the first company to introduce a scalable, enterprise-grade Virtual Ethnography solution. This is based on a unique technology that brings you live customer observations from anywhere in the world. You get a real-time journey into the minds of the customer as you view them from your home or office while they perform activities or use your products. You also have an opportunity to interact with the customer or the ethnographer during the session to gain deeper insight. Bridges introduces Group Ethnography, where teams can watch and direct customer journeys together allowing for diverse viewpoints that spur the creation of innovative products.
These Virtual Customer Journeys serve as the basis for informed ideation sessions, where entire teams of product designers and developers view the sessions and ideate on trailblazing products and features. This is by far the most informed and grounded approach for innovation discussions.
There are two perspectives in Ethnographic research, the “emic” (focus purely on observing without any preconceived notions) and “etic” (using our judgement on what we observe) perspectives. Putting these two perspectives together creates the unparalleled power of observational research. Both of these are possible through Bridges Virtual Customer Journeys.
In addition, we manage Customer Site visits and Contextual Focus Groups that are conducted within the customer’s environment, so you get the richest and most and relevant information. You are not only able to view these sessions from anywhere in high-definition, but you are also able to direct these sessions using our unique technology. Customers are far more likely to provide richer recall, thoughts and feelings when they are within their own environment as opposed to an artificial setting such as a focus group facility.[/modal]