Front-End Innovation and Craft Beer Breweries: Exploring Problem Framing and the Customer Experience through Design Thinking

摘要

This qualitative exploratory single-case study applied a social constructivist methodological approach to better understand the front-end of innovation within the context of craft beer breweries. Specifically, the research study investigated the problem definition stage at the front-end of innovation that explored the role of design-thinking tools and the customer experience. The general business problem was that companies experienced a modest new product success rate from existing innovation systems while the nature of the front-end of innovation represented an unclear and seldom structured process. Consumer product companies experienced difficulty in framing problems fundamental to implementing the front-end of innovation. The research included 11 open-ended, one-on-one interviews and two focus groups with business owners, brewmasters, taproom managers, and operation managers from seven microbreweries located in the Michigan region. The three research questions guiding the study included: • How might a craft beer brewery approach the problem definition stage at the front-end of innovation that addresses the customer need and what are some of the fundamental steps? • How might a craft beer brewery use design thinking as a strategic tool to assist the problem definition stage at the front-end of innovation that adds clarity? • Why would a design-thinking method benefit the problem definition stage at the front-end of innovation when exploring a customer experience at a craft beer brewery, if at all?;The findings revealed seven dominant themes from the research. The participants indicated that the customer experience map represented a valuable tool to frame problems in the early stages of innovation because of its utility, clarity, logic, human-centeredness, holistic perspective, and the ability to help articulate ideas. The relevance of a design-thinking tool depended on the problem type or the specific individual using the tool. One unexpected finding was the important role of intuition used in framing problems, which nine of the 11 participants revealed that to some degree intuition or gut feel was a main factor in framing a problem or opportunity as opposed to using a sophisticated tool. Future research would consider a deeper understanding of the role of intuition used when framing problems into new opportunities that creates value for stakeholders.