Capturing the voice of the customer before the customer knows what they want: TRIZ, spiral dynamics, and the fourth turning

The paper discusses the integration between TRIZ and other tools and strategies in order to create a more capable problem definition and solution generation scheme. The basis for the integration is the comparative weakness of TRIZ with regards to understanding of the customer. TRIZ ‘knows’ that all situations should deliver a more ideal solution to the customer. Given the broad range of possible ‘more ideal’ solutions in any particular situation, it is necessary to know which of these solutions are the ones best suited to the present needs and requirements of the customer. The sting in the tail is that in most situations, the customer has little idea what the want until they actually see it. It is this problem to which the paper is primarily addressed. The psychology research presented in Spiral Dynamics and the societal ‘DNA’ uncovered in the Fourth Turning are suggested as two platforms upon which to build an enhanced understanding of how customers work, and therefore how innovators can best serve them.