July 2009
You may not know what a no-man’s-land innovation is because the concept is pretty new. We invented it a few years ago, and are now starting to promote it to the industry.
A “No-man’s-land innovation” is when two or more companies from different industries get together to create a new product or service, which gives a better user satisfaction than what each company could have achieved on its own.
Just think of Nespresso or Senseo. Before these coffee pod concepts were born, the coffee and the coffee machine industry worked in parallel and independently of each other. Each industry continued to invest in improving what they were already good at: designing coffee machines and making roast and ground coffee. When the actors from both industries realized that they were all responsible for the quality of the coffee brew in the customer’s cup and the way the coffee is made, they managed to create a concept, which generates more added value than what each company could have done on its own. They entered the “no-man’s-land”, which separates both industries. They created a product concept, which gives a higher user satisfaction than what could be achieved otherwise. By bridging the gap between the two industries, they created a cleaner, more convenient and easier way to prepare your coffee. Furthermore, since the coffee brew quality depends on how the coffee and the machine fit together, they also improved the quality of the coffee in the end-user’s cup. The consumers are now willing to pay twice as much for a cup of coffee.
The concept can apply to virtually all industries. Also to yours – and your own imagination is probably the main obstacle to crossing the border. Most industries are afraid of sharing IP rights, know-how, customer information etc. and thus continue to invest in improving product offerings, which are already mature and high up on the s-curve. The yield of one € or $ invested in innovation is very low compared to what can be achieved by joining forces with bordering industries!
It’s a matter of courage and ambition as well as a structured way to achieve a common goal: higher user-satisfaction!
No-man’s-land innovations take time. We all know how rapidly mobile phones have developed over the past years. We also know how slowly the banks and credit card systems evolve. For me it seems quite obvious that in a very near future, these worlds will join forces and make a “bankphone”. The SIM card is already part of the security system. The mobile phone lets you access your bank accounts, check your payments etc. …and mobile phones are getting closer to credit card size. The question is now, who will take the first steps: the banks, the telephone providers…
Another obvious area is the car and bicycle industries. Both have developed in parallel for a century, and most leading car companies have recently started to launch their own bicycles. …but, I have seen no inclination whatsoever to make the two worlds fit together. Have you ever tried to fix your family’ bicycles to your car? Then you know what I am talking about. It can easily take 15 minutes and you are not even sure the bikes are still there when you arrive. Why haven’t the two industries made a simple, standardized bicycle fixation, which fits any car (of the brand)? …I am sure the need and demand are there. It would be a simple and cheap way to add value to two very competitive markets!
Now, look at your own industry! What are the bordering industries with whom you can create more added value?
Contact : Henrik Nielsen, Tel: +33 1 64 69 07 27
November 1999
Handpresso bridges the gap between 2 worlds: the high end premium quality espresso world, with well-defined and well known codes, and the mobility world having no clear codes, in which the products have to convey this concept themselves.
Thus the formal and graphic language of Handpresso’s products is based on simple and classical volumes relating back to the rather traditional coffee world. We have to design products that are reassuring and clearly belong to the high end espresso world. The use of black with its aspect and finish as well as the brand image help conveying this impression.
By choosing simple shapes, classical colours and natural materials, Handpresso wants to reassure its customers. We thus gave us a guideline for our product design: always to show - via its colours and materials - that it belongs to the high-end espresso world but also the mobility world (small size, light machine, accessories to reinforce its portability and ease of use).
The machine: the core concept
Handpresso launches a new concept, the nomadic espresso. In order to be able to propose such a concept, we reduced our machine to the bare minimum, thus going the opposite way compared to most of the manufacturers who integrate more and more functions in their machines. We almost removed them all except those absolutely necessary to make a premium quality espresso! And created the first portable espresso machine in the world –probably the smallest too.
It is obvious that such a concept generates new habits. The espresso is not prepared in the kitchen any longer, it is an experience shared with family and friends, inside as well as outside. At Handpresso, the design function goes much beyond the mere formal and stylistic survey.
The role of design is to create new habits, which have to be accessible and understandable. To be understood, these habits have to refer to an existing pattern. We often speak of a « coffee ceremony » referring to the tea ceremonies that follow a well codified ritual. Likewise, our products create a ritual around the coffee preparation: the machine goes from one hand to another generating an exchange of experience among its users. There are other possible scenarios where, for instance, the owner of the machine becomes the master of ceremonies and « introduces it » to his guests. Everyone is then free to generate one’s own habits: at work, in the car, in the various means of transportation, there are no physical limits to drink a good espresso. Yet, in order to improve the understanding of this new concept, we have created a range of accessories around the machine to help its users to discover these new habits.
Accessories
Being able to drink an espresso outdoors is also a new habit that designers at Handpresso need to integrate to create products and accessories, which will guide our users in the discovery of these new habits.
One good example is the creation of an « outdoor set » making it possible to bring all what you need to experience a nomadic espresso. This product is a direct answer to all problems of mobility and outdoor use.
We also created unbreakable cups for outdoor use, a thermos-insulated flask to have hot water always close to hand, carrying cases protecting the expresso machine. All these accessories reinforce the nomadic concept and facilitate the mobility of our products.
Today, we keep on designing products and accessories always using the same creativity methods.