The best product ideas don’t come from your customers. At least, not in the way you think. Instead of asking customers what they want, you should be putting on your detective hat and asking through the lens of behavioral science instead. That’s why I started Creative Science — and it’s…

Do We Care About Our Future Selves? We often take actions today that negatively impact who we will be down the road. We care in the abstract, after all, why wouldn’t we? However, studies have shown that it’s difficult for us to connect the dots between our present behaviors and future outcomes. When designing products in the…

A Startup Idea Was Born Nick Fritz was sitting with his good friends Ari Kagan and Ivan Dimitrov on a deck, drinking a few beers and kicking around business ideas. Nick and Ari had previously worked at Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight under the direction of Dan Ariely, so they were well-versed in integrating…

Think about your last trip to a grocery store, perhaps all you needed was milk. Your plan was to make a quick trip, grab the milk, and be home before dinner time. …

The Challenge Peer Insight is an innovation firm located in Washington, DC, comprised of a team of brilliant problem solvers. They partner with change-makers to create “net-new” growth, that is, from products and services beyond a company’s existing portfolio. One of those change-makers is Lauri Kien Kotcher, who, in the mid-2000s, was…

Building a Rewards Program While Julie O’Brien was a team member at OPower, a company that partners with utility providers to provide energy reports for their customers, she noted there was a trend in the market at the time for every service provider to have some type of loyalty program. Her job was to…

From Lawyer to Entrepreneur Brantley was an estate attorney living in Austin, Texas. He spent his days writing wills for his clients and working with startups. He had a good amount of experience working with tech companies, so he decided to attend a Startup Weekend event. When he got there, everyone was a developer…

The Race “What!? How did you win!? I was in first and you were in last the whole time! What happened!?” My sister Lilly and I were wrapping up an intense game of Mario Kart with our cousins. She was Peach and I was Mario, and I had left by a hefty…

Make Them Laugh “Here is a young comedian who works frequently at the Improvisation Los Angeles, and he’s been working on the road with Andy Williams. Would you welcome, Jerry Seinfeld,” announced Johnny Carson. As the white curtain opens, a young Jerry Seinfeld takes center stage. Dressed in a cream colored suit with…