Introduction:
In part 1 of this blog series on Viewpoint, we explored the Y axis of the KJR Viewpoint framework, repeated below

and discussed using the STEEP analysis method to label the Y-axis and defined point A, the “Trendspotting” Viewpoint.  In this blog, we will work on labeling the X-axis and look at how to describe point C, “the Better Mousetrap” viewpoint.    Then in the part 3, we will put these together to reach our point B,  ” All Pain, No Gain” and our point D, “Brave New World” viewpoint.

Ready, AIM™, Viewpoint!
It might seem trivial and simple to express what is “re-imagined” and “unexpected” about our product or service.  In fact, that’s why we love our product.  Some of the best products in the world are built by people who had a problem because of the the “Today’s Reality and could not solve it with the “usual” solutions available.  So they built a “Better mousetrap” and then said, “Hey, if I could use this, I bet a lot of people could”.  THE PROBLEM is, they tend to sound like this…

When I worked at Acme, we were faced with a situation where our protocol for X was incompatible with our current business solutions.  What we really needed was a feature that we call FOO that integrates the existing infrastructure with the emerging need for cross channel communication and is compatible with …That why we built this new dweelybopper, obvious, right?

When they need to sound more like:

When I worked at Acme, we were faced with growing margin pressure, increased regulatory scrutiny and a process for Y that was not responsive and was too costly.  Not only that, it was totally isolated from our current process, leaving us with un-substainable cost and compliance trade-off.   What we really needed was a new approach that was people, not technology driven,  and started with a whole new mindset that we could increase compliance AND reduce cost.  Once we understood that, we knew if we only had an innovation like FOO that allowed us to …  That’s why we built this new dweelybopper ..

Notice the subtle difference, we are not just telling the what:

• The Foo enabled Dweelybopper”

But we have been much more explicit about the why from our STEEP analysis

•  leaving us with un-substainable cost and compliance trade-off

And most importantly we are focused on the not just on one, but on the three hows:

•  The Approach – people, not technology driven
•  The Innovation – the foo
• The Mindset –  that we could increase compliance AND reduce cost

By crisply articulated the Approach, the Innovation and the Mindset, we not only create a context for our innovation, but we make it DRAMATICALLY more deep, compelling and interesting, exactly what we AIM to do!

We can think of this in a simple triangle framework:

KJR’s AIM Framework Describes Solutions By Approach, Innovation and Mindset

By casting our innovation in multiple dimensions, we bring it to life, add memorability and create breakthrough.  Our innovation is no different, but by spending the time talking about our approach and mindset,  more and more people who will care and remember.  So, when we want to talk about our “Better Mousetrap”, it’s not enough to describe it technically, we MUST talk about the why and the other two hows of approach and mindset.

In the next blog, we will combine the STEEP and AIM axis of the Viewpoint framework, and find the powerful Viewpoints at points C and D of our framework, “All Pain, No Gain” and “The Brave New World”.