Wellness refers to the natural state of being that each of us is meant to be in. A state of ease. And not a state of disease. With changes in societal structures, economies and technological advances the shift in the idea of wellness and its technique seem to be the constant. There is a projected growth of $4.2 trillion in this industry which goes across the spectrum from skincare, aging, travel, food, supplements, cannibus, exercise, sleep and so many more facets. Growing up with Ayurveda and food being health, the idea of doing anything special for wellness seemed unnatural to me at first. But being exposed to the Global Wellness Summit gave me an opportunity to meet some unbelievable people with their hearts and business minds in balance.
- Consider the end user
- Identify their pain points
- Create something to make a difference in their life and the world
- Design a prototype to visualize the idea
- Tell the story to support your innovation
Applying lessons of empathy often begin with yourself. I have seen a shift in generations. The youngest of them do care about the environment. But often that sense of duty gets mixed up a savior complex . Instead of simply buying another product that donates to a charity, it might be gratifying to create a solution that aims at the problem itself.
Here are some conversations for wellness innovation we have in the classroom:
- What is going on around us?
- Have you been touched by an issue?
- What already exists and can it be improved?
- How would your innovation make a difference in someone’s life?
- Would you be able to scale it?
- What story would you tell about the innovation? And to who specifically?
What is going on around us?
I make my students read the news — they have to know what’s going on the world, not just in their local environment. They are also to watch talks by leaders in different industries. It is easy to access information with YouTube and Ted talks and so many other wonderful resources. Could you look at staggering numbers and statistics? And is it in an area you are interested in?
Have you been touched by an issue?
The savior complex exists in all of us in varying amounts. We are social creatures that are inherently intelligent and capable of helping each other out. Sometimes we just need a nudge. When students are asked in class to list out what area of wellness they would like to focus on, these are some responses I get. “My younger sister is so conscious of how she looks because of her skin” or “ I don’t want to waste food but often I throw spoilt produce from my fridge because I get busy or forget it’s there”. These conversations grow into user surveys, questionnaires, persona studies and eventually insight translation with consumer journeys, use case scenarios etc.
What already exists and can it be improved?
Do not begin with wanting to reinvent the wheel. Begin by wanting to solve a small problem really well. Look around, diligent market research shows you what already exists. And see if there is a gaping hole in a certain market or consumer segment that has not been explored yet. Study innovations in the market many of those that have changed your own life. Being aware that our everyday has been modified by someone who came up with that idea is a very defining moment in the thought process.
How would your innovation make a difference in someone’s life?
How does your user live and what aspirations do they have? Are they dealing with something that has not gotten attention? Can you identify this micro-instance in their daily life? Defining what you can create to make that instance of pain disappear is the moment of creativity.
Would you be able to scale it? How?
Even Michelangelo had a family supporting his masterpiece ceiling murals. If you are creating something that is meaningful to the user, you have to make sure you develop it with the intent of it reaching all that can benefit from it. Something that improves the specific life and then the general condition of life in society. For this, knowing your market and identifying an industry supporter to scale your innovation is very important. Aligning with existing tools may be a very viable option too. One of my student groups developed the idea of a meditation pod and they chose to partner with an existing meditation app — the alliance seems natural as they coexist in the same space and can benefit from each other.
What story would you tell about the innovation? And to who specifically?
What are the supporting facts to your innovation? Identify and amplify why this idea makes sense and holds the potential to resolve that micro instance of pain. Would someone want to buy this idea? In regards to content, tone and visual style of story telling — I often draw on this analogy in my classroom. How would you narrate a life experience to your room mate versus your mother? What details would you embellish? Once you define that, you have an authentic story meant for a specific audience.
Teaching young minds to sell a product is easier because they are surrounded by those messages every 30 seconds from the time they wake up to the time they sleep. They engage as consumers as long as they are being entertained. Sometimes knowingly and sometimes not. But making them take a moment to look around and be observant of that one micro instance in someone else’s life, that could make a difference. And then design for it— that is wellness innovation.
