No Insight. No Innovation
Henry Ford never said this
Whenever organisations push to innovate, someone inevitably brings up that quote.
It’s usually meant to shut down research or dismiss consumer input.
The irony?
There’s no evidence Henry Ford ever said it.
So, the real problem isn’t consumer feedback, it’s how we ask and interpret it.
Lets assume Henry Ford did say it
Let’s assume he did say this...well, here's the problem with this statement: It’s completely based on assumptions.
What if he asked a question instead.
What if Henry had listened to the anthropologist who said, “Let’s ask them”?
Because without insight, there is no innovation.
What if consumers really did want faster horses?
Let’s pretend they did, in fact, say, “faster horses.”
The researcher brings the insight to the innovation team.
Instead of dismissing it, they ask:
What are they really telling us?
That’s where the real innovation starts.
Consumers really wanted to get from A to B faster.
Let’s say the researcher hears “faster horses” and doesn’t stop there.
They dig deeper and realise the real insight isn’t about horses at all.
It’s about getting from A to B, only faster.
Because the answer isn’t the insight.
It points you toward where the insight might lie.
From there, you can form the real problem statement:
“How can we help people reach their destination faster?”
Three lessons here:
Check your references. Henry Ford likely never said it. Context matters.
Insight isn’t what people say. It’s what you uncover beneath what they say.
As Tasnim Alli put it: “Research results are answers to the questions you had. Insights are answers to the questions you didn’t know you needed to ask.”
Insights can guide you through every stage of product development.
StocksCharles AB is a digital transformation accelerator. For more information contact info@stockscharles.se.
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