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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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Still have similar issues to Ruby Rei -> DYL.
What is route to market? Who is the buyer?
Need to be Lean: test, try and then implement. We are still being waterfall.

(to be really Lean, would need to be off-brand / not under the brand. But sometimes it's just a mindset: "we've done the research and we are right so let's build it". Need to PROVE not justify/reason.)
The MVP should be the research. Build, try to sell/get users, iterate. People may understand this in theory but it doesn't translate into what we do. (But, tests are released in BAU in 'half arsed..' etc etc)
(Without this there's a huge lag between ... and commercial viability.)

We can build products fast. With more UX and ADT we can build the whole product (design, content etc).
We're not good at distribution.
Extreme challenges in getting marketing resources. (New products vs the 7 products we sell!)
If the customers aren't coming to us, we don't know how to find them.

Why are we not just on Steam, etc. We need to just use the existing distribution channels. Don't overthink it.

We have sales setup to sell years in advance.
We need the sales approach which matches what we're doing - specialists in games/etc.
But this will mean spending LOTS more. There is no shortcut.
Work with people who have PROVEN success

Need to get comfortable selling incomplete products. (E.g. of VIPKid given). Codevelop with the early adopters.

Can't sell an incomplete assessment. BUT... does everyone care whether it works? Can we sell sooner? (Can we sell as bundle with other things?)

Is our brand useful? Can we not have the baggage of Cambridge?

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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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- How things break down when we rely on other resources (other teams / other orgs)
- Difficult when relying on gatekeepers outside of NPD (sign off or doing)
- Difficult to explain our remit/purpose to other teams (despite internal advocacy work)
- Clash/minsunderstanding between ways of working
- General lack of understanding of what different teams are doing
- Constant work to shield NPD from internal politics
- Pigeon-holing is widespread in the org, and can hold us back (e.g. AV unit requirements being questioned/getting admin rights for Devs - difference between 'normal' tech needed and specialist etc. Still exists. Causes delays of weeks. etc)

Need it to be someone's role to 'sort the crap'; predicting the crap

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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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1. What did we learn from the experiences of (D)NPD?

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We need dedicated marketing and advocacy to drive uptake of products if we're going to make revenue.
This includes preparing the market - the story we tell about our products.
Dealing with new audiences may mean new approaches.

How NPD fits within the organisation has always been challenging. More separate, then trying to align with strategic priorities. Means we lose out on resourcing.

Disruptive innovation. What does the org think innovation is for?

The org is set up to do more of the same. Practical challenges to doing new things.

We can do things quickly and well, but don't always get the support of the wider org.

The strength of the team isn't recognised as valuable.

People across the organisation, including regional teams, are really interested in what we're doing and use what were doing and want to be involved/learn from what we're doing

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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- Innovation + commercialisation shouldn't be in conflict, but innovation + commercialisation + 'Cambridge' standards is not always an achievable balance
((D)NPD focus was always partly commercial)
- BETA/sub-brands etc. are a possible solution
(Need a 'complete' sub-brand)
- Flipping our previous approach to get an established user based first and charge for part of a product second
- It's two challenges in one: produce something untested/innovative and also different to our internal models

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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Research? We have to know what people need and how they would like to have it - we can't do that without researching. Can't be based off internal opinions.

Experimentation too - people often don't know what they want until you show them something.

We need to understand who our market is. How do we avoid over-privileging already privileged people? Investigation of who has the money to pay for teacher education / educational products - not always the teachers and students. Could mean working with charities.

Stave off the 'no immediate revenue = no value' attitude. How to convince the business of the value of what we've done so far. Things need enough time.

Telling a story that links the things we're doing with what the business wants. Strategic approach which is commercially grounded. Understanding the process behind this. Explaining the ways of working. Innovation also means working differently - change needs to be in the team.

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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- Pilots
- Fake door testing (not
- Need to get a small slice of product/content out there in the hands of consumers (if route to market exists)

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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Innovative people - consultants. People with the same mission as us and same interests. Influencers.

Standard metrics so you can compare/benchmark.

Test, experiment, prototype - be willing and able to pivot. Be happy to be proved wrong.

Might not always want to test with our current customers. Need to experiment in different ways with different people.
(Test in other places as well - not just current/initial space)

How can we work across products to build up comparisons? Compare without unethical tests.

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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2.If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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What are the categories of issues?
E.g. marketing, build etc.
Can we partner with people who solve these issues?
Consider Ruby Rei (RTM) vs Minecraft
Pivot the marketing & sales to what's needed
Do we have the right digital/marketing skills & background
No point in making different products if we can't sell it

Commercial focus is long term. For short term, invest in something else. Innovation / long term is long term return.

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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False door / 'quick and dirty'

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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"Major problem" - e.g. Ruby Rei missed out on this
Not necessarily one route
Need to think differently
No point in launching products where we don't have this

Find early adopters
Shorter contracts
Remove blockers/overheads of biz - wider biz is setup for IELTS, LS, CEQ etc.
Streamline process of selling

Sales teams. Existing expectation is build, assess viability, sell etc. New process needs to work from problem back. (Is this "sales" or something else..?) Existing behaviour of sales team/GN acts as constraint.

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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4.How can we best identify routes to market for new products?

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Work with people who already have successful routes to market with the customers we want to have.

Research - looking at the bigger education picture, not just EFL.

Collaborating across the org (e.g. with Cambridge International)

Recognition from ministries,awards.

Regional teams: lots going on already (e.g. MC) but need to work with them on access to customers/testing with new customers etc. However, no resource in regional teams. (Paul C)

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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3. How can we test the potential commercial success of innovative new products? Who can help us with this?

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Focus on pain points and what those pains cost the user - this is value and people pay to alleviate those pains and costs.

Who can help us? UX research.

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4. How can we best identify routes to market?

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4. How can we best identify routes to market?

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Take stock of all of our connections as a business

How do we utilise the ideas of people across the whole business, some who may have a specialism?

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2. If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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2. If the focus is more commercial, what does this mean for how we approach innovation?

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One option may be implementing and being transparent about different levels of (quality) how much we stand by the results or quality of a product.  E.g. this is an Alpha and it's a category 1, but it's equivalent to Duolingo and in it's current state it's suitable for X.  This is a category 3 and it's the crème de la crème and can be used for applying for Visas, etc..