To find opportunities that others miss, Arts Innovators must be experts in perceiving the world through as many lenses as possible. It’s not enough just to know the creative world. Arts leaders must also be able to decipher the world through the perspectives of social science, economics, psychology, operations, service, design, communication, education, technology, and many more. Combining these layers, new clues are discovered for ways to make the arts more impactful and relevant to lives and communities.
GLI Fellows learn with Frank Rimalovski of NYU Entrepreneurial Institute the importance of testing assumptions with target audiences. Rimalovsky (and co-author Giff Constable) share the following guidance —
“The qualitative part of customer discovery is surprisingly hard for most people, partly because talking to strangers can feel intimidating, and partially because our instincts on how to do it are often wrong. Here’s what customer discovery is not: It is not asking people to design your product for you. It is not about abdicating your vision. It is also not about pitching. A natural tendency is to try to sell other people your idea, but your job in customer discovery is to learn. You are a detective… You are looking for clues that help confirm or deny your assumptions. Whether you are a tiny startup or an intrapreneurial team within a big company, your goal is not to compile statistically significant answers. Instead, you want to look for patterns to help you make better decisions. Those decisions should lead to action, and smart action is what you need for success.” ▣
