About this Event
Innovation Design: Building Products and Solutions People Actually Want
Innovation creates value when it solves problems that matter and delivers solutions people choose to use. Yet many promising innovations stall, not because the science is weak or the technology is flawed, but because they miss the needs, priorities, and realities of their intended customers. Technical excellence alone rarely drives adoption. Products succeed when they address problems customers care about and fit how they actually live and work.
This session introduces human-centered design as an essential tool in the early stages of research translation and commercialization. Through practical examples, we will show how engaging customers, stakeholders, and end users throughout development reduces risk, uncovers unmet needs, and leads to stronger products with better odds of adoption. Participants will see how innovators use stakeholder discovery, empathy, co-creation, and rapid experimentation to replace assumptions with evidence.
The session also challenges the idea that innovation belongs only to inventors, entrepreneurs, and technical experts. The most successful innovations are collaborative and draw on diverse perspectives. Designing with people, rather than for them, strengthens both the product and its path to market.
Whether you are advancing a technology, launching a startup, or developing a new product or service, you will leave with practical approaches for moving ideas from discovery to market adoption.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and networking reception.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Rizzo Center Meadowmont Grill, 150 Dubose Home Ln, Chapel Hill, United States
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