A recent PMI U.S./Harris Poll found that nearly 8 in 10 adults believe innovation isn’t actually improving their daily lives — they think businesses are innovating in the wrong areas. That’s a striking number, and it’s worth sitting with as a business owner, because it applies at every size, not just to big tech.
What the Poll Is Really Saying
The finding suggests that people may value innovation more when it addresses problems they actually experience, rather than simply introducing something new. That disconnect happens when businesses chase what’s technically impressive instead of what actually solves a customer’s real, specific problem.
The Difference Between Innovation and Novelty
Innovation makes something meaningfully better for the person using it. Novelty just makes something different. It’s easy to confuse the two, especially with new tools and features that are exciting to build but unclear to the customer who has to use them.
Ask Your Customers Before You Ask a Vendor
One way businesses end up innovating on the wrong thing is by letting a software vendor’s roadmap influence priorities more than their customers’ actual needs. Before adopting anything new, the better first move is asking existing customers what’s actually frustrating them.
A Simple Filter for Any New Investment
Before spending time or money on a new tool, feature, or process, ask one question: does this remove a real friction point a customer has told me about, or does it just sound impressive? If it’s the second one, it’s very likely to become expensive novelty.
Sometimes the Most Innovative Move Is Simplifying
Removing a confusing step, cutting an unnecessary form field, or making something faster to use rarely feels like “innovation” in the exciting sense. That kind of simplification may be less flashy, but it directly addresses the kind of everyday friction customers actually experience.
Quick Self-Check
- Can I name the last customer complaint my latest change actually addressed?
- Am I adopting new tools because customers asked, or because they’re available?
- Would my customers describe my recent changes as helpful, or just different?
- Have I looked for a way to simplify before looking for something new to add?
The Business Doctor’s Prescription
Innovation that customers actually feel is often simpler and less flashy than it sounds in a pitch deck. The businesses getting real traction aren’t the ones adding the most — they’re the ones removing friction their customers actually named.
If you want a clear-eyed look at where your next investment should actually go, let’s talk it through.