In the fast-paced world of business, where data and analytics reign supreme, it is easy to overlook the simple but profound truth: some of the deepest insights about customers do not come from numbers but from lived experiences. This is where embodied knowledge—the practice of immersing oneself in the consumer’s world—can make a significant impact. Companies like Duracell and Facebook have shown the transformative power of stepping into the shoes of their users. In this post, we will explore these real-world examples and how CloudThinking plans to incorporate similar exercises in its Design Thinking workshops, fostering community, empowerment, and innovation.
Duracell’s Wilderness Adventure: From Data to Deep Understanding
Imagine being out in the wilderness, struggling with fading daylight and relying on a flashlight to get through the night. Duracell’s executives did just that, camping in the wild to understand the needs of outdoor enthusiasts. They discovered the anxiety that comes from unreliable lighting and the importance of having high-quality gear. It was an insight that no market report could have provided.
This led Duracell to create a highly successful advertising campaign with free climber Kevin Jorgensen, showing him ascending Yosemite’s Dawn Wall at night, a moment of real connection with the target audience. The experience showed the company the value of living through their customer’s challenges, allowing them to speak directly to their consumers’ needs with authenticity.
At CloudThinking, we believe in incorporating similar immersive experiences into our Design Thinking workshops. For example, we might challenge participants to “live” a day in their customer’s shoes, whether it is by using their products in unique environments or experiencing the same pain points their users face daily. This fosters empathy and enables a community of empowered problem solvers, ready to innovate from the ground up.
Facebook’s 2G Tuesdays: Building for Billions
In another striking example, Facebook engineers, used to the luxury of high-speed internet, slowed their connections to 2G every Tuesday to simulate the experience of users in emerging markets like India. It was a frustrating and eye-opening process, but it revealed crucial insights into how difficult it’s for users to access the platform under such constraints. The result? Facebook Lite—an app optimized for low-bandwidth environments—became the company’s fastest-growing product.
At CloudThinking, we encourage this kind of practical, hands-on problem-solving. In our workshops, we will introduce exercises where participants simulate the experiences of their customers in real time—whether that is using outdated technology or navigating services in challenging environments. These exercises promote community-driven innovation, where participants learn that great ideas often arise from understanding and experiencing real-world constraints.
The Power of Embodied Knowledge in Workshops
For businesses, it is not enough to simply understand customer behavior from behind a desk. Embodied knowledge empowers organizations to bring customer experiences to life. In our CloudThinking Design Thinking workshops, we will focus on exercises that foster this level of deep, empathetic understanding. Some of the activities we will incorporate include:
- Immersive Customer Journeys: Participants will embark on simulations or real-life experiences that mirror the day-to-day challenges of their target customers. Whether that means working with specific constraints (like Facebook’s 2G Tuesdays) or engaging in scenarios outside their comfort zones, this will deepen their understanding.
- Empathy Mapping: This exercise helps participants visualize the emotions and needs of their consumers, encouraging them to step into the shoes of different customer personas. By doing so, they can craft more customer-centered solutions.
- Role-playing Exercises: Workshop attendees will engage in role-playing activities, embodying both their customers and the stakeholders within their organizations. This practice will help them balance user needs with business constraints.
- Real-world Testing: Similar to Duracell’s camping trip, we encourage businesses to test their products or services in real-world settings, where they can experience the actual problems their customers face. This often leads to breakthrough moments of insight.
Building a Community of Innovators
One of the key goals of our workshops is to create a community of innovators who support each other in solving challenges. By sharing these experiences and insights, participants not only grow as individuals but also contribute to a broader culture of empathy and innovation within their organizations.
Empowerment Through Experience
When leaders and teams truly understand the challenges of their consumers, they are better equipped to design impactful solutions. At CloudThinking, we are passionate about empowering businesses to move beyond the boardroom and into the real world, where customer needs are best understood. Our workshops will be rooted in the idea that experience is the best teacher, encouraging participants to transform data into human insights that fuel innovation.
As markets become more complex, the power of embodied knowledge will only grow. By combining data with real-world experiences, businesses can develop not only innovative products but also a culture that deeply understands and respects the customers they serve.
If you are ready to bring embodied knowledge into your organization, CloudThinking’s Design Thinking workshops are the place to start. Let’s create a community of change-makers—one immersive experience at a time.
