Ryan Jacoby wrote a great post today about the difference between a delightfully different experience and a fundamentally different experience.  If you apply his train of thought to a product or service in the market today, a delightfully different product is one that is a cut above the rest because it offers the consumer value not present in the competition.  A fundamentally different product offers an entirely new consumer experience that forces a paradigm shift and creates new revenue streams for a firm.  Think Tivo, iPhone and Kindle. 

Creating a delightfully different product is relatively easy.  Conduct market research and make incremental changes that differentiate your product.  Creating a fundamentally different, now that's hard.  Is there a market for this innovation?  How do you conduct research for a product that solves a need the consumer doesn't even know exists yet.  Innovators often have to go with their gut when creating a fundamentally different product.  What's the ROI on your gut?

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