597: What makes a breakthrough product? – with Deirdre Walters

The innovation playbook behind global FMCG giants Watch on YouTube

TLDR

In this episode, I’m interviewing Deirdre Walters, co-founder of Untapped Innovation and former Procter & Gamble R&D leader, on the importance of deep user understanding in product development. Deirdre Walters shares the origins and application of the Technical Product Story Framework, a story-driven approach to innovation that bridges the empathy gap between R&D and customer needs. Our conversation covers practical tools, real-world examples, and advice for fostering true consumer centricity to create breakthrough products.

Introduction

Many products fail.  Anyone who has spent time in product development knows it. The question is, why? This question drove my PhD research. Usually it’s not because the technology was bad. It’s not because the team wasn’t smart or wasn’t working hard enough. It’s because somewhere between the whiteboard and the launch, the product lost the plot and the user got forgotten. The team optimized for what they could build or wanted to build instead of what someone actually needed.

My guest today has spent 30 years with this gap. Deirdre Walters spent 15 years at Procter & Gamble — across R&D, manufacturing, and marketing — and while she was there, she co-developed the Technical Product Story framework. Procter & Gamble and others still use it today. In 2012, she co-founded Untapped Innovation, an award-winning consultancy that works with some of the biggest names in consumer goods — Unilever, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo, Kimberly-Clark, and more — helping them build products that actually win in the market.

Now, you might be thinking: I work in software, not shampoo or cereal. What does consumer goods have to do with me? The answer is more than you’d expect, regardless of the industry you are in. 

Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers

The Consumer is Boss:Deirdre began working as a scientist at P&G in manufacturing and then transitioned to product research where she focused on consumer understanding. Her job involved talking to customers in their homes. She points out that consumers can easily misrepresent things, like forgetting to mention a product they use, so it’s important to observe customers directly and dig deeper. At P&G, Deirdre was taught that “the consumer is boss.” Scientists and engineers should remain curious and be open to multiple possible solutions.

The Technical Product Story Framework:Deirdre outlines the Technical Product Story Framework, which takes inspiration from Joseph Campbell’s elements of storytelling. It was originally developed at P&G and later refined for Untapped Innovation’s clients. It tells the product’s story in four chapters:

1. Consumer Needs
2. Root Cause of the Problem
3. Introduction of the Solution
4. Happily Ever After — how has the world changed as a result of the product?

Research shows that stories are 20 times easier to remember and act upon than other types of information. The consumer