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Eric Ries, author of the bestselling book The Lean Startup, defines a pivot as making a “change in strategy without a change in vision” (Ries, 2012). While this makes for a great soundbite, if we unpack this statement, deciding when to make this change can be a critical inflection point in the product/service development cycle.
The concept behind the pivot relates closely to this module’s focus on iteration and the cyclical nature of Design Thinking. Iteration acknowledges that we are unlikely to achieve perfect product-market fit in our first attempt, and that the sooner we can realize this, the sooner we can adapt our strategy accordingly.
So, let’s start off this module with a quick look at some of the biggest pivots in the tech industry. Some will surprise you!
The 7 Greatest Pivots in Tech History(hyperlink opens in a new tab) (3 pages)
Content

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Identify and summarize learnings and insights from the measure and test phase,
use these insights as an input into a subsequent iteration of the Design Thinking process, and
articulate the need for, and impact of, a major product/service pivot.