Lessons of Greatness: Design your category

Category design is how you condition the minds of people to move with you to a different future.

Just like items in a supermarket, categories take up specific containers in people's minds.

There are four key steps to creating a category.

1. Identify your founding insights, then use them to identify your difference. 
2. Create your category design blueprint. 
3. Define your provocative point of view.
4. Mobilize your movement.

Identify the primary way your product breaks free from the present.

• How do you want the world to think differently about a problem?
• How do you want to introduce them to a different future, not a better product?
• How is the world you propose different from the current world?

Map the entire ecosystem that will put your category in motion. 

• Who are the players that need to help you evangelize the category?
• Who will be threatened by your proposed future?
• What will they do to stop you?

A strong point of view will help people to embrace your idea.

Your point of view should draw a distinction between what the world is and the world you're proposing without mentioning your competitors in any way.

Get the people that are important to your ecosystem to move toward the future of your design.

For example, when Clarence Birdseye found a way to flash freeze fruits, vegetables and meats, he didn't stop there. He had to develop packaging to keep it fresh and convince the railroads to design specific cars that would keep it fresh in transit; he had to persuade supermarkets to obtain freezers and appeal to customers to buy it.