Very interesting the LEAD USER approach in the MIT article. Sounds to me like another nail in the coffin of the focus group. Leading innovative companies such as Apple Inc. certainly study the behaviour of their consumers and rely on Lead Users´s input but they don´t seem to test new concepts to death in consumer focus groups. It still takes some real leadership to innovate and over-validating new approaches with consumers probably slows down innovation more than anything else.

Thanks for posting the link to the handbook!