You are part of a successful product development firm that prides itself on being at the cutting edge of technology. The firm designs a wide range of successful, innovative consumer and professional products that are driven by new technologies, societal trends or challenges, and concerns about quality-of-life and global sustainability.

As part of it's innovation strategy, each year your company challenges a select group of teams to propose and develop innovative products in a new strategic direction. You are a member of one of 8 teams that have been charged with this challenge.

This year our strategic direction is "outdoors". The opportunity net is broad!

Outdoors can be a workplace, urban environment, or the wilderness. Any viable, meaningful product related to the theme is a potential candidate—transportation, outdoor living, recreation, sport, the environment, novelty products, agriculture, and even bringing the outside indoors might touch upon the theme.

Target customers may include those living in developed or developing countries. Business models may range from products for under-served clients, to products distributed on a non-profit basis, to highly profitable mass-produced goods.

However, in all cases you must develop a realistic plan for how the product can be produced and sustained. If the plan is unrealistic, the product will fail and have no impact.

The product must be something people want. In order to help understand the level of interest in ideas, crowdsourced-based feedback will be used to gauge the pulse of real users.

Your team will consider ideas generated through its own ideation and research, along with themes introduced by clients at an idea fair.

Good luck!

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." Thomas Jefferson