What role does innovation play in anticipating the future?
When we think about the future, we tend to see it as something distant or uncertain. For me, innovation serves to prepare us for it in advance. It is not about predicting exactly what will happen, but about understanding what is changing around us and starting today to work on possible solutions that may be needed later.
One of the main advantages of our innovation team is that we have experts in different technologies, teams dedicated to analysing trends, and a network of start-ups that help us understand what new ideas and technologies are emerging and why they are important. Thanks to this environment, we can test these technologies in a practical way, creating prototypes or small pilots that allow us to experiment and see what real impact they can have.
Why is it important to research, develop and prototype disruptive technologies and solutions?
Research and prototyping are essential in the early stages of our process because they help us reduce uncertainty and understand whether an idea is worth developing or not.
On the one hand, research allows us to identify who the solution is aimed at, understand their real needs and check whether the proposal makes sense. We also analyse whether the technology is viable, what risks exist, what potential collaborators could participate, and what impact the solution could have.
On the other hand, prototyping helps us turn that learning into something tangible that we can test with real users. This allows us to see what works and what doesn’t, make adjustments in time, and make informed decisions before investing more time and resources in its development.
Are there differences in innovation depending on whether we are talking about new opportunities or reinventing existing ones?
Yes, there are differences and the approach changes quite a bit. When we work on new opportunities, the uncertainty is much greater. We are not always sure if there is a market or a defined use case, so we need to explore, validate and learn very quickly.
On the other hand, when innovation is aimed at reinventing existing solutions, we already know the user, understand the context and can focus on improving the value proposition, optimising processes or introducing new technologies.
In our Innovation Lab team, we work with a medium- and long-term vision. We don’t just solve current needs, we analyse how technology, the market and habits may change over the next 3 to 5 years. To do this, we observe emerging trends and early signs of change, with the aim of identifying future opportunities that are not yet clearly defined but may have a significant impact later on.
Why is innovation so important for individuals in particular and for society in general?
Innovation has a direct impact on our daily lives and on how society evolves. It influences the way we work, communicate and interact with technology.
A clear example is the smartphone: thanks to it, we can access information instantly, communicate in new ways, work from anywhere or carry out tasks without having to travel.
At a social level, innovation drives economic growth, gives rise to new industries and helps to tackle major global challenges. From medical advances that have increased life expectancy to technologies that allow us to connect with people and services from anywhere in the world.
How does user experience influence the definition of new solutions within an area of innovation?
User experience is key when defining new solutions because it allows us to truly understand what people need and how they use products or services. This prevents us from designing solutions based solely on assumptions.
That is why we work with a service design approach that analyses the entire user journey, from initial research to final validation. This includes talking to users, generating ideas, defining concepts, creating prototypes and testing them in practice. In this way, we can gain a comprehensive view of the problem and develop innovative solutions that deliver real value.
