Prioritizing Family Needs for Innovation

Christopher Gavigan is the Founder and Chief Product Officer at The Honest Company – a team that strives to create baby care products that are appealing, effective, safe, eco-friendly, convenient and affordable. Founders Christopher and Jessica Alba have families of their own so they have the passion to redefine products for families. Christopher has a background in Environmental Science, Health and Psychology so he is a well-educated and experienced team leader, inspired for a great cause.

Three Questions with Christopher

1. How does your team generate new ideas?
We aim to inspire and empower families to be healthier and safer. We ensure that our team feels like their voices are being heard and the creation for anything is possible. We have a fairly structured and organic approach and our open office allows us to continuously share good ideas. Anyone can participate and that’s embedded in our culture of non-judgment. We embrace the fact that ideas come in all shapes and sizes.

2. How do you identify trends? What resources does your team use to spot trends and consumer insights?
Our team is a highly refined listening engine. By listening you hear and can access more than you could ever imagine. There’s a direct relationship and a line of connectivity into our consumer needs. They express their needs and we are constantly asking questions to solicit answers from them. We’re accessing trends from an audience that is highly vocal. They want people to listen to them and they have ideas.

3. What is the biggest challenge you face when innovating?
Since we’re a start up business and fairly small, we have a resource constraint. It’s challenging to access some of the more highly specialized scientific innovations in the market place. That being said, we are super-resourceful. We overcome this challenge by reducing our risk tolerance. We’re open to taking a leap of faith and we’re unafraid to fail. Being this way will allow you to innovate. When you make a mistake, move on. Be resourceful.