Technology first, invention second, needs last.

Don Norman, the author of "The Design of Everyday Things" among other wonderful books, has written an essay questioning the value of design research in revolutionary innovation.

He makes it clear that researching human factors and needs is critical to the evolution of products, but he insists - and I agree - that design research makes little if any contribution to truly revolutionary innovations.

Personally, I think design research is important but sometimes I think the practitioners think of themselves as much more important to the process of innovation than is justified. That said, Don Norman does a much better job of expressing this sentement than I do. Thanks to Kevin Arthur of Touch Usability (see my blog role) for making me aware of this article.