Jeff Gothelf is the author of Lean UX, a book that plugs into the theory of The Lean Startup and looks at how User Experience design processes fit in with the Lean approach.
Jeff was interviewed by Communitech News and described what he believes is the key to building an innovative product or company:
Talk to your customers.
I mean, really have the humility to listen to your customers.
Learn what it is that they love about your product; learn what it is that they hate about your product; learn about what it is that they hate about your competitor’s product; learn about what they love about your competitor’s product.
Listen to them and their needs. Figure out what job they are hiring your product to do, and then make your product do that better than anyone else’s. You will never know that unless you leave the safety and comfort of your office and go out and talk to your customers.
That really inspires me.
I recommend the rest of the interview too, where Jeff discusses the importance of cross-functional teams, mistakes to avoid, and how to remain competitive as you scale your product.