Experimenting with Granola

Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash

In the lands of long cold winters there is a time-honored tradition: the winter project. The rules are simple. You work indoors, the project takes enough time to pass the long cold nights, and you can talk about it in the spring when you emerge from hibernation! In a strange way the winter project becomes that thing you look forward to in the summer just as you are looking forward to summer hikes in the woods during the winter. After all, humans love what's next.

As I am emerging from a Wisconsin Winter to the joys of Spring, I'm ready to share about my winter project. For the past four months, I have been experimenting with how to make the holy grail of granola! "What is this holy grail," you ask? The trifecta of granola is a tasty, healthy and inexpensive recipe.

Because I work in the field of innovation, I decided that my winter project would apply the many lessons I'm learning about how to run good innovation experiments. My hope was also to model what good experimentation looks like because so many people get tripped up in the process. This article is a real life (and a yummy) example of how anyone can run an experiment.

Step 1

I picked a starter recipe and an initial hypothesis. I started with the goal of making good tasting granola. This was an important step because my only interaction with granola making was picking a box off the shelf at a store! I also picked the criteria I would measure throughout: ingredients, calories and cost. TIP: When experimenting you have to pick how you will measure whether you are proving or disproving your hypothesis. Don't worry if the criteria are perfect or comprehensive.

Step 2

I created a way to track my experiment. For me it was a simple excel sheet . . . yes I tracked my recipe in Excel :). For each experiment I wrote down the hypothesis I was testing, the recipe specifics and the lessons I learned from the experiment. For example, in my second experiment I reduced the sugars but not the salt. The recipe came out way too salty! TIP: Don't assume you will remember what you tested or learned. Take the time to write it down in whatever way is easy for you (Excel is not required!).

Step 3

I then spent the next few months running over 10 experiments. I tested ingredients, temperature, pricing and a variety of permutations. Each time I would have a slightly different question I was trying to answer and I would then identify what I learned. What surprised me was how natural it is to iterate like this when you give yourself permission. We are wired to ask questions, try things and learn. The challenge is our world pushes us to produce results quickly and act like we have it figured out. TIP: Don't be in a hurry. Give yourself permission to be creative. Be disciplined in documenting what you are learning throughout the process.

Step 4

Usually when you do experiments designed to solve problems that people have, you start by gaining empathy for the customer by walking in their shoes through talks, observation, data, etc. In the case of this experiment, I was the customer, so my empathy process involved asking some questions of myself. "What did I mean by tasty?" "What is a reasonable price to pay for granola?" "What criteria would I use to define healthy?" But I realized in the process that my own perspectives on these questions might be very limited. So at the end of my experimentation process, I recruited a Testing Team! I asked each one to make the recipe and then answer these questions:

• Did you try it? Did you like it? (why/why not)
• Do you feel it meats the criteria of being healthy (subjective, simply give your perspective)?
• Do you feel that the 16 oz box price is reasonable based on the quality and healthiness?
• Would you suggest any improvements?

The input I received was excellent! And it led to me making several further adjustments to get a better result. One person found a cheaper price for the coconut shavings. Another person recommended reducing the amount of coconut oil. Someone else recommended a different type of nuts. Someone else tried to add egg whites to increase the crunch. I loved how my experimenting encouraged my testing group to do their own. TIP: Never assume you know all the questions to ask or what your customer wants. Always ask.

Step 5

The final step is the most critical. An experiment is only as good as the learning and sharing that you do. You could try a thousand iterations of something, but if it doesn't lead to learning and ultimately to sharing that learning, then innovation will never happen. So here are a few of the lessons I learned through the process:

• Crunchy healthy granola requires lower temperatures and longer time. 
• Don't mess with your recipe half way through the process (i.e. the salty granola debacle!). 
• I didn't know there were so many kinds of oil and that there are different opinions about which ones are healthy.
• The good stuff costs a lot more . . . no wonder inexpensive granola has so few extras.
• The "crunch" seems to be the most desirable quality in a good granola.

TIP: Write down the lessons you learn. It makes a big difference when you try and articulate them in a list.

The Big Reveal

Like I said above, experimentation and innovation only make the world a better place when you share what you have learned and make the world a better place with your new product, service or idea. So I'd like to share my recipe with you. Feel free to click on this link and view the recipe. Then I would encourage you to try it and share your thoughts in the comments. If you are feeling especially inspired, would you consider doing some of your own experimenting and share the results of your work? I hope you enjoy the results of my Winter project!