THE CRUX

Customer-obsessed product innovation — from insight to impact


I built Amazon’s AI-powered innovation program.
Now I bring it to your team.
Based on Amazon's Working Backwards methodology — the approach behind thousands of successful product launches.


In climbing, the crux is the hardest part of the route. Get through it and you summit. Misstep and you fall. In innovation, the crux is finding what customers truly need and turning that into something they'll love. Most teams miss this entirely, or lose focus on it during the climb. I help you find it and solve it — with AI doing the heavy lifting and Amazon's methodology keeping you on route.


My approach

I guide you and your team through three stages:1. Establish base camp — Understand the customer and the problem. I work with your team to surface relevant research, develop deep customer empathy, and articulate a problem worth solving.2. Navigate the crux — Invent the solution and write the story. I help your team explore a broad range of ideas, select the best solution, and prove it on paper — translating the concept into a narrative your stakeholders can greenlight.3. Push to the summit — Test assumptions, build, and launch. I help your team surface the critical risks, validate with customers, and move from story to reality.What makes my approach different? Traditional innovation consulting asks you to choose between rigor and speed. But with AI handling the time-consuming work, I eliminate that tradeoff. Your team can think deeply while moving fast. The result: rigor and speed. No sacrifice.


Getting started

From here, I tailor an approach to your specific needs — whether that's a half-day introduction to customer-obsessed innovation, a focused workshop on a specific challenge, a complete engagement from insight through launch, or an annual retainer for sustained transformation.

Book a call. Let's talk.


About

John Watson, Founder of THE CRUX


At Amazon, I co-founded the AWS Digital Innovation program, created AI-powered tools used by 30,000+ innovators across Amazon, and guided innovation engagements with executive teams on six continents.
Before Amazon, I built digital products at Sony and Dell and led digital strategy and transformation at PwC and Accenture — securing $100M+ board approvals and working with executive teams across technology, energy, manufacturing, retail, media, financial services, healthcare, and space exploration.Most innovation fails because teams never find what customers truly need, or lose focus on it before launch.I help you get it right, from insight to impact.


Let's talk

Ready to build something your customers will love?



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