Gartner's Hype Cycle

Gartner's Hype Cycle is a graphical representation used to visualize the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific technologies. It helps businesses understand the lifecycle of technological innovations and make informed decisions about technology investments.

At a very high level, the Gartner's Hype Cycle is used in the context of business, technology, innovation.

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What is the Gartner's Hype Cycle?

A visual explanation is shown in the image above. The Gartner's Hype Cycle can be described as a matrix with the following quadrants:

  1. Innovation Trigger: The initial phase where a new technology is introduced, generating interest. Example: Quantum Computing.
  2. Peak of Inflated Expectations: The phase where hype leads to unrealistic expectations. Example: Blockchain for everything.
  3. Trough of Disillusionment: The phase where interest wanes due to unmet expectations. Example: Virtual Reality in everyday life.
  4. Slope of Enlightenment: The phase where the technology's true potential is understood. Example: AI in healthcare diagnostics.

What is the purpose of the Gartner's Hype Cycle?

Gartner's Hype Cycle is a tool developed by Gartner Inc. to represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of technologies. The cycle consists of five key phases: Innovation Trigger, Peak of Inflated Expectations, Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment, and Plateau of Productivity. Each phase represents a different level of visibility and expectations for a technology.

In the Innovation Trigger phase, a new technology is introduced, generating initial interest and media coverage. This is followed by the Peak of Inflated Expectations, where early success stories and hype lead to unrealistic expectations. As the technology fails to meet these expectations, it enters the Trough of Disillusionment, where interest wanes and failures become more apparent.

During the Slope of Enlightenment, businesses begin to understand the technology's true potential and practical applications. Finally, in the Plateau of Productivity, the technology becomes widely adopted and its benefits are well understood and realized.

Use cases for Gartner's Hype Cycle include helping businesses decide when to invest in new technologies, identifying potential risks and benefits, and understanding market trends. For example, a company might use the Hype Cycle to determine the right time to adopt a new software solution, ensuring they do not invest too early during the hype phase or too late when competitors have already gained an advantage.


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What templates are related to Gartner's Hype Cycle?

The following templates can also be categorized as business, technology, innovation and are therefore related to Gartner's Hype Cycle: Product-Market Matrix, 4 Ps Marketing Mix Matrix, AI Capability-Value Proposition Alignment Matrix, AI Innovation-Value Alignment Matrix, AI Maturity Matrix, AI-Value Proposition Alignment Matrix, AI-Value Proposition Matrix, AIDA Marketing Matrix. You can browse them using the menu above.

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