Identifying Customer Needs

Teaching materials to accompany:

Product Design and Development
Chapter 5
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.

Product Design and Development

Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Chapter Table of Contents:
1.Introduction
2.Development Processes and Organizations
3.Opportunity Identification
4.Product Planning
5.Identifying Customer Needs
6.Product Specifications
7.Concept Generation
8.Concept Selection
9.Concept Testing
10.Product Architecture
11.Industrial Design
12.Design for Environment
13.Design for Manufacturing
14.Prototyping
15.Robust Design
16.Patents and Intellectual Property
17.Product Development Economics
18.Managing Projects

Product Development Process

Planning
Planning

Concept
System-Level
Concept
System-Level
Development
Design
Development
Design

Detail
Detail
Design
Design

Testing
Testingand
and
Refinement
Refinement

Production
Production
Ramp-Up
Ramp-Up

Concept Development Process

Mission
Statement

Identify
Customer
Needs

Establish
Target
Specifications

Generate
Product
Concepts

Select
Product
Concept(s)

Test
Product
Concept(s)

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products
Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Set
Final
Specifications

Plan
Downstream
Development

Development
Plan

Outline
Nature of needs
Need identification process
An exercise

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Nature of needs
Needs in the use environment
Products have to serve a real need and
affordable to the customer
Focus on users needs, instead of
wants

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Customer Needs Process

Define the Scope
Mission Statement

Gather Raw Data

Interviews
Focus Groups
Observation

Interpret Raw Data

Need Statements

Organize the Needs

Hierarchy

Establish Importance
Surveys
Quantified Needs

Reflect on the Process

Continuous Improvement

1: Define the scope of the

effort
Use the projects mission statement

Brief (one sentence) description of the product

Key business goals
Target market(s) for the product
Secondary market
Assumptions that constrain the development effort
(boundary, scope, limit)
Stakeholders (end users, retailers, sales, service
centers, production, legal, etc.)
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Mission Statement
Example: Screwdriver Project
Product Description
A hand-held, power-assisted device for installing threaded fasteners
Key Business Goals
Product introduced in 4th Q of 2000
50% gross margin
10% share of cordless screwdriver market by 2004
Primary Market
Do-it-yourself consumer
Secondary Markets
Casual consumer
Light-duty professional
Assumptions
Hand-held
Power assisted
Nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable battery technology
Stakeholders
User
Retailer
Sales force
Service center
Production
Legal department

2-1: Gather raw data from

customers (methods)
Methods
One-on-one interviews
Focus groups (selected customers in a discussion
with a moderator
Better than one-on-one as shown in Fig 4.4 on page 57

Observing the product in use

Survey

Customer selection matrix

Applications (industrial, household, personal) vs.
customer types (user, lead user, retailer, service
center, etc.)
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How Many Customers?

Percent of Needs Identifed

100

80

60
One-on-One Interviews (1 hour)
Focus Groups (2 hours)
40

20

0
0

Number of Respondents or Groups

From: Griffin, Abbie and John R. Hauser. The Voice of the Customer,
Marketing Science. vol. 12, no. 1, Winter 1993.

10

2-2: Art of eliciting need data

from customer
Go with the flow
Use existing and competitors products, or other
stimuli
Suppress pre-conceived hypotheses about the
product technology
Have the customer demonstrate the product and/or
typical tasks related to the product
Be alert for surprises and the expression of latent
(non-articulated) needs
Watch for nonverbal information (comfort, image, or
style)
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Customer Needs Example:

Cordless Screwdrivers

Visual Information Example: Book Bag Design

2-3: Documenting interactions

with customer
Customer statements, accompanied
with the documentation methods
Audio recording
Notes
Video recording
Still photography

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3: Interpret raw data in terms

of customer needs
Guidelines
Express the need in terms of what the product has
to do, not in terms of how it might do it.
Express the need as specifically as the raw data
Use positive, not negative, phrasing.
Express the need as an attribute of the product
Avoid the words must and should.

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Five Guidelines for Writing Needs Statements

Guideline

Customer Statement

What Not
How

Why dont you put

protective shields around
the battery contacts?

Specificity I drop my screwdriver all

the time.

Need Statement-Wrong Need Statement-Right

The screwdriver battery
contacts are covered by
a plastic sliding door.

The screwdriver battery

is protected from
accidental shorting.

The screwdriver is
rugged.

The screwdriver
operates normally after
repeated dropping.

Positive
Not
Negative

It doesnt matter if its

raining, I still need to
work outside on
Saturdays.

The screwdriver is not

disabled by the rain.

The screwdriver
operates normally in
the rain.

Attribute
of the
Product

Id like to charge my
battery from my cigarette
lighter.

An automobile cigarette
lighter adapter can
charge the screwdriver
battery.

The screwdriver battery

can be charged from
an automobile cigarette
lighter.

Avoid
Must
and
Should

I hate it when I dont

know how much juice is
left in the batteries of my
cordless tools.

The screwdriver should

provide an indication of
the energy level of the
battery.

The screwdriver
provides an indication
of the energy level of
the battery.

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4: Organize the needs into a

hierarchy
Print each need statement on a separate card
or a self stick note
Eliminate redundant statement
Group the cards according to the similarity of
the needs they express
Choose a label for each group
Consider creating super-groups consisting of
two to five groups.
Review and edit the organized need statements
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Organized List of Customer Needs

The SD provides plenty of power to drive screws.

* The SD maintains power for several hours of heavy use.

** The SD can driv e screws into hardwood.

The SD driv es sheet metal screws into metal ductwork.

*** The SD driv es screws faster than by hand.

The SD makes it easy to start a screw.

* The SD retains the screw before it is driv en.

!* The SD can be used to create a pilot hole.

The SD is easy to set-up and use.

* The S D is easy to turn on.

* The S D prevents inadvertent switching o ff.
* The u ser can set the maximum torque of the SD.
!* The S D provides ready access to bits or accessories.
* The S D can be atta ched to the user for temporary storage.
The SD power is convenient.

* The S D is easy to recharge.

The S D can be used while recharging.

The SD works with a variety of screws.

** The SD can turn philips, torx, socket, and hex head screws.
** The SD can turn many sizes of screws.
The SD can access most screws.
The SD can be maneuvered in tight areas.

** The SD can access screws at the end of deep, narrow holes.

The SD turns screws that are in poor condition.
The SD can be used to remove grease and dirt from screws.
The SD allows the user to work with painted screws.
The SD feels good in the user's hand.

*** The SD is comfortable when the user pushes on it.

*** The SD is comfortable when the user resists twisting.

*** The S D recharges quickly.

The S D batte ries are rea dy to use when new.

!** The u ser can apply torque ma nually to the SD to

The SD lasts a long time.

** The S D tip survives hea vy use.

The S D can be ham mered.

* The S D can be dropped from a ladder without damage.

The SD is easy to store.

* The S D fits in a toolbox easily.

** The S D can be charged while in sto rage.
The S D resists corrosion when left outside or in da mp places.

!* The S D maintains its charge after long periods of storage.

The S D maintains its charge w hen wet.

* The SD is balanced in the user's hand.

! The SD is

equally easy to use in right or left hands.

The SD weight is just right.

The SD is warm to touch in cold weather.

The SD prevents damage to the work.

* The S D prevents damage t o the screw hea d.

The S D prevents scratching of finished surfaces.

The SD remains comfortable when left in the sun.

The SD has a pleasant sound when in use.

The SD is easy to control while turning screws.

*** The user can easily push on the SD.

*** The user can easily resist the SD twisting.
The SD can be locked "on."

!** The SD speed can be controlled by the user whil e turning a screw.
* The SD remains aligned with the screw head without slipping.
** The user can easily see where the screw is.
* The SD does not strip screw heads.
* The SD is easily re ve rsible.

driv e a screw .

The SD looks like a professional quality tool.

The SD is safe.
The S D can be used on electrical devices.

*** The S D does not cut the u ser's hands.

A Survey Design for Ranking

Customer Needs

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5: Establish the relative

importance of the needs
Use the customers (to rank importance
as well as criticality)
See a survey in Fig 4.9 on page 67

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6: Review the Result and

Reflect on the Process
Whether the product is focused on needs of
customers
Whether all critical needs are addressed
Whether we sent out thank you notes to
customers.
Whether there are rooms to improve the
process for future efforts.
Whether the entire team understands the
needs
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Caveats

Capture What, Not How.

Meet customers in the use environment.
Collect visual, verbal, and textual data.
Props will stimulate customer responses.
Interviews are more efficient than focus groups.
Interview all stakeholders and lead users.
Develop an organized list of need statements.
Look for latent needs.
Survey to quantify tradeoffs.
Make a video to communicate results.

Class Example:

Identify customer needs

through discussion of a selected group

Method: discussion of a group of lead customers

Product: powered screwdriver (& book bag)
Rules:
No one criticizes anyone.
Willing to compromise and reach a consensus.
Identify customer needs or wants. It does not matter
whether they are a "must" or "should.
It is not yet a product specification. Therefore
qualitative statement is fine.
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Class exercise:

Identify customer needs

through discussion with a selected group

Four-step procedure:
Individual writes down five need statements
(expectations) for the product (powered hand-held
screwdriver and then book bag)
2. Consolidate the need statements.
3. Classify need statements into groups and super-groups
in a hierarchical fashion.
4. Rank each need in terms of its relative importance and
criticality (e.g., Each one picks 5 needs and add them
up
1.

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Customer Needs
Example:Cordless Screwdrivers

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1: Write down need

statements
Group the lead users into groups of 4
Each group come up with 5 need
statements

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2: Consolidate the needs

Detachable tips
Sufficient accessory tips
Adjustable speed
Adjustable torque
Minimum vibration
Light weight
Easy to use
Easy to carry
Cordless
Long-lasting rechargeable battery
Weather proof
Reversible
Heavy duty casing
Reasonable price
Quick to re-charge
Re-chargeable from car cigarette lighters

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3: Classify/group the needs

Price
Weight
Function
Operations
Power source
Maintenance

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4: Rank Customer Needs

Each user picks five needs
by their importance

Each user picks five needs

by their criticality.

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Class Exercise: Book Bag Design

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Chapter 4 HW
Exercise 1, on page 90
Due next week

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Needs Translation Exercise:

Book Bag Design Example
See how the leather on the bottom of the bag is all
scratched; its ugly.
When Im standing in line at the cashier trying to
find my checkbook while balancing my bag on
my knee, I feel like a stork.
This bag is my life; if I lose it Im in big trouble.
Theres nothing worse than a banana thats been
squished by the edge of a textbook.
I never use both straps on my knapsack; I just
sling it over one shoulder.