Customer Needs

Product Development
Process – 1
(Customer Needs)

ME 5612
Computer Aided Product Development

A/P Lu Wen Feng

Office: EA-07-13
65161228
mpelwf@nus.edu.sg
Concept Development Process

❑ After observation, understanding, and interpretation → identify

customer needs
Customer Needs
What happens when
customer needs are
not carefully
considered?
Customer Needs
Needs vs Wants
Customer Needs
Needs vs Wants
Customer Needs
Customer Needs
Needs vs Wants
What Do They Really Want?
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
Customer Needs Example
Cordless Screwdrivers
Mission Statement
◼ Product Description
• A hand-held, power-assisted device for installing threaded fasteners
◼ Benefit Proposition
• Drives Screws more quickly and with less effort than by hand
◼ Key Business Goals
• Product introduced in 4th Q of 2006
• 50% gross margin
•10% share of cordless screwdriver market by 2008
◼ Primary Market
• Do-it-yourself consumer
◼ Secondary Markets
• Casual consumer
• Light-duty professional
Mission Statement
◼ Assumptions
• Hand-held
• Power assisted
• Nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable battery technology
◼ Stakeholders
•User, Retailer
•Sales force, Service center
•Production, Legal department
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
From Design Thinking to Customer Needs

◼ After observation, understanding and

interpretation → customer needs
Gather Raw Data From Customers
Empathy
◼ Methods: Interviews, Focus Groups
◼ Observe the product (or alternate products) in use
Using a screwdriver to open a paint can
Ask what the user likes/dislikes about the product
◼ Choose a variety of customers (users)
Lead users, Users, Service centers
Novice, Skilled, Expert users
◼ Record the customer’s interactions with the product
and the observer
Audiotape, videotape
Survey forms
After observation, understanding and interpretation → customer
needs
Visual Information Example: Book Bag
Comments from Kousuke Shiramizu
(Chief of Toyota’s luxury car production)

◼ “Engineers who have never set foot in Beverly Hills have

no business designing a Lexus. Nor anybody who has
never experienced driving on the Autobahn first-hand.”
(Business Week, Sep 3, 2001)
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
Customer Needs Example
Cordless Screwdrivers
Interpreted Needs: Practice
Tips for Interpreting Needs

◼ The device is, does, or can be used, to get some

desired outcome
◼ Try and convert the experience the customer
expresses they want into an attribute or
capability of the device….
◼ Remember What, not How….
Writing Interpreted Needs Statements
(Guidelines)
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
Hierarchy of Needs

◼ Use “post-it’s” (or other) method

to note needs statements
◼ Stack/staple redundant needs
◼ Group related needs
◼ Make label for each group
◼ If necessary, make groups of
groups
◼ Primary needs are top level of
group headings, secondary next
level, etc.
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 drive screws into hardwood.
◼ The SD drives sheet metal screws into metal ductwork.
◼ The SD drives screws faster than by hand.
◼ The SD makes it easy to start a screw.
◼ The SD retains the screw before it is driven.
◼ The SD can be used to create a pilot hole.
◼ 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 screws with grease and dirt.
◼ The SD allows the user to work with painted screws.
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
Ranking 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 drive screws into hardwood.
◼ The SD drives sheet metal screws into metal ductwork.
◼ *** The SD drives screws faster than by hand.
◼ The SD makes it easy to start a screw.
◼ * The SD retains the screw before it is driven.
◼ * The SD can be used to create a pilot hole.
◼ 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.
Customer Needs Process
◼ Define Project Scope ◼ Establish Importance
Project Objective Statement Ranking
Mission Statement ◼ Reflect on the Process
◼ Gather Raw Data Have we done a good
Input from sponsor job? What could we do
Interviews to make what we have
Focus Groups done even better?
Observation
◼ Interpret Raw Data
Need Statements
◼ Organize Needs
Hierarchy
Reflect on the Results and The Process
◼ Have we interacted with all types of users?
◼ Are we able to see beyond obvious needs?
◼ Are there areas we should pursue w/ follow-up
interviews, etc?
◼ Of those we spoke with, who might help further?
◼ What did we learn? Any surprises?
◼ Does everyone in our organization deeply understand
what we have learned?
◼ How might we improve the process in the future?
IDEO
◼ “Seeing and hearing things with your own eyes and ears
is a critical first step in improving, or creating, a
breakthrough product.”
◼ “If you’re not in the jungle, you’re not going to know the
tiger.”
The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelly

Nike + i pod Sport Kit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOrmr5kT-48

What Are Latent Needs?
“Important dimensions of customers’ needs that are neither
fulfilled nor commonly articulated and understood”
Summary/Key Points
◼ Customer needs should guide entire development
process
◼ Process establishes important communication channel/s
for future development steps
◼ Customer needs should be expressed in terms of what
the product has to do, not how it will do it
◼ Key benefits of the process insure that the product is
focused on customer needs