The role of the user in product innovation

Abstract The provision of information about user needs is often limited to the experts who participate in the product-innovation process. However, usually they are not good user representatives: therefore, increasingly the user is being involved. This information may be through informal contacts with users, through users contacting the company, and from company staff with user contacts. One may also generate user information by applying methods such as statistical sampling of users, observation of users, simulation of user situations, brainstorming/brainwriting with user participation, user delphi, user employment, negative brainstorming with user participation, questioning of users, user projects, and product development by users. The practical application of the need assessment methods depends on • -Company factors such as corporate culture/management philosophy, attitude toward risk, technology strategy, size of the company, and resources • -Individual factors such as attitude/motivation, fantasy, knowledge/education, and experience • -Product factors such as importance of the product, degree of novelty, degree of customation, and place in the life cycle • -Project factors such as cost of the need assessment study, place of the study in the project cycle, and confidentiality • -External factors such as the practices of other companies (particularly competitors), type of market, competence of users, access to users, distance to users, and user stakeholders. Some companies are using one method all the time, others are using several methods, and there are companies that have an eclectic approach, where the choice of methods depends on the situation.