|
Hearing the Voice
What does the Customer Want?
Hearing the Voice
According to TEC new product development experts Mitch
Goozé and Nick Webb, it's
virtually impossible to over-emphasize the importance of the
voice of the customer.
"This principle starts as early as the idea generation
phase," Goozé says. "Whether you employ surveys
or conduct focus groups with documented lead-users, customers
offer valuable input throughout the early stages, as well
as during successive phases of development."
Webb agrees. "The reason so many new products fail in
the marketplace is that they don't resonate with customers.
If you look closely, you'll find that these manufacturers
neglected to incorporate both quantitative and qualitative
customer information in the process."
Suggested methods for collecting customer data include:
|
Focus groups |
|
Surveys |
|
Customer site visits |
|
Interviews with distributors and/or retailers |
With comprehensive customer research, product designers
can better manage the process through a balance of verified
customer desires and realistic organizational competencies.
[top]
|
