Abstract
In product development it is essential to understand what users need. But as current users are functionally fixed, they are not able to provide information that would help develop breakthrough products. Lead users - users that currently experience needs still unknown to the public - are better able to identify and communicate their needs, but identifying lead users is difficult. We show through a case study on mobile phones that extraordinary users, disabled persons in this example, can be seen as lead users. We show how these extraordinary users do experience similar needs as the ordinary users and, in addition, the extraordinary users experience, and are able to communicate, needs that the ordinary users do not yet have, and thus extraordinary users are a valuable resource in customer need identification. Copyright © 2006 by ASME.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of 2006 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information In Engineering Conference, DETC2006 |
| Volume | 2006 |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 |
| MoE publication type | A4 Conference publication |
| Event | ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference - Philadelphia, United States Duration: 10 Sept 2006 → 13 Sept 2006 |
Conference
| Conference | ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | IDETC/CIE |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Period | 10/09/2006 → 13/09/2006 |
Keywords
- customer need identification
- disabled users
- extraordinary users
- lead users
- situational disability