Voice of the Customer (VOC) Research(ver: 23-Aug-2007)Learning from the customer is one of the most important tasks for a new product development team. The following deliverables will help to ensure that the "Voice of the Customer" (VOC) is heard throughout all stages of your development effort. The written documents you deliver can be cut and pasted into your final project report. Read Ulrich and Eppinger Chapter 4 on Identifying Customer Needs for methods. Initial VOC Report (Customer Needs)Using the procedures outlined in Ulrich and Eppinger Chapter 4 as a guide, conduct, analyze and report at least five depth-interviews. Interviewees can include prospective users of the product as well as individuals outside the company who may influence the purchase and use of the proposed product. If there is no product concept, probe the interviewees on their needs and the opportunity which will help drive the design of the product. The report should include a plan for conducting approximately 20 additional depth interviews with and observations of users as well as other individuals who have a stake in the proposed product. You do not have to follow the textbook methods exactly. Consult faculty and company resources, or other market research material to customize your methods as needed. The report should describe the objectives of the VOC research and should detail the methods you used. How many you interviewed, where the interviews took place, the script used (put the actual script in an appendix) and so on. Resources (in the team library):
Next Stage VOC (Concept Reactions)Continuing the interviewing and observation initially described in your first VOC paper, report on interviews with and observations of about 25 individuals (including those in your previous report) likely to influence purchase and use of the proposed product. This time, however, focus on getting reactions to your proposed concept. Describe and support choices of individuals and research procedures. Summary of data, interpretations and conclusions should appear in the body of the report; raw data, in appendices. Do not be surprised if your conclusions now differ from those in your earlier report. Include details of the methods used to gain the data. Outline and justify your plans for additional research into users and other stakeholders through out the remainder of the course, including obtaining stakeholders' reactions to prototypes. Text of the VOC (2) paper should not exceed 1200 words; there is no limit to appended material. Stakeholder's Reactions to Prototype (Prototype Reactions)Describe in detail reactions of individuals to prototypes you have created. Evaluation is often most effective if prototypes are compared to particular alternatives, especially those currently used by evaluators. Reactions should be documented for each individual, whether the evaluation occurred in a group or individual setting. Describe the methods used to gather reaction data, and the individuals chosen to evaluate prototypes. Justify your choices. As in prior reports, summary statements of data interpretation should appear in the text; raw data, in an appendix. Your report should indicate what redesign (if any) is to be undertaken as a result of the evaluation. If serial evaluations were used (i.e., a series of evaluations, each followed by design modification), describe the evaluators at each stage and design modifications from each stage to the next. Your report should outline further steps to obtain input from prospective users and other specified stakeholders, including an approximate schedule for so doing. Some of these steps will be taken during the course of the project; others will be left for the sponsoring company after the course. Reports should not exceed 1200 words plus appendices. |