Considering product innovation, the main objective is to create new products with new or improved features that offer a surplus value for the customer in order to compensate higher pricings in comparison to competing products. To accomplish this objective the design engineers must have an excellent understanding of the customer’s needs and wishes, and even better unarticulated and latent needs. Nevertheless, the actual application of customer knowledge in NPD processes is underdeveloped, especially in the environment of the small and medium-sized enterprises. The AKINET project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and headed by the Institute of Product Development of the TU München, aims to develop a new approach for the active integration of customers in the new product development process.     «

Considering product innovation, the main objective is to create new products with new or improved features that offer a surplus value for the customer in order to compensate higher pricings in comparison to competing products. To accomplish this objective the design engineers must have an excellent understanding of the customer’s needs and wishes, and even better unarticulated and latent needs. Nevertheless, the actual application of customer knowledge in NPD processes is underdeveloped, especia...     »