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McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2003 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

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CHAPTER FIVE

PROBLEM-BASED IDEATION

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Problem-Based Concept GenerationFigure 5.1

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Developing Successful New Product Ideas

Two key dimensions for winning new product ideas: Utility lever: How the product will affect the

customer’s life (such as simplicity, fun/image, environmental friendliness, reduced risk, convenience, and productivity).

Buyer’s experience cycle: The stage when/where the product will affect the customer (purchase, delivery, use, supplements, maintenance, disposal).

Figure 5.2

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Problem Analysis: General Procedure

1. Determine product or activity category for study.

2. Identify heavy users.

3. Gather set of problems associated with product category.– Avoid “omniscient proximity” -- rate

importance of benefits and levels of satisfaction.

4. Sort and rank the problems according to severity or importance.

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Problem Analysis Applied to the Telephone

• Keeping the unit clean.

• Keeps falling to the floor.

• Get entangled with cord.

• Finding it in dark.

• Getting privacy in house.

• Who “out there” hears me?

• Get past message phones.

• Looking up numbers.

• Busy signals.

• Hard to hold.

• Move across rooms or buildings.• Phone peddlers.• My arm and ear get tired.• Loudness of bell.• Disruptive instrument.• Can’t see body language.• Making emergency calls.• Wrong numbers.• Fear of what ringing is for.• Those “menus.”

Figure 5.3

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The Bothersomeness TechniqueFigure 5.4

List of pet owners' problems: AProblem Occurs

Frequently

BProblem is

Bothersome

A x B

Need constant feeding 98% 21% .21Get fleas 78 53 .41Shed hairs 70 46 .32Make noise 66 25 .17Have unwanted babies 44 48 .21

8 5-8 Problem Analysis: Sources and Methodologies

• Experts

• Published Sources

• Contacts with Your Business Customers or Consumers– Interviewing– Focus groups– Observation of product in use– Role playing

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Scenario Analysis

• “Extending” vs. “leaping”

• Using seed trends for an “extend“ scenario

• Techniques: – Follow “trend people”/”trend areas”– “Hot products”– Prediction of technological changeover– Cross-impact analysis

10 5-10 Relevance Tree Form of Dynamic Leap Scenario Figure 5.5

11 5-11 Wild Card Events and Their Consequences

• No-Carbon Policy: Global warming may cause governments to put high taxes on fossil fuels, shifting demand to alternative sources of energy. This changes the allocation of R&D investment toward alternative energy, possibly causes new “energy-rich” nations to emerge, and ultimately may lead to a cleaner environment for everyone.

• Altruism Outbreak: This is the “random acts of kindness” movement – solve social problems rather than leaving it up to the government. Schools and other institutions will revive due to community actions, and perhaps inner cities would be revitalized.

• Cold Fusion: If a developing country perfects free energy, it becomes prosperous overnight. It gains further advantages by becoming an energy exporter.

Figure 5.7

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Solving the Problem

• Group Creativity Methods/Brainstorming

• Principles of Brainstorming:– Deferral of Judgment– Quantity Breeds Quality

• Rules for a Brainstorming Session:– No criticism allowed.– Freewheeling -- the wilder the better.– Nothing should slow the session down.– Combination and improvement of ideas.

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Brainstorming Techniques

• Brainstorming circle

• Reverse brainstorming

• Tear-down

• Phillips 66 groups (buzz groups)

• Delphi method