Customer, consumer and user involvement in product development: A framework and a review of selected methods

Customer focus is a key component in a total quality management approach. This paper presents a review of seven different methods for customer involvement in product development, of which quality function deployment is one. Results from the review indicate that different methods support the involvement of customers at different phases of the design process, particularly in three phases: the specification phase, concept development and the prototyping. Moreover, different methods support the involvement of customers in different ways. Three types of involvement are identified: design for customers, design with customers and design by customers. The overall conclusion is that there exists a potential for improvements for practitioners who would like to further customer focus in the design process.