Tool 53: Customer Needs Table

AKA

Voice of the Customer

Classification

Data Collecting (DC)

Tool description

The customer needs table helps integrated product development teams (IPDT) translate customer needs and wants into required designs that may meet customer expectations prior to the potential development of new products or service development.

Typical application

• To identify customer needs and wants in a new product or service.

• To translate voice of the customer information into design requirements.

• To reduce the amount of potential engineering change orders (ECO).

Problem-solving phase

→	Select and define problem or opportunity
→	Identify and analyze causes or potential change
→	Develop and plan possible solutions or change
	Implement and evaluate solution or change
	Measure and report solution or change results
	Recognize and reward team efforts

Typically used by

	Research/statistics
	Creativity/innovation
4	Engineering
	Project management
	Manufacturing
1	Marketing/sales
	Administration/documentation
2	Servicing/support
3	Customer/quality metrics
	Change management

links to other tools

before

• Surveying

• Interview Technique

• Focus Group

• Demographic Analysis

• Buzz Group

after

• Customer-First-Questions (CFQ)

• Value analysis

• Factor Analysis

• Conjoint Analysis

• Customer Satisfaction Analysis (CSA)

Notes and key points

• Data collection methods: Customer surveys, interviews, focus groups, benchmarks, similar product data, summarized studies, product demos, and others.

• This is a powerful resource tool, ideally used with quality function deployment (QFD)

Step-by-step procedure

• STEP 1 An integrated product development team (IDPT) selects a methodology of collecting information of a proposed product or service. See example Development of a Portable Coffee Maker.

• STEP 2 Potential customers are randomly selected and questioned on the various listed characteristics and factors shown in the customer needs table.

• STEP 3 All customer response data is organized and placed into the customer needs table as shown in this example.

• STEP 4 The table is reviewed by the team, dated, and presented to a QFD team or given directly to the process owners throughout the organization.

Example of tool application

Development of a Portable Coffeemaker

#	Customer Demographics	Customer Needs/Wants	Product/Service Usage				Date xx/xx/xx
			Who	What	When	Where	How
1	F,25, secretary	Coffee anytime	Evening student	Make coffee	Evening classes	Classrooms	One cup at a time
2	M, 45, construction worker	Coffee at construction site	Construction worker	Coffee or hot water	All day	Construction sites	General breaks
3
4
5

#	Expected Quality	Reworded Needs/Wants	Reliability	Function/Ease of Use	Safety	Cost	Special Requests
1	Hot coffee	Instant operation	Works every time	Plug in or battery-operated	No burns	Below $80	Ready timer
2	Does not leak	Placed anywhere	Long battery operation	Easy to clean	No electrical shorts	Range $30 to $50	No rust
3
4
5