Problem definition

In order to develop high-quality products, the customer's requirements must be identified and validated. To this end, a realistic prototype must be presented to the customer as early as possible. User studies and design reviews are then used to validate customer requirements. However, the forms of questioning or observation used are often subjective, as the results depend on the skills of the person conducting the study.

If observations are poorly communicated or checked, the results can be of little significance. These in turn lead to incorrect decisions regarding the customer requirements analysis. Hidden customer requirements in particular cannot be identified through pure surveys, as the customer rarely communicates such requirements directly to the study managers. The reasons for this may be that the customer is not aware of the requirement or that they take it for granted. In addition, user studies involving a large number of customers are very costly and time-consuming. If customer requirements are not properly collected and validated, changing requirements are not taken into account during the product development process and customers are not involved enough in the development process, 60% of all new product developments still fail today