Question

Describe how Marriott might employ lead user analysis to better align its proper-
ties and services with the needs of the executive traveler.

Evaluate this statement: “To increase the speed of the new-product-development
process, a firm might follow one strategy for unpredictable projects and an entirely different one for more predictable ones.”
In fast-changing high-tech industries, some firms have a better record in devel-
oping new products than others. Describe the critical factors that drive the new
product performance of firms

Answer 1

A lead user is a customer who has needs ina specicfic area before the rest of the market it's a common method of innovation leading users to understand their needs. The idea is for leading users to meet the requierment that will define the futrue of a product, service or technique. by bting the first to meet these requirments. a company takes a eading position in a market. Marriott could use this method beginning with the creation of a discipline innovation team, having conversation with the employees, trend inestigation and product education.

The factors of success for New product development

Bringing a successful product to market is a team effort. While designers are responsible for usability, utility and the rest of the user experience there ae many factors which contribute to the success or failure of new product development and many of these are outside of the designer's direct control.

Top management support:- As first glance, this appears to be completely out of control of the design team. After all, top managers make the decision as to what to support and what not to support right?

Larning to incluence manager is a critical skill for design teams.Embarking on projects withojut managerial support is a recipe for failure but winning over support is a question of leadershisp sand cocmmuniation.

Market oreintaition:- Market oreintation is a company philosophy focused on discovering and meeting the needs and desires of its customers through its product mix.

Conducting user research and where appropriate market research- two fundamentals of developing high qualilty user experiences: will enable the discovery of customer needs and how to meet them.

Technology:-The technology used to create and deliver the product must be suitable for the market. While it is unlikely that the design team will have the final say in technology budgets or appropriation it is likely that they will be able to influence the development teams in their choice of technology.

Knowledge Management:- In many organizations today; knowledge is teared like gold dust and guarded by its owners as they would stolen treasure. unfortunately, the creation of knowledge silos like these makes it impossible for knowledge to be effective.

Knowlege management structures will normally fall outside of the designteam's remit. However, there is nothing preventing the design team from advocating for open knoledge managemnet structurs or indeed persuading sesnior management to supsport such structures.

New product development strategies:- Strategy, despite the way it is often abussed in management speak is simply; " a plan of action designed to achieve a long term or overall aim."

Responsibility for new product development strategies is kikely to be shared between design, product managemennt and development. This means that the design team will have some input into ostrategies chosen and will be able toinfluence these strategies with their user research to guide the strategy to fit the needs of their users. It is problably fair to say that product management will normally have the final say on a strategic direction but designers have plenty of room to negotiate with product manageres to ensure better outcome.

New Product development speed:- Speed tomarket is a critical factor in success. If your new product development process takes 5 Year but your competitor's tke 2 year it is likely that no mattr how good your designs ae they will have been ecipsed by the time the time they get to market.

New product development process:- The designteam will, normally have some input into these processes an be able to negotiate modificaitons to processes when they fail to produce optimal results. There is little control for the design team over the way other teams excute these process. Failure in execution, form other teams, is one of the few areas where it is reasonalble to say that failure was completely outside of the design team's control.

New product development Teams:- New product development normally brings toghether teams of diverse people from all across an enterprise. It is stongly suggested that these diverse teams tend to be highly creative and more successful than teams of a more standardized nature. The way team work together is a critical factor in their success and designers operatiing as part of such a team have their part to play in this. Professionalism and leadership can be displayed by any member of a team and while the design team cannot bear any responsibility for the actions of others with in a team they bear complete responsibility for their own actions.