THREE APPROACHES TO TAKE THE USER PERSPECTIVE INTO ACCOUNT DURING NEW PRODUCT DESIGN

Abstract

This paper addresses three different approaches which can be employed to adequately answer different questions faced by product developers. These approaches differ in the ways users themselves are involved in developing the "real" user perspective. In participatory design, products and product concepts are developed together with users so that they fit better with what the users do and want to do. The modelling of product adoption quantifies the likely market adoption of products, based on user characteristics and product attributes. The evaluation of user experience describes a way to evaluate products in terms of their users' interaction with the product daily life. These approaches have originated from different areas and are often seen as competing viewpoints. This paper shows that the three approaches be seen as complementary to each other and suggests a method for to choose the right approach.