1. Design Project Management
Voice of the Customer: Objective Tree and
Customer Needs
Rochester Institute of Technology
Mechanical Engineering Department
Rochester, NY USA

2. Session Objectives Follow-up on interpreting customer needs
Objective Trees
Practice writing and grouping needs
Work time: interpret interview data, conduct and summarize background research
Report back: progress on VOC

3. Questions…

4. Session Objectives Follow-up on interpreting customer needs
Practice writing needs
Objective Trees
Work time: interpret interview data, conduct and summarize background research
Report back: progress on VOC

5. Needs Assessment Gather information Interpret raw data Organize needs
In-progress – interviews, observations, research
Interpret raw data
Will practice today
Organize needs
Affinity diagrams, objective tree – will review today
Establish relative importance
Customer feedback – will provide templates for gathering this next week.
Reflect

6. Interpret Raw Data What, not how
Express the need as specifically as the raw data
Use positive statements, not negative
Express the need as an attribute of the product
Avoid “must”, “should”, or other words that could imply importance
You MUST interpret the customer’s statements eventually, just not during the interview!
From Ulrich and Eppinger
Want to clarify statement I made last time – you DO have to interpret the statements as needs, but not during the interview!

7. What, not How
Ex: “Why don’t you put protective shields around the battery contacts?”
Ex: “Can you make the shopping cart out of plastic? Then it would be easier to push.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger
Examples from textbook (power screwdriver) and case study we did last spring (design a new shopping cart)

8. What, not How
Wrong: “The screwdriver battery contacts are covered by a plastic sliding door.”
Right: “The screwdriver battery is protected from accidental shorting.”
Wrong: “Shopping car is made out of plastic.”
Right: “Shopping cart is easy to push.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger
Examples from textbook (battery operated screwdriver) and case study we did last spring (design a new shopping cart)

9. Maintain Level of Specificity
Ex: “I drop my screwdriver all the time.”
Ex: “We get a lot of customer complaints about shopping carts having wobbly wheels.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

10. Maintain Level of Specificity
Wrong: The screwdriver is rugged.”
Right: “The screwdriver operates normally after repeated dropping.”
Wrong: “Reduce number of customer complaints about shopping carts.”
Right: “Reduce number of customer complaints about shopping carts with wobbly wheels.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

11. Positive, not Negative
Ex: “It doesn’t matter if it’s raining; I still need to work outside on Saturdays.”
Ex: “I hate it when I get home and my bananas are all bruised.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

12. Positive, not Negative
Wrong: “The screwdriver is not disabled by the rain.”
Right: “The screwdriver operates normally in the rain.”
Wrong: “The shopping cart does not damage food.”
Right: “The shopping cart stores food safely.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

13. Attribute of the Product
Ex: “I’d like to charge my battery from my cigarette lighter.”
Ex: “Some aisles are too narrow for the carts they have now.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

14. Attribute of the Product
Wrong: “An automobile cigarette lighter adapter can charge the screwdriver battery.”
Right: “The screwdriver can be charged from an automobile cigarette lighter.”
Wrong: “The store aisles are big enough for the cart.”
Right: “The carts fit through store aisles.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

15. Avoid Assigning Importance
Ex: “I hate it when I don’t know how much juice is left in the batteries of my cordless tools.”
Ex: “I’d love a place to keep my coffee cup while I shop.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

16. Avoid Assigning Importance
Wrong: “The screwdriver should provide an indication of the energy level of the battery.”
Right: “The screwdriver provides an indication of the energy level of the battery.”
Wrong: “The shopping cart should provide a space for a coffee cup.”
Right: “The shopping cart provides a space for a coffee cup.”
From Ulrich and Eppinger

17. DISCLAIMER Reflect on your needs – do they make sense?
If there were a one-size-fits-all mechanical formula for defining a design problem, we’d have computers do it.
This applies to all of DPM!
If something doesn’t make sense, or you don’t understand why you’re doing it, ASK!

18. Session Objectives Follow-up on interpreting customer needs
Practice writing needs
Objective Trees
Work time: interpret interview data, conduct and summarize background research
Report back: progress on VOC

19. Excerpt from interview
From Otto & Wood’s Product Design
Discuss this interview within your group and extract a few customer needs from the statements.
Have you followed the guidelines?
Your thoughts on the process?
[handout]

20. Book: The customer needs a clipper that is/has:
Reasonably compact
Easy to open clipper
Striking appearance
Easy to align blade
Lightweight
Low clipping squeeze force
Easy to open file
File at an angle
Comfortable to file with
Easy to close file
Class thoughts? This is not the end-all, be-all of customer needs for a nail clipper, but they DO start to define the problem that is being solved and can drive the direction of the design team.

21. Session Objectives Follow-up on interpreting customer needs
Practice writing needs
Objective Trees
Work time: interpret interview data, conduct and summarize background research
Report back: progress on VOC

22. Objective Tree Heirarchy of needs Opportunity to check your work:
Lowest level: explicit list of customer needs
Next level: objective categories (themes)
Highest level: Overall project objective
Opportunity to check your work:
Does the overall project objective actually require all the customer needs listed?
Are there elements of the overall project objective that have not been captured in an individual needs statement?

23. Project Objective
The Nazareth College Physical Therapy Clinic would like a balance training video game that will recognize varying movements and provide feedback to patients on their progress, as well as more specific feedback to the therapist. The game should be fun and keep the patients’ interest.

24. Fit Children (usually smaller than average) 1.4
1.1
Adjustability
Provide different speeds(reaction time) for varying levels of rehabilitation
1.2
Variable Distances
1.3
Fit Children (usually smaller than average)
1.4
Fit Adults (Max 330 lb male)
1.5
Fit Patients sitting (Wheel chair)
2.2
Safety
Can be cleansed and sterilized
2.3
Can hold up to repetitive use-safety of device
2.4
Can hold up to repetitive use-safety of patient
3.1
Ease of Use - PT
Communicate easily with Physical Therapist
3.2
Provide Physical Therapist with an easy to understand Users Manual
3.3
Simple Assembly
Ease of Use
Easy Storage
3.4
Doesn't take up a lot of space and can be in the gym area
3.5
Easy to move(Portability)
3.6
Simple Visual Feedback
3.7
Simple Auditory Feedback
3.8
Doesn't take a lot of strength to hit target
4.1
Cost
Fits within budget
4.2
Low cost repairs
What’s missing from this list of customer needs? The overall project objective: to provide a system to train people in wheelchairs to reach up and out without falling over, using a game or challenge, along with a quantitative means of tracking patient progress.

25. Sorting through customer needs
Needs can separate into several common categories:
Economics (cost)
Project scope (time frame, size of team)
Technology (device features and performance)
Resources (people, equipment, time)
Safety
Constraints (e.g., regulations from ADA, FDA, FAA, …)

26. Recall process: Gather information Interpret raw data
Organize needs (once you have interpreted and sorted your interview data and customer needs statements)
Establish relative importance
Reflect

27. Questions?

28. Session Objectives Follow-up on interpreting customer needs
Practice writing needs
Objective Trees
Work time
Report back: progress on VOC

29. Observations from Work Time
“Customer was all over the place – we need to focus him/her.”
You’re not alone! Be patient, persistent, and professional.
Could you ask your questions differently to get at the type of answer you’re seeking?
Do you need to explain the scope of your project and ask that the customer prioritize focus areas?

30. More observations
“I heard back from [person], and she said they won’t know anything for another three weeks.”
You’re not alone! Be patient, persistent, and professional.
Try asking for less information. Your contact may think you know more than you do. Politely remind them that you are just learning about the project and would appreciate any information they can give you at this point, even if it may change in the future.
Is there another stakeholder you could contact to gather similar (if not exactly representative of your project) information?

31. More observations “I haven’t heard back from [person].”
You’re not alone! Be patient, persistent, and professional.
Send a friendly reminder. Copy the instructor and/or your guide so we know you’re trying to contact the stakeholder.
Is there another stakeholder you could contact to gather similar (if not exactly representative of your project) information?

32. More observations “Yeah, we’re going to do that.”
Use your class work time effectively – all team members in one place at the same time!
Plan work now to avoid duplication of effort in between class periods.
Assign specific tasks to individuals
Document your efforts and plans – take notes, post to EDGE, make sure the information is available.

33. More observations
So, my team only has to turn in 2 research articles and 1 interview for Friday?
Technically, your team doesn’t HAVE to turn in anything, since this is a 0-point Dropbox assignment. But I wouldn’t recommend that…
We don’t expect the same output from a 1-person team that we do from a 9-person team.
Goal of “assignment” is to keep you moving forward. You have a presentation in 2-1/2 weeks on your project background and voice of the customer. If you haven’t met Friday’s bar by Friday, you will be extremely busy during the next 2 weeks!