A New Way To Create Winning Product Ideas

This article proposes a new approach to needs definition and product concept development. It identifies a language of design for product development which includes descriptions of the product itself, product features, benefits and themes. Christian Wagner and Albert Hayashi feel that the goal of this language is not only to increase the detail of requirements definitions, but also to stimulate the generation of new product ideas through forced associations among language elements. Empirical tests show significantly higher idea generation yields when the language is used. The article also outlines a software implementation of the language. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of software can increase the idea yield above that of free‐form, in‐depth interviews.