The Specky Talks

PART 2: DRIVERS NEEDS

I. RANKING AND NEEDS ORGANIZING

In order to focus on our objectives, we need to identify the needs of drivers who uses the access card (Touch n Go). The product should fulfill the customer needs in order to obtain marketability.

Ranking the needs tells us the importance of these needs so that we can be more focused onto it in choosing the best ideas for the product development.

We found that the needs that are essential to our product are:

1) Easy to handle: Drivers need something easy to use in order to quick access their touch n go card

2) Sustainable: environmental friendly

3) Affordable prices: We need something that any society level driver can buy

4) Last longer: Drivers need something that will last longer. We need to manufacture from a very strong material.

We will now rank the needs from 1 to 5, where 5 is the most important and 1 is vice versa.

Customer Needs	Rank
Easy to handle	5
Sustainable	3
Affordable price	4
Last Longer	5

II. INTERPRETING THE CUSTOMER NEEDS

Customer feedback is our important platform in order to ensure our target auditions is reached and their needs are fulfill.

To get close to this more demanding customer, we really need to get inside his or her head.

Here are several ways to do it:

· Stand in your customer’s shoes.- Understand your customer’s full range of choices, as well as his or her ecosystem of suppliers, partners etc.--of which you may be part. This exercise will also deepen the understanding of competitors and help to be better anticipate their moves.
· Staple yourself to a customer’s order. - Be a customer that want something and see where the product low point so that it can be improved.
· Learn together with customers. - Understand the mindset of potential customers and also helped them to influenc e that mindset.
· Lean forward and anticipate. - Focus on what customers will want tomorrow, as Steve Jobs and Richard Branson did so exquisitely. Try to predict future market.

III. TRANSLATE THE NEEDS INTO SPECIFICATIONS

After knowing the needs, we then transform it to a more reliable and salable product. In order to do so, these following steps must be taken.

STEP 1 : IDEA DEVELOPMENT

Idea development comes from the customer needs and problems. One of the example is stated in the previous entry of this blog.

STEP 2 : PRODUCT SCREENING

Numerous idea may comes during idea development steps. That is why the idea screening stage is important. At this stage only the best idea which fulfill all needs and forecast to generate more income, less cost to make, will be selected.

STEP 3 : PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND TESTING

At this stage, a prototype will be build based on the best ideas. Field test will be conducted to see if our product satisfy driver's needs.

STEP 4 FINAL DESIGN

The last stage where chosen prototype and qualified field test result is used as a basis in its development. No more idea development will be considered in this stage.