Integrating Product Functional and Decision-Making Models into a Single Survey to Better Understand Customer Requirements

In the evaluation of product value, many attributes have been identified as influential factors. Functionality is one factor considered important and of primary concern when designing a new product. However, the determination of good product functional design currently relies mostly on designer opinion based on their experience, and thus there is a subsequent risk of increased new product development investment when designing to meet customer expectations. To better understand customer requirements so that functional design can be integrated into what the customer requires, this thesis proposes a methodology to measure customer functional preferences quantitatively as a determinant of good product functional design. A purchase decision-making model based survey method is developed for collecting data about customer functional preferences. The correlation between customer functional preferences and product functional design elements are defined by the reconciliation of the purchase decision-making model and the product functional model. This methodology ultimately supports the use of statistical analysis methods such as the structured equation modeling method to quantify the correlations so that an optimal understanding of product functional design requirements can be acquired by correlative mapping from customer functional preferences. In addition, the utility of the survey method is addressed by its implementation in a smartphone application as the interface for data collection.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Jin, Tian

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Freiheit, Theodor

• Engineering--Mechanical

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26578

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2176