Crowd-Based Validation – Better Understanding the Users of Products

In product development, it is particularly important to understand the future users of the developed products. Who exactly is the target group? How do they interact with the product? What are their expectations?

To answer these questions, new tools are needed in product development. Through approaches like crowdfunding, customers can already express their interest in a product at an early stage. However, there are currently only a few approaches for involving the crowd in detailed requirements and individual functions.

In a thesis, you can contribute to the development of such tools and help ensure that future products are better tailored to customers.

Task:

The aim of this work is to identify the existing possibilities of involving future users of products in the development processes. Based on this, it should be explored how new tools for product development need to be designed to ensure that they are attractive and that the feedback from the involvement can be meaningfully utilized. The most important question that always arises is: How can we ensure that we always develop the right product for our customers in the future?

This thesis will form the basis for the further design of development and validation processes and help ensure that developers in various industries (vehicles, medical technology, etc.) can incorporate input from the crowd into the product at an early stage, thus guaranteeing market success.

Profile:

• You have a technical interest (mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, mechatronics, engineering education, etc.)
• You are interested in how the crowd can be involved in product development activities
• You enjoy exploring new topics in product development and expanding your horizons.

Your benefits:

• Working in a new research field and on a future-relevant topic
• Learning scientific work
• The possibility of a joint scientific publication
• 1:1 coaching with a scientific staff member

Are you interested or do you have questions? Then write an email to: manuel.spekker∂kit.edu.