Authors: Patrick Lynch; Tom O’ Toole
In recent years, there has been an emerging consensus in the literature that interacting with users in the early stages of product development can be a valuable means of increasing the likelihood of success. Yet little is known about the overall current state of practice. This empirical study investigates the extent and intensity ofinvolving users in these stages through the analysis of 572 telephone surveys, and 50 postal questionnaires of companies from the initial sample who actually involved users. The results demonstrate that the involvement of users in these critical earlystages only occurs to a minimum extent. Additionally, intense user involvement was the preserve of the few. Results also indicate that intense user involvement in certain stages has a positive impact on the performance of the process. Implications of these findings for managers are also discussed.
Journal: ( – )
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Publish Year: 2004
Conference: Copenhagen, Denmark (2004)