Grunert, K.G. et al. (2008). User-oriented innovation in the food sector: relevant streams of research and an agenda for future work. Trends in Food Science & Technology, (19), 590-602.

Format: Peer-reviewed article

Type: Research — Non-experimental

Experience level of reader: Fundamental

Annotation: A literature review identifies three general streams of research on the role of a user-orientation in NPD: 1) The formation and identification of user preferences; 2) The management of user-oriented innovation processes, and their interface with user intelligence, production and technological R&D; 3) Interactive innovation where two or more parties collaborate.

Setting(s) to which the reported activities/findings are relevant: Federal lab, Government, Large business, Small business (less than 500 employees), University

Knowledge user(s) to whom the piece of literature may be relevant: Manufacturers, Researchers

Knowledge user level addressed by the literature: Organization

This article uses the Commercial Devices and Services version of the NtK Model

Barrier: Users, and in particular consumers, are often not able to articulate their need for really innovative products, because their thinking is framed by the products currently on the market. Also, reactions of potential users when confronted with highly innovative new product concepts are not always reliable, as they may find it difficult to imagine the use of these innovative products in their daily lives.
Literature review.
Occurrence of finding within the model: Step 6.3, Step 6.1, Step 5.3

• Substantial research on user-orientation in NPD is concerned with maintaining a market orientation during the conduct of development processes, which focuses on the the expressed needs of current customers. Since this may lead to a successive series of incremental innovations, it is also important to maintain a learning orientation which challenges assumptions and integrates new information.
  Literature review.
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Stage 1, Stage 2

• Substantial research on user-orientation in NPD is concerned with understanding user preferences, analyzing how preferences are formed, and how end users perceive quality in products or services.
  Literature review.
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Stage 4

• Substantial research on user-orientation in NPD is concerned with inter-organizational relationships, knowledge sharing and trust among collaborators. The Actor-Network Theory points at the translation of knowledge from a variety of sources as the main driver of product idea generation.
  Literature review.
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Stage 3

Model: NPD can be modeled with an understanding of consumer quality perception as the starting point. Specifically, quality to be perceived by consumers is the starting point, and the concrete attributes to be built into the device — those to be communicated to the prospective buyer — should be derived from the quality perceptions.
Occurrence of finding within the model: Stage 4

• Markets, prices and costings are interwoven with the creation of supplier-user networks, in the development of product-service systems. (McAloone & Andreasen, [2006])
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Step 7.1
• Companies that can draw on a network of customers, suppliers, research institutions and competitors are more likely to have high product and process innovation success. A company's network competence — the ability to exploit inter-organizational relationships — requires four antecedents: 1) access to resources; 2) network orientation of human resource management; 3) integration of intra-organizational communication; 4) openness of corporate culture. (Ritter and Gemunden [2003])
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Stage 4

Tip: Lead Users — Certain users can take on a role as designers to interact with product developers within the company. Lead users are those whose present needs become widespread in a market months or years ahead. Since lead users are familiar with conditions that lie in the future for most others, they can serve as a needs-forecasting laboratory for market research. (von Hippel [2005])
Occurrence of finding within the model: Step 4.2