Gathering raw data from the customers

Gather raw data from the customers-

Gathering data involves contact with customers and experience with the use of the environment of the product three methods are commonly used

1. interview
2. focused Group
3. observing the product in use

• Interview-

 one or more development team members discuss needs with a single customer interview are usually conducted in the customer's environment and typically last one or two hours.

• Focus Group

 A moderator facilitates to  2 hours discussion with a group of 8 to 12 customers. Focus Group activity conducted in a special room equipped with a two-way mirror allowing several members of the development team to observe the group. In most cases, the moderator is a professional market researcher,  but a member of the development team sometimes moderates. The proceedings are usually video recorded. participants are usually paid a moderate fee of ($50- $200 each) for their attendance. The total cost of Focus Group, including rental of the room, participant fee, video recording, and refreshment, is about $5000. In most us cities, forms that recruit participants, moderate focus groups, and for rent facilitated are listed in the directories and the  "market research "

• Observing the product in use

watching customer use an existing product or to performing a task for which a new product is intended can reveal an important detail about the customer needs.

 For example, customer painting a house main use a screwdriver to open Paint cans in addition to driving screws. Observation may be completely passive, without any direct interaction with the customer, or may involve working side by side with the customer, allowing a member of the development team to take the first-hand experience using the product. ideally, team members object the product in the actual use environment. 

Procter and Gamble, for example, observe thousands of customer every year in their homes or workplace to better understanding there need for some products, such as a do-it-yourself tool, actually using the product is simple and natural; for others, such as surgical instruments, the team may have to use the product on surrogate take (e.g.-  cutting fruit instead of Human tissues when developing a new  scalpel.

 Some practitioner's also relaid on writing a survey for gathering raw data. While a web-based survey is quite useful later in the process, we cannot comment recommend this approach for the initial effort to identify customer needs; text-based service simply do not provide enough information about the user environment of the product, and they are generally in effect in traveling the anticipated needs.