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    International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 6502(Print), ISSN 0976

    6510(Online), Volume 4, Issue 1, January- February (2013)

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    APPLICATION OF VOC TRANSLATION TOOLS-A CASE STUDY

    Thomas Joseph1, Dr. Kesavan Chandrasekaran

    21Doctoral scholar-Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, INDIA

    2Dean- Faculty, RMK College of Engineering, Kavaraipettai, Tamilnadu, INDIA

    ABSTRACT

    In today's highly competitive environment, where sources of product and process-

    based competitive advantage are quickly imitated by competitors, it is becoming increasingly

    difficult to differentiate on technical features and quality alone. Companies may overcome

    this problem by incorporating the voice of the customer into the design of new products and

    focusing on customer value, thereby offering total solutions to customer needs. Therefore, it

    is critical for all technology- based companies to gain an accurate understanding of the

    potential value of their offerings, and to learn how this value can be further enhanced. There

    are many tools that help translate the Voice of the customer, to the Voice of the designer, but

    it is important to choose the right tool and in the correct sequence, for a successful product

    development.An important tool to elicit customer value at an early stage of the product

    development is the conjoint analysis. Conjoint analysis is a research technique for measuring

    customers' preferences, and it is a method for simulating how customers might react to

    changes in current products or to new products introduced into an existing competitive

    market. The paper discusses, how the hardware features and the software features, from a

    customers point of view, need to be translated into product features and also, the sequencingof the tools, to achieve a perfect drill-down into conjoint analysis, which is an ultimate tool to

    help translate the Voice of the customer.

    Index Terms: Conjoint analysis, Kano analysis, Pugh Matrix, New Product Development,

    QualityFunction Deployment, Voice of Customer.

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT (IJM)

    ISSN 0976 6367(Print)

    ISSN 0976 6375(Online)

    Volume 4, Issue 1, January- February (2013), pp. 24-37

    IAEME:www.iaeme.com/ijm.htmlJournal Impact Factor (2012): 3.5420 (Calculated by GISI)

    www.jifactor.com

    IJM

    I A E M E

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    I. INTRODUCTION

    Companies must develop new products to grow and stay competitive, but innovation

    is risky andcostly. A great majority of new products never makes it to the market and thosenew products that enter the market place, face very high failure rates. Exact figures are hard

    to find and vary depending on the type of market (industrial versus consumer) and product

    (high tech versus fast moving consumer goods). Moreover, different criteria for the definition

    of success and failure make it complicated to compare. However, failure rates have remained

    high, averaging 40% (Griffin, 1997).According to (Crawford, 1987), the average failure rate

    is about 35%. Later, (Cooper, 1994), a leading researcher in the field of new product

    development (NPD), estimates a failure rate in the order of 25-45%.Since the 1990s it

    became apparent that the high failure rates of new products justified research to examine the

    reasons for success and failure. Later on it became clear that many other factors are also very

    relevant. The first studies on NPD performance showed that the market place played a

    major role in stimulating the need for new and improved products. Since the

    pioneering studies of (Booz, Allen and Hamilton, 1968), the success and failure ofnew products has been studied intensively. Much has been written about the most

    appropriate NPD practices, which can lead to product marketplace success. Success depends,

    among other factors, on the degree to which the new product successfully addresses

    identified consumer needs and at the same time excels competitive products. Unfortunately,

    although past research on NPD performance has shown that even the slightest improvements

    in an organisations NPD process could yield significant savings (Montoya-Weiss and

    ODriscoll,2000), bringing successful new products to the market is still a major

    problemfor many companies. Despite increasing attention to NPD, the new product success

    rate has improvedminimally (WindandMahajan, 1997). (Cooper, 1999) states: Recent

    studies reveal that the art of product development has not improved all that much- that the

    voice of the customer is still missing, that solid up-front homework is not done, that many

    products enter the development phase lacking clear definition, and so on.The key learning emerging from NPD performance analysis is that success is primarily

    determined by a unique and superior product and that the achievement of that is primarily

    driven by the effective marketing-R&D interfacing at the very early stages of the NPD

    process (opportunity identification). Hence, the paradox here is that while failure reasons (at

    strategy, process and product level) are quite well understood and documented, still a high

    proportion of new products fails. One reason for this may be that factors of success and

    failure have not been translated into meaningful guides for action. Consequently,companies

    still have problems with effectively and efficiently implementing the factors of success into

    NPD practice. Consumer research at the earliest stages of NPD that helps bridge

    marketing and R&D functions is crucial in this process. (Miller and Swaddling, 2002) argue

    that the shortcomings in the current state of NPD practice can be directly or indirectly tied

    with consumer research done in conjunction with NPD. As this appears a major bottleneck,

    this paper looks atthe probablereasons for not embracing the mantra of consumer research

    for the New product development anddiscusses the selection and application of the VOC

    tools to translate the customers voice to product attribute and features for a successful

    product development.

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    II. LITERATURESURVEY

    New product development encompasses a wide variety of aspects from concept to

    reality. According to (Rosenau, 1996), a new product development (NPD) process definesand describes the means by which a company or organization can convert new ideas and

    innovative concepts into marketable product or services. The NPD process can broadly be

    divided into four phases, namely, (1) concept exploration; (2) design and development; (3)

    manufacturing and assembly; and (4) product launch and support.(Calantoneand Benedetto,

    1988) proposed an integrative model of the new product development process, which is

    based on technical and market factors for parallel implementation of the new product

    development process.

    (Song and Montoya-Weiss, 1998), through research and literature review, identified

    the following six sets of general NPD activities: (1) Strategic planning for integration of

    product resource and market opportunities; (2) Idea generation and elaboration, and

    evaluation of the potential solution; (3) Business analysis for converting new product idea

    into design attributes that fulfill customer needs and desires; (4)Manufacturingdevelopmentforbuilding the desired physical product; (5) Testing the

    product itself which includes all individual andintegrated components; (6) Coordination,

    implementation, and monitoring of the new product launch.

    Similarly, (Jones and Stevens, 1999) proposed the NPD process which forms market

    strategy points of view and mainly concerns the use of marketing techniques for

    generating the new product idea.

    To design a product well, a design team needs to know what it is they are designing, and

    what the end-users will expect from it. Quality Function Deployment is a systematic

    approach to design based on a close awareness of customer desires, coupled with the

    integration of corporate functional groups. It consists in translating customer desires into

    design characteristics for each stage of the product development (Rosenthal,1992).Ultimately

    the goal of QFD is to translate often subjective quality criteria into objective ones that can bequantified and measured and which can then be used to design and manufacture the product.

    It is a complimentary method for determining how and where priorities are to be assigned in

    product development. The intent is to employobjective procedures in increasing detail

    throughout the development of the product (Reilly, 1999).Quality Function Deployment was

    developed by YojiAkao in Japan in 1966. By 1972 the power of the approach had been well

    demonstrated at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard (Sullivan, 1986) and in 1978

    the first book on the subject was published in Japanese and then later translated into English

    in 1994 (Mizuno and Akao,1994). Customer focused product development brought focus on

    the interpretation of the voice of customers and subsequently derivation of explicit

    requirements that can be understood by marketing and engineering (Jiao and Chen, 2006). In

    general, it involves three major issues, namely (1) understandingof customer

    preferences(2)requirement prioritization and (3) requirement classification. Among many

    approaches that address customer need analysis, the Kano model has been widely practiced in

    industries as apreferred tool of understanding customer preferences owing to its convenience

    in classifying customer needs based on survey data (Kano et al., 1984).

    The Pugh Matrix is a type of Matrix Diagram (Burge, S.E 2006) that allows for the

    comparison of a number of design candidates leading ultimately to which best meets a set of

    criteria. It also permits a degree of qualitative optimisation of the alternative concepts through

    the generation of hybrid candidates. Fundamentally a Pugh Matrix can be used when there is

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    a need to decide amongst various alternatives objectively.

    Conjoint analysis is an experimental approach for measuring customers preferences about

    the attributes of a product or service. Originally developed by psychologist (Luce and

    statistician Tukey, 1964) in the field of mathematical psychology,Conjoint analysis is knownfor being a research technique by which one can investigate combinations of features to

    identify the predicted consumer preferences. (Green and Rao, 1971) drew upon the conjoint

    measurement theory, adapted it to the solution of marketing and product-development

    problems, considered carefully the practical measurement issues, and initiated a flood

    ofresearch opportunities and applications (Wittink and Cattin, 1989). Furtherdeveloped and

    customized by Paul Green and his colleagues at Wharton School of the University of

    Pennsylvania (Green and Srinivasan, 1981, 1990), (Wind, Green, Shifflet and Scarborough,

    1989) (Green and Krieger, 1991, 1996), conjoint analysis has evolved into a mainstay of the

    research profession.(Green and Srinivasan, 1990), (Green and Krieger, 1995) argue that

    conjoint analysis has multiple advantages in quantifying consumer preferences. It assumes

    that a product or service can be described as an aggregate of its conceptual components:

    attributes (also called variables, silos or categories) and elements (levels) (Krieger et al.,2004; Moskowitz et al., 2005). By presenting a series of concepts, which are

    combinations of elements from different attributes, to a number of respondents and finding

    out which are most preferred, conjoint analysis allows the determination of utilities of each of

    the elements called the individual utility scores (part-worth or impact scores) of elements

    (Kessels et al., 2008).Understanding precisely how people make decisions, producers can

    work out the optimum level of features and services that balance value to the customer

    against cost to the company.Conjoint analysis, sometimes called trade-off analysis, reveals

    how peoplemake complex judgments. The technique is based on the assumption that complex

    decisions are made not based on a single factor, but on several factors CONsideredJOINTly,

    hence the term Conjoint.

    III. CONSUMERRESEARCH:PROBABLEREASONSFORITSDISUSE

    1. Consumer research lacks credibility (Nijssen and Lieshout 1995) (Song, Neeley andZhao, 1996)(Gupta, Raj and Wilemon, 1985; Moenaert and Souder, 1990)

    2. Consumer research does not help to come up with innovative new productideas(Ortt and Schoormans, 1993; Ottum and Moore, 1997)(Ulwick, 2002)(Wind

    and Lilien, 1993). (Ozer, 1999)(Burton and Patterson 1999) (Smith 2003)(Day,

    1994)

    3. Consumer research delays product development process (Miller andSwaddling,2002).

    4. Consumer research lacks comprehensibility(Moenaert and Souder, 1990).(Moenaertand Souder, 1996)(Dougherty 1990)

    5. Consumer research lacks actionability for R&D(Moenaert and Souder, 1996;Madhavan and Grover, 1998)(Shocker and Srinivasan, 1979)(Gupta, Raj,

    Wilemon, 1985)(Bailetti and Litva, 1995)

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    IV. ATTRIBUTESOFEFFECTIVECONSUMERRESEARCH

    First, effective consumer research for opportunity identification must be

    comprehensive in that it provides a detailed insight into the relation between productcharacteristics and consumers need fulfillment and behaviour. Consumer research for NPD

    is often thought of as existing of historical purchase information or product evaluations.

    However, understanding consumer behaviour encompasses much more than just getting

    insight into how consumers evaluate and purchase products and services (Jacoby, 1979).

    (Sheth, Mittal and Newman 1999) define consumer behaviour as all mental and physical

    activities undertaken by consumers that result in decisions and actions to pay for, buy, and

    use products and services. For consumers to decide to buy a product they must be convinced

    that the product will satisfy some benefit, goal, or value that is important to them (Gutman,

    1982; Walker and Olson,1991). To develop a superior new product, consumer research needs

    to identify consumersproduct attribute perceptions, including the personal benefits and

    values that provide theunderlying basis for interpreting and choosing products . As such,

    it makes a number of key considerations explicit. This provides a common basis for thedifferent functional disciplines involved in the NPD process. In addition, it makes clear

    which crucial factors affect consumer perceptions, preferences and choices, and what trade-

    offs need to be applied in designing a product. This needs VOC (VOICE OF CUSTOMER)

    translation tools.

    V. AFEWPROVENVOCTOOLS

    a. QFDb. Pugh Matrixc. Kanod. Conjoint Analysis

    The above are few proven tools that have proved their worth in product development. Here

    is a brief about each of them.

    a) QFD:In Akaos words, QFD "is a method for developing a design quality aimed at satisfying the

    consumer and then translating the consumer's demand into design targets and major quality

    assurance points to be used throughout the production phase. ... [QFD] is a way to assure the

    design quality while the product is still in the design stage." As a very important side benefit

    he points out that, when appropriately applied, QFD has demonstrated the reduction of

    development time by one-half to one-third. (Akao, 1990)

    The 3 main goals in implementing QFD are:

    1. Prioritize spoken and unspoken customer wants and needs.

    2. Translate these needs into technical characteristics and specifications.

    3. Build and deliver a quality product or service by focusing everybody toward customer

    satisfaction.

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    b) Pugh Matrix:Pugh concept selection:There are many conventional screening methods, such as

    Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA), GO/NO-GO Screening (Ullman, 2003), etc.,available for simple concept evaluation. However, for complex cases, Pugh Concept

    Selection method is generally used. This method is very effective for comparing concepts that

    are not well refined for direct comparison with the engineering requirements. Basically, it

    is an iterative evaluation that tests the completeness and understanding of

    requirements, followed by quick identification of the strongest concept. It is particularly

    effective if each member of the design team performs it independently. The results of the

    comparison will usually lead to repetition of the method, with iteration continued until the

    team reaches a consensus.

    c) Kano:Analysis of customer need information is an important task.The advantages of classifying

    customer requirements by means of the Kano method are very clearpriorities for product

    development. It is, for example, not very useful to invest in improving must-be requirements

    which are already at a satisfactory level but better to improve one-dimensional or attractive

    requirements as they have a greater influence on perceived product quality and consequently

    on the customers level of satisfaction.Product requirements are better understood: if the

    product criteria which have the greatest influence on the customers satisfaction can be

    identified. Classifying product requirements into must-be, one-dimensional and attractive

    dimensions can be used to focus onKanos model of customer satisfaction can be

    optimally combined with quality function deployment and Pugh-matrix. A pre-requisite is

    identifying customer needs, their hierarchy and priorities (Griffin/Hauser, 1993). Kanos

    model is used to establish the importance of individual product features for the customers

    satisfaction and thus it creates the optimal prerequisite for process-oriented productdevelopment activities.Kanos method provides valuable help in trade-off situations in the

    product development stage. If two product requirements cannot be met simultaneously due to

    technical or financial reasons, the criterion can be identified which has the greatest influence

    on customer satisfaction.Must-be, one-dimensional and attractive requirements differ, as a

    rule, in the utility expectations of different customer segments. From this starting point,

    customer-tailored solutions for special problems can be elaborated which guarantee an

    optimal level of satisfaction in the different customer segments.Discovering and fulfilling

    attractive requirements creates a wide range of possibilities for differentiation. A product

    which merely satisfies the must-be and one-dimensional requirements is perceived as average

    and therefore interchangeable (Hinterhuber, AichnerandLobenwein, 1994).

    d) CONJOINT ANALYSISDesigning and Executing a Conjoint Study: In designing and executing a conjoint study,

    the researcher is faced with three steps that are unique to conjoint research:

    Selecting the appropriate type of conjoint

    Selecting the attributes and levels

    Developing and interpreting utilities

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    Selecting the Appropriate Type of Conjoint: In practice, trade-offs matrices are rarely used,

    narrowing the choice to either ratings-based or choice-based methods. While researchers are

    divided on this topic, we typically recommend methods that allow respondents to make

    comparative judgments, such as paired-comparisons and choice-based conjoint.We believe the choice between these two approaches depends on the point in the product

    development cycle. The earlier in the cycle, the more is the paired-comparison method as

    the focus is on product-specific features. Later in the cycle, choice-based methods are more

    appropriate because many of the development priorities have been solved and the focus is

    more on the final product configuration, price and brand and competitive reaction.

    Selecting Attributes and Levels:The single most important component of executing a

    conjoint study is selecting conjoint attributes and levels. In general, attributes describe

    product features. Conjoint analysis also frequently includes the attributes of price and brand.

    Many other attributes are possible though, including distribution channel, service or warranty

    options, product promotions, or positioning statements. The actual attributes used should also

    follow these guidelines:

    1. The attributes must all influence real decisions. That is, the attributes must be

    determinant.

    2. The attributes must be independent.

    3. The attributes should measure only one dimension.

    Levels must be chosen so that each product can be defined by only one of the levels. The

    levels should include a wide enough range to allow the current and future markets to be

    simulated, as well as a nearly equal number of levels for each attribute. In general,

    extrapolation of utilities to levels not included should be avoided. If, after including a

    complete range of levels, the researcher finds many unrealistic combinations of levels, the

    category definition needs to be revised or respondents need to be given customizedconjoint studies.Conducting Preference SimulationsConjoint utilities are most frequently

    used in market simulators that are used to answer what if scenarios. After conducting a

    conjoint study and modeling the current market, a researcher might be interested in the effect

    of a possible product design change.These scenarios can be investigated in a market

    simulator. Simulations produce shares of preference that resemblebut are not the same

    asmarket share. The researcher must make several decisions in conducting preference

    simulations. The first decision is which choice model to use.

    There are basically two choice models in common use today: the first choice model and

    the probabilistic model. Each will be discussed in detail below. The discussion of these

    models is centered on individual level data.

    First Choice Model

    The first choice model is the more straightforward of the two models discussed. In the first

    choice model, the researcher sums the utility of each product configuration being simulated

    and, for each respondent, assumes that the respondent will buy the product with the highest

    utility. The share of preference estimates, then, become the proportion of respondents for

    which each product had the maximum utility.While this initially seems reasonable, it

    might be too simplistic. Very minor differences in summed utilities can have a huge impact

    on predicted shares of preference.

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    Probabilistic Model

    Researchers at first develop a set of alternative products (real or hypothetical) in terms of

    bundles of quantitative and qualitative attributes through fractional factorial designs. Thesereal or hypothetical products, referred to as profiles, are then presented to the customers

    during the survey. The customers are asked to rank order or rate these alternatives, or choose

    the best one. Because the products are represented in terms of bundles of attributes at mixed

    good and bad levels, the customers have to evaluate the total utility from all of the attribute

    levels simultaneously to make their judgments. Based on these judgments, the researchers can

    estimate the part-worth utilities for the attribute levels by assuming certain composition rules.

    The rulesexplain the structure of customer's individual preferences. The manner that

    respondents combine the part-worths in total utility of product can be explained by these

    rules. Thesimplest and most commonly used model is the linear additive model. This model

    assumes that theoverall utility derived from any combination of attributes of a given good or

    service is obtained from the sum of the separate part-worths of the attributes.

    The following case study illustrates the use of a few of the above tools and the sequence ofapplication, as the product development success, depends on the right attribute, filtered

    appropriately into the drawing board.

    VI. CASESTUDY

    The case is about an engineering product (Hydraulic system) that is designed,

    developed and supplied by a Tier 1 company to an OEM (Original equipment manufacturer),

    where the assembly is done and the vehicle is then sold through dealers to the end consumers.

    There are essentially two consumers for the supplier (A) OEM customer, who buys the

    hydraulic system and (B) the end consumer, who buys the truck with the tipping unit. Of-

    course, the dealer is a catalyst, in between. He is also a customer in a true sense of the word,

    as he is responsible for the warranty period service of the vehicle. So, serviceability,durability, warranty are some of his concerns. This paper, has consciously excluded the

    translation of the dealers voice.

    Figure: 1- Schematic showing the relationship between Supplier, Intermediate customer

    and end Consumer.

    The truck tipping units are used for transporting building materials like sand, stones,

    cement or bulk materials like lime, coal or ore. The vehicles are of different configurations,

    like 10T, 25T, 40T, 65T and 100T. The tipping unit is actuated using a hydraulic cylinder,

    which is operated by a hydraulic system. Refer Figure2.

    TierI

    Supplier

    OEM DEALERConsumer

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    Figure: 2- Picture showing

    Brief Description:

    The hydraulic system consists

    (Power transfer output)-A unit w

    hydraulic pump, Pumps, Valves,

    a Hydraulic tank.

    The hydraulic pump is couple

    is pumped into the cylinder, the

    material that was being carried i

    Company A is a market leader

    vehicle segment. Company B is

    (Hydraulic actuation systems),

    enjoys, 80% market share in the

    balance to many fragmented cowith Company As product offe

    withdrawn from the market. A v

    company Bs technological pr

    Company B, decides to do a

    significant market share, in thi

    customer) analysis to elicit the

    hydraulic system to the vehicle a

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    the Hydraulic schematic of a Truck with Tippi

    of Operating lever, Hydraulic hoses & contr

    hich couples the engine to the pump, to enable

    Hydraulic cylinders- Multi stage, Hydraulic h

    , with the engine, the tipper valve is actuated.

    piston rods actuate, thereby lifting the tipper,

    the truck.

    in supplying a Hydraulic tipping system to th

    world leader, in supplying the similar technol

    to all the different segments of the market.

    25Tonvehicle segment, leaving 15% to the co

    petition. Company B, launches a new producring. This product has very early failures and

    ry expensive recall and repair campaign is initi

    wess and market credibility, this launch w

    zero based, redesign and re-launch, to try a

    s segment. Company B carries out a VOC (

    direct response from the various dealers, who

    nd the end consumers, who buy and use the pro

    SSN 0976

    g system.

    l wires, PTO

    driving of the

    se, Filter and

    Hydraulic oil

    to unload the

    e commercial

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    Company A

    mpany B and

    t, to competehe product is

    ated. Despite,

    s a disaster.

    d capture, a

    Voice of the

    assemble the

    duct.

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    The hardware inputs of the VOC, like Lifting load, Lifting speed, are then processed

    through a Pugh analysis matrix and QFD (Quality function deployment) HoQ (House of

    Quality), to convert, the customer expectations, into product and design characteristics. The

    software inputs of the VOC, like drivers cabin rattle during lifting or cabin jerk duringretraction of the tipping unit, aesthetics of the Hydraulic systems, corrosion resistance of the

    system, are processed using Kano Model Analysis.

    The hardware inputs, namely the engineering criteria, that affect the fit and function are

    best captured using Pugh Matrix and QFD and the software inputs, namely the aesthetics,

    the look and feel features, that affect the form are best captured using the Kano Model

    Analysis. Thus, using the QFD and Pugh Matrix and combining the Kano analysis, the entire

    VOC of the customer, is translated as inputs for the Conjoint experiment.

    The 26 different product and design characteristics are then discussed, using 4 focus

    groups, consisting of the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) CFT (Cross functional

    group), having members from Product development, Procurement, Manufacturing andMarketing. This step is recommended for highly technical products, where attributes and

    level selections technical and manufacturability needs to be assessed and decided upon.

    The data from the focus group is statistically analysed and the vital 5 attributes, each at 2

    levels, were finalised. With 5 attributes, each at 2 levels, 2^5 combinations of products, is

    possible. A Choice based Conjoint exercise was launched, using a questionnaire, addressed to

    about, 150 dealers, in India. A total of 104 valid responses were obtained. Each, respondent

    ranked the 32 products. A Conjoint analysis was performed, on the ranked products, to find

    the part worth utilities, which helped in guiding the team, to re-design the product

    successfully and re-launch it in the market, successfully.

    VII. CONCLUSION

    Given the increasing intensity of business competition and the strong trend towards

    globalization, the attitude towards the customer is very important, their role has changed from

    that of a mere consumer to the role of co-designer, co-operator, co- producer, co-creator of

    value and co-developer of knowledge and competencies. Furthermore, the

    complexcompetitive environment in which companies operate has led to the increase in

    customer demand for superior value. While there are many tools, to capture the voice of the

    customer, there is none, having the caliber of CONJOINT ANALYSIS. This is due to the

    statistical nature of the tool, which is objective and repeatable. In fact, as Conjoint Analysis

    is rooted deeply in statistics, there is no personal judgment clouding the decision making

    process. It is pure mathematics. The input data, in the form of, correct attributes and their

    levels, is a pre-requisite toperforming a correct Conjoint Analysis.These inputs, needs to be

    scientifically filtered and presented into the Conjoint function. The use of QFD, Pugh Matrix

    and Kano complements well with Conjoint Analysis, ensuring synthesis of strategically

    important customer value dimension and customer focused product design.

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    Figure

    Using the QFD and Pugh Matrix

    capture the emotional voice, the tconjoint analysis gives the approprcreate value for the customers. T

    remarkable accuracy. It is also usefcreate value for company. Further

    of the market to changes in existiThus, with the above mentionedcomplete and accurate translatio

    development.Conjoint analysis is

    decisions.

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    : 3 VOC Translation tools-A framework

    to capture the engineering voice, coupled with

    tal VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER, is captured. Thiate consumers voice in terms of different producthus it enables to estimate the value created to c

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