Assignment #3

Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 1 Objectives PMPs Consulting Group ( PMPs) conducted interviews of prospective user s of the product from various fields in order to discover what customer needs should be incorporated into the design and development of the 3D printer. The template used f or interviews can be found in Appendix A of this document. The template for surveys can be found in Appendix B. T he results from each interview and survey can be found in Appendix C. PMPs also observed a current 3D printer on the market in order to take note of what is offered by competitors. Observations, reflections, and photos of the competitor’s product can be found in Appendix D of this document. Hierarchy of Needs The below hierarchical list categorizes the needs discovered fr om the interviews. The need statements within the categories are listed in order of relative importance as described by the customers. Quality •The 3D printer prints detailed items. •The 3D printer prints durable items. Filaments •The 3D printer filaments come in a variety of colors. •The 3D printer filaments allow for items to be painted after printing.. Size •The 3D printer has an adequate print size of 12" x 12" x 12". Pricing •The 3D printer is affordable. •The 3D printed items are cost effective. Software •The 3D printer comes with necessary software. •The 3D printer software is user friendly. •The 3D printer software works with outside files. Ecofriendly •The 3D printer filaments are made from recyclable materials. •The 3D printer cartridges are refillable. Speed •The 3D printer prints items quickly without losing quality. •The 3D printer prints items faster than it would take to make them by hand. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 2 Reflection  Have we intera cted with all of the important types of customers in our target market? o Yes, we interviewed 3 small business employees which is our target market. We also spoke with some hobbyists and teachers.  Are we able to see beyond the needs related only to existing products in order to capture the latent needs to our target customers? o Yes, we examined our customer’s dislikes and suggested improvements to see what our product could be and not what existing 3D printers are.  Are there areas of inquiry we should pursue i n follow -up interviews or surveys? o No further areas of inquiry have identified themselves but as we continue to develop product requirements other items may come up. In those instances, we will follow up with our interviewees.  Which of the customers we sp oke to would be good participants in our ongoing development effort? o The interviewees we would continue to utilize in ongoing development would be the Architecture Firm, the landscaper, the theater teacher, and the maker. Based on their experience and feed back we think they make the best candidates to help in the future.  What do we know now that we didn’t know when we started? Are we surprised by any of the needs? o Before the interviews the team was not aware of the variety of uses for 3D printers, for examp le, that someone uses one to make doll accessories. We think we have a much better understanding of the number of ways a 3D printer can be used. However, we were not surprised by any of the needs that the customers reported.  Did we involve everyone within our own organization who needs to deeply understand customer needs? o Yes, the team members have all reviewed the interviews and surveys and will use the information to fully understand customer needs.  How might we improve the process in the future? o No imme diate process changes are present but as the project progresses the team will keep an eye out for any missing information that we can add to the customer needs gathering process. Developing the Customer Need Report Revision Date Description of Change 0.1 03/30/2015 Initial Draft Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 3 Appendix A – Interview Template Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses Likes Dislikes Suggested improvements Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 4 Appendix B 3D Printer Survey For each of the following 3D Printer features, please indicate one a scaled of 1 to 5 how important the feature is to you. Please use the following scale: 1 – Feature is undesirable; I would not consider purchasi ng the product because of this feature. 2 – Feature is not important, but I wouldn’t mind the product to have it. It would not impact my decision to purchase the product. 3 – Feature is an added bonus, but not necessary for me to consider purchasing the product. 4 – Feature is desirable, but I would consider purchasing the product without it. 5 – Feature is critical; I would not consider purchasing a product without this feature. Importance of feature (1 -5 scale. 1=lowest, 5=highest) Importance of featur e (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. The 3D printer is ecofriendly. Th e 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. The 3D printer comes with necessary software. The 3D printer is affordable. The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 5 Appendix C – Interview/survey results Customer: Job Title: Date: Locati on: Interviewer(s): A Theater teacher – Set design/props 3/25/2015 Springfield, MO Rowena Stone Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses I need the printer to produce items that can be painted. The 3D p rinter uses materials that c an be painted. I need the printer to produce functioning (movable) items. The 3D printer prints moveable/functioning items. I need to save designs for previously printed items The 3D printer software saves previous work/files. Likes I like the colo r filament options. The 3D printer printing materials provides variety. Dislikes Can’t print larger items. The 3D printer needs to be able to print items larg er than 12” x 12” x 12” Suggested improvements It w ould be useful to have a larger print area . The 3D printer can print large ite m s. Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 4 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. X 5 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. X 2 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. X 4 The 3D printer comes with necessary software. 3 The 3D printer is affordable. 3 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 6 Cu stomer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): B Landscaper/Small business owner 3/25/2015 Nixa, MO Rowena Stone Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses I need to be able to print detailed items , specific to customer requests for landscaping designs. The 3D printer needs to print items with great detail . Likes I like the size capabilities. The 3D printer’s printing of 12” x 12” x 12” is a good size. I like the refillable/reusable filament spools as they are more environm entally friendly. The 3D printer is ecofriendly. Dislikes Software program isn’t user friendly. The 3D printer software needs to be easier to use. Suggested improvements Create a program for recycling the filament cartridges. A recycling program for th e filament cartridges is needed. Create filament out of recyclable materials. Filament should be made of recyclable materials. Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 4 The 3D p rinter prints detailed and high quality items. 3 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 5 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. X 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. X 4 The 3D printer comes with necessary softwar e. 3 The 3D printer is affordable. 3 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 7 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): C Toy hobbyist 3/25/2015 Springfield, MO Rowena Stone Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses I print accessories for action figures that aren’t available for purchase. The action figures are generally in the 6” -12” range. The 3D printer needs a print size of at least 12”. I need to have color options for printed items. The 3D printer ne eds to provide color options for printing. Being able to paint the printed items would be ideal. The 3D printer filament needs to be paintable. Likes I like the options I have for colors. The 3D printer has a good variety of colors for printing. The print size is great! The 3D printer size of 12” x 12” x 12” is a good size. Dislikes I wish the printer and filament cartridges were less expensive. The 3D printer and filaments need to be affordable. Suggested improvements Create a more affordable prin ter in perhaps a smaller size. The 3D printer needs to be more affordable. Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 4 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. X 5 Th e 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. X 3 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 3 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. 5 The 3D printer comes with necessary software. 5 The 3D printer is affordable. 3 The 3D printe r has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 8 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): D Jewelry designer 3/25/2015 Springfield, MO Rowena Stone Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses I need to be able to create custom pieces fa ster than I can by hand. The 3D printer creates jewelry pieces faster than by hand. A variety of colors is necessary for custom orders. The 3D printer needs to print in different colors. Likes I like the color options for printing. The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. I like that the printer saves me time from having to go to the store to purchase specific items.

I can just print them at home! The 3D printer has a good print speed. Dislikes Size of printer is too big. The 3D printer needs to be more compact. Suggested improvements N/A N/A Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 4 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. 5 The 3D p rinter has a variety of filament colors for printing. X 3 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 1 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. 5 The 3D printer comes with necessary software. X 5 The 3D printer is affordable. X 3 The 3D printer ha s a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 9 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): Fusion Electronics Mechanical Engineer / Industrial Designer 3/26/2015 111 Franklin Road Freeman's Bay Auckland, NZ Nicole Question/Prompt Customer Statement Inte rpreted Need Typical Uses We do not have access to 3D printers due to the cost of owning a printer capable of making prototypes of our stereos The 3D printer needs to be cost effective and capable of making larger sized prototypes If we did have acces s to a 3D printer, we would use it to generate multiple versions of our prototypes so internally we could evaluate multiple industrial design options The 3D printer needs to be high enough quality to show industrial design feature Likes Would like the abi lity to review prototypes with sales and marketing before further pursing expensive machined parts (Similar to above) The 3D printer needs to product quality enough parts to provide consumers with visual of a final product The ability to see designs in person while continuing to finalize the mechanical design The 3D printer needs to provide parts that are capable of being handled frequently Dislikes Fusion always tries to be environmentally friendly in product development, would like to make sure that t he items made with the 3D printer could be recycled once we are done using the prototype The 3D printer needs to use recyclable plastic material Suggested improvements Due to not having a 3D printer it is hard to fully speak to this but I would appreciate the ability to print things in different materials The 3D printer needs to be able to print using a variety of materials Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 10 Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 3 The 3D print er prints detailed and high quality items. 4 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 4 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. u 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. 2 The 3D printer comes with necessary software. 5 The 3D printer is affordable. 2 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 11 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): Hans Thomas & Associates Architect 3/25/2015 222 W Gregory Blvd Ste 400 Kansas City, MO 64114 Nicole Wahlgren Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses We use 3D printing to create models of buildings that are presented to potential/current clients The 3D printer needs to create models at a high quality level We also create models in the early phases of design so we can get feedback from other architects in the office The 3D printer needs to be somewhat cost effective Likes 3D printing has significantly cut back on the amount of time it took for us to build models The 3D printer needs to p rint items within a short period of time It is great being able to build multiple models of the same thing, maybe just on different scales The 3D printing software needs to allow for scaling The filament used in our 3D printer allows us to manipulat e it after printing to add further definition The 3D printer needs to use materials that are strong enough for manipulation after printing Dislikes The software that was included was a little bit of a learning curve The 3D printing software needs to be us er friendly We are getting into larger buildings so we have to often glue pieces together The 3D printer needs to allow for larger models to be built Suggested improvements I would recommend having easier to use software (Same as above) The 3D printing software needs to be user friendly I would like to see stronger items off of our printer. Depending on the size of the model sometimes we get nervous about moving it. The 3D printer needs to create units that feel sturdy to the customer . Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 12 Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exciting, and/or unexpected. 5 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. 2 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 4 The 3D printer is ecofriend ly. 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. u 4 The 3D printer comes with necessary software. u 3 The 3D printer is affordable. 3 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 13 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): General Hobbyist Software Engineer, Maker on the side 3/27/2015 1312 E 154th Terrace Olathe, KS 66062 Nicole Wahlgren Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses I have used a 3D printer for making toys for my kids The 3D printer mat erials need to be durable Mostly like to make little sculptures or wall art The 3D printer filament needs to come in a variety of colors Likes Like the ability to go in and design a product in software then see it in real life The 3D printer software ne eds to be realistic to what will be printed out For some of the toys my kids want it is nice to be able to go out to the internet and find artwork files that have already been developed that I can just print The 3D printer software needs to accept outsid e files Dislikes The cost of filament can be a little hard on the pocketbook The 3D printer filament needs to be affordable Depending on the size of what I'm printing it can take a while to print The 3D printer needs to have a fast print speed Suggeste d improvements Would like to see the ability to add more details, especially on my smaller sculptures The 3D printer quality needs to be able to create small details Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exc iting, and/or unexpected. 3 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. 5 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 3 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 3 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. 4 The 3D printe r comes with necessary software. 5 The 3D printer is affordable. X 4 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. X Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 14 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): Research and Development Lab Product Designer 3/29/15 Springfield, MO Justin Alexander Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses To make prototype parts The 3D printer prints functioning items. Prototype tooling to stamp metal parts to calculate spring back Likes The parts are exactly what I model The 3D printer is accurate and detailed in printing. Only ha ve to pay tooling cost once I wouldn ’t have to wait two months on the shop to make the parts The 3D printe r is faster than previous methods of obtaining prototype parts. Dislikes Cost per print size makes it cheaper to cnc red board The 3D printer needs to be cost effective. Suggeste d improvements A way to re cycle the no longer needed printed parts The 3D printer filaments ar e recyclable. Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exc iting, and/or unexpected. 5 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. 2 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 2 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. X 3 The 3D printe r comes with necessary software. 5 The 3D printer is affordable. 4 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 15 Customer: Job Title: Date: Location: Interviewer(s): Research and Development Lab Lab Manager 3/29/15 Springfield, MO Justin Alexander Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need Typical Uses Prototyping wheels/airfoil blades for maximum performance The 3 D printer prints high quality, functioning items. Prototyping inlets/ Straightening veins Prototyping inlets/ Straightening veins Likes Ability for unlimited possibilities The 3D printer is Ability to make parts from recycled plastic The 3D printer is ecofriendly. Dislikes Size vs Cost ratio The 3D printer needs to be cost effective. Separate programs needed The 3D printer is compatible with other printing programs. Suggeste d improvements Way to reuse bad pieces The 3D printer filaments are recyclable. Speed up printing without compromising quality The 3D printer has a fast print speed while maintaining quality printing. Importance of feature (scale of 1 – 5; 1=low, 5=high) Indicate if feature is unique, exc iting, and/or unexpected. 5 The 3D printer prints detailed and high quality items. 2 The 3D printer has a variety of filament colors for printing. 2 The 3D printer is ecofriendly. 5 The 3D printer can print items up to 12” x 12” x 12”. 4 The 3D printe r comes with necessary software. 3 The 3D printer is affordable. 5 The 3D printer has a fast printing speed. Customer Needs Report PMPs Consulting Group Alexander, Stone, Wahlgren and Youngkin 3/30 /2015 Page | 16 Appendix D – Competitor product observation Observations of competitor 3D printer:  Software that runs the printer is an AutoDesk product  Good selection of colo rs, runs one at a time by spool  Spool access is from the rear and not easily accessible  The unit is a fairly large size compared o Would not be considered “desktop” size  The unit is open on 3 sides o Possibl e increase in cost for making the structural strength at corners  The parts, like other 3D printers that I had observed in the past, have a rough surface.  Black design is attractive o Does not add functionality  Dial on panel for selecting between menus seems unnecessary in design o Selection bu tton could easily fit with other buttons on panel instead Competitor 3D printer Competitor 3D printer filament color options Competitor 3D printer control panel