Designing Products Using Quality Function Deployment and Conjoint Analysis: A Comparison in a Market for Elderly People

Abstract

In this paper, we compare two product design approaches, quality function deployment (QFD) and conjoint analysis (CA), on the example of mobile phones for elderly people as a target group. Then, we compare between our results and the results from former similar comparisons, e.g., Pullman et al. (J Prod Innov Manage 19(5):354–364, 2002) and Katz (J Innov Manage 21:61–63, 2004). In this work, the same procedures and conditions are taken into consideration as that taken by Pullman et al. in their paper. They viewed the relation between the two methods: QFD and CA as a complementary one in which both should be simultaneously implemented since each provide feedback to the other. They concluded that CA is more efficient in reflecting the end-users’ present preferences for the product attributes, whereas QFD is definitely better in satisfying end-users’ needs from the developers’ point of view. Katz in his response from a practitioner’s point of view agreed with Pullman et al. However, he concluded that the two methods are better used sequentially and that QFD should precede conjoint analysis. We test these results in a market for elderly people.