mFounded in 1902 at Minnesota.

mFivebusinessman set out to mine a mineral

deposit for grinding-wheel abrasive.

mDeposits proved to be of little value

mNew 3M company focus on sandpaper products.

 !he world¶s first waterproof sandpaper, which
reduced airborne dusts during automobile
manufacturing was developed.

 Masking !ape was invented- an innovative step

toward diversification and the first of many
Pressure-Sensitive !apes.

 !echnical progress resulted in Cellophane !ape

for box sealing and soon hundreds of practical
uses were discovered.
 Product team comprise technical individuals
a involve process engineers
 ensure the particular product under development could be
efficiently made
 provided feedback about 3M¶s manufacturing capabilities
 xllowed for technical employees to take matters
in their own hands.
 Marketing input traditionally came from current
customers and sales representatives.
 Product developer focus on finding new angles
or twists on the early trends.
mData from sales representative with daily contact
with physicians or registered nurses.
mGather some 30 nurses biannually from across the
nation in a room to obtain reactions to proposed
products.
mCustomer evaluation of currently marketed
products.
mSite visits to observe physicians and nurse at work,
with the intent to identify unforeseen needs.
mData on risk factors for diseases.
mJiring out for market research created too many
interfaces between development teams and customers
mInformation obtained was not necessarily proprietary
- anyone could open up a medical textbook to find key risk
factor for diseases.
mUnderstanding customer and market needs would not
suffice
- customers were somewhere blind about their own needs, and
thus could not provide clues about developing revolutionary
products.
 !hey want to product a breakthrough products.
a Ôant to find new ways
 Identify leading-edge customer needs
 Develop concepts for breakthrough products and services
 Customer-focused product development process
 @

a Method : xn accurately forecasting market opportunity
by taping the expertise base of´ lead users.´
a Lead User
 !he people whose experience are p p
of the market
segment.
 !hey may lead in either p  or pp market.
 !hey may be involved with just one or more p  of the
problems users met.
 ë
a unearth product development opportunities.
mx
pp 
richer and more reliable information.
better products and service concepts.
acceleration of the product and service
development process.
má
p   
 pp  
a


p p of high skilled
people.
a understanding of the principles of Lead
User research.
mr
u-6 people from marketing and technical
department
12-15 hours per week spent on the project
project typically takes 5-6 months
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage u

‡ Project ‡ !rends/Needs ‡ Preliminary ‡ Final Concept

Planning Identification Concept Generation
Generation
 3M wanted to find a  p
  






a 
p
p 
 Probe the team with questions
a Ôhat do you know about this market?
a Jow important is the skin itself
as a source of infection?
 -uild up an invaluable database of information
a Dnow the need for good surgical drapes
 Make sense of all the information gathered in
stage 1
 Prove more effective the current products
a easy to apply and remove.
 !alk to a wide range of experts
a veterinary science to medics from MxSJ.
 !urn up other experts
a !heater make-up business to veterinary sciences to
oceanographers.
 Identify important trends in infection control
a !ravel to extreme situation: surgical environments in
developing countries
a Send product developers to visit potential customers.
 Identify lead users
a èeterinary hospitals, make-up artists in Jollywood
 Jow to pool the combined knowledge and talent to
develop product concepts?
 J
p
 
a 11 3M personnel and 11 outside experts
 6



p
p


 6
p  
a Lack of structure in many corporate meeting
a Introverted and extroverted participants
 xrtist¶s idea èS. surgeon¶s squash
a Find ways to marry very creative ideas with technical
feasibility.
a Lie in navigating a sea of facts
 Interplay of Q&x from diverse range keep the process afloat.
mCustomer preference for the new products

mCreation of new growth for division, with the goal of

double-digit annual growth.

m-oosted global presence of the division.

mJigher growth for the rest of 3M through incorporation of

proprietary 3M technology with patient protection.



a  ne size fit all
a timesaving
a Low cost material
a apply p
pp
 to skin
 
@

a Jand-held vacuum mode -mop up surface liquids
a  riginal laying mode
 x
pp 


a Consistent with current strategy of reactive infection
control
a  pen the door to new business opportunities(2 billion)
 Focus on qualitative probing of the right questions
a !raditional method focus on quantifiable question and
research

 ^volution or revolution?
a Combining technologies from more than one core areas
is evolution.
a Lead users method is a revolution
 !hink about challenging the entire business strategy.
 !hink that we gather and use information differently than
before
 Provide emotional support