TMF-2024 - Unsatisfied Market Needs - List of Development Topics

Dear TMF Participants!

The following list provides a roadmap to present your research on a variety of subjects, from identifying consumer and business needs to applying these insights to real-world product and process development. These topics have been selected to foster a productive dialogue on how to effectively recognize and prioritize the values that drive market success. While this list offers a structured guide, you are more than welcome to submit a presentation on any other MPV-related topic not on this list. We look forward to your contributions and to advancing our understanding of MPVs together.

Value Driven Innovation

High-Potential Topics in MPV Research and Application

  1. Needs and MPVs[1]
    • Creating a comprehensive list of human needs
    • Creating a comprehensive list of business needs
    • Creating a comprehensive list of societal needs
    • Analyzing the alignment of needs with MPVs in individual and group contexts
    • Dynamics of transition of wants into needs[2]
    • Forecasting future unmet needs and wants

These topics are foundational, focusing on understanding the broad landscape of needs and wants, their classification, and how they evolve over time.

  1. Identifying and Analyzing Needs
    • Indicators of the level of need satisfaction
    • Method (algorithm) for the identification of all vital unsatisfied needs associated with a given engineered system (ES)
    • Method (algorithm) for the identification of all vital latent needs associated with a given ES
    • Method (algorithm) for the identification of new needs

This group is about developing methodologies for identifying both explicit and latent needs, including unsatisfied or entirely new needs.

  1. Translating Needs into MPVs
    • Method for the translation of needs into MPVs

This topic bridges the gap between identifying needs and conceptualizing them into tangible models for subsequent solution development.

  1. Selection and Prioritization of MPVs
    • How can we select MPVs from the list of PVs?
    • How can we prioritize MPVs (if there are 3 or 4 of them, which ones should the company address first)?

These topics are crucial for decision-making processes, focusing on selecting and prioritizing the most promising parameters of values for development.

  1. Characteristics and Evaluation of MPVs
    • What are typical MPVs for B2C and B2B products?
    • How can we reliably identify the level of satisfaction for each PV?
    • How can we reliably identify the level of importance for each PV (voting in a target group is too subjective? For example, some MPVs may hold different importance for different stakeholders, life cycle stages, market niches, and geographical locations.
    • How can we reliably determine whether a specific PV is recognizable or latent in the market, given that voting in a target group is too subjective?
    • How can we measure and compare qualitative MPVs such as Indulgence, Attractiveness, Convenience, Individualization, and Brand (impression, appearance)?
    • How can we decouple MPVs from specific action principles?
    • Does it make sense to separate MPV into categories: Functional (Technical), Economical, Emotional, etc.?

This category addresses how to evaluate and understand MPVs' characteristics, including their measurement, importance, and categorization.

  1. Integrating MPV Discovery into Product Development
    • VOC is much more time-consuming than VOP (it requires, field observations, market surveys, etc.) – how to incorporate it into the limited timing of a TRIZ project?
    • Integrating S-Curves Analysis into MPV Discovery
    • Which Trends of Engineered Systems Evolution can be utilized to identify latent MPVs?
    • How does the super-system evolution affect MPVs for the system?
    • There is a need to develop an algorithm for MPV Discovery via Trends of Engineered Systems Evolution and Patent Analysis.

These topics focus on integrating MPV Discovery into broader product development and innovation strategies, including considerations of time constraints and the use of specific analytical frameworks.

  1. Discovery of Needs and Wants of Decision Makers
    [3]
    • How can we distinguish between objective needs and MPVs of the company and the personal needs and MPVs (business-related) of decision makers?
    • There is a need to develop an approach and an algorithm for MPV Discovery for Decision Makers.

These topics are crucial for decision-making processes by individuals 

[1] A need is a fundamental requirement critical for the well-being and effective functioning of an individual or group (e.g., a family, business, or societal stratum). It is essential for sustaining a healthy and productive life. The MPV is a specific attribute linked to a need that is not yet fully satisfied in the market but is crucial to the consumer's decision-making process. For instance, within the basic human need for food, taste (e.g., sour, sweet, etc.) can serve as an MPV.

[2] A want is a desire for non-essential items or attributes, shaped by personal preferences and societal influences, varying widely among individuals and over time.

[3] A Decision Maker is an individual who is a top manager of the company, defining its strategies and priorities, and making decisions regarding investments.