An analysis of how companies incorporate co-design into their customer value proposition

Abstract

[EN] The purpose of this study is to analyse the use of co-design by new firms in the development and improvement of new products and services in their value propositions. We use the term co-design as a general term for customer participation. The goal is to answer questions related to why firms use customer participation, how they use it, and the results they obtain due to participation. The study is divided into two stages. The first stage includes a literature review related to customers’ participation, including the different keywords that have been used to refer to this participation, and the reasons indicated by previous studies in relation to Strategy, Business Models and customers’ satisfaction. The second stage includes a study about six new companies located in the ecosystem STARTUPV. Meetings with these companies were undertaken in order to analyse its profile in relation to customer co-design. Results indicate that, for the firms analysed: a) customers participate more in customization and modification of products than in design and innovation, b) firms use the participation mainly to know customer’s needs and because they think the product or service would be better than without participation, c) firms realised that results from participation were superior to that estimated, and these results were higher sells and higher value for customers, and d) customer’s satisfaction is higher when participation exists. Therefore, other companies might consider the use of codesign to design the best products for individual consumers and decrease the risk of design failure, as well as promote consumer loyalty and satisfaction toward the product.

[ES] El trabajo consiste en analizar la literatura existente sobre co-diseño, tratando de encontrar qué variables han utilizado otros autores cuando lo han analizado en casos concretos. Posteriormente, llevaremos a cabo el análisis en otras empresas para tratar de buscar similitudes y diferencias entre ellas en la incorporación del co-diseño en sus propuestas de valor.