PRODUCT USE AND PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT

This paper presents a conceptual framework for the analysis of product improvement. It begins by establishing that in the process by which products are improved, knowledge of user requirements, of product characteristics, of how to redesign products, and about the production process needs to be acquired. It then argues that user requirements and product characteristics can often be discovered only if the product is actually used, sometimes for a long period of time. Just as importantly, effective communication between users and producers typically plays a central role in acquiring the knowledge necessary to the improvement of products. The knowledge that has been generated through actual use and user-producer communication will guide producers in redesigning and improving the product. In the course of the discussion, the roles of systemic complexity, theoretical knowledge, accidents and testing are examined. © 1990.