La participation du client dans le processus de conception de nouveaux produits

The purpose of this article is to show that customers can be used in all phases that punctuate the design process. Using the creativity of customers to gain a competitive advantage becomes vital to boost the innovation process. While it seems clear that managers rely on the creativity of customers in their own design processes, it is important to note that there are still unanswered questions about how customers are involved in the design process. Based on a qualitative approach, our study shows how customers participate in the design of new products. From a theoretical point of view, the contribution of this research is based on a reverse use of customers in the design process in order to lead to the achievement of competitive products. From a practical point of view, our study provides interesting insights to better integrate customer insights within the innovation process. Indeed, our findings explain that customers are true designers that provide firms with useful solutions and ideas throughout the design process.