Identification of Potentials for the Personalization of Products

Individualization is considered a megatrend in postmodern societies. The markets react with the individualization of products. However, many approaches fail after considerable sums have already been invested. Therefore, this paper presents a benefit-oriented method to identify potentials for the personalization of products. It first accompanies the product through its life cycle (product journey) in order to identify various users and then these users on their user journey in order to observe the product experience. From these observations, a set of ideas for personalization is derived, which together with the associated benefits represent the personalization potential. The method has successfully been tested by individuals and teams in face-to-face workshops and online events using scenarios from the mobility, construction and service sectors. The learning effort is low. The personnel input per analysis amounts to approx. 150 h. The method is to be further evaluated using concrete use cases in industrial practice.