PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND CONCEPTUALIZATION BEYOND PRODUCT CATEGORY

Abstract

 Previous researches have explored the factors or processes of product conceptualization changing during product development. These researches have focused on the product development process within the same product category. Meanwhile, product development beyond the existing product category is needed in today's business environment to overcome the commoditization phenomenon.

 This paper focuses on how the product conceptualization shifts when the product is developed beyond the product category. The product category provides a base for conceptualization or designing new products for product developers. We explored how the base, which is already constructed in the mind of product developers, changes when the product is developed beyond the product category and how the product concept is influenced when the base is changed. Given the research interest, this paper clarifies the product development process of “Healsio Ocha Presso” produced by Sharp Corporation. This development is a process that involves a produet that originally started as a coffee maker and became a very new home appliance category that makes a cup of tea.

 The results of the analysis clarify the succeeding points. The base of product development was replaced by a new one when the product was developed beyond the product category. Using this new base, the product developers rethought or redesigned the product concept. Through trial and error, product developers made the new base stable while sharing the common base, thereby achieving new product development.

 These findings imply that when product development isn't achieved, product developers rethink not only the product concept but also the base that a product shares.