Topics
customer needs, product design, features and benefits
Review the activity below or download the PDF student worksheet
- Student Worksheet: A Product Meets a Need
- Instructor Solutions (Members Only): A Product Meets a Need = Solutions
Student Discussion Activity
A product should meet a need or provide a solution for a consumer. In this activity you need to complete the table – sometimes you need to identify the consumer’s need and sometimes you need to identify the product solution.
Several examples have been provided to get you started.
|
Consumer’s Need or Problem |
Product Solution |
|
Contact lenses are trouble to clean |
Disposable contact lenses |
|
Kids quickly grow out of roller skates |
Size adjustable skates |
|
Chocolate easily melts |
Candy covered chocolate (e.g. M&M’s) |
|
Can’t see whether you took a good photo |
Screens on cameras |
|
Travel suitcases are heavy to carry |
? |
|
? |
Air bags in cars |
|
? |
Child care |
|
? |
Light (low alcohol) beer |
|
Want to study, but can’t get to classes |
? |
|
Don’t want to get sun burnt |
? |
|
? |
Internet cafes |
|
? |
Laptop computers |
|
Tired and stressed |
? |
|
Want to lose weight |
? |
Student Discussion Questions
- Start by completing the above table.
- Did you find that sometimes there were several/many suitable product solutions? What does this tell us about indirect competitors (or substitute products)?
- How helpful would it be for firms to reflect on what core need that their product satisfies?