Framework for Consumer-Integrated Optimal Product Design

The need for rapid product design, resulting from time to market pressure, is accompanied by ail increasing demand for product differentiation. In order to meet these demands, firms are seeking more efficient ways to integrate consumer's input into the product design process. Furthermore, appropriate integration of consumer influence yields the tangible benefit of increased probability of product acceptance in the marketplace. The objective of this paper is to introduce a comprehensive framework that integrates consumer's influence into the design space using a multiobjective optimization approach. We formulate the problem as a biobjective mixed-integer problem, for which the compromised solution is; represented as a set of efficient points. A case study involving optimal design of in under eye cream product was used to illustrate the application of the framework.