Application of conjoint analysis in product design

In this paper, we illustrate use of a market research method, conjoint analysis, to arrive at effective product design solutions. The conjoint process effectively illustrates the integration of marketing and product design processes. Towards this end, we first discuss the process of product design. We then explain the methodology of conjoint analysis. An illustrative case study is then presented of the application of design of concepts for mobile handsets with conjoint analysis as a tool. Current market has numerous ranges of mobile handsets with numerous features, many of which remain unexplored. If a mobile handset has to be designed for target customers (i.e., student population), then conjoint analysis could be used to decide what features should it have and at what price. With these features, various handset concepts can be generated. We conclude with a discussion of future scope of this work.