eBusiness Research Lunch Seminars
NE20-336 (3 Cambridge Center)
Wednesday, October 24, 12-1:30 pm
Lunch Provided
Professor Glen Urban, MIT
Opportunity Identification on the Internet: Finding Unmet Needs and User Solutions

Abstract

Finding major new product opportunities is critical to the growth and profit strategies of most companies. Many methods exist for this task, but the Internet enables some new ones. This presentation will explore the use of analyzing click stream data from the dialogue between a potential customer and a virtual Internet trusted advisor. The approach is to "listen" to the customer needs expressed to the advisor and identify unmet needs and opportunities for new products. We will explore the criteria for unmet need identification, a method to cluster unmet needs into product opportunities, the use of a virtual engineer to learn detailed requirements to fill needs, and a design pallet to find user solutions to their needs. The methodology is described along with advantages and disadvantages, internal validation is presented, an application to auto purchasing is reported with preliminary results, and future research plans are outlined.

 

Calendar for Fall Lunch seminars