Express the need in terms of what the product has to do, not in terms of how the product might do it.
Express the need as specifically as the raw data.
Use positive phrasing
Express the needs as attributes of the product

3. Establish the Relative Importance of the Needs

Needs are listed in order of importance to the end user.
The order of importance was determined through speaking with out contacts in the target regions. As such, they represent fairly accurate approximations of the actual needs of the end user.

Ordered Customer Needs

The table below shows the final configuration of the determined customer needs. The link following the table will call up a Microsoft Excel document which contains the Customer Needs and Engineering Specifications Tables as well as the matrix which shows how the the established specifications meet the identified customer needs.

Ordered Customer Needs

Needs/Specs/Relationships in Excel Format

4. Reflect on the Results and the Process

The identification of customer needs has proven to be a bit of a challenge considering that the end users cannot be consulted (or more accurately, it would prove very difficult to consult with them in the process of completing this project). Therefore, it was necessary to establish needs based on interactions with out NGO contacts in Haiti, web research, and upon personal experiences in developing nations. The needs presented above have been through several iterations and have not been arrived at lightly. After significant consultation with the Team's contacts in Haiti, it is believed that these needs are complete and will fully satisfy the desires of the end users.