ABSTRACT
In the early phases of design, one of the major challenges is to develop a list or 'program' of requirements that the future product should meet. Customer requirements were not given much attention as it was taken for granted that customers would buy the product anyway. A list of requirements should contain elements of the functional nature, elements of the physical nature. Having elements of the physical nature in the list of requirements limits the options designers have to find a solution that addresses the real needs as good as possible. One of the challenges in gaining insight into the requirements of the various actors involved is that needs are often formulated in terms of solutions. One interesting example was the new idea that came up with the Rockwool company in Roermond, the Netherlands, to redevelop their stone wool ceiling plates for use as a substrate in growing tomatoes.
