An integrated approach for defining bicycle design factors with consideration of gender differences

Quality function deployment (QFD) is an extremely effective method of determining customer requirements (CRs) and developing new products to meet those requirements. However, most of the previous research on QFD is focused on customers in general, and this approach has limited applicability in regards to enhancing customer satisfaction or gaining market share. This study develops a methodology integrating market segmentation theory, QFD, and fuzzy theory for developing a new bicycle with consideration to different CRs. Firstly, a market segmentation questionnaire is used to collect information regarding the emphasis customers place on various customer requirements. Secondly, the QFD is used to transform these CRs into engineering characteristics (ECs). Finally, to obtain the key EC values, the relevant crisp values were solved using fuzzy theory. The proposed approach provides the means by which businesses can identify key CRs and reduce areas of uncertainty in the period between production and sales. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach at the end of this paper.