Design of innovative product profiles: anticipatory estimation of success potential

According to the current trend to extend the domain of application of Engineering Design to the whole Product Cycle, i.e. from the definition of the product profile to the management of the dismantling procedures, the authors are investigating the possibility to define a practical toolkit to support the earliest stages of product development both in terms of prescriptions to generate new value propositions and assessment of the expected market appraisal. The present paper deals with the second objective and proposes a twofold version of Value Assessment Metrics (VAM) which allow to estimate the success potential of a new product through a balance of its functionalities and features with respect to the alternatives existing in the market. After reporting the methodological approach adopted to build the VAM, the paper presents their preliminary validation and an exemplary application to the proposition of an innovative lipstick.