Exploring the dimensions of value: the four dimensions framework

Companies have to develop innovative and valuable products in order to achieve competitive advantage. To this aim, the idea generation task should be effectively supported within the Product Planning phase, whose goal is defining the main product features. According to this objective, the paper proposes a tool, Four Dimensions framework, that urges designers looking for new customer requirements through the mapping of General Demands, Stakeholders, Life Cycle and Systems. The tool has been simulated through an application to the first Apple iMac from 1998, obtaining promising results.