Dear John,
Missed the actions as I was on travel without my laptop.
My computer was designed without my involvement but I am not the only customer for this computer. I bought this computer because it matched my needs and expectations, which was assessed by DELL from other potential / actual customers long before it anticipated my buying.
In my opinon, no company designs without customers' inputs.
There are companies involved in research and the inputs for most of such research is customers' expectations or lack of existing products to cater the customers' delight levels (as the bar always is raised).
There are instances where a product cmes out out of blue without any inpits like market / customers' needs and expectations, but it is generally due to accidental innovation.
Will these definitions from ISO 9000 help :
3.3.5 customer
organization
(3.3.1) or person that receives a product (3.4.2)
EXAMPLE Consumer, client, end-user, retailer, beneficiary and purchaser.
NOTE A customer can be internal or external to the organization.
3.4.4 design and development
set of
processes (3.4.1) that transforms requirements (3.1.2) into specified characteristics (3.5.1) or into the specification (3.7.3) of a product (3.4.2), process (3.4.1) or system (3.2.1)
NOTE 1 The terms
“design” and “development” are sometimes used synonymously and sometimes used to define different
stages of the overall design and development process.
NOTE 2 A qualifier can be applied to indicate the nature of what is being designed and developed (e.g. product design and development or process design and development)
3.1.2 requirement
need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory
NOTE 1
“Generally implied” means that it is custom or common practice for the organization (3.3.1), its customers (3.3.5)
and other interested parties (3.3.7), that the need or expectation under consideration is implied.
NOTE 2 A qualifier can be used to denote a specific type of requirement, e.g. product requirement, quality management
requirement, customer requirement.
NOTE 3 A specified requirement is one that is stated, for example in a document (3.7.2).
NOTE 4 Requirements can be generated by different interested parties (3.3.7).
A bit from ISO 9004 :
7.3 Design and development
7.3.1 General guidance
Top management should ensure that the organization has defined, implemented and maintained the necessary design and development processes to respond effectively and efficiently to the needs and expectations of its customers and other interested parties.
When designing and developing products or processes, management should ensure that the organization is not only capable of considering their basic performance and function, but all factors that contribute to meeting the product and process performance expected by customers and other interested parties.
Sathish