Bicycles
A cyclist planing a trip from London to Tokyo by bike is a lead user for a light and reliable bicycle.Robotics
An interstellar space mission that will span decades is a lead user for highly reliable robots.Information Security
A social media site that is regularly attacked by sophisticated entities such as governments is a lead user for information security.Wood Products
A skateboarder is a lead user for strong and flexible wood products.Environment
A city with extreme air quality problems is a lead user for zero emissions energy production and transport.Market Data
A firm that specializes in high frequency trading is a lead user for fast and reliable market data.Medicine
A doctor working in a war zone is a lead user for a simplified emergency medical procedure.Cosmetics
A makeup artist working in the fashion industry is a lead user for cosmetics such as makeup remover.Architecture
The tallest building in an earthquake-prone city is a lead user for seismic vibration control systems.Safety
A motorsports team is a lead user for safety equipment such as helmets.Energy
An electric car company is a lead user for efficient batteries.Machine Automation
A recycling facility that needs to sort random garbage into 20 bins by material at high speed is a lead user for machine automation.Artificial Intelligence
A self driving car project is a lead user for machine learning algorithms.Food
A three star restaurant is a lead user for artisanal food such as unique chili peppers.Information Technology
A bank with customer data duplicated and inconsistent in 20 different systems is a lead user for master data management.High Availability
An ecommerce company that processes 10,000 orders an hour is a lead user for high availability techniques such as cloud computing.Materials
A firm that designs and manufacturers prosthetic limbs is a lead user for materials with special properties including factors such as strength, weight and energy absorption.| Overview: Lead User | ||
Type | ||
Definition (1) | A user who experiences needs before the rest of the market. | |
Definition (2) | A method of innovation that looks at the requirements of users who have extreme needs relative to the rest of the market. | |
Attributed to | Eric von Hippel, Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts, Management Science, 1986. | |
Related Concepts | ||
