Understanding Customers: The Toyota Approach

This chapter explores the principle of 'genkai genbutsu,' emphasizing the importance of firsthand customer understanding in product development. It illustrates how a Chief Engineer's road trip across North America for the 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan led to impactful design changes driven by real consumer insight. The discussion further contrasts sustaining innovation with startup unpredictability, encouraging entrepreneurs to validate customer archetypes through direct engagement and practical testing.