Lead user is a term developed by Eric von Hippel in 1986 (Von Hippel 1986). His definition for lead user is:
- Lead users face needs that will be general in a marketplace – but face them months or years before the bulk of that marketplace encounters them, and
- Lead users are positioned to benefit significantly by obtaining a solution to those needs.
In other words: Lead users are users of a product or service that currently experience needs still unknown to the public and who also benefit greatly if they obtain a solution to these needs. Because lead users innovate, they are considered to be one example or type of the creative consumers phenomenon.
Read more about Lead User: Lead User Method Introduction, Review of Existing Literature, Potential Disadvantages of The Lead User Method, Examples of Lead User Method
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