🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge of early-stage technology opportunity identification, where ambiguous user needs and the absence of systematic integration of end-user values often lead to misalignment between technological potential and market demands. To bridge this gap, the authors propose a novel decision-support framework that integrates Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) with Schwartz’s theory of basic human values—introducing, for the first time, human values into the process of technology opportunity recognition. The framework defines two key metrics: “value breadth” and “vision gap.” Through qualitative analysis combining expert and consumer workshops in a case study at Sony CSL, the research demonstrates that successful technologies resonate across a broader spectrum of human values, and that experts articulate richer value dimensions than consumers. These findings validate the framework’s capacity to enhance technology–market fit through a value-driven approach.
📝 Abstract
Discovering technology opportunities (TOD) remains a critical challenge for innovation management, especially in early-stage development where consumer needs are often unclear. Existing methods frequently fail to systematically incorporate end-user perspectives, resulting in a misalignment between technological potentials and market relevance. This study proposes a novel decision support framework that bridges this gap by linking technological feasibility with fundamental human values. The framework integrates two distinct lenses: the engineering-based Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Schwartz's theory of basic human values. By combining these, the approach enables a structured exploration of how emerging technologies may satisfy diverse user motivations. To illustrate the framework's feasibility and insight potential, we conducted exploratory workshops with general consumers and internal experts at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., analyzing four real-world technologies (two commercial successes and two failures). Two consistent patterns emerged: (1) internal experts identified a wider value landscape than consumers (vision gap), and (2) successful technologies exhibited a broader range of associated human values (value breadth), suggesting strategic foresight may underpin market success. This study contributes both a practical tool for early-stage R\&D decision-making and a theoretical link between value theory and innovation outcomes. While exploratory in scope, the findings highlight the promise of value-centric evaluation as a foundation for more human-centered technology opportunity discovery.