ng: Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 1996 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Enginee http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5576.html 6 DESIGN RESEARCH Computer Software Although there are positive examples, there is still a great deal of refine ment to be done, even in such a high-tech industry as computer software According to Trendata, 50 percent of personal computers are bought by omen---up from 30 percent just 15 years ago. As a result, the computer industry has revised the software bundles it loads into home computers. For example, PCs are packaged with many more programs keyed to women: pro- grams that plan a family vacation and that keep track of key dates and finan- cial records, as well as programs to support home-based businesses, which Trendata acknowledges that women are more likely to own than men. Nevertheless, although the computer industry appears to be ddressing women's needs on a secondary level, the extremely lucrative videogame soft re market is still searching for the key. The majority of videogame buyers are young males between the ages of 10 and 25. Is this because young women simply are not interested in videogames? Or is it because todays games which are primarily designed by men for men, do not appeal to women? In general, what appeals to men does not necessarily appeal or sell to women. Software companies need to investigate the motivators. It is known that women shy away from confrontation and violence, but to what other factor does this technology lend itself? There is clear market growth potential here for the first companies that calculate the correct formula WOMEN'S MARKETING COMMITTEE FORMED To better understand the female customer and to guarantee that womens needs are addressed, Ford formed the Womens Marketing Committee(WMC) in 1987. The WMC 's mandate is to educate designers and engineers about the far-reaching effects of the choices they make. The committee is composed of volunteers representing all operational areas of Ford Motor Company, gather ng input from design, engineering, manufacturing, finance, and sales. Al- hough the word"marketing"is prominent in its name, marketing is not the ommittee's primary focus Working through eight subcommittees, WMC confronts a variety of de sign and engineering issues. Its Product Review Team is composed of hun- dreds of employees--mostly women-who review advanced design concepts members also participate in test drives of current and future models, which adds balance and depth to decision making in all facets of design Addressing secondary gender-design issues requires a different, more ex pansive thought process. It requires recognizing what motivates consumers appreciating their specific needs and wants, and defining those needs and wants in the end products. In an effort to move toward this goal, the WMC completed an extensive women,'s market Pulse Study, which was the most Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved6 DESIGN RESEARCH Computer Software Although there are positive examples, there is still a great deal of refine￾ment to be done, even in such a high-tech industry as computer software. According to Trendata, 50 percent of personal computers are bought by women—up from 30 percent just 15 years ago. As a result, the computer industry has revised the software bundles it loads into home computers. For example, PCs are packaged with many more programs keyed to women: pro￾grams that plan a family vacation and that keep track of key dates and finan￾cial records, as well as programs to support home-based businesses, which Trendata acknowledges that women are more likely to own than men. Nevertheless, although the computer industry appears to be addressing women’s needs on a secondary level, the extremely lucrative videogame soft￾ware market is still searching for the key. The majority of videogame buyers are young males between the ages of 10 and 25. Is this because young women simply are not interested in videogames? Or is it because today’s games, which are primarily designed by men for men, do not appeal to women? In general, what appeals to men does not necessarily appeal or sell to women. Software companies need to investigate the motivators. It is known that women shy away from confrontation and violence, but to what other factor does this technology lend itself? There is clear market growth potential here for the first companies that calculate the correct formula. WOMEN’S MARKETING COMMITTEE FORMED To better understand the female customer and to guarantee that women’s needs are addressed, Ford formed the Women’s Marketing Committee (WMC) in 1987. The WMC’s mandate is to educate designers and engineers about the far-reaching effects of the choices they make. The committee is composed of volunteers representing all operational areas of Ford Motor Company, gather￾ing input from design, engineering, manufacturing, finance, and sales. Al￾though the word “marketing” is prominent in its name, marketing is not the committee’s primary focus. Working through eight subcommittees, WMC confronts a variety of de￾sign and engineering issues. Its Product Review Team is composed of hun￾dreds of employees—mostly women—who review advanced design concepts. Members also participate in test drives of current and future models, which adds balance and depth to decision making in all facets of design. Addressing secondary gender-design issues requires a different, more ex￾pansive thought process. It requires recognizing what motivates consumers, appreciating their specific needs and wants, and defining those needs and wants in the end products. In an effort to move toward this goal, the WMC completed an extensive women’s market Pulse Study, which was the most Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 1996 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5576.html