The launch of new products is currently failing at a high rate, depending on the category, with success rates of only 20-60 %. This failure often results from problems with the initial use of the products, particularly with regard to user interaction and deviation from established behavioural patterns. However, these problems are only identified after the physical test phase, which leads to late adjustments to the product and the high use of resources. Previous efforts to take user behaviour into account during product development only take place after prototype production and are therefore often inefficient.

Professor Millemann's research project (DiNEP) aims to improve this process by shifting the physical test phase to the early development phase through the integration of digitalisation. In the digital space, such as the metaverse, products are tested by test subjects in advance and subconscious decision-making processes are recorded with the help of embedded systems. The metaverse is generally understood to be a virtual, computer-based environment in which users can interact with each other, communicate and perform various activities, similar to the real world, enabling an immersive and highly connected online experience. This will allow for more objective data collection and the development of a technically sound infrastructure and statistical model for future research. The research project will be funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation for a period of 2 years with around €150,000.

The Carl Zeiss Foundation supports professors at universities of applied sciences (HAWs) in the CZS Forschungsstart programme. These experts, who often come from the private sector, contribute valuable practical experience from the corporate world in addition to their academic qualifications. In addition to their teaching duties, they are increasingly expected to participate in practice-orientated research, even though they often have fewer employees and a higher teaching load. In order to support these newly appointed HAW professors in this challenging initial phase, the Carl Zeiss Foundation has launched a two-year funding programme in 2022, with up to 150,000 euros available for each research project.