The article discusses a new method for designing product portfolios based on customer needs. By using high-level customer needs, the researchers were able to define the base platform and differentiating modules of a product. They used modern design tools like Functional Basis and functional modeling to plan the product portfolio before any physical design. The method was tested on existing products and compared to known platforms, showing its effectiveness in generating product variants. The key takeaway is that focusing on customer needs during the design stage can lead to more successful and differentiated products.