Incremental, platform, and breakthrough products

There are typically three levels of new product development categories—incremental, platform, and breakthrough products.

Incremental products require few product modifications, and the customer experience is similar to that is generated by the current market offering. Incremental products often take the form of product extensions, cost reductions, value engineering, or minor product enhancements. Breakthrough products reflect significant product and/or customer experience changes. This often takes the form of significant performance enhancements, huge cost reductions, or totally new ways of performing a set function.

Many also see a third category of product in the field of product development, referred to as platform products. These products establish a base architecture for the next generation of products and require more money and resources than incremental products, but typically not as much as breakthrough products, although this is dependent...