Abstract: Although nowadays building design as well as other design disciplines recognize the decisive role of the customer and the necessity of the early user needs identification to guarantee the effectiveness of solutions and design process, in building design this activity is not yet well-defined. In Italy the traditional approach based on dimensional standards and type solutions is widely applied even though a new approach based on customer requirements and corresponding performances is available. Besides, various experiences in the building sector show attempts to formalize the activity for the collection of the overall needs or requests for specific purposes. Building design may benefit from the introduction of well-established procedures for identifying customer needs. In order to evaluate contributions for the improvement of such activity, this study reviews the role of the customer in building design throughout the years and provides an overview on experiences and available design procedures developed in building and product design
