The details of such a research endeavor have not yet been fully developed. But successful research results could change the way people perform market research, design products, define system requirements, and choose from among viable alternatives. Both general and specific affordability attributes would be important in some cases, critical inputs to many affordability models. Producers would find these attributes useful in their role as customers as well as sellers, since few producers start with all the raw materials they require. This leads to one final thought about affordability attributes and their relation to the definition of affordability.
Every customer is a producer.
Even the last customer who ultimately uses the product or service produces some output with it. And every producer is a customer in some sense of the word, even to the point where nature provides the initial input to the value chain. The common thread throughout the value chain may well be the affordability attributes that influence customers and producers without discrimination.