Final answer:
The main difference between a customer and a user is that a customer pays for the product or service while a user is someone who utilizes it, regardless of payment. Customers are always users, but users are not always customers. Anyone who has a vested interest in the product, whether they are using it or not, can be a stakeholder.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between a customer and a user lies within their interaction with a product or service. A customer is a person or organization that pays for a design, whether directly or through purchasing a product. The essence of most design projects is to create something that fulfills the needs of these customers who are also considered stakeholders, as they have a vested interest in the product. However, a user is someone who utilizes the product, even if they did not pay for it. This means that all customers are users, but not all users are necessarily customers. For instance, in the context of a new car, the stakeholder group would encompass a range of individuals and entities such as the owners, mechanics, governmental agencies, and fuel suppliers, illustrating that user groups can be diverse.