Many times during the course of customer interviews, some ideas or concepts begin to emerge based on what the customers have told you thus far.
Many times, it is possible to take the information you have learned so far and begin to make drawings, sketches, screen mock-ups, or models made from wood, stereo lithography, or 3D printing models. This helps to crystalize what you have heard so far and also provides a basis for further market research. At this point, it is often helpful to add a section to the visit agenda at the completion of the interview to test some of these new concepts with customers to see how well they might fit their needs.
The purpose of concept testing, then, is to help predict the success of a new idea or concept before it enters the design stage, where real money and resources are allocated by getting customer reactions to the proposed offering. In my experience, I have found that customers will have a much easier time pointing to a concept that you already have and then explaining what they like, what they dislike, and why. Concept testing has a number of advantages; here are some:
- Get real-time feedback on concepts
- See if a concept is intuitive
- Minimize engineering spend and waste
- Uncover potential problems with your offering
- Leverage customer feedback to modify your strategy and plans
- Trade-offs between functional design choices
- Understand market attractiveness
- Understand potential adjunct uses and markets
- Receive supplier advice
- Explore manufacturing issues before the design phase
- Iterate ideas and features quickly
While concept testing can be another valuable tool in refining your VoC input, there are a few caveats that you should employ when adding concept testing to your repertoire:
- Don't take too long to develop the prototype.
- Don't make the concepts overly complicated. Keep it as simple as possible to convey your concept.
- Don't get fixated on a really nice prototype model. Sometimes all that is required is a sketch. Actually, you should start with a sketch and move to a prototype model only if you are getting consistent feedback after showing the sketch.
- Don't make it too real. If the customer perceives it looks too good, they will assume it is already in development and that it will be something they can order soon.