There is always risk inherent in releasing any new product or service. However, there are also steps you can take to mitigate those risks and give your offering the best possible chance of success. Concept testing takes what might seem like a great idea at the time and puts it through the process of testing to ensure that it generates interest and appeal among your customers – and that it’s actually going to work. It’s a vital part of the process of delivering the best possible outcomes.
What is concept testing?
It’s a way of looking at how consumers react to what you’re offering, the attitudes that they have towards a product or service idea as well as their intentions. It opens up a channel that you can use to optimise whatever you’re offering and also to better manage the risks associated with failure and cost. Concept testing will show you where you might have missed something, reveal your blind spots, highlight where something may be misinterpreted and also identify disinterest within the market. All of these are essential when it comes to ensuring the success of your products and services.
Why is concept testing so important?
- You’ll be able to understand how the customer experience aligns with the initial issue you designed the product or service idea to solve. Is the issue you identified actually important to your customers, how often does it come up and does what you’re offering really provide a solution?
- Could your solution be improved? If there is misalignment between the problem you were trying to solve and the customer experience then concept testing will reveal how the concept could be improved and what the true potential is of what you’re offering.
- Evaluating how well the product idea is designed i.e. does the product or service idea actually work? Other key areas that will be tested are whether it makes sense to consumers without too much explanation required.
- Does it appeal to your target market? Concept testing will ensure that the solution you’ve designed actually appeals to the people you want to buy it – and how to evaluate the value proposition and ROI for your business.
- Is the product or service actually ready? This key question is essential as it will stop your business wasting money if something is not ready – and provide a confidence boost if it is.
How does concept testing work?
There are a number of different ways that you can work with concept testing to help ensure you’ve got a clear idea of market viability. Some of the options include:
- Developing a prototype
- A/B testing
- Creating a survey
- Using VR to bring a buying journey to life
- Opting for focus groups or mockup shelf tests
However you choose to explore concept testing, it’s a vital component in ensuring that product and service ideas are ready for market. Plus, it can offer a broad range of insights and improvements that will give your design the best possible opportunity for success.
